I'm a straight, white, upper middle class male. I'm aware that this automatically means I generally have an easier time than people with a different sexuality/race/class/gender. That said, I'm probably unaware of what these benefits are. What does this 'privileged' status do for me that I don't even notice?
posted to Ask Metafilter by twirlypen at 4:19 PM on May 29, 2008 (92 comments)

I have searched YouTube, Google and the MetaFilter archives until my eyes are bugging out of my head, so please forgive me if this has been posted. I'm trying to find a video of the SNL sketch with Steve Martin and Bill Murray, I believe from 1978, "What the hell is that?" Can anyone help?
posted to Ask Metafilter by wv kay in ga at 6:40 PM on May 19, 2008 (12 comments)

Are some languages objectively harder than others? If so, which ones?
posted to Ask Metafilter by greytape at 4:27 AM on April 30, 2008 (50 comments)

What are some activities that are like 'going to the gym' for your profession?
posted to Ask Metafilter by mullingitover at 11:26 PM on March 27, 2008 (90 comments)

Larry Niven warned everyone about it. MetaFilter, too: Try to escape. Quantum black holes is dangerous.
posted to MetaFilter by Kronos_to_Earth at 8:14 AM on March 29, 2008 (70 comments)

Why aren't turtles dinosaurs?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Listener at 1:33 PM on March 11, 2008 (22 comments)

I don't play music. I want too. What instrument should I learn?
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheDukeofLancaster at 2:54 PM on March 11, 2008 (31 comments)

If the Incredible Hulk were French, how would he say his famous "Hulk Smash!"??
posted to Ask Metafilter by Naberius at 2:31 PM on March 11, 2008 (23 comments)

What Mac applications would make me love a Mac?
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomthoughts at 8:31 AM on November 16, 2006 (37 comments)

What do I do with a tshirt that I love but don't want to wear?
posted to Ask Metafilter by pinksoftsoap at 8:07 PM on October 25, 2006 (27 comments)

Mycology: My dear bride would like to know what these mushrooms are.
posted to Ask Metafilter by maxwelton at 2:01 AM on November 10, 2006 (7 comments)

How can I most practically improve my speaking voice? In everyday conversation I often mumble, slur words or speak too fast. I am not looking on ways to become a better public speaker, but to improve the articulation and speech patterns of everyday conversation.
posted to Ask Metafilter by geoff. at 9:11 PM on February 11, 2007 (16 comments)

Where do the misanthropists work?
posted to Ask Metafilter by ninazer0 at 2:21 PM on March 8, 2007 (38 comments)

Why do neutrons have more mass than protons?
posted to Ask Metafilter by bookish at 5:33 PM on January 16, 2008 (31 comments)

AMgoldFilter: On Rod Stewarts classic um.. deflowering mantra "Tonight's the Night", what is Britt Ekland saying in french at the end?
posted to Ask Metafilter by jtoth at 1:28 PM on January 9, 2008 (8 comments)

You can keep your Simon, Randy and Paula, I'll take Barbara Cook any day. Here is the Broadway legend's two hour master class (it's a REALTIME video from The New York Public Library) and it'll teach you more about singing, phrasing and music than every moment of American Idol combined. At least watch the first 20 minutes, you'll be amazed.
posted to MetaFilter by adrober at 11:54 PM on April 10, 2006 (7 comments)

Jobs for people who hate people? For most of my life I have been working in sales and/or customer service. I am completely burned out and seeking to get into a new line of work with minimal public contact. What are my options?
posted to Ask Metafilter by LeeJay at 6:54 PM on December 18, 2007 (26 comments)

Over the years millions of children have been introduced to a foreign language by Big Muzzy ^[wiki], a friendly, green, clock-eating monster. Here's the complete British English version of Muzzy in Gondoland on YouTube: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.
posted to MetaFilter by sveskemus at 1:12 PM on December 16, 2007 (12 comments)

What are some ways to actively avoid emulating undesirable behaviors of a family member? (In other words, how do I not end up like my mom?)
posted to Ask Metafilter by justonegirl at 5:18 PM on July 26, 2007 (12 comments)

I'd like more information about the practice of not informing patients of the extent of their illness in Japan.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Espy Gillespie at 1:44 PM on July 13, 2007 (18 comments)

What do I do with my voluminous diaries (mostly in spiral notebook form) that span 20 years of my life?
posted to Ask Metafilter by desjardins at 9:20 AM on December 3, 2007 (23 comments)

I just found this i my pictures folder. I really like it but I have no idea who designed it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Andy Harwood at 2:41 PM on November 1, 2007 (9 comments)

What single book is the best introduction to your field (or specialization within your field) for laypeople?
posted to Ask Metafilter by limon at 5:40 PM on September 8, 2007 (238 comments)

I love printing things. Please direct me to websites with cool things to print out (e.g., interesting pdfs, stationery, stickers, posters, foldable objects, paper cd cases, quotations I should keep, anything that allows me to make the most of my printer!!)
posted to Ask Metafilter by mjao at 8:48 PM on October 27, 2007 (23 comments)

Er... so my new girlfriend doesn't believe in atoms...
posted to Ask Metafilter by wfrgms at 5:55 PM on March 24, 2007 (157 comments)

Am I losing it?
posted to Ask Metafilter by punkfloyd at 1:04 PM on September 24, 2007 (28 comments)

Is there a name for a grammatical construction in which two different types of adjectives -- for example, one describing a physical characteristic and one passing a moral judgment -- are used to modify the same noun?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Acetylene at 12:13 PM on September 21, 2007 (7 comments)

Global Warming Filter: This might be a stupid question, but if enough polar ice has melted to open the Northwest Passage for the first time in distant memory, then why are Lake Superior's waters at an all-time low? I thought global warming was supposed to raise water levels?
posted to Ask Metafilter by LakesideOrion at 10:25 AM on September 18, 2007 (12 comments)

My mother remembers events incorrectly, but is convinced this was how it happened. Is there a term for this? What can it be a symptom of? Is it common? Is it psychological, neurological, sth-else-ical?
posted to Ask Metafilter by ClarissaWAM at 9:38 AM on September 17, 2007 (46 comments)

What is the single best thing you have done to help control your depression?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 10:31 AM on September 18, 2007 (73 comments)

The Hans Christian Andersen Digital Collections of the Odense City Museums includes his drawings, papercuts, picture books and collage screens as well as portraits of him and people he knew, manuscripts, pictures of his study and more. If you wish to read his fairytales might I suggest the illustrated Oxford Complete Edition Fairy Tales And Other Stories from 1914.
posted to MetaFilter by Kattullus at 9:11 AM on September 7, 2007 (7 comments)

Todd Levin: "The United States of America According to my Racist Aunt" There's one in almost every family, and Todd does a hilarious map of the wisdom his racist aunt has shared over the years.
posted to MetaFilter by leslie at 2:09 PM on October 28, 2002 (71 comments)

I dropped my science classes in grade 10, one of the major stupid decisions in my educational career. Now I want to catch up on my science knowledge. What's the least expensive way for me to catch up, either over the internet or through local classes? (I live in Toronto).
posted to Ask Metafilter by pcameron at 12:41 PM on August 26, 2007 (24 comments)

What's a good part-time job that doesn't suck? One that's flexible, pays more than minimum wage, and won't have you reaching for the cyanide pills after two weeks. [MI]
posted to Ask Metafilter by gottabefunky at 9:27 PM on August 26, 2004 (17 comments)

I need help figuring out how to shift my career into something I will love. Right now I am a technical writer, but after some deep thought I have realized that there are a few specific things that make me unsatisfied with this work.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dumbledore69 at 9:21 AM on August 4, 2007 (15 comments)

Past and present world travelers, backpackers, and real-world avoiders: where are you now?
posted to Ask Metafilter by vytae at 11:29 AM on February 27, 2007 (26 comments)

My life sucks. But the one good thing about being broke and unemployed is that you can do it anywhere. Assuming I were debt free with no commitments, where's a nice new place to go to scratch out a subsistence living as either a plumber, a waiter, or a dishwasher? Anywhere on the planet, English- or French-speaking (or anything easier than Russian or Chinese -- I'll have a few months to learn a new language as I pay my way toward escape), must have at least paved roads and indoor plumbing, and if the population hates Americans, I'd prefer that they do so abstractly rather than overtly. Canada, Iceland, and Belize seem kinda promising....
posted to Ask Metafilter by BitterOldPunk at 7:18 PM on April 23, 2004 (45 comments)

My question is two part: Employers and HR people (or anyone else with input): You have received resumes from potential hires. All the resumes are standard with Education, Experience, Skills, etc. What are some of the things you wished you knew about the applicant before calling them for an interview? I'm not talking about questions like "Tell me more about your education." I'm asking about the questions that the resume creates in your head that aren't necessarily specific to the resume. Perhaps these are questions that traditional resumes don't cover. Interview are very costly in terms of time. I guess these are the type of questions that if you saw them spelled out on a resume you would have been even more or less interested in interviewing them. Everyone else: If you were applying for a job, what would you want to know before applying that the ad would have left out? I'm not looking for answers like wages. I mean deeper things that go through your mind when applying. Hopefully these questions aren't to vague, I am just looking at this to hopefully be a better hiring guru. Thank for your answers!
posted to Ask Metafilter by ieatwords at 1:17 PM on November 15, 2005 (19 comments)

What's the difference between strong friendship and romantic love?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 10:03 AM on August 20, 2007 (22 comments)

Geek tattoos. Gamer tattoos. Science tattoos. Medical tattoos. Assorted nerdiness. More. Not ready to commit? Get bar coded, sans ouch. (Previously)
posted to MetaFilter by desjardins at 12:39 PM on August 18, 2007 (29 comments)

Has anyone taken an extended (one month+) trip to Iceland? What was your budget and what did you do?
posted to Ask Metafilter by jacob at 4:54 PM on August 14, 2007 (7 comments)

One of the best bands ever on Earth was the London postpunky combo This Heat. But what was their tune "The Fall Of Saigon" actually about?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Dee Xtrovert at 10:23 AM on August 15, 2007 (14 comments)

Borderline personality disorder described firsthand. A very personal look at BPD - including the implications of sharing the news in a public setting - his blog.
posted to MetaFilter by 2shay at 11:17 AM on August 6, 2007 (155 comments)

Renegade physicists! have published the book Endless Universe and talked to NPR's Tom Ashbrook about their alternative theories of the beginning of the universe: 'The Big Bang' is an unfortunate misnomer and was not the beginning of time, but rather the formation of a singularity in the universe. "And what we're seeing is that the Big Bang doesn't have to be the beginning of time. It's perfectly possible that the Big Bang was just a violent event in a pre-existing universe..."
posted to MetaFilter by frobozz at 2:41 PM on June 2, 2007 (18 comments)