Trans, non-binary, and genderqueer folks! How do you feel about the cutesy "whatever, just wash your hands" all-gender public restroom signs? The ones that typically feature fanciful creatures such as fairies and satyrs, unicorns and dragons, aliens and mermaids, or robots and (more) aliens?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by escape from the potato planet at 8:09 AM on November 6, 2019 (25 comments)

Bo Burnham started out as a geeky kid writing parody songs in his room, but the success of his work on YouTube soon launched him into a career in comedy, where he quickly won the respect of comics thrice his age. Three innovative specials and one acclaimed coming-of-age film later, Bo seemed to disappear from the scene for years... only to return in spring 2021 with INSIDE [trailer], a striking one-man/one-room pandemic comedy masterpiece, inventively cinematic in style, which devolves from clever social media parody to incisive sociopolitical critique to dystopian internet horror to a heartbreaking elegy for a dying world as it parallels his own emotional breakdown. Two months later, with six Emmy nominations and a nationwide theatrical release this weekend, there's plenty of Content to chew on -- a full track breakdown, lyrics, commentary, analysis, and beyond. Want it? Good. There's
posted to MetaFilter by Rhaomi at 12:17 PM on July 21, 2021 (56 comments)

Oh man, someone printed this calendar wrong; it's actually April 1, 1921, and it turns out we're all a bunch of French Dadaists. Nothing to do for it but play a little Exquisite Corpse I guess!
posted to MetaTalk by cortex at 8:45 AM on April 1, 2021 (265 comments)

The whole sea shanty thing going around is charming and someone made a joke about slack and that got me thinking about going to college for computer science and wanting to spend my life on computers, and here we are, a short shanty about being careful what you wish for.
posted to MeFi Music by cortex at 2:29 PM on January 13, 2021 (6 comments)

One of the surprises of the 2020 Presidential election was that Trump’s percentage of immigrant votes grew. By this I mean that my white friends were surprised. I was not surprised. Let’s talk about immigrant racism. To look at me, I am white. I have certainly benefited from my skin color throughout my life, but that whiteness was a suit I had to learn to wear. When my family moved to Philadelphia in 1970, they were moving into one of the most racist cities in America at the time, presided over by racist mayor Frank Rizzo. Mike Monteiro on Medium: My People Were In Shipping.
posted to MetaFilter by Bella Donna at 4:47 AM on December 1, 2020 (41 comments)

Cat-Scan.com is one of the strangest sites I've seen in some time. I have no idea how these people got their cats wedged into their scanners, or why.
posted to MetaFilter by waxpancake at 1:53 PM on July 14, 2020 (143 comments)

Hi everybody. Yesterday* I posted this question, asking about sending my son to preschool. And today...
posted to MetaTalk by bondcliff at 8:07 AM on June 1, 2020 (49 comments)

I started blogging in the late 90s and posted regularly for many years. But then a few years ago I decided it was too much work and moved that daily activity over to Google+. Which obviously wouldn't go anywhere ever. Poop. So now it's gone and I'm restarting my blog. I looked around for some OG bloggers from the 90s and early 2000s. And found..... only Kottke???
posted to Ask MetaFilter by y6y6y6 at 9:37 AM on August 27, 2019 (91 comments)

Life-altering experiences. Can you point to a single experience in your life, as a child, which you can define as having contributed to the person you are today? (+)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jeremias at 4:41 AM on February 2, 2005 (210 comments)

The Mueller Report From Business Insider, adapted by Mark Bowden, author of "Black Hawk Down", with illustrations by Chad Hurd, art director at "Archer."
posted to MetaFilter by bunderful at 6:12 AM on July 14, 2019 (11 comments)

Oh, and hey, big ol' honkin' congrats to Blisterlips and griphus for doing this whole having an adorable baby thing. Hey there, Helio Edward, welcome to MetaFilter.
posted to MetaTalk by cortex at 9:38 AM on May 12, 2019 (81 comments)

Nightrecordings & I got hitched today! MetaFilter brought us together and we wanted to share our joy with all of you.
posted to MetaTalk by Fizz at 6:38 PM on March 23, 2019 (173 comments)

Kyle Korver of the Utah Jazz in the Player's Tribune: What I’m realizing is, no matter how passionately I commit to being an ally, and no matter how unwavering my support is for NBA and WNBA players of color….. I’m still in this conversation from the privileged perspective of opting in to it. Which of course means that on the flip side, I could just as easily opt out of it. Every day, I’m given that choice — I’m granted that privilege — based on the color of my skin.
posted to MetaFilter by scaryblackdeath at 10:04 AM on April 8, 2019 (19 comments)

The issue was first noticed about a year ago. MySpace have confirmed that all the music is lost and cannot be recovered. "Due to a server migration files have been corrupted and unable to be transferred to our updated site."
posted to MetaFilter by daisyk at 4:04 AM on March 18, 2019 (43 comments)

I hope a FPP from mathowie doesn't cause some sort of weird self-link ban loop that destroys the site, but his account of visiting the Whitney Plantation/Slavery Museum is absolutely the best of the web.
posted to MetaFilter by COD at 5:34 AM on November 16, 2018 (33 comments)

John must make a choice at the train platform - be free from his obligations and adversaries by letting Agathe take the money or pursue her in an effort to protect his brother, father, and country.
posted to FanFare by Catblack at 6:05 PM on November 11, 2018 (12 comments)

Barnaby Dixon is a puppeteer and animator who makes YouTube videos featuring his amazing finger puppets.
posted to MetaFilter by bondcliff at 10:40 AM on September 21, 2018 (8 comments)

Is there any coin operated video game which is impossible to win on a single credit - even with perfect play - but is possible to beat with multiple credits (aka continuing)?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by JamesD at 2:28 PM on September 10, 2018 (10 comments)

Important site updates, folks:

1. The site is running at a significant deficit and we urgently need to make that up. Part of that is through additional direct community funding; you can help here.
2. We're looking at—and inviting community input on—several big-picture questions.

Today I want to lay out our budget and income streams, to explain where we're at and what we need to accomplish. I'll also talk a bit about how the community is doing, and what's coming up in the future.
posted to MetaTalk by cortex at 3:54 PM on June 13, 2018 (1003 comments)

What happens when a millennial hears Rage Against the Machine for the first time. I am such a sucker for reaction videos, especially when kids or millennials discover something that I love. But this takes the cake; a millennial hip hop fan listens to the very first Rage Against the Machine Album. In hindsight, I wish my first Rage Experience were "Evil Empire." I need more of this in my life today.
posted to MetaFilter by HiPhiNation at 4:30 AM on June 8, 2018 (130 comments)

Thinking about the last season of Twin Peaks, I was wondering what the distinctive font is that is used for street addresses, like the 3 and the 6 here. There are street numbers in a similar style on houses in California and other places, and I wonder where this started.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by johngoren at 6:40 AM on April 30, 2018 (16 comments)

I’m trying to understand some Google Translate weirdness. For English->Spanish entering "my name is ____" translates to "mi nombre es ____" for every name I can think of. Except Tim. "my name is Tim" translates to "me llamo Tim". As much as I like to feel special this is weirding me out a bit. Can anyone suggest an explanation?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Tell Me No Lies at 8:22 AM on March 26, 2018 (18 comments)

The Opioid Diaries "Over the last year, photographer James Nachtwey set out to document the opioid crisis in America through the people on its front lines. Alongside TIME’s deputy director of photography, Paul Moakley, the pair traveled the country gathering stories from users, families, first responders and others at the heart of the epidemic. ADVISORY Graphic content could be disturbing to some readers"
posted to MetaFilter by ericost at 2:38 PM on February 22, 2018 (27 comments)

How to Take a Picture of a Stealth Bomber Over the Rose Bowl
posted to MetaFilter by bondcliff at 8:54 AM on January 3, 2018 (33 comments)

“Cat Person” is a short story by Kristen Roupenian in the latest issue of The New Yorker. It’s about a brief modern relationship.
The magazine has also published an interview with Roupenian on the story.
posted to MetaFilter by Going To Maine at 12:49 PM on December 9, 2017 (170 comments)

The Muppet Christmas Carol is a beloved holiday classic, but many may not be as familiar with A Muppet Family Christmas, a television special broadcast in 1987 and 1989, but never released on home media in its original and complete version due to various rights issues. It's noteworthy as one of the few Muppet vehicles with appearances and references to characters from the four major franchises (The Muppet Show, Muppet Babies, Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock) and for featuring a cameo by Jim Henson as himself. You can watch John Lagomarsino explain why the special is extremely his shit. You can watch a version of the special via YouTube.
posted to MetaFilter by girlmightlive at 8:31 AM on December 10, 2017 (80 comments)

Back in the day, I believe you could dial "0" to reach an operator and get directory assistance. (Correct me if I'm wrong, however!) What happened if you were looking for a phone number in a different town or a different state? Did the operator transfer you to a different, local operator, or was there a way for him or her to look up the number directly?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by cider at 7:42 AM on November 28, 2017 (34 comments)

I do a lot of public speaking for work. I usually make a page like this one with downloadable slides in various formats; I'd love to be able to embed my actual talk. I use Keynote to make/present my talks, but its PDF export is suboptimal and I can't upload those talks to Slideshare. Slideshare's PDF and Powerpoint options are no good. Is there somewhere else I can upload a Keynote presentation so that someone can click through it while reading the presenter notes, Slideshare style?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jessamyn at 12:58 PM on November 12, 2017 (10 comments)

Let’s get it out of the way right now: Swedish death cleaning is a little bit morbid. The idea is that when people die they leave stuff. Lots of stuff. Reams and reams of it, piles and piles of it. And it’s friends and family that are left to dealt with this stuff surfeit, this surplus of minutae. That’s where Döstädning comes in. In Sweden, people start the process as early as their ‘50s, slowly but steadily decluttering as the years roll by.

posted to MetaFilter by Johnny Wallflower at 8:40 PM on October 9, 2017 (68 comments)

In the Line of the Riding King.
posted to MetaFilter by leotrotsky at 7:07 AM on October 10, 2017 (12 comments)

A-ha - Take On Me (2017 Unplugged). Time carries on and none of us are as young as we used to be. But it's not all bad. A-ha gives us a contemplative version of the old pop hit.
posted to MetaFilter by severiina at 7:57 AM on October 10, 2017 (80 comments)

The title refers to the extra stitch sometimes given to a woman after the area between her vagina and anus is either torn or cut during childbirth. The purpose of the extra stitch is to make the vagina tighter than it was before childbirth in order to increase the husband’s pleasure during sex.

Jane Dykema: What I Don’t Tell My Students About ‘The Husband Stitch’.
posted to MetaFilter by MartinWisse at 10:05 AM on October 11, 2017 (89 comments)

Ever since Spotify and Google Play became the way to listen to music, I have stopped listening to music because it feels like too much work (aka I don't understand the new way of picking songs and I don't want to spend my whole dinner party scrolling through my phone). Can you help me figure out how to put on some good music without a lot of fuss? I used to listen to music all the time and now it seems too hard. Because I am old? or because it is just complicated now? help!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by andreapandrea at 9:52 AM on September 14, 2017 (37 comments)

Automobile automation has been promoted as a boon to safety since 1939, though for much of this time, the plan for vehicle guidance relied on in-road guides, with public demonstrations of wire-guided roads continuing into the late 1990s. As recently as 2014, Volvo promoted the value of embedded magnets in roadways to help with autonomous vehicle guidance. Meanwhile, "self-sufficient" autonomous vehicles have been discussed, and designed, for decades, but it wasn't until DARPA offered millions in three successive contests, starting in 2004, that the autonomous vehicle industry really took off. With hundreds of companies now involved in vehicle automation, the U.S. House of Representatives are trying to standardize and streamline rules governing self-driving cars.
posted to MetaFilter by filthy light thief at 1:28 PM on September 7, 2017 (87 comments)

Paper Girls is a comic book published by Image Comics. It's written by Brian K. Vaughan, creator of the famous and excellent comics Saga, Y: The Last Man, and Marvel's Runaways. The art is by Cliff Chiang of Wonder Woman fame. Coloring is by Matt Wilson-- ordinarily a thankless job, but his work here is truly excellent.
posted to MetaFilter by 4th number at 12:03 PM on September 7, 2017 (15 comments)

The Pack Horse Library initiative , which sent librarians deep into Appalachia, was one of the New Deal’s most unique plans.
posted to MetaFilter by carter at 8:42 AM on September 5, 2017 (7 comments)

Today marks the trial of Lawson v Grubhub, whereupon the State of California will decide if food couriers and their ilk are henceforth defined as employees or contractors.
posted to MetaFilter by Philipschall at 7:37 PM on September 5, 2017 (86 comments)

The faded advertisements on old brick buildings often go unnoticed, and they’re disappearing fast. Ghost signs have a special place in any city. Hand-painted signs were a popular form of advertising between the 1880s and the 1950s, before ads could be inexpensively mass produced, installed, and replaced. Their remnants offer a lens into a neighborhood’s past, reminding viewers about elements of commerce and life at certain points in history.
posted to MetaFilter by adamcarson at 12:10 PM on August 19, 2017 (32 comments)

2017 has been a good year for robots, at least: three new world records for most robots dancing, fastest Rubik's Cube solving and First Robot Table Tennis Tutor. Below the fold I list alternate musical accompaniment for each story, from MeFite gmm.
posted to MetaFilter by Johnny Wallflower at 7:40 PM on August 19, 2017 (2 comments)

The Isles of Scilly (Google maps, Wikipedia) are an archipelago off the south western tip of the Cornish peninsula that include the southern-most point of the UK, and some of the most treacherous waters in the Atlantic. John Gibson, a seaman-turned-photographer, brought his camera to the rocky cliffs and photographed shipwrecks, rescue attempts, and local events, starting in 1865. The Gibsons of Scilly continued photographing wrecks and their community for five generations (website archive). In 2013, the family auctioned off four generations of their photographs, and the archive was purchased by Penlee House Musuem and Gallery.
posted to MetaFilter by filthy light thief at 6:19 AM on August 20, 2017 (8 comments)

I'm curious. I am pretty good at farting without making any noise whatsoever, but I hear that this is not a skill that everyone possesses. Since my technique involves routing the nascent fart through labial folds, are the possession and configuration of those necessary to silence the release of air? Or are there are other ways to achieve the same objective? Enlighten me!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sciatrix at 10:38 AM on August 3, 2017 (38 comments)

Last night on the Late Show, Matthew McConaughey revealed that he was a great fan of Steven Colbert's work on the 90s Comedy Central sketch comedy show Exit 57, which Steven said "was watched by a baker's dozen people." McConaughey did a couple of bits from sketches from memory, then the two reprised the show's Newspaper Weatherman sketch.
posted to MetaFilter by JHarris at 9:07 AM on August 1, 2017 (32 comments)

Dan Hon has a Twitter thread going of neural network-generated Ask Metafilter questions.
posted to MetaTalk by divabat at 6:55 AM on July 30, 2017 (41 comments)

How did the Polynesians sail the Pacific 3,000 years ago, without GPS or even sextants or compasses? The Polynesian Voyaging Society and its ship, the Hōkūleʻa, have set out to answer that question through research, oral history, and practical experimentation. Learn the star compass; know your winds and currents; read the swells; look for clouds and birds; forecast the weather; and estimate your position.
posted to MetaFilter by Eyebrows McGee at 12:16 AM on July 10, 2017 (19 comments)

Check out AI Generated Movie Posters, a site featuring movie posters generated by AI. Built by our own OrangeGloves, via mefi projects.
posted to MetaFilter by cortex at 3:22 PM on July 10, 2017 (63 comments)

Give me your favorite published zero-star and otherwise negative reviews by professional reviewers of media! Mostly interested in book, music, game, and movie/TV reviews by paid reviewers, but if it's especially good then I'll accept non-professional reviews and reviews of other things. Thank you!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by capricorn at 4:25 PM on June 12, 2017 (71 comments)

My mother is 75, and is clearly a little "lost"--while active and independent, it's becoming apparent that things like Medicare, estate planning, how to pay her cell phone, are eluding her. Some of these are tough, to be sure, but when she was younger, she would have figured them out. She needs (and asks for) my help--but much of this is new to me. What resources are available for adult children as they become caregivers to older parents?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Admiral Haddock at 9:52 AM on May 5, 2017 (8 comments)

'Last week, in a case called Nelson v. Colorado, the court laid a foundation for upcoming challenges to roll back law enforcement overreach. As a result of respective 2005 and 2006 convictions, Louis Alonzo Maddon and Shannon Nelson were required to pay a few thousand dollars in court costs, fees, and restitution to Colorado (on top of serving prison time).
posted to MetaFilter by bunderful at 8:53 AM on April 29, 2017 (10 comments)

Billions star Asia Kate Dillon doesn’t fit traditional awards categories. [The Toronto Star] “Fans of the series Billions [wiki] have spent much of the second season enamored of the relatively unknown Asia Kate Dillon, who portrays a gender non-binary character named Taylor Mason. Dillon’s breakout performance has arguably surpassed those of the show’s established stars, Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis and Maggie Siff. In fact, it so impressed Showtime that the U.S. network planned to submit Dillon’s performance to this year’s Emmy Awards. There was only one issue. Much like the Mason character, Dillon identifies as gender non-binary and uses the pronoun “they.” The Emmy Awards, meanwhile, only have two categories for best supporting performance: actor and actress. The network asked Dillon which category Dillon would rather be submitted to.”
posted to MetaFilter by Fizz at 4:15 PM on April 6, 2017 (14 comments)

I got my amazing, delightful, thoughtful gift package from miratime way back at the end of November...while I was in the middle of a combination of post-election freakout and literally the biggest project of my entire career. So I didn't say thank you properly, and now it's almost April! I especially want to show off these socks that I made with the yarn she gave me. This project has been fun and emotionally soothing and the socks look amazing. :) Thanks again!
posted to MetaTalk by epersonae at 3:45 PM on March 31, 2017 (17 comments)