I'll soon be visiting Seattle for the first time, and I'd like to spend a couple of nights outside the city. I'm looking for must-see scenic, rural areas that are within a few hours' drive at most. As a frame of reference, my favorite area of California and possibly the U.S. is Big Sur. What areas of Washington should I consider?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by iamisaid at 4:29 AM on October 8, 2014 (17 comments)

~tildemash is a dada mashup generator that grabs isolated vox and instrument tracks out of youtube's hat to create random sonic soup, courtesy of waxy's brain.
posted to MetaFilter by cortex at 10:10 AM on October 7, 2014 (24 comments)

I thought it fitting that my first Mefi Music post should be something I've never done before and is pretty well outside my usual realm of experience, so tada! This is a beat I made for a friend, but things fell through and now it's a lost soul.
posted to MeFi Music by invitapriore at 8:35 PM on September 14, 2014 (5 comments)

Welcome to TextMechanic.com! A suite of simple, single task, browser based, text manipulation tools.
posted to MetaFilter by not_on_display at 10:36 PM on September 17, 2014 (57 comments)

While Ello burns out and MetaFilter goes 2014, tilde.club appears as a defiantly old school minimalist blogging platform. What is tilde.club? It's a community developed social network, initiated by MeFite ftrain. As described, "The only goal is for tilde.club to be a place where you can make weird web pages that you might not want to put anywhere else." Community activity involves the updating of home pages, sometimes to creative effect, discussions and thoughts on historical Internet culture, working on teccie stuff and donating towards costs via new methods and old. Live for several days now, the cultures of established and new users are differing, while interest means there is currently a new user waitlist. There is also a web ring.
posted to MetaFilter by Wordshore at 5:31 AM on October 4, 2014 (128 comments)

One fun thing from the commons every day. Two rules: it has to be either openly licensed or public domain, and it has to have made us smile when we saw it.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by roll truck roll at 9:53 AM on October 3, 2014 (2 comments)

I have always been really bad at really simple games, like the ones where there are generally sound mathematical strategies for playing the optimal game. I'd like to compile a little mental rolodex of simple games and their solutions so I can feel smugly superior to any small children who seek to challenge me.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by phunniemee at 11:26 AM on October 1, 2014 (16 comments)

My daughter wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy tonight asking her what she did with all of the teeth she collected. What should the Tooth Fairy tell her in response?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ColdChef at 7:58 PM on March 15, 2011 (76 comments)

The perpetrators of the crime have never been found, and that's due in part to the ease in which they were able to kill seven random people. All that was involved was taking a bottle off the shelf, opening it, inserting a number of cyanide laced capsules, then screwing the cap back on and putting it back on the shelf for the next person who came along to purchase it. In the wake of those seven deaths, an unprecedented recall was undertaken, a groundbreaking PR campaign was launched, and measures were taken that would forever change the way we consume medication.
posted to MetaFilter by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 1:08 PM on September 29, 2014 (73 comments)

I never see anyone do it. Being a guy though, I only see men's restrooms. Maybe it's different in women's. I can't even remember seeing a guy brush his teeth in the restroom, let alone floss. Also, I imagine an office restroom has different oral hygiene etiquette than a restroom at say, the mall -- true?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by early one morning at 6:43 AM on October 1, 2014 (61 comments)

I made a video of Viv Schwarz performing the long-awaited third volume in her Cats trilogy (after There Are Cats In This Book and There Are No Cats In This Book)
posted to MetaFilter Projects by Grangousier at 11:58 AM on September 28, 2014 (2 comments)

Pay the Piper is a Google Chrome extension that keeps you productive by making you "pay" to visit distracting sites. The cost? One completed task from your task list.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by rouftop at 5:01 PM on September 29, 2014 (2 comments)

I maintain a small Twitter feed where I do a "This day in history as illustrated with cool books from Open Library" thing. I often use Wikipedia's day thing (today's example) and it's often all about the history of men, conquest, nation states/building and a bunch of other things that aren't always relevant to my interests. I need more options.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jessamyn at 3:32 PM on September 25, 2014 (13 comments)

What software should I use to lay out a floor plan and fixtures for a bathroom renovation? I've tried a couple of online alternatives, but they don't meet my needs. Requirements within.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Right On Red at 5:03 PM on September 24, 2014 (4 comments)

Most every camera or mobile device uses some kind of default naming convention (iPhone: IMG_1234.MOV, GoPro: GOPR1234.MP4). This site searches YouTube for those default file names, and serves up videos that have a low number of views. Because these videos still retain their default file names as titles, it's unlikely that they've shown up in any searches. And it's very likely these videos haven't been seen by all that many people.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by avoision at 6:31 AM on September 23, 2014 (9 comments)

Apple CEO Tim Cook on user privacy: A few years ago, users of Internet services began to realize that when an online service is free, you’re not the customer. You’re the product. But at Apple, we believe a great customer experience shouldn’t come at the expense of your privacy.
posted to MetaTalk by empath at 7:11 AM on September 18, 2014 (56 comments)

I produced a new movie called THE GUEST. It comes out this week in theaters in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, Miami, Seattle, Phoenix, and San Antonio. The film is currently at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and played at Sundance, SXSW, and the Toronto International Film Festival. It's by the same writing/directing/producing team as YOU'RE NEXT. You can see the trailer and theater listings on our official site.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by kcalder at 5:28 PM on September 15, 2014 (8 comments)

Once upon a time I liberated a bunch of fun post-Civil-War maps, charts and graphs for all to see. But now you can buy them! For your walls! Posters of ye olden days graphics on everything from consumption to population to religion to Germans and more.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by soma lkzx at 8:18 AM on September 17, 2014 (2 comments)

In The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography, the following sentence has prompted much speculation: "There were rebilhous, who called out the hours of the night, 'cinderellas', who collected and sold ashes used for laundering clothes, men called tetaires, who performed the function of a breast-pump by sucking mothers' breasts to start the flow of milk, and all the other specialists that the census listed under 'trades unknown' and 'without trade', which usually meant gypsies prostitutes, and beggars." So, uh, tetaires?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by poodelina at 7:42 AM on September 13, 2014 (5 comments)

U2's thirteenth studio album Songs Of Innocence was released for free download via iTunes this week (with surprisingly good reviews and some naysayers). And of course, some controversy about how it was distributed... But it's been 5 1/2 years since the release of their last album. What on earth have they been up in the meantime?
posted to MetaFilter by hippybear at 8:34 PM on September 12, 2014 (118 comments)

I went to a talk by a well-known author yesterday in an auditorium. The lights were somewhat dimmed, but definitely not dark. The person in front of me spent about half of the talk live-tweeting bits from the talk. The lights were sufficiently dim that the (5-6") cell phone of the person in front of me was quite distracting to me, since it shined directly at me (the user actually turned the phone away from them a bit, which I wonder was due to the brightness of the screen.). However, I am somewhat more sensitive to bright light than other people. Has smart phone usage reached sufficient social acceptance to allow usage in a non-darkened auditorium?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by saeculorum at 6:52 AM on September 10, 2014 (33 comments)

ScratchJr is an introductory visual programming language for young children. It is inspired by Scratch (previously), and is available as a free iPad app. Future plans include an Android version and a web-based version.
posted to MetaFilter by tykky at 6:58 AM on September 10, 2014 (22 comments)

"I was able to create these shots by waiting for the camera to pan and then I stitched the separate shots together. The result is pretty epic. It reminds me of the classic science fiction movies of the 50’s and 60’s. Suddenly the show has a 'Forbidden Planet' vibe." [via]
posted to MetaFilter by brundlefly at 5:49 PM on September 9, 2014 (48 comments)

Not much to say except that it's a kind of happy long weekendy thing.
posted to MeFi Music by dagosto at 3:29 PM on August 30, 2014 (6 comments)

Tweeting all the delicious dairy products, in alphabetical order. @everycurd is my tribute to [mefi's own!] @aparrish's classic twitter bot @everyword, whose task is now complete.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by moonmilk at 2:13 PM on September 1, 2014

I'm a woman (mostly), and I'm the chairperson for our local hackerspace, we have female participants but it's a small minority... and we would really love to be more diverse.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Too-Ticky at 12:37 PM on August 25, 2014 (69 comments)

I've only heard the song twice in my life. The second time I managed to slam a cassette tape into a tape recorder, capturing the 2nd half of the song. That was thirty years ago. Haven't figured it out since.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Hanzo at 7:34 PM on August 27, 2014 (14 comments)

I think there comes a time in everyone's life when they feel compelled to draw picture after picture of Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner. I started this blog to catalog my experiments in the medium.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by OverlappingElvis at 5:09 AM on August 27, 2014 (1 comment)

So I have achilles tendinopathy as well as problems with my knees and feet which means (long story short) I need non-weight-bearing exercise. I have a recumbent stationary bike which is great for developing strength in knees, is easy on the poor achilles and is generally a good idea. Problem: I loathe doing it because it bores me senseless. Solution, I hope, is to gamify it.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Athanassiel at 1:39 AM on August 27, 2014 (21 comments)

I'm trying to decide between leasing or buying a car. It would be anywhere from 50-100% business use. Does this make a difference?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by CommonSense at 11:29 PM on August 25, 2014 (8 comments)

30 year ago last week, on August 18, 1984, Careless Whisper reached the top spot on the UK music charts, ending Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 9-week reign with their single Two Tribes. The debut solo track from George Michael, it ushered in the career of a global music superstar that continues to this day.
posted to MetaFilter by hippybear at 1:16 PM on August 24, 2014 (76 comments)

What strategies were used by peasants of medieval Europe to prepare for and survive the harsh winter months?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by dontjumplarry at 6:11 PM on August 16, 2014 (34 comments)

Can anyone smell the difference between a cup of normal water, a cup of salt water (not ocean water, just salt dissolved in water), and a cup of sugar water? And if so, who/what level of smeller, precisely? Does your answer change if the water is warm but not steaming? What about steaming?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by vegartanipla at 8:13 PM on August 19, 2014 (26 comments)

Live tune from The Harvey Girls.
posted to MeFi Music by sleepy pete at 5:15 PM on August 16, 2014 (4 comments)

Via Awwwards.com, it's The 100 Greatest Free Fonts for 2014
posted to MetaFilter by porn in the woods at 7:23 PM on August 15, 2014 (23 comments)

This song addresses the situation in Ferguson and the frightening militarization and violence of today's police forces across America. I made a video for it, which you can view here.
posted to MeFi Music by flapjax at midnite at 7:27 AM on August 15, 2014 (14 comments)

How to Be Polite
posted to MetaFilter by keli at 3:49 AM on August 15, 2014 (153 comments)

I love jargon, especially among sub-genres of things. This week a web developer friend uttered a sentence about frameworks and databases that made sense but sounded so ridiculous I had to stop and ask him to repeat it. I'd like to hear more of these. Please give me the most jargon-filled sentence that you might have uttered at work in the past few weeks and made complete sense to coworkers, but sounds utterly ridiculous to outsiders, and state what your occupation/context was for it.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by mathowie at 7:47 AM on August 14, 2014 (34 comments)

Jonathan Novick gives us a bit of his background and shows us a day in his life as an achondroplastic dwarf living in New York City.
posted to MetaFilter by gman at 3:09 PM on August 13, 2014 (23 comments)

Can you remember any smells from your past that are hard or impossible to come by nowadays? Possibly due to advancing technology, but doesn't need to be. I.E. now that active phone booths are a rarity, the smell of heavily weather-beaten phonebooks is a thing of the past. Or, the smell of older printing presses. Or perhaps fragrant plants that have since been banned for whatever reason. Just a few examples; I'd love to hear what smells people miss that are hard to find now. Thanks!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ferdinandcc at 11:39 PM on August 7, 2014 (182 comments)

Robin Wiliams famous for his impressions, role as Genie in Aladdin, standup comedy, Mrs. Doubtfire and many other comedy roles has died at the age of 63.
posted to MetaFilter by Carillon at 4:40 PM on August 11, 2014 (848 comments)

It's a website with one purpose: it tells you what shows are happening tonight in Washington, DC. In a big, simple list that works really well on phones. It's also an open source project I just wrote about.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by tmcw at 1:59 PM on August 11, 2014 (6 comments)

I'm making a playlist of great songs that include great puns and I need help!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sallybrown at 6:07 PM on August 10, 2014 (20 comments)

A recent post to the blue proposed a set of equations that changed the word. As a computer professional, I'm curious, which algorithms transformed the world?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by pwnguin at 2:50 PM on August 10, 2014 (23 comments)

A video of the Guitar Center store in Times Square. As per the video description, "36 seconds of hell on earth".
posted to MetaFilter by codacorolla at 11:11 AM on August 10, 2014 (108 comments)

New Zealand's next general election is in September. With the 2011 turnout (74%) the third lowest in a century, political groups are working hard to increase youth enrolment, turnout on the day and political engagement in general. And they're not afraid of using cartoon sheep where necessary. Bonus: record levels of political billboard vandalism.
posted to MetaFilter by superfish at 3:19 AM on August 10, 2014 (48 comments)

We will be building a new house to live in, what features could we add to make this the best house ever?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:44 AM on August 9, 2014 (112 comments)

I work for Mozilla as a web browser developer. I've found that it's hard to learn the inner workings of a browser, so I started building a “toy” HTML/CSS rendering engine designed to be easy to understand and modify. This is the first in a series of articles that will explain the code I wrote, and also walk you through the process of writing your own toy rendering engine from scratch.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by mbrubeck at 9:49 AM on August 8, 2014 (3 comments)

808 State is an English electronic group that formed in 1987, and take their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and their shared state of mind. As a trio, they produced their iconic track, Pacific, which fused influences of house music, jazz fusion and exotica. The group changed membership a bit over the years, but one way or another 808 State have released six albums* to date, and a number of singles, EPs, and promotional discs. 808state.com has a ton of information, including an extensive visual discography, a list of other productions and remixes, and over a gig of demos, live tracks, and other non-album audio to download. Given the group's 27 year-long history, there's a lot more to see and hear.
posted to MetaFilter by filthy light thief at 8:03 PM on August 7, 2014 (29 comments)

I'm looking for an awesome spot for a paper airplane contest near Portland Oregon. I work as an engineer and my goal is to do this as a "team activity" at work. Who knows - if there's a good spot, maybe an IRL event too?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sarah_pdx at 3:58 PM on February 1, 2014 (7 comments)