Ask post: What is my relationship lacking that I feel the urge to stray every now and then?

I really don't like the "you're young" angle. I am personally aware of a number of 30- and 40-somethings who could have written this post, and their situations have nothing to do with age or experience.

I much prefer Acari's answer: Human beings [in my experience] are fickle things. They get bored with good things, distracted by new and shiny things.

In my experience (my own and my knowledge of the accounts of others)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by iguanapolitico at 4:05 PM on April 12, 2008

I totally agree with iguanapolitico...great points, all of them.

Coming from a young woman in her early 20's who is engaged to their highschool sweetheart- it is possible to find someone and stay with them while you are young. It is hard work, but it sure is hell worth it if you love them more than anything.

I think there is an assumption that relationships are smooth sailing just because you are in love and have found the right person. That is... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by 20something at 4:22 PM on April 12, 2008

Ask post: Looking for books that take a philosophical look at the origin of the universe and where mankind is heading (among other things)

Not my taste, but The Omega Point might be yours.
posted to Ask Metafilter by fatllama at 4:23 AM on February 23, 2008

... and a little searching showed that Contours of the World Economy is now in paperback. Do want.
posted to Ask Metafilter by fatllama at 4:25 AM on February 23, 2008

I was too late to recommend Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men and Star Maker in an earlier thread, but I can by golly manage it here! They're novels and they encompass the whole history and evolution of humanity—in the first book—and then the ultimate destiny of the cosmos entire—in the second.
posted to Ask Metafilter by cgc373 at 4:46 AM on February 23, 2008

Oldie but goodie, I always loved Carl Sagan's Cosmos, both the book and series, though the science is certainly dated now.

And if you're up for the outré this is the subject of Koyannisqatsi. But that's a two-hour movie with no dialogue. It's fascinating but you definitely need to be in the mood. Definitely not dry and textbook-like. In some places you can find the movie being shown with a live orchestra... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by XMLicious at 4:48 AM on February 23, 2008

There's also James Burke's Connections serieses and The Day The Universe Changed and accompanying books.
posted to Ask Metafilter by XMLicious at 4:59 AM on February 23, 2008

Sometimes half-jokingly called, "The Geek Rapture," in The Singularity is Near Ray Kurzweil explains voluminously and often compellingly that machine intelligence will soon dominate humanity. He also thinks he's going to live forever, as explained in Living Long Enough to Live Forever.

His claims and hopes are extreme, but he approaches them as an empiricist.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by GPF at 7:02 AM on February 23, 2008

Paul Virillio's Crepuscular Dawn seems up your alley. It doesn't deal so much with the past, but looks at the present world in a more critical light. It is a pretty interesting read in today's world.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bigcheesegump at 7:24 AM on February 23, 2008

Thanks everyone for the quick responses. Can't wait to sink my teeth into the recommendations posted above. I'm just going ahead and ordering 5 of those (in no order of preference) on Amazon.
posted to Ask Metafilter by iceman7 at 7:31 AM on February 23, 2008

One of the first books that I read that got to the questions "why are we here" and "what started it all" (in terms of life on Earth), was The Blind Watchmaker by the ever-controversial Richard Dawkins. Years later, I still enjoy re-reading from time to time, partly because it is so well written, mostly because his explanations of cumulative selection are so powerful. I think this would be a great starting point for getting into ideas of why and how life began.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by otolith at 7:38 AM on February 23, 2008

Ask post: Bad pork or just a bad smell?

I think you should definitely eat it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by astruc at 4:54 PM on February 14, 2008

Oh, nuts.
You're returning it.
Now we'll never know!

But yeah. While I'm always and "eat it!" guy, I can only imagine the horror stories that would erupt from this.

"what did you get for v-day?"
"the plague."
posted to Ask Metafilter by Acari at 5:14 PM on February 14, 2008

I would eat anything for love

But I won't eat that.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Kafkaesque at 5:47 PM on February 14, 2008

Page: 1