After years of drifting along as a "spiritual but not religious" believer I am beginning to come to terms with the fact that I'm not actually a believer at all. I am an atheist with a lingering but unwanted desire to believe and it is making me miserable. Can you help me move past this?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by lysistrata at 10:14 AM on February 6, 2009 (76 comments)

Is most money just numbers on a computer screen? Or do banks actually have cash in their vaults to back up the "digital" money.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by All.star at 8:16 PM on February 4, 2009 (23 comments)

The greatest a-holes to ever strut in front of a documentary film maker's camera?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by fire&wings at 5:07 PM on February 4, 2009 (70 comments)

Recommendations for British television dramas.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Secret Life of Gravy at 10:31 AM on January 12, 2009 (55 comments)

I find repetitive noise maddening, to the point where I want to commit violence to make it stop. How can I stop this from happening?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 6:49 PM on January 2, 2009 (33 comments)

What are some of the loudest, heaviest, most rocking and head-banging classical pieces out there?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by god particle at 1:37 PM on January 2, 2009 (44 comments)

SleepFilter: How to I rid myself of the innate desire to always stay up two hours later I did than the previous night?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by joshjs at 8:54 AM on January 1, 2009 (19 comments)

Learn-at-home systems for languages: are they worth it? Could working with one help facilitate encouraging bilingual learning in a child?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by nanojath at 12:36 PM on December 31, 2008 (9 comments)

Science reading for the informed layperson.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by nihlton at 1:40 AM on December 30, 2008 (23 comments)

I love me some arcs. Please share your favorite TV shows that offer really good story arcs. Leaning towards mystery and sci-fi. I'd prefer shows that feature "factual accuracy" within the context of the show.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Deathalicious at 12:40 PM on December 28, 2008 (75 comments)

I'm arriving in New York at 5:30 AM, with nowhere to sleep until that night. Is taking a nap in a chair at Penn Station reasonable and unlikely to get me robbed/shivved? Is there a library or similar that you'd recommend instead?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Simon! at 8:15 PM on December 26, 2008 (29 comments)

What are some good, off-the-wall similes/metaphors? R-Rated and PG-rated are both ok!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Master Gunner at 1:39 AM on December 26, 2008 (65 comments)

What are some books (or maybe teevee shows) featuring lots of Machiavellian intrigue and violence?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Bookhouse at 12:53 PM on December 16, 2008 (42 comments)

Are there any books out there that are basically just two people having a conversation and going about their business? Sort of a book version of Before Sunset, or My Dinner with Andre?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Xere at 5:23 PM on December 11, 2008 (19 comments)

I love The Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean Auel, and am looking to read other series in the same vein (i.e. historical, fact-filled, plot driven awesomeness) What would you recommend?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by melodykramer at 11:06 AM on December 7, 2008 (38 comments)

What are some of the best documentaries available to watch instantly on Netflix?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by TochterAusElysium at 12:13 PM on December 7, 2008 (44 comments)

I would like to cancel my cable and watch tv shows on my tv from my computer.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by hazyspring at 1:44 PM on December 7, 2008 (26 comments)

What are the Mac equivalents of great Windows software? This was a great question about what a Mac person should install on a Windows box. I'm going the other way, as my office kindly bought me a new MacBook Pro. I'm a scientist and haven't used a Mac since OS 7.5. For the past decade my machines have been Windows, Linux, or dual-boot. Freeware/shareware programs I use a lot under Windows: Cygwin, Essential PIM, FLVplayer, IrfanView, Maxima, Openoffice.org, Scilab, Winamp, Xemacs, Xplorer2 pro. Commercial software: Mathematica, IDL, occasionally Microsoft Office. I'm mostly interested in freeware or shareware such as great text and image editors, tex/latex, and other nerdware. Thanks! Naturally, the new laptop runs Leopard.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by lukemeister at 3:39 PM on December 3, 2008 (40 comments)

Some good, interesting historical nonfiction?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by btkuhn at 6:57 PM on November 28, 2008 (55 comments)

Can someone please suggest some particularly awesome food experiences in New York for this weekend?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ecab at 8:35 AM on November 6, 2008 (23 comments)

How do lines work where you live? I recently came across an article in the Encyclopedia Britannica [quote inside] about the novel introduction of the concept of "standing in line" by McDonalds in 1970s Hong Kong. Do other cultures today deal with lines differently? Where are lines accepted/rejected? Is the alternative a free-for-all, or are there other ordering schemes?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Jeff Howard at 12:41 AM on October 22, 2008 (75 comments)

Man-up with Stephen King.
posted to MetaFilter by Artw at 2:59 PM on October 13, 2008 (135 comments)

I enjoy literature with a dystopian and/or post-apocalyptic bent to it. I want more. Recommendations?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Autarky at 2:07 PM on October 5, 2008 (60 comments)

Need a suggestion for something unusual to do tonight in nyc!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 11:05 AM on October 3, 2008 (17 comments)

I would like some good, engrossing, addictive, fast-paced fiction: thrillers, conspiracies, mysteries, anything.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by turgid dahlia at 9:03 PM on October 1, 2008 (48 comments)

I want to completely, entirely remove Firefox from my Macbook. Help me do that?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Dreama at 3:22 PM on September 30, 2008 (7 comments)

"A Solitaire Civization game that's compact enough to play on a plane ... Using only a pad of paper, a pencil, and a specialized deck of cards, lead your civilization through the ages to become ... civilized." A free "print-and-play" board game.
posted to MetaFilter by jbickers at 2:24 PM on September 25, 2008 (19 comments)

Why does lunesta sometimes work beautifully and sometimes do nothing at all?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by mostlymartha at 10:23 AM on September 15, 2008 (5 comments)

I've been doing some thinking lately about blogs. It seems that most of the really popular, successful blogs stick to one topic or another, pretty well defined (food, books, politics, celebrities, etc.). Are there any really popular or successful (in the sense of widely-read, or just good to read) blogs that are about a variety of topics, or that take the 'one person's views on a whole bunch of things' model?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by toomuchkatherine at 12:08 PM on August 26, 2008 (17 comments)

What is the closet thing to MetaFilter, but about books and/or writing?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Darth Fedor at 9:03 PM on August 4, 2008 (24 comments)

I am looking for books similar to Krakauer's "Into the Wild." I used to prefer fiction, but after reading this book, I am craving some non-fiction similar to this book in a few particular ways...
posted to Ask MetaFilter by TSGlenn at 1:28 PM on August 2, 2008 (50 comments)

What kind of Jazz is The Three Little Bops and why can't I find anything similar?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by esereth at 2:14 PM on July 17, 2008 (17 comments)

What kind of options do I have for a gadget of some kind that can capture bits of text from a book or magazine? I read a lot and always take notes, highlight, underline, note page numbers to refer back to, all these things to use for reference later on. But actually copying paragraphs into a notebook takes time, highlighting and underlining doesn't really help as I have to go back to the book - but rarely do. Since I keep so much information on my computer, I have wondered if there are small devices (mini-scanners?) that can somehow capture a few lines of text and store it as a .jpg or something. It seems as if I have seen or heard of these but I really don't know what to look for. By the way, I have used Jott to read a paragraph and have it in my email as transcribed text. That's nice, but I don't want to make a phone call every time I want to capture some text. As always, thanks in advance!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Gerard Sorme at 3:43 PM on July 16, 2008 (12 comments)

What are some exceptionally well-performed audiobooks?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:24 PM on July 7, 2008 (80 comments)

I don't want to be a liar anymore but I don't know how to stop.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 6:27 AM on July 2, 2008 (23 comments)

How do I get people to respect my phobia? How do I make them stop antagonizing me by showing me the thing I'm afraid of?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by IndigoRain at 12:28 AM on June 28, 2008 (52 comments)

Can I patent a sandwich? I may have just invented the best sandwich ever, and before I reveal the recipe I want to know it's safe from those would attempt to misuse it's power for evil.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Dillonlikescookies at 8:39 PM on June 21, 2008 (43 comments)

Looking for decently written, page-turning historical fiction.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by banjo_and_the_pork at 6:20 AM on June 15, 2008 (65 comments)

Is the Eugen Weber lecture series 'The Western Tradition' available via podcast?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Asherah at 9:30 PM on June 11, 2008 (1 comment)

Where can I take a nap in NYC?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious at 11:15 AM on June 3, 2008 (16 comments)

What are some of the better places to buy used Macs? What are good models to buy? I'd like something that can run OS X and still has some life left in it, but also hoping to keep the cost down.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by OTA at 3:56 AM on May 31, 2008 (9 comments)

Amazing movies of 2008? Has there been any? What have I missed?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by extrabox at 4:56 AM on May 23, 2008 (38 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)

What's the big deal with JL Austin's "How To Do Things with Words"?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by limon at 8:04 PM on May 20, 2008 (10 comments)

Last night, I spent an hour reading the crazy, hilarious stories posted here. One hour was not enough. I need more davesecretaryatwork - or at least, more like him.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by yeoja at 9:49 AM on May 19, 2008 (24 comments)

Can I train myself to tolerate throat cultures?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bluekrauss at 7:22 AM on May 14, 2008 (14 comments)

How can I find a drop-dead simple way of creating Regular Expression strings without having to learn all the underlying mechanics?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jmnugent at 3:47 AM on May 12, 2008 (35 comments)

ProCon.org is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit public charity that has no government affiliations of any kind. On it, you can find unbiased information on the Pros and Cons of issues ranging from the the use of medical marijuana to whether milk really does do a body good. They use a system of theoretical credibility to give weight to cited arguments and opinions, and offer 1-minute overviews, top 10 Pro/Cons, Summaries, Little-known facts, and even extensive glossaries for each subject. They are also following the 2008 election.
posted to MetaFilter by pedmands at 6:04 PM on May 10, 2008 (27 comments)

TM without the ™. When he's not directing one of the best movies of the year or sitting on intersections with cows, David Lynch is a vocal advocate of Transcendental Meditation. In his new book Catching the Big Fish, he talks about the Box and the Key, meeting Fellini, the Suffocating Rubber Clown Suit, why he doesn't do DVD commentaries--and TM, which he calls "the experience that does everything." If you're intrigued by TM but sketched out by the organization and the $2,500 fee, perhaps you'd like to know that there is a cheap, downloadable alternative.
posted to MetaFilter by muckster at 1:27 PM on December 3, 2006 (33 comments)

Joanna Connors, a theatre critic, was raped on an empty stage. She tells her story in vivid, lucid detail-- then traces her rapist's twisted family history. One of the best pieces of journalism-- or writing, for that matter-- I've read for ages. Lots of resources for survivors and their families, as well.
posted to MetaFilter by Maias at 2:13 PM on May 6, 2008 (120 comments)