"At my then-boyfriend’s house I opened a drawer to borrow a T-shirt. All the T-shirts were perfectly folded, as if ironed. I knew right then and there that I must run for my life." And other tales of romantic dead ends. capturing the exact moment you realize a relationship is doomed, doomed, doomed.
posted by unSane to MetaFilter at Feb 3 at 9:24 AM
156 users marked this as a favorite

A decade after the death of renowned folklorist Alan Lomax, his vision of a "global jukebox" is being realized: his vast archive — some 5,000 hours of sound recordings, 400,000 feet of film, 3,000 videotapes, 5,000 photographs and piles of manuscripts, much of it tucked away in forgotten or inaccessible corners — is being digitized so that the collection can be accessed online. About 17,000 music tracks will be available for free streaming by the end of February. NYT article here.
posted by flapjax at midnite to MetaFilter at Jan 30 at 9:16 PM
127 users marked this as a favorite

This is the perfect recipe for those of you who like to enjoy a big bowl of macaroni and cheese for dinner and absolutely nothing else. It’s beautifully flavored, creamy, cheesy, and with the smokey bite of crisp salty bacon on top?? Oh man, you guys are in for a treat — I’m not even kidding. It’s amazing. (previously)
posted by Trurl to MetaFilter at Feb 3 at 7:48 PM
127 users marked this as a favorite

I need some well-written and very suspenseful books to take my mind off of a 25-hour flight. Donna Tartt's "The Secret History" is the ideal book, but alas, I've already read it. I also need two-person travel sized games.
posted by zoomorphic to Ask MetaFilter at Feb 1 at 8:31 AM
89 users marked this as a favorite

Darkness "Sometimes you meet people like that, they have one adjective that fits them like a glove. They could be that word's picture in the dictionary..."
posted by oneswellfoop to MetaFilter at Feb 2 at 3:29 PM
86 users marked this as a favorite

Give me your best easy, quick desserts for one person made with stuff I already have in my kitchen.
posted by treehorn+bunny to Ask MetaFilter at Feb 2 at 7:44 PM
78 users marked this as a favorite

Kristen Bell's Sloth Meltdown (SLYT)
posted by the man of twists and turns to MetaFilter at Jan 31 at 7:14 PM
75 users marked this as a favorite

I'm putting together a compilation of fun/cool/interesting/astonishing vids off youtube vimeo etc and etc to show to people, trying to give a little bit of a sense why I like the internet so much, why I get such a kick out of it, show to people who aren't as familiar with what is "out there" on the inter-tubes and/or aren't familiar with the net at all. So. Here's my question: What are your must-show videos, what do you share with friends and family, what video do you say to a good friend "Oh jesus, you've just got to see this!"
posted by dancestoblue to Ask MetaFilter at Feb 2 at 12:34 AM
75 users marked this as a favorite

This video will haunt your dreams (slyt). Ten tonnes of cement were pumped into a gigantic ant colony and carefully excavated, leaving the skeleton of an alien city and a billion dead ants. (via)
posted by Joe in Australia to MetaFilter at Jan 31 at 8:52 PM
73 users marked this as a favorite

Top five regrets of the dying. A palliative nurse who has counselled the dying in their last days has revealed the most common regrets we have at the end of our lives.
posted by ClanvidHorse to MetaFilter at Feb 2 at 5:41 AM
66 users marked this as a favorite

Kids, don't ever challenge your English professor to a rap battle.
posted by timsteil to MetaFilter at Feb 4 at 8:23 AM
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Like a lot of people, I'd always assumed, in a sort of cut-rate Hobbesian way, that the center of the brain, if you could ever find it, would inevitably be a pretty dark place, that whatever is good or beautiful about being human is a result of our struggles against everything innate, against physical nature. My brother changed my mind about all that.
posted by unSane to MetaFilter at Feb 5 at 6:57 AM
66 users marked this as a favorite

How can we recreate/mimic the Anthropologie fashion look, but on a budget?
posted by jbickers to Ask MetaFilter at Feb 1 at 6:45 PM
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So after reading the recent posts in the Blue and MeTa about Cory Doctorow, I've come to wonder if there are any really worthwhile alternatives to BoingBoing out there.
posted by erskelyne to Ask MetaFilter at Feb 1 at 8:37 AM
65 users marked this as a favorite

Diplomacy isn't everyone's idea of fun. Time is one obstacle; a quick game can take six hours, and others can go on for 16 hours. More important, most of the action unfolds away from the table, in tense, furtive conversations among the seven players representing the once-great powers of Europe as they trade intelligence and plan joint maneuvers. The back-and-forth sounds like a David Mamet screenplay about the Triple Entente, especially because no promise is binding, no piece of information reliable. According to the rules (3 MB PDF), "players may say anything they wish." Eavesdropping, slander and betrayal -- back-stabbing, in Diplomacy parlance -- become arrows in your quiver, not the concealed weaponry of cheats and spoilsports.
posted by Trurl to MetaFilter at Jan 30 at 8:10 PM
64 users marked this as a favorite

Looking for suggestions for Everyday Carry (EDC) items.
posted by dbirchum to Ask MetaFilter at Feb 1 at 4:31 AM
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Looking for the tastiest, richest vegan spreads or dips you've ever had.
posted by indognito to Ask MetaFilter at Feb 5 at 6:42 AM
62 users marked this as a favorite

What are some everyday ways I can awesome-ize my life?
posted by Ziggy500 to Ask MetaFilter at Jan 30 at 7:02 AM
60 users marked this as a favorite

Dolly Parton is two amazing singers. You've already heard her unforgettable voice at normal speed. But as John Oswald and others show, slowed down, it becomes something hauntingly lovely.
posted by Mchelly to MetaFilter at Jan 31 at 1:11 PM
57 users marked this as a favorite

Bookstore Cats from Different Parts of the World
posted by Trurl to MetaFilter at Feb 4 at 9:42 PM
56 users marked this as a favorite

Why would you spend so many years doing something you don't want to do anymore? An American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked... [more]
posted by empath to MetaFilter at Feb 2 at 6:20 AM
258 users marked this as a favorite

From my POV: She said, "Who's Han Solo?" From her POV: He lectured me about someone named Hamsalo for an hour. [view]
posted by robocop is bleeding to MetaFilter at Feb 3 at 9:56 AM
178 users marked this as a favorite

Easy one for me, since this comes up with my son: "I'm glad he's one of the skin colors you like!" I say it happily; they can choose to see it as a joke, or a criticism, or an embarrassing outing of their intent, or just a non sequitur. It suits my purposes in any of those interpretations. [view]
posted by anildash to Ask MetaFilter at Feb 2 at 8:49 PM
163 users marked this as a favorite

This is the problem with relying on philanthropy to fund important public services. [view]
posted by Nomyte to MetaFilter at Jan 31 at 4:57 PM
161 users marked this as a favorite

Prepare to open fire: the Susan G. Komen Million Dollar Elite Call each one of these companies and tell them you are disappointed in their support of Komen due to the fact that they play politics with women's health. the Million Dollar Council Call each one of these companies and tell them you are disappointed in their support of Komen due... [more]
posted by Ironmouth to MetaFilter at Jan 31 at 4:58 PM
145 users marked this as a favorite

"We had finished having sex for the first time. He jumped up out of bed and said, “I’m going to 7-11. You want me to get you some beef jerky?”" Look, that's just considerate. [view]
posted by Eyebrows McGee to MetaFilter at Feb 3 at 9:42 AM
143 users marked this as a favorite

Physically, she was everything I wanted in woman. Yet her thick Russian accent and her choice of words were holding her back from being a perfect “10.” One evening, we cuddled on the bed and watched TV when I noticed her large hoop earnings. I told her how nice they looked and she immediately responded, “I will make you jump through hoops for... [more]
posted by nathancaswell to MetaFilter at Feb 3 at 9:42 AM
140 users marked this as a favorite

I've been wanting to tell this story on MeFi for a while, but I never thought that I'd get the opportunity. stray, if you're ever in Los Angeles, I owe you a beer. There was this girl with whom I'd gone on a few dates, and one day while we're fooling around she tells me "Just so you know, if you wanted to piss in my mouth, I'd be totally ok... [more]
posted by Parasite Unseen to MetaFilter at Jan 31 at 6:40 PM
136 users marked this as a favorite

How I Knew It Was Over: "It's just a cat." GTFO [view]
posted by BitterOldPunk to MetaFilter at Feb 3 at 10:00 AM
128 users marked this as a favorite

Folks, First off there is no way he would have tried to put out "Good Day" before the predator. The production of the song was part of the rivalry with Dre/Snoops success. His earlier production was produced by the Bomb Squad (public enemy), or Sir Jinx (who just produced like the Bomb Squad). Pagers being available before is... [more]
posted by lkc to MetaFilter at Jan 28 at 1:29 PM
111 users marked this as a favorite

What are other worthwhile cancer organizations? National Cancer Institute Cancer Research Institute Also, if I may make a personal plea: colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for men and women alike in the U.S. However, it still retains a stigma that significantly limits its discussion, fundraising, awareness,... [more]
posted by scody to MetaFilter at Jan 31 at 5:46 PM
105 users marked this as a favorite

Hey do you guys remember when the Super Bowl halftime show happened 5 or 6 other times since 2001 when the headline performers were older than Madonna and they sang songs that were popular longer ago than those Madonna sang and even though those men were also considered "real musicians" in a way <she isn't, they were still partially... [more]
posted by MCMikeNamara to MetaFilter at Feb 6 at 12:37 AM
101 users marked this as a favorite

You tell him you are going to report him yourself. This man is a predator and you are enabling him. [view]
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies to Ask MetaFilter at Feb 4 at 7:23 AM
101 users marked this as a favorite

We got into a fight over the lyrics to an Ozzy Osborne song; he was singing one particular line as "a bird on the wind", and I pointed out that no, it was "a bird on the wing." He said it couldn't possibly be that "because birds have TWO wings, not one". She thought that the bird in Stevie Nicks' "Edge... [more]
posted by infinitywaltz to MetaFilter at Feb 3 at 11:12 AM
97 users marked this as a favorite

“My absolute favourite piece of information is the fact that young sloths are so inept that they frequently grab their own arms and legs instead of tree limbs, and fall out of trees.” — Douglas Adams [view]
posted by sweetkid to MetaFilter at Jan 31 at 7:37 PM
94 users marked this as a favorite

I'm sorry Cory, you're a brilliant author in your own right, but you can't appropriate one of Ray Bradbury's seminal titles any more than you can name your next novel about extra-dimensional entities that feed off the the information entropy gradient found in trans-pacific telco cables 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Yes yes re-purposing... [more]
posted by clarknova to MetaFilter at Jan 30 at 10:41 PM
93 users marked this as a favorite

"Both Congressman Paul and his aides regularly meet with members of the Stormfront set, American Renaissance, the Institute for Historic Review, and others at the Tara Thai restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, usually on Wednesdays," he said. "I have attended these dinners, seen Paul and his aides there, and been invited to his... [more]
posted by louche mustachio to MetaFilter at Feb 2 at 12:56 AM
85 users marked this as a favorite

GOOGLE RON PAUL AGAIN [view]
posted by Philosopher Dirtbike to MetaFilter at Feb 2 at 12:40 AM
84 users marked this as a favorite

I've said it before here, and will say it again: whenever someone writes a book or an article (with advertising) about How The French Are and it A. piques puritan sensibilities or B. teaches you How Much More Sensible the French Are, they are not telling you the truth. They are selling you books and page views. French kids snack. It's called... [more]
posted by fraula to MetaFilter at Feb 4 at 2:05 PM
84 users marked this as a favorite

It is not realistic at all. I once spent a few weeks over the summer as a lifeguard and teaching lifeguard classes at a Boy Scout camp. Afterwards, I went to the beach for a while with a friend who had been doing essentially the same thing with me at the camp. I was about 17. One day while we were sitting up on a break water in the sun, we heard... [more]
posted by procrastination to Ask MetaFilter at Jan 30 at 1:19 PM
83 users marked this as a favorite