MetaFilter

I see that the domain "dickstarter.com" is available....
posted to MetaFilter by kimota at 5:44 AM on February 13, 2013

I hate to break it to you, but the Xenomorphs are real.

Well, at least they are based on real parasitoid creatures and so to get a good answer to this kind of question you can just look at those parasitoid life cycles - I made a huge post about one of them a little while ago that you might be interested in. Hymenopteran parasitoids, and indeed most parasitoids with similar life cycles, for the most part have pretty unremarkable diets during their adult sexual stages.... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Blasdelb at 3:49 AM on February 12, 2013 marked best answer

IANADyet, but what was said above about compounds in Tart Cherry Juice having an identical mechanism of action to other NSAIDs (namely, COX-inhibition) bears repeating. What does that mean?

This is your clotting cascade. This is a fun little flash file that explains my chicken scratch.

Basically, warfarin treatment screws up every step of the clotting cascade highlighted in orange-- factors 10, 9, 7, and 2, but stops short of the very last step... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by The White Hat at 2:50 PM on January 16, 2013

The catnip short is pretty amazing. I'm surprised no one has done something like it before.
posted to MetaFilter by thecjm at 11:30 AM on January 18, 2013

*sniff*
posted to MetaFilter by eugenen at 10:01 AM on January 17, 2013

My husband made our headboard out of cast iron pipe and fittings. I don't have a good picture of it, but you can see a little of it here. When he went to Lowes to buy the materials, he started laying the pieces out on the floor. A Lowes guy came by and said, "What's your project? I was a pipe fitter for twenty years - there's nothing I haven't seen." Mr. Ant looked up at him and said, "I'm building a headboard." The guy paused for a second, said, "You're on your own.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by workerant at 9:10 AM on January 15, 2013

Also, the best advert for beer ever made.
posted to MetaFilter by Talez at 11:20 PM on January 8, 2013

"I considered this an extreme honor. Besides, I knew no one was going to write and ask to name a new species of swan after me. You have to grab these opportunities when they come along."
posted to MetaFilter by griphus at 8:35 PM on October 24, 2012

Thanks for posting this. This is a group of folks who get a sort of one-note treatment in public discussion. One summer in college, I worked at a sleep-away camp for developmentally disabled people of all ages. A fair number of our campers had Downs. They're far more complex people than a lot of popular media would have you believe (you know, because they're people). Maybe it was just the folks who got sent to our camp, but the majority were *not* the constantly smiling, plucky elves you often... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by smirkette at 7:06 AM on October 2, 2012

What!?!?!?

Sweat!
posted to MetaTalk by Seamus at 2:03 PM on October 1, 2012

Careful when pumping gas in Russia
posted to MetaFilter by photoslob at 11:48 AM on September 27, 2012

To all cephalopods, I would like to state unequivocally that I do eat your kind.

When I attended language school in Japan, I lived in the port city of Hakodate, Japan, where most of the squid in Japan is fished. In the summer during the fishing season, migrant workers come north and work on boats hauling in nets full of squid. I lived in a geshuku with one of the itinerant fisherman, he invited me to join them and see what it was like, but I declined, since I am averse... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by charlie don't surf at 11:17 PM on June 16, 2012

Yeah, this video beats all the rest of 'em
posted to MetaFilter by Windigo at 4:23 PM on June 5, 2012

The hovercraft in the back of Boy's Life taunted me as well, looking so perfectly plausible that I thought maybe someday I'd build one, along with a real laser gun and that air car that turned out to be about nine inches across when a foolish kid with a pliable parent placed the order and waited his six to eight weeks for...well, that's no fun at all.

Fortunately, despite the complete absence to this present day of a hovercraft in my life, my father... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by sonascope at 5:43 PM on May 28, 2012

When I was 15, my father pulled up outside his engine shop one day with a tractor trailer that had on it a 1964 mustang, in pieces. Engine and transmission too. He said when I could put it together, I could have it. (I worked at the shop, and instead of paying me a salary, he paid me in dream car...but I still had to build it.)

What he failed to consider was the power 15 year old girls have over a shop full of mechanics. I mean, I put it together, but I managed to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by dejah420 at 2:24 PM on April 27, 2012

Oh good, a chance to post about the most disappointed animal.
posted to MetaFilter by HuronBob at 10:46 AM on April 13, 2012

Portal.
Portal Portal Portal.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by inigo2 at 1:46 PM on March 7, 2012

You're probably overthinking this. Buy a 20 dollar locking fireproof box at the store. In it, place your valuable documents (birth certificate, passport, etc) and an envelope containing a list of your passwords. Keep the key someplace safe, like your key ring. Most come with a second key that you could give to a trusted family member.

It's pretty ideal because it will deter casual snoopers, but in the worst case, they could get the box cut open pretty easily.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by chrisamiller at 7:43 PM on February 22, 2012

"You might have to rethink that if you plan on being a politician's wife."

The flip-side of this

Him: I'm just not ruling out maybe running for office someday.
Me: If you do that I'll become a stripper just to spite you. I don't want to be a politician's wife.
Him: ...
Me: ...
posted to MetaFilter by jessamyn at 8:50 AM on February 14, 2012

One composer I know criticized Williams as having plagiarized everything from Wagner.

Ridiculous. Some of it is obviously stolen from Gustav Holst.
posted to MetaFilter by straight at 9:22 PM on February 12, 2012

Yes.

Food 1: A McDonald's cheeseburger.
Food 2: A McDonald's cheeseburger.
Food 3: A McDonald's cheeseburger.

As any person who's ever been stoned should be able to tell you, sometimes you're hungry as hell and McDonald's cheeseburgers sound really good. You can shift two of them and still feel kind of pleasantly full of junk food, provided you eat them slowly enough. But then you start on the third one and it is just... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by FAMOUS MONSTER at 11:13 AM on January 26, 2012

Sure, suedehead. We have literature from nearly two centuries of photographic and proto-photographic experiments and techniques at our disposal now. The choice of a certain technique or process is, within limits, no longer constrained by the extraordinary technical and economic limitations of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The usage of a specific technique is no longer simply an aesthetic concern; it becomes a sociopolitical act.

It is with these ideas in my mind... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by beshtya at 7:20 AM on January 2, 2012

I have a cabin. It stands on a mountainside in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, close enough to civilization that I can clean myself up and drive into Berkeley Springs on a Saturday night for a cheap mineral bath, a good meal, and a movie at the wonderful old Star Theater on the main drag there. No matter how foul my moods, or how deep the gloom of the day-to-day gets, when I hit the last twenty of the 121 miles of my drive out there, the rolling waves of green draw out the poison, and I... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by sonascope at 10:34 PM on December 22, 2011

I "tested" the existence of Santa Claus when I was about 8 by leaving several empty milk cartons in the fireplace on xmas eve (the theory being that if Santa were real, he'd squash the empty milk cartons on the way down the chimney).

SURE ENOUGH, on xmas morning, there was a big ass-print squashing the milk cartons in the fireplace, and that kept me going for at least another two years.

(thanks, Dad, for getting your pants covered in ashes).
posted to Ask MetaFilter by holterbarbour at 11:45 PM on December 20, 2011

1 Cool and Useful Kitchen Tool: Shun Classic Chef's Knife.. Does all the above cutting functions and more.

Pair with this whetstone for twice the fun.
posted to MetaFilter by Gordion Knott at 4:31 AM on December 4, 2011

When you ask "what's wrong with Monopoly?" really you're just asking "what's wrong with an impromptu fistfight between siblings, roommates, or drinking buddies?"

The answer is nothing. Nothing at all.
posted to MetaFilter by TheWhiteSkull at 6:49 PM on September 7, 2011

Wow. This is a really comprehensive post; great job! Can't wait to dive into all these links.

I used to work with Koko in summer of 2008. I was volunteering at The Gorilla Foundation in the hopes of being offered a job as a gorilla carer and linguistic researcher*. The whole experience was completely mind-blowing. I remember that after the first time I spoke with Koko I wandered around in a daze for a week, trying to reorganize the new information in my head and how it... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by iamkimiam at 12:34 AM on August 21, 2011

My sister has DS. I've heard this same type of "joke" quite a few times recently. I find this particularly upsetting because people with DS tend to have warm, accepting personalities and kindness to give out by the bucketful, which is in stark contrast to those who use the disability to get a quick laugh.
I'm fairly proud of the way in which the majority of Americans treat my sister with respect and decency. This type of thing throws that into doubt and makes me wonder... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Shebear at 4:23 PM on July 20, 2011

I couldn't help myself. I had to send a letter to the editors of GQ excoriating them for their insensitive remark. And yeah, I'm the dad of a kid with DS, so it hits a little close to home. The letter concluded, "Are you not familiar with the old saw that starts, "There but for the grace of God..."?"

Wouldn't you know it, someone wrote back:

"What we initially posted was insensitive and ill-informed, and we’ve removed... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by vverse23 at 2:59 PM on July 20, 2011

Paramour?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by motsque at 8:18 PM on July 3, 2011

The Tao is Silent is one of my favorite books of all time. This conversation with God in particular perfectly illustrates my feelings about free will that I could never quite express.
posted to MetaFilter by saul wright at 8:22 PM on June 26, 2011

"Where did I come from?"
"It's time we had a talk about the birds and the beads."
(...)
"So you used monetised transactions supported by a contract most likely signed under duress to coerce my mother into sex?"
"It's a beautiful thing, son."
posted to MetaFilter by obiwanwasabi at 10:47 PM on June 5, 2011

This is a serious question: Does a tortoise move fast enough that you need a 30 FPS camera?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Blazecock Pileon at 12:39 PM on May 30, 2011 marked best answer

Gross, why risk this when the solution is so easy? Walk over with a shovel, scoop up the cat, dig a little hole, done. 5 minutes. It will take less time to solve this problem than to read this thread.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Ashley801 at 5:51 PM on May 25, 2011

This:

If you are exposed, according to the FDA, you should quickly (within 10 minutes):
first, cleanse exposed areas with rubbing alcohol.
next, wash the exposed areas with water only (no soap yet, since soap can move the urushiol, which is the oil from the poison ivy that triggers the rash, around your body and actually make the reaction worse).
now, take a shower with soap and warm water.
lastly, put gloves on and wipe... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by tomswift at 5:51 PM on May 21, 2011

It's Mother's Day and I have places to be and this is a two-day=old thread that maybe no one is reading and so I don't feel like now is the appropriate time to delve deep into my personal experiences as a parent with school districts, special needs services and IQ tests. But I would favorite Asparagirl's comment about school-administered tests a million times if I could. These tests, as given by districts looking to save as much time and money as possible, are generally designed to give a child... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by BlueJae at 10:13 AM on May 8, 2011

Pff. Child's play. Can he do the things shown here? (previously)
posted to MetaFilter by curious nu at 12:39 PM on May 2, 2011

The Death Tsar
posted to Ask MetaFilter by mikepop at 8:40 AM on April 27, 2011 marked best answer

Thai sticky rice with mango!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by rtha at 10:28 AM on April 24, 2011

My cousin Richard, who was born with Down's Syndrome, is probably the biggest James Bond fan you could ever find. You know how they release a new box set of the series about every two years? Last I checked, he had six of them, two of which were VHS as well as all the bootlegged tapes my Uncle made for him over the years. He can tell you anything you'd like to know about the movies, the girls, the weapons, the cars and most importantly, the Bonds. Only one Bond in particular, though, occupies an... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Silverdragonanon at 5:25 AM on April 12, 2011

"Subtext" is an anagram for "buttsex."
posted to MetaFilter by Faint of Butt at 12:13 PM on April 11, 2011

short stories with more adult, macabre sensibilities

MORE macabre sensibilities? Dahl's 'kids' books are still some of the most fucked up stories I read. much scarier than King or Bradbury
posted to MetaFilter by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 3:38 PM on March 22, 2011

The fact that jessamyn supports plinth and plinth's plight more than she does other controversial subjects just undermines her capacity to deal with future conflicts where she would like to preserve the appearance of objectivity.

For what it's worth, I didn't have any idea what plinth's situation was when this was posted and (is there a non-weird way to say this?) I can't claim to "support" said plight any more than Joe Average, but I don't... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by cortex at 9:32 AM on September 17, 2008

I used to work as a programmer for a company who make scratchcard lottery tickets, back in the mid 90's.

This was before the sorts of games talked about in this article I think. None of the tickets we made way back then were crackable in this way as far as I can remember. The cards we produced were generally quite simple affairs, although they were getting more complex all the time.

A lottery is, of course, entirely deterministic - part of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by winjer at 12:53 PM on February 1, 2011

I've got such a hoardy fondness for these old machines, despite the fact that I was never quite smart enough to make a career with them, except as an end-user, that I briefly owned a VAX 11/780. Never got to use it, of course, because I can't even manage to install Puredyne on a netbook without several suicide attempts, but I'd gotten wind that a certain unnamed nearby government agency that once hosted the Explorer post I belonged to had actually left the machine sitting disconsolately by a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by sonascope at 9:05 AM on December 30, 2010

You can get an estimate of costs for repairs, financing, depreciation, taxes, etc by using Edmunds True Cost Calculator.

You pick the make, model, and year of the car. Edmunds gives you back an estimated purchase price along with the "true cost of ownership" year-by-year for five years based on Edmunds massive amount of historical data.

They assume that you are going to finance the car, but they break out the financing cost as a... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by alms at 5:25 AM on December 29, 2010

A tire patch is a black piece of rubber that comes with rubber-specific adhesive.

I also recommend trying acetone first.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by fake at 8:51 PM on December 13, 2010

Oh holy shit autocorrect on Android. Bhutan = blowjob. Not sure what happened there.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by halogen at 10:16 PM on December 13, 2010

If the hospice has a social worker, you might ask her/him for advice.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Carol Anne at 9:12 AM on December 3, 2010

As it happens, my dad's dead, so I won't get any notice on this, or any new notes pinned to his Chromega dichroic photographic enlarger explaining to use THIS knob to make adjustments and not THAT knob, which WILL BREAK THE MACHINE! I won't find a yellow sticky note inside the battery case of every portable piece of equipment he owned, warning that THESE BATTERIES ARE NOT FOR YOUR WALKMAN, and I won't find additional handwritten annotations in the rumpled pages of the manual for his '72 Triumph... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by sonascope at 4:15 AM on November 7, 2010