MetaFilter

One of the coolest things about Windows 95 were the Powertoys, a number of freeware utilities made by Microsoft employees, many originating from tools that the developers made for their own use. For a good number of years the Powertoys were a beloved part of the power user experience until, following the Windows XP release, they were abolished, as part of the general Microsoft trend away from fun and unsupported tools. But now... the Powertoys are back. [more inside]
posted by JHarris at 8:45 PM PST - 31 comments

Everywoman in 1910: No vote, poor pay, little help - Why the world had to change (Mirror UK, 2010). From the beginning, International Women's Day has been an occasion to celebrate working women and fight capitalism (IWD history). The Socialist Origins of International Women’s Day (Cintia Frencia and Daniel Gaido for Jacobin, 2017).
posted by filthy light thief at 8:10 PM PST - 5 comments

'Within Melbourne’s gardens, reserves, infrastructure and wasted lands sprout all of the traumas and dislocations of the past, and so these will do from now to the end of recorded time, no matter the investment of labour and personal or collective suffering devoted to revegetation. The weeds, a thousand strong, are the newest layer atop the bay sludge and basalt spills that form the Melbourne geology, a seedbank that has made itself a permanent stratigraphic marker of the arrival. Just add light and water.'
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 3:31 PM PST - 8 comments

The Minnesota State High School All Hockey Hair Team is back. Oh they got us so WORRIED last year, saying that it would be the final year of the Minnesota State High School All Hockey Hair Team!! It's hard to image mid-March without it and now we don't have to. Making us worry, for Pete's sake! Here we go now! [more inside]
posted by Gray Duck at 11:58 AM PST - 24 comments

Figuring out the truth of Kirby [YouTube] “It might seem strange to be scared of a small pink orb, but I promise it’s justified. The thing that scares me the most about Kirby is that he is simultaneously an adorable creature and a being that possesses infinite power. These two truths cannot coexist. A sweet and simple resident of Dream Land should not be able to punch through a planet. How can Kirby only care about eating and sleeping while also being able to destroy cosmic horrors like Necrodeus or Void Termina? This dichotomy has haunted me for years,” [via: Polygon] [more inside]
posted by Fizz at 11:49 AM PST - 15 comments

Here's an in-browser fluid dynamics emulator that you can click and drag on to watch beautiful fluid dynamics patterns. Just enough of a toy to distract you when you need a brief distraction.
posted by hippybear at 11:46 AM PST - 22 comments

In pictures. Live blog from The Guardian. [more inside]
posted by katra at 11:32 AM PST - 9 comments

Magic Valley NAPA franchise changes health plan to prevent same-sex spouses from receiving insurance (wayback link) [more inside]
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 12:32 AM PST - 33 comments