Displaying post 1 to 50 of 70
I need some really easy-to-learn nursery rhymes in foreign languages.
posted to Ask Metafilter by low_horrible_immoral
at 1:59 AM on August 1, 2008
(19 comments)
Fantasy cartography
collects scans of maps and charts from video games, comics, and novels. Take a look at the doll-house like maps of the
Fantastic Four's Baxter Building from various comics (a Trophy Room and a "TV Sending Room"!), the Legend of Zelda's
Hyrule, Asimov's
Foundation galaxy, lots of
Lovecraft locations, the lands of the
Princess Bride, the
Discworld, and lots of
Star Trek maps and ship schematics. Also,
some thoughts on how "serious fiction" writers often start with maps, from Joyce's use of the ordinance maps of Dublin to Pychon's use of aerial photographs. More fantasy maps (many in German) are available from the
Fantasy Atlas. Also, from my
previous post on the subject of maps of fantasy worlds, see the extensive listings in the
Dictionary of Imaginary Places.
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah
at 10:13 AM on July 25, 2008
(20 comments)
The Mehterhane
or
Mehter, as they are often known, are thought to be the oldest military marching band in the world. Starting around the 13th century, the
band accompanied the Ottoman empire troops (
Janissaries, or
yeniçeri, roughly meaning "new troops" and were comprised mostly of young men from the Balkans) into battle, spreading their music along the way and influencing western classical composers like
Mozart and
Beethoven.
posted to MetaFilter by sleepy pete
at 10:44 AM on July 19, 2008
(14 comments)
If a guy thrills to the "Ed Wood" soundtrack, music from the old "Batman" (Adam West) series, the soundtracks to "The Incredibles" and "The Pink Panther," what else would he like?
posted to Ask Metafilter by grumblebee
at 3:57 PM on July 11, 2008
(21 comments)
"...aside from the Devil, you have no enemy more venomous, more desperate, more bitter, than a true Jew... What shall we Christians do with this rejected and condemned people, the Jews? Since they live among us, we dare not tolerate their conduct, now that we are aware of their lying and reviling and blaspheming.... First, to set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn, so that no man will ever again see a stone or cinder of them. This is to be done in honor of our Lord and of Christendom, so that God might see that we are Christians.... Second, I advise that their houses also be razed and destroyed.... Third, I advise that all their prayer books and Talmudic writings, in which such idolatry, lies, cursing and blasphemy are taught, be taken from them.... Fourth, I advise that their rabbis be forbidden to teach henceforth on pain of loss of life and limb." -- From
On the Jews and Their Lies, authored by the man
voted by his countrymen the second greatest German of all time, the theologian whose break with Rome began the Protestant Reformation,
Martin Luther.
posted to MetaFilter by orthogonality
at 9:54 PM on July 7, 2008
(87 comments)
My social life is falling apart and I don't know what to do to fix it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by als129
at 8:51 AM on July 7, 2008
(17 comments)
Two of my favorite books for summer are "Winter's Tale" by Mark Helprin and "Smilla's Sense of Snow" by Peter Hoeg; I'd like suggestions for other (preferably hefty) novels with complex/absorbing story lines and wintry settings or themes to help me stay sane 'til September. Got an ice book to recommend?
posted to Ask Metafilter by taz
at 7:44 AM on June 10, 2008
(46 comments)
Do you enjoy classic 2D platformers? Then boy, are you in luck! The
indie game community is thriving, and a good majority of its games are exactly that. I've spent many hours playing these unique, beautiful, and often exceptional projects, and there's quite a few - more than I can count on my fingers! - that could stand toe-to-toe with the finest contemporary games. Inside is a list of some of the greatest indie platformers, based on community recommendations and my own experience. Enjoy!
posted to MetaFilter by archagon
at 3:28 AM on June 24, 2008
(48 comments)
How do I deal with loneliness? How do I accept being single?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous
at 5:53 AM on June 26, 2008
(42 comments)
Lorenzo Semple, 84, has been a screenwriter for more than 50 years; his credits include "Papillion," "The Parallax View" and "Three Days of the Condor." Marcia Nasatir, 81, is a longtime agent and production executive, was the first female VP of production at United Artists, and produced films like "The Big Chill" and "Hamburger Hill." Together, they are the "
Reel Geezers," offering irresistible film reviews on YouTube. To wit:
Superbad,
Iron Man,
Sex and the City,
Lars and the Real Girl,
No Country for Old Men,
There Will Be Blood.
posted to MetaFilter by jbickers
at 3:35 AM on June 11, 2008
(27 comments)
Please share your favorite ramen-like instant noodle product and it's distinctive qualities.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mistsandrain
at 9:58 AM on June 5, 2008
(19 comments)
What are your favorite, efficient, menu-planning sequences that use a limited set of ingredients in several different ways?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Miko
at 9:06 AM on June 2, 2008
(25 comments)
I have a humanities undergraduate degree with a minor in computer science. I’m currently in a grad program in the same humanities field. However, I’d like to change directions and pursue a graduate degree in engineering, but I don’t have a math/science/engineering background. What is it going to take to do this?
posted to Ask Metafilter by NormandyJack
at 9:16 AM on May 31, 2008
(13 comments)
Book recommendations: ecotopian fiction? (Something to read after
The Fifth Sacred Thing)?
posted to Ask Metafilter by salvia
at 11:46 PM on May 26, 2008
(16 comments)
Share your favorite asparagus recipes! I love it grilled and roasted, but I eat it like this all the time. What are some new ways to prepare one of my favorite veggies?
posted to Ask Metafilter by sararah
at 1:38 PM on May 24, 2008
(30 comments)
What is "living life to the fullest"? How to do it?
posted to Ask Metafilter by mintchip
at 11:12 AM on May 23, 2008
(18 comments)
Best book for a beginner to learn C? I've never learned a programming language, but I'm hoping to learn C over the summer. My friend, a computer science student, is going to teach me as he learns it. We would like a textbook or reference book or work book of some kind. What would be a good choice?
posted to Ask Metafilter by asparagrass
at 10:44 PM on May 21, 2008
(22 comments)
Am having a going away cookout for a friend. Does anyone have a nice refreshing mixed alcoholic drink recipe to fill our gatorade cooler with.
posted to Ask Metafilter by travis08
at 1:15 PM on July 6, 2007
(28 comments)
I'm looking for the Chicago version of
this answer to NYC apartment hunting.
posted to Ask Metafilter by c:\awesome
at 8:18 PM on February 27, 2008
(10 comments)
Please help me stop the butt spread and weight gain related to my 12 hour/day telecommuting computer job before I am relegated to a muumuu.
posted to Ask Metafilter by citystalk
at 9:43 AM on May 3, 2008
(36 comments)
What are some of your absolute favourite online essays, articles and other pieces of non-fiction writing?
posted to Ask Metafilter by turgid dahlia
at 4:21 PM on May 1, 2008
(51 comments)
An extraordinary piece of magazine writing by Chris Jones.
Jones tells the story of how the body of Sergeant Joe Montgomery makes its way from a Baghdad suburb to its final resting place in a grave in Indiana. It's one of the finest pieces of journalism that I've read in years. It’s extremely moving without being saccharine or twee. It’s a military story, but utterly without jingoism or indictment. And it’s wonderfully observed. If I taught a first-year creative writing course, I'd make this required reading.
posted to MetaFilter by dbarefoot
at 9:57 PM on April 30, 2008
(87 comments)
At least it will sound like I'm furiously busy as I fritter away the rest of the afternoon racing.
TypeRacing!
posted to MetaFilter by BoatMeme
at 12:51 PM on April 24, 2008
(90 comments)
What are some interesting, uncommon "vocabulary" words that you use regularly or semi-regularly?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Metroid Baby
at 1:24 PM on April 22, 2008
(90 comments)
I'm looking for jokes that sound like they are going to be very involved at the start but end up being very short.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Carbolic
at 8:28 AM on April 17, 2008
(61 comments)
Mounted 70 feet up in a white pine tree on the coast of Maine, the BioDiversity Research Institute's
live eagle webcam provides, "live video of a nesting pair of bald eagles, 24 hours a day. These eagles are the most successful pair in the state. They have nested at this site for 13 years, and raised 20 offspring."
Warning: the live stream can be habit forming (especially when waiting for the eggs to hatch).
posted to MetaFilter by VicNebulous
at 12:11 PM on March 27, 2008
(14 comments)
Speaking of speeches, David Eggers
delivers one at TED on grassroots community tutoring for kids who need help with their English homework: "There's something about the kids finishing their homework in a given day, working one on one, getting all this attention. They finish their homework, they go home -- they're finished. They don't stall. They don't do their homework in front of the TV. They're allowed to go home 5:30, enjoy their family, enjoy other hobbies, get outside, play and that makes a happy family. A bunch of happy families in a neighborhood is a happy community. A bunch of happy communities tied together is a happy city and a happy world, right? So, the key to it all is homework." Love him or hate him (
mefi consensus) it's a great example of
nervous energy microphilanthropy,
social entrepreneurship and, if I may make the connection,
machines of
loving grace. [
previously]
posted to MetaFilter by kliuless
at 7:22 AM on March 23, 2008
(26 comments)
I shot his plane down.
First his fighter plane was just lost under unknown circumstances during WWII. People speculated on a possible suicide of the writer. Then his golden armband was found by a fisherman in the sea.
Then the plane of well known french writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
was found in the mediteranean.
Now 88 year old journalist Horst Rippert, who was a fighter pilot during WWII,
admits that he shot down Saint-Exupéry and that he regretted this his whole life.
posted to MetaFilter by jouke
at 9:41 AM on March 17, 2008
(36 comments)
An
essay by Bill Lawrence, creator of "Scrubs," on why he writes. It's part of a series:
"Why We Write."
posted to MetaFilter by Tehanu
at 2:23 PM on March 16, 2008
(28 comments)
I'm trying to come up with a reading list for a "personal comp. sci. degree" (along the lines of Josh Kaufman's "personal MBA" reading list). What books should be on my list?
posted to Ask Metafilter by jacobian
at 7:33 AM on November 6, 2006
(33 comments)
Would you like a latte while I print that up for you?
The
Espresso Book Machine (
previously) that was in the
New York Public Library has just moved to the
Northshire Bookstore in Vermont. The beta versions of this portable book-making machine are pumping out paperbacks around a book a minute at the Open Content Alliance, The Library of Alexandria, The New Orleans Public Library, and the University of Alberta. The mass produced commercial version of the machine is scheduled to roll off the assembly line within the year and will be priced between $50,000 and $20,000. Combined with
one of these, publishing as we know it may never be the same.
posted to MetaFilter by Toekneesan
at 10:16 AM on March 7, 2008
(36 comments)
Like to poke about in abandoned buildings? Sure you do. But since you're not doing so right now,
this guy has quite a few
photo sets to tide you over.
posted to MetaFilter by frobozz
at 12:31 PM on October 20, 2007
(8 comments)
Where can I go for the awesomest stargazing possible?
posted to Ask Metafilter by BuddhaInABucket
at 3:31 PM on March 2, 2008
(40 comments)
