The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, like Breath of the Wild, has a secret experience system that doesn't make your character stronger, it makes the enemies harder. Here's 102 ways to kill a bokoblin in that game. If you got it for the holidays and want some tips, here's 10. How to send Link waaaaay up into the sky with just a fan and a plank, using Oriented Carryable Objects (OCOs). And here's TerminalMontage's speedrun cartoon, featuring Cucuí Ganon.
posted to MetaFilter by JHarris at 4:04 PM on December 26, 2023 (15 comments)

There’s no better way to emphasize this general feeling than to break down the most important events of 2023 to their molecular level. (Although, as you’re about to see, “important” is a relative term; the word “most” is far more key here.) To recap the language that this year gave us—the seemingly ranch, the rizz, the ice cream yes yes yes—so that we can truly see just how constant, how compelling, and how bizarre our current existence is. Without further ado, these are the 84 sentences that defined 2023. [CW: almost entirely US-focused]
posted to MetaFilter by chavenet at 12:38 PM on December 26, 2023 (63 comments)

It’s the Ides of March! You know what that means - everybody should totally just stab Caes- I mean, link to your favorite Ides of March memes.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by panther of the pyrenees at 9:00 AM on March 15, 2024 (13 comments)

I've realised I love fiction where a labyrinth or other extremely complicated and large structure is an integral part of the story. Think the House in Piranesi, the castle of Gormenghast, or the ship in Rendezvous with Rama. What other books might I enjoy?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by underclocked at 3:28 AM on February 4, 2024 (42 comments)

Months later...
posted to FanFare by Tom Hanks Cannot Be Trusted at 12:31 PM on January 12, 2024 (18 comments)

New Zealand musician Aldous Harding has released a new song The Barrel, from the forthcoming album 'Designer', due on 26th April. The accompanying video (directed by Martin Sagadin & Aldous Harding) is typically off-kilter. Interview on NPR.
posted to MetaFilter by pipeski at 4:09 PM on March 31, 2019 (14 comments)

Hello MetaFilter!

We are thrilled to announce the latest addition to our team, a hire that has been highly anticipated - Kirkaracha!

posted to MetaTalk by loup at 12:32 PM on February 9, 2024 (60 comments)

66 Good News Stories You Didn't Hear About in 2023 [FutureCrunch]
posted to MetaFilter by hippybear at 3:28 PM on December 20, 2023 (31 comments)

Justice by Means of Democracy [archive|transcript] - "[T]he work of democracy is to continuously resist capture. There is no end of history. There is no state of rest for democracy. Democracy is the work of resisting capture by powerful interests and restoring power-sharing just over and over and over again. So we have to do work to introduce new governance mechanisms in the place of those that are not working."[1,2; link-heavy post!]
posted to MetaFilter by kliuless at 12:12 AM on December 12, 2023 (20 comments)

Wired called it the 'The Shadow Internet'. Inverse Phase (Previously) talked about 'How Software Piracy Birthed an Underground Art Scene' at HOPE 2018. A recently released full-length documentary (website) details how teenagers ignited a computing revolution in the 1980s with illegally copied video games.
posted to MetaFilter by Z303 at 9:11 AM on December 10, 2023 (14 comments)

This web app lets you search a song on Spotify and will then generate a never-ending and ever changing version of the song.
posted to MetaFilter by chavenet at 12:52 PM on December 8, 2023 (72 comments)

Most of us will experience the death of a parent. That experience is unique for everyone, yet there is so much we can learn from each other. Sumana Harihareswara has created an extraordinary collection of resources about Eldercare, Family Caretaking, and End-of-life Logistics: Stuff I Learned. It is full of detailed advice, good sense, and compassion. (created by brainwane, found at MeFi Projects)
posted to MetaFilter by kristi at 11:11 AM on December 7, 2023 (20 comments)

Victor Klemperer's The Language of the Third Reich (1947) describes how the Nazis manipulated the German language in order to get the general population using extreme right-wing words and phrases in their everyday discourse without them even noticing.
posted to MetaFilter by Cardinal Fang at 1:02 AM on December 4, 2023 (17 comments)

Okay, yes, I know... Muzak is a brand name and this is actually Customusic.. but here are 8 hours of vintage department store Christmas music Customusic tapes, which as far as I can tell are not repeated [Wikipedia], but also are I am assured in a musical style that nobody under 30 has any experience with.
posted to MetaFilter by hippybear at 8:05 PM on December 3, 2023 (54 comments)

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023: Fighting crabs and friendly turtles round out People's Choice finalists.
posted to MetaFilter by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 4:19 PM on December 3, 2023 (7 comments)

Most of us would probably agree that the internet now sucks. Is there a practical way to reframe my approach to how I use the internet so that I can still discover cool, new, interesting people and ideas, without wading through sixteen tons of angry garbage? (I'm seeking problem-solving strategies to make lemonade from lemons, not "just give up" cynicism, thanks!) What are the best punk rock, fuck-this approaches for discovering and enjoying the best and weirdest things that the internet still has to offer?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by nightrecordings at 10:07 AM on November 25, 2023 (14 comments)

Dancing with the Stairs is an interactive and joyful visual of exactly that. Poetry in motion as they say....
posted to MetaFilter by storybored at 9:01 AM on December 2, 2023 (13 comments)

that's it, that's the post.
posted to MetaFilter by wowenthusiast at 11:35 AM on November 23, 2023 (19 comments)

A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.
posted to FanFare by Fleebnork at 6:32 AM on March 31, 2023 (64 comments)

Vaporwave goodbye to the waking world in dreamcore95.exe, a chill, short idle game with impeccable vibes and, if that's not enough inducement, also a defragging widget.
posted to MetaFilter by cortex at 8:59 AM on November 21, 2023 (13 comments)

Continuing on with his line of documentaries on the history of the Disney parks and their operations, Kevin Perjurer of Defunctland (previously) has released an ambitious new piece - a history of the tumultuous history of EPCOT Center from Walt's death to the park's opening, done through a synesthesic presentation built on music, visuals, and historical footage. (SLYT)
posted to MetaFilter by NoxAeternum at 5:57 PM on November 19, 2023 (7 comments)

The Year Without Sunshine is a new story by Naomi Kritzer. It's about what happens after the really big disaster. Kritzer is perhaps best known for Cat Pictures Please, but her other works have been lauded on MetaFilter previously (previously; previously; previously - So Much Cooking; previously - Better Living Through Algorithms, plus her election guide); previously - Paradox; previously; all the previouslies).
posted to MetaFilter by kristi at 12:49 PM on November 10, 2023 (20 comments)

More than 400 years ago, Galileo showed that many everyday phenomena—such as a ball rolling down an incline or a chandelier gently swinging from a church ceiling—obey precise mathematical laws. For this insight, he is often hailed as the founder of modern science. But Galileo recognized that not everything was amenable to a quantitative approach. Such things as colors, tastes and smells “are no more than mere names,” Galileo declared, for “they reside only in consciousness.”

Is Consciousness Part of the Fabric of the Universe? [Archive]

posted to MetaFilter by y2karl at 12:42 PM on November 9, 2023 (100 comments)

Indigo Girls' recording of Closer To Fine is not on Barbie: The Album. Given its prominence in the plot of the film, this is odd. Included as a bonus track on a special version of Barbie is Closer To Fine by Brandi & Catherine Carlile. And I will say, I was not expecting to be moved to tears by a song I've known for nearly 40 years. But here we are.
posted to MetaFilter by hippybear at 2:26 PM on November 8, 2023 (17 comments)

Gorgeous...
posted to MetaFilter by dfm500 at 10:10 AM on November 7, 2023 (25 comments)

Any movie scene, rewritten like a Michael Bay movie [via mefi projects] Do you feel like most movies have a serious lack of explosions? A troubling shortage of Blackhawk helicopters? Who among us hasn't watched Titanic and thought, "What this movie really needs is a mechanical shark with a machine gun on it"? Don't worry, we got you. Just enter your favorite movie scene and our team of tiny transformers will re-direct it like Michael Bay.
posted to MetaFilter by ShooBoo at 8:54 PM on November 6, 2023 (78 comments)

"The Web Revival is about reclaiming the technology in our lives and asking what we really want from the tools we use, and the digital experiences we share....The goal is to find what was best about the early web and what is best about new technologies and merge the two into a model for tomorrow; while kicking all the Zuckerberg's and Musk's to the curb so we can get on with our lives. The citizens of the web deserve more respect than to be boxed into cubicles, limited to 280 characters, studied and rebranded." (Melon's Thoughts, on melonking.net, via Web Curios.)
posted to MetaFilter by MonkeyToes at 3:32 PM on November 6, 2023 (34 comments)

CBN, RBS, and not really the BBC Mockumentary or pseudodocumentary Nuclear Confrontation between Russia and NATO (2018) uses fake/semiplausible BBC news programs and archival footage to tell the story of how such a conflict might occur.

It's the latest example of the genre.
posted to MetaFilter by doctornemo at 10:50 AM on November 5, 2023 (35 comments)

The Beatles have released their final single, Now And Then [4m]. With posthumous contributions from two departed members, the surviving duo got together with AI-based audio processing technology to bring out this final track from The Fab Four, only a few months shy of the 60th anniversary of their appearances on Ed Sullivan. Here's a short film from The Beatles about how this track was created. [12m30s] Previously.
posted to MetaFilter by hippybear at 2:51 PM on November 2, 2023 (76 comments)

Blank Space (Johnny's Version) [SLTikTok]
posted to MetaFilter by mhum at 11:06 AM on October 31, 2023 (9 comments)

We get a bit more of insight into the origins of Evil Morty.
posted to FanFare by onya at 10:26 PM on November 15, 2023 (10 comments)

Love in an Orchard, as Written by the Trees. Donating Kittens to the Goddess Bastet. Parental Grief. Same-Sex Love Spells. A Runaway Child Bride. A Bachelor Wishes to Marry. A Spell to Attract Women. His Mind is Shrouded in Darkness. I am Dying of a Broken Heart.

These and more vignettes of ancient Middle Eastern life at the Papyrus Stories Group Blog (click on language tab or hover on topic tab for best navigation).
posted to MetaFilter by Rumple at 4:11 PM on October 26, 2023 (7 comments)

This week... the main story is about the Israel-Hamas war, specifically about their leaders, "how they came to power, whose interests they do and don't represent, and what role they played in bringing us to this current conflict." Hamas undermined the efforts of the previous poltical party Fatah, which had been pursuing peace; and Netanhayu is currently widely reviled within Israel by those who blame him for the security lapses that allowed Hamas to attack, but has long had other very troubling issues, and currently presides over the most right-wing government in Israel's history. (On Youtube, 32 minutes) And Now: Rachel Campos-Duffy Really, Really Needs You To Know That Her Husband Was Once In Congress. Concluding the episode is an update over the New Zealand Bird of the Century election.
posted to FanFare by JHarris at 4:45 AM on November 14, 2023 (3 comments)

Hi folks -- here's a thread to talk about constructive next steps after this thread from two weeks ago.
posted to MetaTalk by jessamyn at 9:20 AM on October 18, 2023 (123 comments)

This week... the writer's strike is over, and it was successful! The show's been off for five months, and a number of things happened during that time (see inside). And Now: Local News Is Very Excited About What Week It Is (Fat Bear Week). Main story is about the woeful health care in US prisons, a shameful condition often belittled by the media. Yep, Last Week Tonight is back! (On Youtube, 19 minutes) And Now: Fall Is Here, And So Is Something Else (Pumpkin Spice Lattes).
posted to FanFare by JHarris at 12:43 AM on October 2, 2023 (13 comments)

Thanks for your patience as I have worked through talking with lawyers who talk with their experts. This is a substantive update with some news and some questions for the community. The short form is: everyone on the team of people I spoke with agrees that MeFi could potentially be a non-profit organization (with the ultimate determination being made by the IRS). Now we need to decide how to move forward and make MeFi into a community-run organization. I'll give some backstory and a "where we are with this" situation inside.
posted to MetaTalk by jessamyn at 7:52 AM on October 3, 2023 (182 comments)

Sleep With Me has put me to sleep for 10 years and 1200 episodes, entertaining me and helping me feel better about the brain bots that keep my mind busy at night. Northwoods Baseball announces games for a made-up league in northern Michigan. Everything Is Alive is back for another season, this time exclusively interviewing animals. And EIA's sister-show In The Scenes Behind Plain Sight rewatches a fictional show about a nudist colony, as an homage to rewatch podcasts (and it drives my husband up the walls).
posted to MetaFilter by rebent at 2:40 PM on October 4, 2023 (47 comments)

Light is an online poetry magazine that's been going since 1992. If you often think of poems as stodgy and hard to understand, you might want to give the sparkling light verse produced by their stable of poets a chance -- archives include work by Wendy Cope, frequent higgledy-piggledy (double dactyl) appearances, an "impossible rhymes" compilation including Tom Lehrer, Ogden Nash, and Roy Blount, Jr., and more. Poems reacting to current events, large and small, appear in the magazine's long-running Poems of the Week feature.
posted to MetaFilter by brainwane at 10:51 AM on September 18, 2023 (12 comments)

Happy 20th anniversary to the unofficial British National Anthem (now over 380 weeks on the charts!) How The Killers made Mr Brightside, one of the most enduring rock songs of all time - The Independent (more links below the cut)
posted to MetaFilter by Pachylad at 8:03 AM on October 2, 2023 (53 comments)

Agma Schwa's second Cursed Conlang Circus is on YouTube! For those who enjoy a good conlang, these are bad ones -- or rather, fantastically difficult and strange ones -- to enjoy even more. Although the links are to YT videos that take some time to watch, you can consult the transcripts or use chapters for quick looks.
Check out the marvelously alien Gurgle, created for a race of hexapods with a central orifice and beak. Or the ridiculous Douleur ("ultraFrench") with its six genders, including insectile and piratical. Tired of noise? Say it with rocks instead, using Geolaŋ, one of the few languages that requires knowledge of local land use regulations.

posted to MetaFilter by Countess Elena at 12:09 PM on September 30, 2023 (7 comments)

A jargon-free explanation of how AI large language models work - "Want to really understand large language models? Here's a gentle primer." [link-heavy FPP!]
posted to MetaFilter by kliuless at 11:59 PM on September 26, 2023 (28 comments)

The crew investigates whether the universe is a simulation.
posted to FanFare by Marticus at 2:35 AM on September 25, 2023 (7 comments)

For a while I've been collecting examples of 20th century comic strips and newspaper cartoons which include parodies of Modern Art. (I got some help from ask.meta last year!) I've now posted my collection on cohost, and I will add new ones as I find them.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by moonmilk at 10:27 PM on September 10, 2023 (5 comments)

Pete Beard is a British historian of illustration and illustrators. In an age of clipart and ML-generated content, it is worthwhile to look back and celebrate the forgotten artists of the past. Pete Beard has just published his 100th episode of 'Unsung Heroes of Illustration', a series which covers illustrators born between 1850 and 1910. CW: Whilst all the illustrations are skilfully rendered, there might be the odd one that does not conform to modern sensibilities.
posted to MetaFilter by bouvin at 7:13 AM on September 5, 2023 (9 comments)

a 3D reconstruction of the capital of the Aztec Empire The year is 1518. Mexico-Tenochtitlan, once an unassuming settlement in the middle of Lake Texcoco, now a bustling metropolis. It is the capital of an empire ruling over, and receiving tribute from, more than 5 million people. Tenochtitlan is home to 200.000 farmers, artisans, merchants, soldiers, priests and aristocrats. At this time, it is one of the largest cities in the world. Today, we call this city Ciudad de Mexico - Mexico City. Not much is left of the old Aztec - or Mexica - capital Tenochtitlan. What did this city, raised from the lake bed by hand, look like? Using historical and archeological sources, and the expertise of many, I have tried to faithfully bring this iconic city to life.
posted to MetaFilter by aniola at 9:25 PM on September 3, 2023 (31 comments)

Joe Murray created Rocko's Modern Life, Camp Lazlo, and Let's Go Luna!. He wrote a book a while back about animating for TV, web, or film. It went out of print. So Joe decided to make it available for download for free. "As payment, maybe you can donate to a food bank, or simply pay it forward somehow."
posted to MetaFilter by Etrigan at 11:06 AM on August 28, 2023 (3 comments)

Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter.
posted to FanFare by pitrified at 12:45 PM on October 25, 2015 (7 comments)

• How to draw Ronald McDonald
• How to be a Playboy bunny
• How to care for your Pet Rock
• How to run the Haunted Mansion
• How to fly to the Moon
• How to commit sabotage

A selection of digitized manuals from the Internet Archive curated by Jason Scott
posted to MetaFilter by Horace Rumpole at 11:07 AM on August 25, 2023 (46 comments)

When you think of real bangers, you wouldn't generally think of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, because, well, they're the ones tasked on keeping you from a... banger. But they just dropped, very carefully, the album-length We're Safety Now Haven't We, a real, uh, banger?
posted to MetaFilter by eschatfische at 3:03 PM on September 20, 2023 (31 comments)

Yes, it's another listicle. That said, I like it for several reasons: it does not ignore pre-2000 shows; it indicates where the episodes can be streamed; and it does, for those series with which I'm familiar, make solid (though, as always, debatable) choices. (As a bonus, Andre Braugher appears twice!)
posted to MetaFilter by Kat Allison at 10:42 AM on September 19, 2023 (128 comments)