MetaFilter posts tagged with advice

The only people who can change the world are people who want to.

Miko — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:38:08 -0800

Ignore Everybody: Reflections on living a creative life, via No Depression blogs.

This Much I Know

goodnewsfortheinsane — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:33:24 -0800

In The Guardian's This Much I Know, celebrities share the lessons they have learned in life. Sometimes they get a bit silly or self-absorbed, but among them are a few insightful -- or at least amusing -- nuggets. It's worth trawling the archives; but as it spans 21 pages, here's a taste: -------- Every child born on this earth starts by being interested in the natural world. You have only got to turn over a stone and see a worm or earwig underneath and the child is fascinated. Sir David Attenborough, Naturalist, 81, Surrey When I hear really fabulous music by somebody else, I can feel as small as the dot in the 'i' in nit. Brian Wilson, musician, 66, London As a joke I asked my four-year-old daughter Martha, 'What do you want to do with your life?' She thought for a moment and said: 'Keep it.' That stopped me in my tracks. Jeremy Vine, broadcaster, 45, London My earliest memory is slipping out of my mother's thighs and looking at surgical instruments on a table in an operating theatre. Many people do remember their births, but they deny it. Yoko Ono, artist, 76, London I'm out of the restaurant business now, but the secret, apart from your choice of chef, is having great bread and coffee. The bread's the first thing they taste and the coffee the last. Michael Caine, actor, 76, London What makes me laugh? I like people falling over. Never fails. Matt Lucas, comedian, 35, London I spent 10 days in a pathology lab at a medical examiner's office. I thought it would allow me to accept my own mortality, but it taught me was that everyone I love is going to die. David Sedaris, humourist, 51, London Paradigms change one funeral at a time. Deepak Chopra, guru, 61, Dublin I'm not going to space. No way, are you crazy? One little tile burns and you drop to your death? William Shatner, Actor, 75, Los Angeles A lot of guys say that they have to treat a woman like shit in order to get her to like them. I don't know if that's so true. It has served me to try and understand men rather than try to kill them. They're a little more complicated than I would have given them credit for! Alanis Morissette, musician, 31, London The US-British relationship resembles a divorced couple who still fancy each other. America's gone off and married Latino and Britain's gone off and married Europe, but they still recognise a fantastic connection. Then there are the post-divorce custody battles: who owns freedom, who owns Shakespeare, who owns culture? Simon Schama, historian, 60, London One of the great con tricks that life can pull on the conventional and the obedient is that rewards so often seem to go to those who choose other paths than those which are laid down. Stephen Fry, writer and actor, 47, London When you're given yak-butter tea - or, as our cameraman called it, liquid gorgonzola - take little sips and smile a lot. Michael Palin, broadcaster, 61, London I'm not what you call superstitious. I'm not worried about ladders or umbrellas or any of that shit. But I know you should never get a blowjob before you go on stage. Slash, guitarist, 38, Los Angeles -------- Ages given are at the time of original publication.

All reet!

ericbop — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:20:00 -0800

Thelonius Monk's advice to Steve Lacy (as transcribed by Lacy)

Duffonomics

not_on_display — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:46:09 -0800

Playboy has hired Duff McKagan to write a weekly finance column. His mission? 1) To educate. 2) To bring down The Man. [via Fimoculous]

Facts, Opinions, Tools, Advice, and Connections

netbros — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:40:10 -0800

The Canadian Journalism Project (CJP) and its websites, J-Source.ca (English) and ProjetJ.ca (French), provides a source for news, research, commentary, advice, discussion and resources about the achievement of, and challenges to, excellence in Canadian journalism.

protecting oneself legally and otherwise

nickyskye — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:25:47 -0800

A really useful legal help resource at e-Justice blog: 100 Free DIY Legal Resources on the Web includes The Attorneys Forum, free legal advice and support from professional attorneys, lawyers, and law firms nationwide. The archives include: How to Prepare for a Financial Apocalypse: 100 Tips and Tools to Secure What’s Yours l Top 50 Internet & Digital Law Blogs l World Watchdogs: Top 50 Human Rights Blogs l The Ultimate Guide to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu- 101 Resources to Help Anyone Learn the Gentle Art. Four Behaviors to Avoid to Reduce Divorce Costs

You and Your Research

parudox — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:23:16 -0800

You and Your Research was a talk given by Richard Hamming in 1986. Read it if you have an interest in doing first-class work.

You have questions, strangers have answers.

cjorgensen — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 12:21:12 -0800

Dial-a-Stranger: When you don't know who to turn to... Turn to who you don't know. The creation of Zachary Kent and Mercedes Martinez. It's not at all like AskMeFi.

It is important to know that a blob of taffy flying through the air goes "fweeee!"

Tehanu — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:04:47 -0800

Jane Espenson is a tv writer you might have heard of if you've been watching few science fiction and related genre shows in recent years. For awhile now she's been answering questions about script writing from readers of her blog and gracing the blogosphere with her insights into the craft of writing a good story for tv and movies. Today she announced that she's taking a break from advice blogging because she's running out of new ideas for topics to cover.

Pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil.

WCityMike — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:37:41 -0800

"Pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil." Alex Graven, 9, has had How to Talk to Girls, the runaway hit of the Soaring Hawk Elementary School book fair, picked up by HarperCollins. How do you spot these oil-guzzling cars? ""It is easy to spot pretty girls," Alex writes, "because they have big earrings, fancy dresses and all the jewelry." Alex's techniques are already landing him the ladies: he advises his guys to "comb your hair and don't wear sweats" and to "control your hyperness (cut down on sugar if you need to)." Alex tells his fellow guys that "[t]he best choice for most boys is a regular girl. Remember, some pretty girls are coldhearted when it comes to boys. Don't let them get to you." (Unfortunately, Alex still may be naive in some areas, as he tells his readers, "Girls like the smartest boys.") How to approach them? "If I say hi and you say hi back, we're probably off to a good start." When asked why he wrote the book, "Well, I saw a lot of boys having trouble to get girls to like them, so I thought this book will like probably help them."

I'll buy that for a dollar or a stupid misfortune of placenta...

parmanparman — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:30:15 -0800

Gary Busey on Business.

Condensed: 'Care, constraint, concise, cut, character, clarity, and charity.'

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:35:00 -0800

How to Write With Style.

Don't talk to the police

procrastination — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:47:14 -0800

Most Americans are aware of their Miranda rights, the most important of which may be the right to remain silent. Apparently, many people don't take advantage of that right. Professor James Duane makes some compelling arguments why you should, and Officer George Bruch agrees. Of course, if you choose to ignore their advice and have something to hide, you will be going up against pros in interrogation. Good luck.

"social problems of a somewhat mixed-up but dynamic, even brash, modernizing community"

amyms — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:59:18 -0800

From the Bookstalls of a Nigerian Market. Onitsha Market Literature consists of stories, plays, advice and moral discourses published primarily in the 1960s by local presses in the lively market town of Onitsha [in then-newly-independent Nigeria]... In the fresh and vigorous genre of Onitsha Market Literature, the commoner wrote pulp fiction and didactic handbooks for those who perused the bookstalls of Onitsha Market, one of Africa’s largest trading centers. Examples: How To Write And Reply Letters For Marriage, Engagement Letters, Love Letters And How To Know A Girl To Marry, Learn To Speak 360 Interesting Proverbs And Know Your True Brother, Struggle For Money [All full-text links are in pdf format, and some are quite large]. With links to additional resources.

Zombie-Like Doo-Doo Heads

netbros — Mon, 26 May 2008 22:34:18 -0800

Do you have Adultitis? Kim and Jason is all about an idea. It's the crazy notion that there is more to life than the hectic busyness, cynical melancholy and overwhelming stress that is typical of most modern lives. Adultitis tricks us into missing out on the best parts of life and causes us to take ourselves WAY too seriously. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest. Our lives should be bursting with big dreams, oodles of passion, and an enthusiastic playfulness. Believe in curiosity, delight in the little things, and have faith that things always work out for the best. A life that embraces a childlike spirit is a life that is less stressful and way more fun. Take the Escape Plan challenges.

Is that what's botherin' ya, bunky?

wendell — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:59:23 -0800

Lift your head up high and take a walk in the sun with dignity and stick-to-it-ive-ness and you'll show the world, you'll show them where to get off! And never give up, never give up... that ship!!!

Advice To Sink In Slowly

divabat — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:03:56 -0800

Use your library. Make more GIF files. Trust the process. Make art - it's good for your heart. from advice to sink in slowly.

Academic "Job Talk" advice

mattbucher — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:31:36 -0800

Advice on Academic Job Talk Visits by Siva Vaidhyanathan.

Can't Hurt To Ask!

haricotvert — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 22:55:05 -0800

Need advice? Ask a Theoretical Physicist. Ask A Gay Man. Ask A Dork. Ask A Ninja (previously). Ask Great Granny. Ask Poop Report. Ask a Hill Staffer (if you can have a job writing Ask A Hill Staffer). Ask A Nun. Ask the Dalai Lama. Ask the Magic 8 Ball. Or I suppose you could always just Ask Mefi.

Cubicle therapy, anyone?

ikebowen — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:59:04 -0800

"Each day brings new, stressful situations we must deal with in our business lives and our personal lives [sic]" - and let us not forget the bullying. That said, you may either breathe diaphragmatically, enter a deathmatch with your monitor (only applicable for "Computer Rage"), fantasize about starting the countdown on the the edifice/entity of your choice, or simply do yourself in (but for heavens sake, do the job correctly).

Babies arrive wet with various fluids, and this sets the tone for their first year of life

Ljubljana — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 01:41:36 -0800

So you've gone and made a baby! A father of two provides some helpful advice to friends about what to expect from their newborns.

A new place for all your burning relationship questions.

bigmusic — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 20:13:53 -0800

A new agony aunt for you. He beat me after I cheated... can I fix this or should I leave? More examples inside.

There comes a time in every young woman's life...

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 09:46:55 -0800

Scans from On Becoming a Woman by Harold Shryock, M.A., M.D. (1906-2004).

Ira Glass mentors the internet

bigmusic — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 03:31:47 -0800

Ira Glass sits at a soundboard and schools us on the art of storytelling.

Look at the Silicone Valley.

nickyskye — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 19:16:36 -0800

Advice to Young Men from an Old Man and other Best of Craigslist posts. [previously].