Robot Slide Whistle Orchestrion [14m] has performances by the orchestrion plus background facts about its construction. It's charming and really nerdy.
posted to MetaFilter by hippybear at 12:57 PM on April 1, 2024 (7 comments)

In Bach's d-minor invention, there's a long trill in the left hand on E. Typically, people play E and F, but I recently learned that there's at least one edition of the inventions that advocates E and F♯, which kind of blew my mind because it seems so obviously correct (given that the Fs in the right hand are all sharpened during the trill) yet sounds so wrong. Questions below.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by mpark at 10:19 AM on February 5, 2024 (4 comments)

I'm contributing a few dozen oysters to the big meal this year. I've never actually kept oysters in the fridge though -- they've always been consumed immediately. Any advice on when to buy them and how to maximize freshness until shucking time? Should I wait until Thursday morning to buy them if at all possible? And any recommendations on where to get good ones at a reasonable price in NYC, assuming I won't have much time for shopping over the next couple days and would prefer an easy and reliable place to pick them up in Brooklyn?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by theory at 4:09 PM on November 20, 2023 (7 comments)

A co-worker once made a joke whenever I’d get takeout at the office that I don’t like food; I just like vinegar. Apparently much of the food I ate foregrounded vinegar to the point where the vinegar aroma wafted around the office. Well, I’ve decided I want to lean into that. Give me your most vinegary recipes.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by kevinbelt at 4:12 PM on January 17, 2023 (46 comments)

why are splines? well my god I have good news for you, here's why splines! Super high quality animation and narration makes it so clear, easily on a par with 3Blue1Brown. Freya Holmér has a series of explainers about video game graphics, creates cool math visualizations, and streams coding on twitch.
posted to MetaFilter by hypnogogue at 6:44 PM on January 7, 2023 (18 comments)

I am trying to find patterns/instructions for an 18th century wedge tent. The search terms the person gave me are 1750 tent smithing and 18th century wedge tent. I can find online companies that MAKE authentic tents, but no one that is offering plans, patterns to DIY one. I would like to find a free pdf for my person but if someone can point me to a forum or website that I could copy and paste, that would be great!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by LaBellaStella at 8:27 AM on February 24, 2022 (2 comments)

I used to play way too much Candy Crush back in the day when it was more simplistic but now it's just like a terrible bombardment of cartoons and microtransactions and things popping out at you all the time. Looking for something else to play that I don't need to give my full attention to, because I usually only play mobile games when I'm already listening to or watching something else. Something that's kind of "zen" or calming would be great as well, in the current atmosphere. Oh and available on Android! Any suggestions?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by massofintuition at 6:14 PM on January 30, 2022 (38 comments)

Here's a five minute German-language video about making, inter alia, little wooden horses with a lathe.
posted to MetaFilter by cortex at 3:04 PM on February 26, 2021 (43 comments)

...or a recommendation to stay. I've used deluxe turbotax the last few years, but after learning about the lobby to make filing taxes worse because capitalism, and eff that noise. I am interested in hearing about your experience with options like CreditKarma, 1040.com, H&R block free online, etc. Or, if you've switched from turbotax in the past and are now switching back, I'd like to hear about that too.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by snerson at 1:42 PM on March 2, 2021 (33 comments)

This chip plays ‘Doom’ and nothing else [Engadget] It’s been over 25 years since Doom was unceremoniously released on a university FTP server. And despite its age, the classic first-person shooter has become a mainstay, not just for gamers, but also for programmers. The game has shown up on a ridiculous amount of hardware, from ATMs to printer screens to iPods. Graphics and game development enthusiast Sylvain Lefebvre [@Sylvain] , though, has created a machine that only plays his custom port of Doom. [Twitter thread linked below.]

The DooM-chip! It will run E1M1 till the end of times (or till power runs out, whichever comes first). Algorithm is burned into wires, LUTs and flip-flops on an #FPGA: no CPU, no opcodes, no instruction counter. Running on Altera CycloneV + SDRAM. Everything is described in a language I am working on: SDRAM controller, divider, BSP traversal, texture unit, etc. Main renderer (w/o data) is 666 lines of code (!). A great test case, made quite a few improvements, fixed some issues, learned a lot on CycloneV + Quartus.

posted to MetaFilter by Fizz at 9:33 AM on May 12, 2020 (14 comments)

What To Check Before Taking Your Machine To The Shop
posted to MetaFilter by aniola at 10:42 PM on May 6, 2020 (30 comments)

Can you recommend any books or websites with basic to intermediate woodworking projects?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by saladin at 8:12 AM on November 28, 2018 (11 comments)

Ross MacDonald is a creator of fake period paper props - books, documents, packaging etc - for use in movies and television.
posted to MetaFilter by fearfulsymmetry at 2:16 AM on October 29, 2018 (14 comments)

NandGame.com will take you though building a working computer, starting from the most basic components.
posted to MetaFilter by zamboni at 12:37 PM on August 13, 2018 (46 comments)

He'll never be too old to tame a demon car.
posted to MetaFilter by MovableBookLady at 2:18 PM on February 11, 2018 (10 comments)

Are you a woodworker, or have been thinking about getting into woodworking? A rite of passage is to build your own workbench and a go-to resource the last decade or so has been Christopher Schwarz. Despite or maybe because of a couple of books, a slew of articles and the many, many hands-on courses under his belt, Schwarz is approached regularly for advice. Luckily he has put his anthropologist cap on and provided us with his insights into the six personalities of workbench builders.
posted to MetaFilter by Harald74 at 11:32 PM on January 9, 2018 (52 comments)

Infosec whiz Greg Linares found that Microsoft's Spectre & Meltdown KB4056892 Patch when converted to MIDI makes psytrance @ 115 BPM, and he posted the MP3 to YouTube. In another tweet he demonstrates his method by EDMifying the Careto exploit (here's the unrolled thread for the Twitter-averse). More of his music is available on SoundCloud.
posted to MetaFilter by Johnny Wallflower at 12:29 PM on January 10, 2018 (4 comments)

On December 6, 2016, Mr. Marshall officially banned bottle flipping in class 6A. On December 7, he started making this video. On June 29, 2017, he showed it to his students [h/t Miss Cellania].
posted to MetaFilter by Johnny Wallflower at 10:32 PM on July 9, 2017 (16 comments)

Congress just passed S.J.Res.34. So... I'm looking for VPN service recommendations/advice. I'm happy to pay (within reason) for reliability, privacy, and... any other considerations?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by coffee and minarets at 3:26 PM on March 28, 2017 (22 comments)

Watch Inuit mussel gatherers in Kangiqsujuaq, Quebec descend into caves that are created under Arctic ice during low tide.
posted to MetaFilter by mandolin conspiracy at 7:40 AM on March 17, 2017 (15 comments)

An Atari 2600 Emulator in Minecraft built by Youtube user SethBling. After the initial 'wow' response this is actually a fascinating under-the-hood model/demo/explanation of how video game cartridges and displays functioned.
posted to MetaFilter by carter at 5:27 AM on December 7, 2016 (8 comments)

Use Lego Technic for all your rope braiding needs (SLYT).
posted to MetaFilter by Harald74 at 12:01 AM on November 29, 2016 (10 comments)

I recently finished playing an Android puzzle game, Alcazar and I really loved it. What should I play next?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ddbeck at 11:19 AM on November 28, 2016 (15 comments)

Eric Standley creates complex geometric sculptures from hundreds of layers of laser cut paper. The process came about somewhat by accident.
posted to MetaFilter by jacquilynne at 6:33 PM on November 23, 2016 (15 comments)

I want to dress up an insect, but am having trouble finding a suitable hat.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Dr. Twist at 1:06 PM on September 12, 2016 (28 comments)

Yesterday, MeFi's Own chrismear and greenish got married! Huzzah! Shadchen Jessamyn officiated. Songs were sung. The minister's RV was pushed out of the moor, if you catch my drift.
posted to MetaTalk by not_on_display at 10:18 PM on August 28, 2016 (60 comments)

World-record-holding balloon fiend Twinkie hunts down ghosts and balloons (but mostly balloons) in Pac-Dog
posted to MetaFilter by a lungful of dragon at 12:56 PM on August 17, 2016 (11 comments)

The Disabled Life is a Tumblr by two Canadian sisters with comics that illustrate how everyday experiences impact people with a disability compared to their non-disabled counterparts. For example: they've heard them all before.
posted to MetaFilter by Johnny Wallflower at 10:46 AM on July 14, 2016 (6 comments)

OK, maybe not so funny.
posted to MetaTalk by pjern at 8:41 AM on July 15, 2016 (43 comments)

Five years ago, comic/singer Danny Roque wrote a song about his favorite part of his daily routine and started performing it. However, it took him a while to get permission to make the accompanying video on location. But now here it is: "Lunch at Costco".
posted to MetaFilter by oneswellfoop at 1:43 AM on July 8, 2016 (15 comments)

What are some "alternatives" or substitutions to everyday products/tasks that you've found you liked better than the original? Relatedly, what have you stopped doing altogether that had unexpected positive benefits?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by amicamentis at 1:50 PM on June 15, 2016 (110 comments)

The Minnesota State Fair has announced the new foods available for 2016. (Prev.)
posted to MetaFilter by griphus at 1:27 PM on June 27, 2016 (194 comments)

Traditional Swedish woodworkers in 1923 show you how it's done.
posted to MetaFilter by OmieWise at 6:30 AM on June 9, 2016 (22 comments)

I'm looking for a truly mindless game or two to pass the time. Low stress, quick play, no major commitment. Examples within!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Brandon Blatcher at 7:14 AM on May 21, 2016 (37 comments)

Please recommend your favorite beef jerky, either widely available in stores or more specialty ones available online. I'd also be interested to hear if anyone has enjoyed a "jerky of the month club" sort of subscription.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Kriesa at 11:08 AM on May 18, 2016 (23 comments)

Here's What Happens When an 18 Year Old Buys a Mainframe (SLYT) A scosh long but very charming, what it says on the tin.
posted to MetaFilter by nevercalm at 2:02 PM on March 28, 2016 (34 comments)

Behold The Frinkiac, a search engine that matches Simpsons quotes to exact screen grabs. Sure, it looks impressive, but I predict that within 10 years, computers will be twice as powerful, ten thousand times larger, and so expensive that only the 5 richest kings of Europe will own them.
posted to MetaFilter by Fuzzy Monster at 11:06 AM on February 3, 2016 (95 comments)

'I Butchered a Pig' - The process of butchering an entire pig while trying not to waste anything, documented by Mefi's own backseatpilot. [via mefi projects]
posted to MetaFilter by The Whelk at 10:58 AM on January 17, 2016 (78 comments)

The journey of a food intolerant and an intolerable foodie. I'm Kate McCartney and I'm Kate McLennan and we're women! Welcome to The Katering Show!
posted to MetaFilter by h00py at 6:19 AM on February 13, 2015 (17 comments)

Portland, Oregon's Salt & Straw creative director, Tyler Malek, was recently named to Forbes "30 under 30" list. In this PDF he generously shares how to get the most of your ice cream maker. To calculate how to get to his "magical 17% butterfat" for YOUR quantity of ice cream, use this handy Butterfat Calculator from Ice Cream Geek. See also their handy Ice Cream Butter Fat Converter.
posted to MetaFilter by spock at 4:24 PM on August 4, 2015 (56 comments)

SLYTP. Does what it says on the tin.
posted to MetaFilter by scrump at 11:16 AM on July 27, 2015 (16 comments)

The Life Cycle of Programming Languages, by Betsy Haibel [previously] for Model View Culture.
posted to MetaFilter by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 6:24 PM on July 15, 2015 (113 comments)

I'm leaving a toxic workplace and officially declined an exit interview with HR, but the org is trying to sneak one in. Some snowflakes inside.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ziggly at 7:20 PM on July 7, 2015 (22 comments)

It's Friday, so let's all relax and learn about Colin Riley's Z80 homebrew computer. Part 1: Introduction, Part 2: Interrupts and timers, Part 3: File system, SD Card and VRAM, Part 4: VRAM, display modes and a simple shell, Part 5: Implementing preëmptive multithreading.
posted to MetaFilter by boo_radley at 9:52 AM on June 19, 2015 (23 comments)

I want to demonstrate how amazing combinatorial explosion is! Please don't stop me.  An animation about numbers that get large. It has a happy ending and possibly even a moral.
posted to MetaFilter by Wolfdog at 11:44 AM on June 12, 2015 (21 comments)

AC Stuart illustrates your D&D stories. The artist AKA Noob the Loser (previously) is doing a series of comics based on YOUR ridiculous tabletop RPG stories. Warning: distinct lack of tastefulness. (I mean, it's really nothing compared to an actual gaming session, in my experience, but ... )
posted to MetaFilter by wintersweet at 10:42 PM on May 30, 2015 (22 comments)

Inspiration comes to composers in many forms. A musician was recording certain bodily functions for his homesick brother, when happenstance delivered a sublime moment of melody. He ran with it (SLYT).
posted to MetaFilter by Devonian at 9:59 AM on May 18, 2015 (20 comments)

The complete 1973-1976 original run of Wacky Packages [WIKI]: all sixteen series, including hard-to-find cards, with each card cross-indexed and contextualized, with occasional links to rough drafts. Sometimes Topps spoofed themselves. Sometimes they didn't make much sense. A lot of times, they're racist. • The gum is the final frontier of the serious collector.
posted to MetaFilter by not_on_display at 7:04 PM on May 17, 2015 (40 comments)

After months of undercover work, Williams and Moon had information on more than 40 suspects, but the department realized it didn’t have the funds or the manpower to round them all up. So it had to come up with clever ideas. “Cops used to offer parolees free tickets to the Detroit Lions, then arrest them,” recalls Peggy Lawrence, a Flint historian. On one occasion, Moon quietly arrested and locked up stolen property dealer, announced his death in the newspaper, and arrested gang members who showed up at his fake funeral. “Sometimes you gotta do things that are simply funny,” Moon later told a television reporter. “People gotta go to jail, but it don’t always have to be sad.” In 1990, the department planned a particularly elaborate operation: Officers would throw a fake wedding, invite all the suspects, and arrest them.

posted to MetaFilter by ellieBOA at 3:00 AM on May 15, 2015 (32 comments)

The Singamajig Symphony sings Journey's Open Arms. The Singamajig Symphony sings the Beatles' Hey Jude.
posted to MetaFilter by cortex at 10:49 AM on April 22, 2015 (8 comments)