Displaying comments 1 to 28 of 28
MeFi post:
How I built my house for £4,000
Straw-bale walls are generally less flammable than timber walls, and provide much better insulation. There are straw-built buildings around that have lasted 100 years, which is more than I expect from my (50 year old) timber and brick house. A turf roof is also much less of a fire risk than a timber, felt and tile roof; when did you ever hear of soil catching fire?
LILI is a useful resource for anyone wanting to find out more about this kind of lifestyle. Incidentally,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by le morte de bea arthur
at 4:35 AM on February 20, 2008
Ask post:
What is the first book you remember loving?
The Little Prince
posted to Ask Metafilter by bigmusic
at 11:43 AM on February 18, 2008
Where the Red Fern Grows
posted to Ask Metafilter by woolylambkin
at 11:59 AM on February 18, 2008
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. Definately a "grow into" book (but nowhere near as snarky as the Willy Wonka books).
A Wrinkle in Time, etc series by Madelaine L'Engle. Again, not for babies, but I do recall it being read to me when I was perhaps six or seven and being quite enchanted by the first two anyway.
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Again, for older children.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by elendil71
at 12:03 PM on February 18, 2008
The Phantom Tollbooth
posted to Ask Metafilter by geekyguy
at 12:04 PM on February 18, 2008
Where the Sidewalk Ends
posted to Ask Metafilter by gcat
at 12:05 PM on February 18, 2008
I second The Phantom Tollbooth. I read that book so many times that I wore the covers off two copies.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Faint of Butt
at 12:23 PM on February 18, 2008
MeFi post:
Going to the chapel, gonna... cook some dinner.
That's a lot of white, but I don't know how they could have gotten away from the churchiness otherwise and still keep the windows, which are so lovely.
Ani DiFranco and Scott Fisher (of Righteous Babe Records) bought and, with the help of the city of Buffalo NY, accomplished a $10 million renovation of a neighborhood church that otherwise would have been demolished, and turned it into an arts center for the city that includes a performing space. Pictures here, website... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by onlyconnect
at 2:41 PM on January 23, 2008
MeFi post:
Science and Technology in the 2008 Presidential Election
For that matter, I'd think a president with good scientific thinking skills would make better policy decisions in matters wholly unrelated to science. I worry about the thought processes of someone who abandons science arbitrarily when it conflicts with ideology.
posted to MetaFilter by grouse
at 3:52 PM on January 9, 2008
MeFi post:
His Dark Outrage
"It goes like this: If your ancient, authoritarian, immutable belief system is truly threatened by a handful of popular novels, if your ostensibly all-powerful, unyielding creed is rendered meek and defenseless when faced with the story of a fiery, rebellious young girl who effortlessly rejects your stiff misogynistic religiosity in favor of adventure, love, sex, the ability to discover and define her soul on her own terms, well, it might be time for you to roll it all up and shut it all... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by bluishorange
at 10:33 AM on November 30, 2007
Because nice talking lions who are really Jesus are no match for commando squads of armored bears.
posted to MetaFilter by BitterOldPunk
at 10:40 AM on November 30, 2007
All I need to know is that this movie features dirigibles and armored polar bears.
On that basis alone I conclude that this is the greatest movie ever.
Even if you accept the fact that they're not killing the actual god, the books promulgate the gnostic heresy. There's no way the Church is going to accept the books.
posted by empath at 1:36 PM on November 30
And yet, the books have been... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Pastabagel
at 10:45 AM on November 30, 2007
Ask post:
Bun in the oven
Just to offer another view on abortion, I had one when I was 19 and 6 years later I still have no regrets. It was a remarkably simple procedure (I had it done at 8 weeks) and when I came home from the hospital, it felt like the best day of my life, a huge weight had been lifted. For us there was really no other choice, neither of us wanted children (still don't), we couldn't afford one and as I don't find abortion morally objectionable there really was no reason to go through 9 months of hell... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by missmagenta
at 2:12 AM on October 12, 2007
I'm just about as feminist as they come, but I have to disagree with the 'forget the husband, keep the baby' camp (especially since you don't say whether or not you want to keep the baby). I don't think it's necessarily fair to dismiss your husband's concerns as just being about whether he can provide financially for the child. Were you planning on having children before you got pregnant? He might not be ready for a whole host of other reasons. As others have pointed out, "poor"... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by AV
at 4:47 AM on October 12, 2007
Ask post:
Supporting a recovering fundamentalist
I don't know about your friend's situation, but I was raised in a fundamentalist church, and I can relate to what he's going to.
It's a hard thing to realize that you've been lied to your whole life by the people you trusted the most. It's a hard thing to realize that nobody is watching over you, that no one has a plan for you, and that the reward for all of your sacrifice will be absolutely nothing.
I think there are two distinct threads here.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America
at 3:22 PM on October 2, 2007
Ask post:
How can it be that there exists not a single example of a working wheel in nature?
In The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman, there is a species that evolved to travel on wheels - there were ancient lava flows that served as roads and seedpods that they hooked their claws into to use as wheels. Of course, that's a fictional book, not real life, but it does provide an example of an environment that's conducive to wheels in nature. They also had a diamond-shaped spine - the front and back legs held the wheels and the side legs pushed. That doesn't really explain why similar... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by brittanyq
at 10:21 PM on September 23, 2007
Ask post:
Wall painting effect
I hate to give any hints, cause quite frankly that is one ugly wall. Hard to tell if that was sprayed on or applied with a tool. If you want to do it with basic tools I would do this:
• paint wall blue(or at least areas where borders will be)
• mark off the shapes with .25" detailing tape
• Paint wall base color
• Stipple in colored glaze
• optionally use a badger haired brush to really soften
• remove tape
posted to Ask Metafilter by travis08
at 5:18 AM on August 26, 2007 
marked best answer
MeFi post:
Daddy and I
As sweet as father/daughter pictures anywhere. Go love. Ain't nothin' creepy 'bout it.
posted to MetaFilter by kozad
at 9:22 PM on August 22, 2007
Most of the shots strike me as innocuous-to-banal, but as the artist's statement mentions, it is interesting to consider the cultural ramifications. Personally, I think that if your first impression on seeing a white guy with a Chinese daughter is "creepy" ('OMG She's on his lap! They're sitting on a bed! What kind of monster is he?!?') you could probably benefit from watching less Dateline.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand
at 9:28 PM on August 22, 2007
The photographer probably told them to put their arm around the girl. It's an odd choice in subject but I'm not convinced these guys are all perverts. Some of the guys are pretty weird, but there are a lot of awkward men out there.
The lesson? If you're a white male, you shouldn't ever be near children because everyone will suspect you're a pedo.
posted to MetaFilter by polyhedron
at 9:36 PM on August 22, 2007
Ask post:
What to do about my marriage?
Stop giving him the freedom to be a big old baby. There's no consequence for him. What's in it for him to be good to you? I hate ultimatums, but I can't imagine if he gets a life where you take care of everything and he doesn't have to do anything in return that anything's really going to change.
You say he's loving, but loving you is about seeing what you need, hearing what you want, understanding that you're serious, and doing something, anything, to try to find a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Gucky
at 5:19 PM on August 23, 2007
Ask post:
I've given my friend all the benefits. Now I feel poor. How do I fix this?
I so identify with this. My "but-what-if-maybe-he-sorta-does-love-me-kinda?" relationship lasted for - get this - three years with brief hiatuses here and there.
I, too, was the woman after the true love of his life left him "broken" and grief-stricken. I, too, was good enough for a while until either she would come back into the picture, or he was just bored with me for a stretch of time. He would never commit to more than a couple of days a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TryTheTilapia
at 7:30 PM on August 20, 2007
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