What are the best techno albums since 1990?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Ultra Laser at 12:46 PM on March 24, 2009 (28 comments)

100 fantastic animated shorts for a century of animation. Almost all entries with video.
posted to MetaFilter by louche mustachio at 10:20 AM on March 12, 2009 (7 comments)

I read a lot of young adult lit with great female characters. But I'm not a teenager anymore and would like to find something analogous for 20-something women. So, where are the books about young, intelligent, humorous and/or interesting women? Novels, short stories, memoirs and essays welcome. More information about what I've already read inside.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by wsquared at 12:03 PM on March 10, 2009 (40 comments)

The Crisis of Credit by graduate design student Jonathan Jarvis is a thorough and visually appealing animation which explains the current credit crisis in clear terms. From the ever helpful NPR Planet Money.
posted to MetaFilter by phyrewerx at 3:40 PM on February 19, 2009 (27 comments)

You are interested in the unknown... the mysterious. The unexplainable. That is why you are here. And now, for the first time, we are bringing to you, the full story of what happened on that fateful day. We are bringing you all the evidence, based only on the secret testimony, of the miserable souls, who survived this terrifying ordeal. The incidents, the places. My friend, we cannot keep this a secret any longer. Let us punish the guilty. Let us reward the innocent. My friend, can your heart stand the shocking facts of a flickr collection of old snapshots?
posted to MetaFilter by gamera at 6:45 PM on February 14, 2009 (18 comments)

Tragedy of the anti-commons is the opposite of tragedy of the commons - it's when too many owners create grid-lock, nothing can get accomplished. It exists everywhere from copyright law, tech patents, music industry, airport runway expansion, medicine, etc.. it is pervasive across all aspects of modern capitalist societies. The concept was coined by Professor Michael Heller who published a book in 2008 called The Gridlock Economy: How Too Much Ownership Wrecks Markets, Stops Innovation, and Costs Lives. In an excellent Authors@Google video, Michael Heller explains what it is and how it undermines capitalism, in particular over the past 30 years with increased privatization.
posted to MetaFilter by stbalbach at 8:27 AM on February 10, 2009 (55 comments)

Some people have this mysterious ability to be - disarming. Please explain this skill and help me learn it!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by kitcat at 5:29 PM on February 10, 2009 (26 comments)

How We Kill Geniuses. "[Elizabeth Gilbert recalls] a story that musician Tom Waits told her years ago. One day he was driving on a Los Angeles freeway when a fragment of a melody popped into his head. He looked around for something to capture the tune -- a pencil or pen -- but had nothing to record it. He started to panic that he'd lose the melody and be haunted by it forever and his talent would be gone. In the midst of this anxiety attack, he suddenly stopped, looked at the sky, and said to whatever force it was that was trying to create itself through the melody, 'Excuse me. Can you not see I'm driving? Do I look like I can write down a song right now? If you really want to exist, come back at a more opportune moment ... otherwise go bother somebody else today. Go bother Leonard Cohen.'" Gilbert explores the idea that we might stifle genius by demanding that creative people be somehow larger than life and something more than human.
posted to MetaFilter by teamparka at 2:41 PM on February 6, 2009 (175 comments)

Are there any decent guides to improving your social skills? Most of what I've found on the topic deals with children, formal etiquette, or the standard self-help cant. Is there anything for people interested in the nuts and bolts of building relationships, giving off a good impression, and making people think you are a good guy. I get the idea that most people with bad social skills tend not to care or notice and this hurts the market for such material. I have a pretty good eye for books and I have found precious little on this topic. I assume we are supposed to learn these things in childhood or be screwed for life.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Yakuman at 6:05 PM on February 6, 2009 (16 comments)

What are some good, unusual podcasts that merit the attention of a high-profile review?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by colinmarshall at 1:43 PM on February 4, 2009 (26 comments)

Fellow introverts, and others who need lots of alone time: How did you deal with becoming a parent?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by El Curioso at 11:48 PM on January 31, 2009 (12 comments)

What are the biggest changes in Vancouver (BC) over the last seven years?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Gortuk at 10:57 AM on January 30, 2009 (4 comments)

Accompanied by Aphex Twin's classic Selected Ambient Works II, we have the rarely-seen experimental video Stakker (Westworld) in nine parts: Z Twig / Radiator | Rhubarb | Hankie | Grass | White Blur | Parallel Stripes | Z Twig / Lichen | Blur | Match Sticks
posted to MetaFilter by Blazecock Pileon at 11:09 PM on January 21, 2009 (37 comments)

What are some web apps I can use to track and record various aspects of my life?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jmoneystl at 9:31 AM on January 12, 2009 (18 comments)

What are some good sarcastic comebacks for those tired phrases you hear a million times? Eg, "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" "Think outside the box" or "Does this make me look fat?"
posted to Ask MetaFilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:35 PM on January 3, 2009 (46 comments)

Braess' paradox and the price of anarchy [PDF]: "We had three tunnels in the city and one needed to be shut down. Bizarrely, we found that car volumes dropped. ... We discovered it was a case of Braess' paradox, which says that by taking away space in an urban area you can actually increase the flow of traffic, and, by implication, by adding extra capacity to a road network you can reduce overall performance."
posted to MetaFilter by parudox at 11:23 PM on December 27, 2008 (15 comments)

My new year resolution is to do more/better real-life networking : more/better acquaintances, more/better friends, more/better relationships. I need tips and tricks on how to get a generous-sized addres book and an improved social life and what to do once I meet these potential new friends.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Baud at 5:30 AM on December 25, 2008 (8 comments)

How do i become an interesting person to speak to?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by freddymetz at 12:20 PM on December 15, 2008 (32 comments)

Classic hip-hop albums, recreated in Lego
posted to MetaFilter by mathowie at 10:31 AM on December 16, 2008 (47 comments)

Cute things falling asleep.
posted to MetaFilter by Korou at 11:47 AM on December 16, 2008 (61 comments)

I'm looking for blogs talking about the daily life of someone with a job (or other life experience) that I don't have (and that is interesting). I want stories the layperson can relate to, not minutiae for the people already in the field. Any suggestions?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by kingjoeshmoe at 3:18 PM on December 15, 2008 (36 comments)

I know that we all die and that there’s absolutely no way around that. I know and accept that one day I will die as well, and I’m not afraid of dying, per se. What I am afraid of—terrified of really—is no longer existing, no longer being conscious of everything that’s happening in this great wide world, no longer being sentient, I guess. What can I do?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 5:18 PM on December 2, 2008 (87 comments)

I've been feeling slow lately. How can I sharpen my mental powers?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by decoherence at 3:24 PM on July 30, 2008 (19 comments)

1 2 3 4: Feist visits Sesame Street, the latest artist to send up her work for an adoring audience of (what else?) furry happy monsters.
posted to MetaFilter by bicyclefish at 5:39 PM on July 16, 2008 (41 comments)

What's the name of that peak over there? Can my HDTV antenna see the broadcast tower? Can I see that fixed wireless base station? See viewsheds and labelled horizons from where you're at, with a list of what other people are looking at, and all done with someone else's computers.
posted to MetaFilter by the Real Dan at 11:03 AM on July 15, 2008 (21 comments)

Simply Noise. Streaming white noise for your auditory zen needs. That is all. That is enough.
posted to MetaFilter by wendell at 12:16 PM on July 5, 2008 (39 comments)

I'm looking for a nice summer suit that I can wear for an August wedding (outdoors). I'm currently in Vancouver, B.C.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by tiamat at 11:05 PM on July 1, 2008 (8 comments)

The Bullitt chase entirely geocoded. (Previously.)
posted to MetaFilter by miss lynnster at 12:14 PM on June 30, 2008 (37 comments)

In great news for all fans of the dearly departed sitcom Arrested Development, Jason Bateman appeared on his friend's show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and confirmed that an Arrested movie is being worked out. (MSNBC video link. He talks about Hancock for a bit first; good stuff starts at 4:16.) And another special guest is there to share the announcement...
posted to MetaFilter by supercres at 7:04 AM on June 25, 2008 (128 comments)

MagCloud enables you to publish your own magazines. All you have to do is upload a PDF and they take care of the rest: printing, mailing, subscription management, and more.
posted to MetaFilter by FunkyHelix at 9:13 AM on June 23, 2008 (42 comments)

Mashup artist Gregg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, is another artist to try the 'pay whatever you want' Internet release model. However, his 55-minute album consists of over 300 samples from other artists, with many current and past hits. No stranger to current controversies in copyright, Gillis also appeared in the documentary Good Copy Bad Copy. Previously.
posted to MetaFilter by uaudio at 2:32 PM on June 20, 2008 (44 comments)

In May 2006, we discussed switch pitcher Pat Venditte on MetaFilter. Many wondered: what kind of bizarre game-theoretic catastrophe would occur when the switch pitcher faced a switch hitter? Two years later, it has come to pass. (video)
posted to MetaFilter by escabeche at 9:20 AM on June 20, 2008 (78 comments)

These "track boards," or "fix push" boards, were initially developed to be raced in the velodrome, and differ from traditional skateboards in one major way: the rider can never coast. A brief documentary on the increasingly popular fix-push skateboard culture and its roots in San Francisco's Mission district.
posted to MetaFilter by whir at 9:38 PM on June 17, 2008 (54 comments)

Teach the Controversy. Because we know that the earth sits on giant elephants which in turn ride an even gianter turtle.
posted to MetaFilter by cerebus19 at 11:25 AM on June 16, 2008 (74 comments)

"On a Monday morning last month, highway patrol officers visited 20 classrooms at El Camino High School [Oceanside, California] to announce some horrible news: Several students had been killed in car wrecks over the weekend. Classmates wept. Some became hysterical. A few hours and many tears later, though, the pain turned to fury when the teenagers learned that it was all a hoax — a scared-straight exercise designed by school officials to dramatize the consequences of drinking and driving." While the school defends its actions, some students are protesting: "Death is real. Don't play with our emotions."
posted to MetaFilter by ericb at 5:13 PM on June 12, 2008 (136 comments)

Kindertrauma is about the movies, books, and toys that scared you when you were a kid. It’s also about kids in scary movies, both as heroes and villains. And everything else that’s traumatic to a tyke!
posted to MetaFilter by stinkycheese at 3:37 PM on June 12, 2008 (64 comments)

Are you, like many others this summer, considering avoiding the costs & hassles of pricey foreign or domestic travel by having a "staycation" at home? Daily Show commenter John Hodgman (ably backed by Jonathan Coulton on the strings) enumerates the benefits of a "Holistay" (much better name) to help you make your choice.
posted to MetaFilter by jonson at 9:37 AM on June 12, 2008 (39 comments)

Take the Funny and Run , a history of notorious joke-thieves from Milton Berle and Robin Williams to Denis Leary, Carlos Mencia (previously) and Dane Cook.
posted to MetaFilter by Navelgazer at 6:35 PM on June 10, 2008 (52 comments)

The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Coporation) has decided to not renew a licensing agreement for the Hockey Night in Canada theme music (Youtube link).
posted to MetaFilter by jeffmik at 11:24 AM on June 5, 2008 (55 comments)

Ten simple, shattering comics about the earthquake in China. Via MoFi.
posted to MetaFilter by By The Grace of God at 1:35 PM on June 1, 2008 (63 comments)

The year is 1989, the world of hip hop in mainstream America is dominated by the street hard, in your face West Coast Gangsta Rap genre headed by NWA. And an army of increasingly forgettable imitators as well as genuine ingenuity coming from the opposite coast The pop music market is dominated by the sugary sweet vaguely hip-hopish pop of The New Kids On The Block. And on the corner Crendshaw and Exposition in South Central Los Angeles a group of kids at a health food store called The Good Life Health Food And Resource Center take a weekly Open Mike and turn it into an ongoing hip hop workshop where lyrical prowess, performance, and positivity instead of battling and trash talking was encouraged. In fact, swearing was strictly disallowed at The Good Life.
posted to MetaFilter by mediocre at 9:05 AM on May 17, 2008 (36 comments)

Geohashing: "As you may have noticed, today’s comic contains an algorithm for converting dates into local coordinates. For a given day, you can calculate what that day’s coordinate is for your region. Dan has put together a tool for calculating a day’s coordinates and show it using Google Maps."
posted to MetaFilter by Anything at 12:04 AM on May 21, 2008 (29 comments)

Ultraviolence chic again in Justice video Stress. NSFW
posted to MetaFilter by carsonb at 11:32 PM on May 3, 2008 (81 comments)

An extraordinary piece of magazine writing by Chris Jones. Jones tells the story of how the body of Sergeant Joe Montgomery makes its way from a Baghdad suburb to its final resting place in a grave in Indiana. It's one of the finest pieces of journalism that I've read in years. It’s extremely moving without being saccharine or twee. It’s a military story, but utterly without jingoism or indictment. And it’s wonderfully observed. If I taught a first-year creative writing course, I'd make this required reading.
posted to MetaFilter by dbarefoot at 9:57 PM on April 30, 2008 (87 comments)

The real secret to producing superheroes (bollywood or otherwise) is to start them young, really YOUNG. (Link to single video)
posted to MetaFilter by sk381 at 8:33 PM on April 27, 2008 (48 comments)

NPR article on World Where's Waldo Link to the website A Canadian woman made a giant waldo and put it on top of her house and is waiting for the google earth satellites to pick him up.
posted to MetaFilter by majikstreet at 3:30 PM on April 16, 2008 (14 comments)

I want to buy a train car and then travel in it. How do I do this?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Capri at 7:39 AM on April 10, 2008 (11 comments)

22 years after letting a ball roll through his legs in extra innings to lose game six of the 1986 World Series, Bill Buckner returned to Fenway Park to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day. Here's a post on the Curse of the Bambino and the 2004 World Series
posted to MetaFilter by Corduroy at 7:44 PM on April 8, 2008 (37 comments)

What are the things and places that make living in Vancouver and Toronto fantastic for day-to-day life? Or, to put it another way, what are the things and places that you would miss if you moved away?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ambilevous at 3:27 PM on April 9, 2008 (24 comments)

The SEO Rapper (a.k.a. The Poetic Prophet) spits rhymes on such topics as Design Coding, Link Building, Paid Search, and Conversion Closing for all your marketing campaign and web design needs.
posted to MetaFilter by dhammond at 4:28 PM on March 27, 2008 (9 comments)