''That's a vitamin pill with legs.'' (great song and keeping in context of spontaneous busting out the moves, worth watching to see the soldiers dancing at 1:31)
posted to MetaFilter by nickyskye at 6:01 AM on September 6, 2008

Statement from Obama:

"I have said before and I will repeat again: People's families are off limits," Obama said. "And people's chidlren are especially off limits. This shouldn't be part of politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as a governor and or her potential perfromance as a vice president. So I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories. You know my mother had me when she was 18 and how a family deals with issues... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by XQUZYPHYR at 11:44 AM on September 1, 2008

Dear Obama supporters. On last thursday, the Candidate you wish to become President stood up and gave What was arguably one of the finest Political speeches in recent history. Record numbers of Americans watched this speech.

And none of them seemed to actually be listening. His opponents sure as hell weren't listening, and it's looking like a lot of his supporters also weren't listening as well.

"let's not make this big election about small... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by billyfleetwood at 1:04 PM on September 1, 2008

Alot of people have spoken to this, but this whole experience pissing match is just too stupid. Plus it took me a long time to type, so i'm going with it...

I am saying that it is wrong for the Democrats to claim Palin is less qualified than he. It is a ridiculous argument and it's time to drop it.

Despite totally disagreeing with you completely, I have a bit of respect for your input konolia. If only because you have stuck... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by billyfleetwood at 11:52 PM on September 3, 2008

Or, you know, maybe someone needs to remind Sarah Palin that Jesus Christ was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor.
posted to MetaFilter by goodnewsfortheinsane at 8:54 AM on September 4, 2008

The summer after I turned seven, my mom went back to work on her bachelor's. That summer she took an overload of classes and was completely absent from my world. This meant I was turned over to my father and his more liberal understanding of food and "healthy" eating.

My memories of that summer include moonpies, ice cream in the little tubbies with the wooden paddles, massive amounts of Coke and Oreos and my father's signature meal, "Damn Sam Fried Spam... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by teleri025 at 11:49 AM on August 26, 2008

After dabbling it for a year while doing Crossfit, I have thrown myself fully into the world of competitive Olympic weightlifting. And it is sad, sad, sad to see this much ignorance about the sport. Zachsmind, you have no idea what you're talking about. That's OK--most people say "weightlifting" and they think of the dudes with giant man-boob pecs at the gym screaming at the bench press and injecting themselves with energy drinks.

For the uninitiated, there... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by schroedinger at 11:20 PM on August 17, 2008

So what we need is a Superhero movie where the afraid of rainbows lady battles it out with the Rainbow Lady. And kids aren't allowed to watch.

Disclaimer: Mrs. Rainbow is a family friend, was my 6th grade Art teacher, and one of the coolest people I've ever met.
posted to MetaFilter by billyfleetwood at 12:14 PM on August 17, 2008

Greg Nog: "I guess it's not entirely related, but I keep looking at this ask.metafilter question and giggling, because the OP has to go see a man about a horse."

I remember the first time I heard that phrase. I was on a camping trip with my family and my father excused himself from the fireside saying "I gotta go see a man about a horse."

Do you realize how awesome that was? He was going... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Science! at 9:46 AM on July 24, 2008

See, this is why I drink tea.
posted to MetaFilter by echo target at 11:58 AM on July 14, 2008

Here's a true story about how awesome Pixar is.

As some of you know, when the trailer first came out, my girlfriend, Courtney, burst into tears at the trailer. She was emabrrassed but somewhat amused by this, as so she made a video of herself watching the trailer on her computer, knowing she would start crying every time that little robot said his own name.

After a few months, she started to get trickles of emails from people at Pixar who said... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Astro Zombie at 12:18 PM on July 1, 2008

Facts are simple and facts are straight
Facts are lazy and facts are late
Facts all come with points of view
Facts dont do what I want them to
Facts just twist the truth around
Facts are living turned inside out
Facts are getting the best of them
Facts are nothing on the face of things
Facts dont stain the furniture
Facts go out and slam the door
Facts are written all over your face
Facts continue to change their shape
posted to MetaFilter by sleepy pete at 12:19 PM on June 19, 2008

Calpigula
posted to MetaFilter by DU at 7:37 AM on June 11, 2008

Whenever nerds try to sound tough, my face and palm come together like magnets.
posted to MetaFilter by Uther Bentrazor at 5:36 AM on May 29, 2008

Best one I've heard, animated from a This American Life episode.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Who_Am_I at 5:40 AM on May 23, 2008

Sweet Potato Muffins
(adapted from a recipe by Did Emmons in Vegetarian Planet)

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas4. Oil 12 large muffin cups (or use paper cases). In a small bowl whisk together 150g brown sugar, 2 tbs honey, 120 ml vegetable oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 2 eggs. In a separate large bowl mix together 100g plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp grated nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt, and 450g peeled and grated sweet... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by dogsbody at 10:42 AM on May 21, 2008

What you need is a Mancunian candidate; Mark E Smith for President.
posted to MetaTalk by Abiezer at 12:16 PM on May 17, 2008

Wow. Holy shit. Another generation of artists passes. I love Rauschenberg; when I first discovered his work in college it floored me and knocked me flat. I'll never forget the first time I saw Painters Painting, also in college, some 15 years after it was made, and came stumbling out of the theatre just moved and blown away and changed forever, mostly by a sardonic man sitting on a stepladder drinking bourbon and talking about art in a way I'd never heard before, like it was a living thing and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mygothlaundry at 9:36 AM on May 13, 2008

Doing your best is taking an action because you love it, not because you're expecting a reward. Most people do exactly the opposite. They only take action when they expect a reward, and they don't enjoy the action. That's the reason they don't do their best.

For example, most people go to work each day just thinking of payday and the money they will get for the work they are doing. They can hardly wait for Friday or Saturday, whatever day they receive their money and can... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by netbros at 9:19 PM on May 11, 2008

I make somewhere between a quarter to half my income as a stage "mentalist" whose act somewhat resembles Derren Brown's--though not to his "magic handshake" level--so let me post a clarification, a bunch of caveats, and as much information as I can without making my colleagues mad at me.

(Paging The Deej! Hope me fellow magician!)

First, there are three very different forms of hypnosis being talked about... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Ian A.T. at 3:32 AM on May 12, 2008

This year allergies hit me the worse than ever. I tried claritan, zyrtec, nasalcrom and flonase without much luck. My doc steered me towards "Chlor-trimeton" (it's OTC) which worked wonders. 1/2 a tablet in the morning and a full one at night. Apparently it's one of the most powerful antihistamines out there but an older generation. Thankfully it didn't make me very drowsy.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jwells at 6:16 AM on May 12, 2008

Imagine - you're at work, the grocery store, on the public transit - and everyone starts to sing about it and dance step over the backs of chairs.

I was in the supermarket once and did that thing where you try to pass someone coming towards you and you both keep stepping the same way. It was a man aged about 70, and after the third or fourth attempted pass, we both started laughing and I said "shall we dance?". To my astonishment, he took... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by essexjan at 2:00 PM on May 4, 2008

Kate Bush -- Long and Winding Road

This is a great Beatles cover (so say John and Paul) -- Esther Phillips - And I Love Him
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky at 7:41 AM on April 30, 2008

I woke up that morning and wondered why we had decided to have kids.

We had known - everyone had known. We'd known since, arguably - sometime in the early aughts. It was then that the calculations had started - the first guesses about the probabilities that an asteroid asteroid of Apo's size might strike our planet. It would be the first time in the recorded history of human life that it would happen, so in some sense our rather primitive understanding of what was really... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by allkindsoftime at 6:26 AM on April 16, 2008

Some days I feel like Metafilter is watching me.

I just picked up a cube last week after having not touched one since junior high school. I thought that after all this time I'd have to re-figure out how to solve it, but alas it's one of those things that sticks in your brain for all eternity. I was onthe subway over the weekend , just messing around, trying to solve in as few moves as possible, and the guy sitting across from me was watching me intently. So I just... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by billyfleetwood at 9:44 AM on March 31, 2008

The Diet Coke is still owed to me, but I may collect at some future date. Who wants a soda in the mail?
posted by jessamyn at 12:57 AM on April 3

A person who appreciates the effervescent joy of an ice cold soda on a hot day. A person who thirsts for invigorating caffeinated refreshment after hard day's work. In short, a person who appreciates a good soda. Are you this kind of person, jessamyn? Are any of you? For those who have... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Pastabagel at 9:48 AM on April 3, 2008

I know they are the tenants of Christianity

Jesus is (slum)Lord.
posted to MetaTalk by Armitage Shanks at 12:48 PM on March 28, 2008

Oh, yeah?! Can your fictional flying car space orgy do this? Nyearrrrooooooooommmmmmm-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack!!!
posted to MetaTalk by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:53 PM on March 24, 2008

Well... Based on the way it is taught in engineering school, you are actually looking for about four textbooks.

The physics of electricity is taught in an electricity and magnetism course (sometimes even from a physics textbook). RC and RLC circuits is taught in a circuit theory course. Op-Amps diodes and FETs are taught in an electronics course. Flip-flops and gates are taught in a computer organization course.

All of the courses include more... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Chuckles at 8:31 PM on February 11, 2006 marked best answer

This part really unnerved me:

Hitler: Mein Hund hat keine Nase.

Audience: Wie riecht er?

Hitler: Schrecklich.
posted to MetaFilter by tkchrist at 2:53 PM on March 22, 2008

The part where he talked about his grandmother saying racist things really hit home with me, as did the part where he talked about middle and lower class whites feeling they haven't been privileged by merit of being white. The examples he gave of blaming things on immigration leading to a build up racial resentment were spot on, too.

I'm only 23 and grew up in Houston, TX, so I had more minority friends than white friends growing up just because the city is so... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Nattie at 3:19 AM on March 19, 2008

In the sub-basement of what was once an industrial park, the server continued asking questions to the void. The network was long-gone--the ethernet cables vaporized right where they emerged to the surface--but this didn't stop the server. It had a queue.

The third wave of bombings had collapsed the ceiling, destroying almost all the other racks in the room, but the server remained. It was closest to the large metal cage that held the enormous emergency power supply. It... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Ian A.T. at 5:20 AM on March 17, 2008

The legendary Perfect MetaTalk Post.
posted to MetaTalk by stupidsexyFlanders at 6:52 PM on March 16, 2008

"The girl was told to expect something 'unsafe'."

He showed up in a Corvair?
posted to MetaFilter by mr_crash_davis at 3:24 PM on March 10, 2008

I recently spent a month on a Tropical Island in Central America. Quite possibly the most picturesque place I've ever been. Every picture I took looked fake. The clouds looked painted on, the sunrays peeking out from behind them looked like a photoshop filter. In every picture the sky was a perfect shade of blue, and the water reflected everything perfectly. There was no shortage of geckos being adorable, butterflies landing on objects just at the right time, parrots being all parrot-y. Every... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by billyfleetwood at 8:40 AM on February 12, 2008

I've always thought Richard Feynmann and Murray Gell-Mann would make a great comedy duo. Feynmann is the crazy, tangental hippy, and Gell-Mann is the ultimate straight man.

I want to see Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry do a comedy series as Dick and Murray respectively. Call it "The Odd Coupling" or "Strange Attractors" or "You can leave your hadron"...
posted to MetaFilter by spongeboy at 7:02 PM on March 6, 2008

Sorry, flabdablet: you can't argue with Science!
posted to Ask Metafilter by Turtles all the way down at 5:08 PM on January 3, 2007

I see a red shelf and I want it painted black.
posted to MetaFilter by [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] at 8:59 AM on March 4, 2008

Is this a kissing book?
posted to MetaFilter by Ambrosia Voyeur at 7:47 PM on March 3, 2008

I have seen him over a dozen over as many years and it's always the same with his shows--he comes out about a half hour after the last encore and talks to whoever is there. I saw him at the King Hotel about ten years ago. He played completely solo and when he was done, the lights came up and people began to leave and he came out and was putting his guitar away and this young woman came up and very tentatively said "Oh, hi, Jonathan, you probably don't remember this but I sent you... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by y2karl at 5:45 PM on March 2, 2008

At one point I was considering leaving for a month to see what effect it would have on the favorites economy.
posted to MetaTalk by tehloki at 10:51 PM on February 28, 2008

Cool post, thanks hadjiboy.

I understand that there will always be poverty, but seriously, send over a few thousand shovels, a few tens of thousands of feet of pipe, and some blueprints, and let them at least have some dignity. Christ.

Pasta, you're brilliant as ever.

I moved to South Africa last year to do some pro-bono work with one of the biggest NGOs doing relief and development work in the third... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by allkindsoftime at 1:40 AM on February 29, 2008

Fantastic. I love stuff like this.

The wording of your post made me think of this poem, which I've read to my daughter many times:

Hector the Collector
(by Shel Silverstein, from the book "Where the Sidewalk Ends")

Hector the Collector
Collected bits of string,
Collected dolls with broken heads
And rusty bells that would not ring. Bent-up nails and ice-cream... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by flapjax at midnite at 5:14 PM on February 28, 2008

Should I eat the...

black bean soup?
deviled eggs?
wheat bread, yellow mustard, fat free mayo, precooked breaded chicken patty, american cheese sandwich?
beef past the sell-by date?
raw chicken and onions?
6-7 day old cooked chicken?
raw pancetta?
rotten-egg-smelling pork?
squirrel-knawed cookies?
blue cheese in fridge for a month?
tuna sandwich?... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Locative at 1:21 AM on February 26, 2008

^^^ Mom?
posted to MetaTalk by Mister_A at 12:52 PM on February 20, 2008

"At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, the late Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, the author Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel, Catch-22, over its whole history. Heller responds, ‘Yes, but I have something he will never have: Enough.’

Read it. Learn it. LIVE IT.
posted to MetaFilter by The Card Cheat at 7:28 PM on February 5, 2008

Well I'm just a modern guy.
posted to MetaFilter by freebird at 12:14 AM on February 5, 2008

The vital question is, do 30 Helens agree?
posted to MetaFilter by zennie at 9:54 AM on February 4, 2008

UPDATE: I'm not sure where to post this, it's been so long since I asked, but we took the kids to Bob Baker's Marionettes last week! Then to an old fashioned soda fountain for ice cream. And, OMG, they were so friggin' adorable!! First of all, only kids would be thrilled by the idea of sitting on the floor. And the place looked like some kind of magical secret hideaway. Their eyes could not soak it up enough. The little girl turned to her dad and said, "Only kids who give back 100... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by generic230 at 8:07 PM on January 29, 2008

Have you tried negotiating the price on the current place you're interested in? I successfully talked down the price on the last two places I rented in Toronto, and with the vacancy rates in the city where they are today you are in an even better position to do so. This works best if you have a decent credit rating, solid employment, and a positive reference from your previous landlord but even if you don't have these things don't let it stop you.

The thing landlords... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by id girl at 6:14 AM on February 1, 2008 marked best answer