On The Hour - available for download now The radio precursor to TV's The Day Today - both brainchildren of Comedy's 11th funniest man (ahead of Peter Sellers and Bill Hicks), Chris Morris and Armando Iannucci - is now available for download via iTunes and Warp Records (via DRM-free Bleep). On The Hour also saw the first appearance of Steve Coogan as the hapless sports reporter, Alan Partridge who made regular appearances in "On the Hour" and "The Day Today" before being spun off into the TV shows: "Knowing Me, Knowing You" and "I'm Alan Partridge"
posted to MetaFilter by JustAsItSounds at 7:46 PM on November 17, 2008 (20 comments)

In the 1940's the British Government set about creating eight deep level shelters underneath central London. Now, one of them is up for sale (Photos)
posted to MetaFilter by vacapinta at 3:51 AM on October 17, 2008 (42 comments)

Privacy is dead - get over it [part 2] is a talk by private investigator Steve Rambam. It's a talk he has been giving for a number of years where he shows how privacy is being taken away, not by sinister plots but because people are giving it away. With people putting up everything and nothing on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and so on, as well as a growing quantity of data held in private databases, he shows how easy it is to find out enormous amounts of data on just about anyone.
posted to MetaFilter by bjrn at 7:25 AM on September 2, 2008 (65 comments)

London picnic meetup!
posted to MetaTalk by goo at 9:53 AM on July 27, 2008 (97 comments)

Hey Matt and pb: You know that sweet-ass bit of code you guys have that scrubs any link to Amazon and inserts your affiliate ID? It would totally rock if you would release a version of that as a Wordpress plugin.
posted to MetaTalk by jbickers at 7:11 AM on March 4, 2008 (31 comments)

Giles Coren is restaurant critic at the Times (of London). Last week he wrote a very angry letter to the subeditors complaining that they were "tinkering with his copy". The subs were guilty of deleting a single indefinite article.
posted to MetaFilter by MrMerlot at 4:15 AM on July 24, 2008 (128 comments)

HotPads has one of the cooler interfaces to the real estate world. Especially worth looking at are the heat maps that show you scary, scary foreclosure rates across the country and the rent ratios that tell you whether it is worth buying in a particular area, among lots of other data.
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah at 12:09 PM on June 16, 2008 (23 comments)

What is a Munchy Box? In the west of Scotland, in the towns and villages surrounding Glasgow, there is a delicacy available in some of the more discerning fast-food outlets. It’s called the Munchy Box (sometimes just Munch Box) and it’s a sight to behold.
posted to MetaFilter by armoured-ant at 3:12 AM on June 11, 2008 (91 comments)

NURSE CHILD WANTED, OR TO ADOPT -- The Advertiser, a Widow with a little family of her own, and moderate allowance from her late husband's friends, would be glad to accept the charge of a young child. Age no object. If sickly would receive a parent's care. Terms, Fifteen Shillings a month; or would adopt entirely if under two months for the small sum of Twelve pounds. This kindly nineteenth-century advertisement had a hidden meaning. If a woman paid her adoption fee to a baby farmer and handed over her infant, no one ever had to worry about that baby, ever again.
posted to MetaFilter by Countess Elena at 4:23 PM on June 7, 2008 (38 comments)

Bacon caramel. Candied bacon and egg ice cream. Bacon lip balm. Bacon bra (NSFW). Bacon placemants. French-fry coated bacon on a stick. An overabundance of bacon cakes. Bacon cookies. Bacon and bourbon. And fifty other ways to use MeFi's favorite food--BACON.
posted to MetaFilter by youarenothere at 12:26 PM on May 4, 2008 (74 comments)

Allotments: how to get one, and what to grow in it once you've got it. Lots of people have allotments. Lots. Geddit?
posted to MetaFilter by nthdegx at 2:41 AM on June 3, 2008 (18 comments)

Hey, there, London. I'll be visiting from May 16 through the 26th and would like to drink with you.
posted to MetaTalk by jason's_planet at 12:09 PM on April 28, 2008 (81 comments)

What should I cook with my cast iron skillet?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by peep at 10:30 AM on May 1, 2008 (38 comments)

It's Boris. London has elected Boris Johnson as its new mayor.
posted to MetaFilter by MrMustard at 4:20 PM on May 2, 2008 (163 comments)

Examples of challenges faced: "Negotiating Hyde Park corner by bicycle. Outcome: survival." This and more from Boris Johnson's London Mayoral candidacy application [PDF] to the Conservative Party. thelondonpaper is not impressed that he submitted a handwritten form.
posted to MetaFilter by nthdegx at 9:02 AM on July 31, 2007 (28 comments)

"Even the greatest cities have further greatness in them. I will stand for a greater London and for putting the smile back on London's face." Boris Johnson announces his candidacy for Mayor of London, though he is yet to be endorsed by the Conservative Party. Though decidedly right wing in his views (this clip, perhaps more than any other summarises his view on Europe, for example) his very English brand of buffoonery lends him unique appeal (though not universally).
posted to MetaFilter by nthdegx at 1:46 PM on July 16, 2007 (44 comments)

Stop Boris Johnson?
posted to MetaFilter by bwerdmuller at 8:18 AM on April 20, 2008 (58 comments)

Dear mathowie, jessamyn, and cortex: how many hours do you commit to keeping MeFi afloat? Is it a huge time commitment, not a big deal, or somewhere in the middle? It seems like a lot to juggle between three people. True? And if so, what takes up most of your time?
posted to MetaTalk by SpacemanStix at 4:39 PM on April 28, 2008 (86 comments)

Getting up early in the morning never seems to get easier. Any tips?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by HotPatatta at 5:52 AM on April 30, 2008 (52 comments)

Does anybody ever regret switching to a Mac?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by pdb at 10:13 AM on April 29, 2008 (78 comments)

The Proceedings of the Old Bailey has been posted (and double-posted) here before, but it's just been given a major upgrade that effectively turns it into a new site, with the addition of 100,000 new trial reports covering the period 1834 to 1913, and the full text of the Newgate Ordinary's Accounts reporting the confessions and last dying speeches of criminals sentenced to death. The thousands of human tragedies recorded in the trial reports (some famous, others forgotten) are fascinating and often deeply moving.
posted to MetaFilter by verstegan at 6:06 AM on April 27, 2008 (9 comments)

The 50 Best Cookie Recipes on the Internet -- for me, the best food on the planet is an oatmeal raisin cookie. My palate just goes ooohhh! Everything else just fills the hole. For many, it's the good ol' chocolate chip. There's bound to be some cookie gourmet's in the MeFi universe. So tell us, what is your favorite cookie?
posted to MetaFilter by netbros at 9:31 AM on April 19, 2008 (39 comments)

Dear Monster Lawyers, Let me begin by stating, without equivocation, that I have no interest whatsoever in infringing upon any intellectual property belonging to Monster Cable. Indeed, the less my customers think my products resemble Monster's, in form or in function, the better.
posted to MetaFilter by veedubya at 12:49 PM on April 15, 2008 (87 comments)

Land turned to biofuels in the US alone in the last two years would have fed nearly 250 million people with average grain needs. Prices of all staple food has risen 80% in three years. 33 countries face unrest because of these price rises. Subsidiziation of Biofuel is driving the poor to starvation. In Bangladesh Biofuel production hits food security. Half of Pakistan population at the risk of food insecurity, warns WFP. Cost of food increases hunger in Nepal. wiki
posted to MetaFilter by adamvasco at 9:19 AM on April 5, 2008 (80 comments)

What's That? Sadly, the education of the youth of amerika is declining in more than one way. The other day I was at the grocery store and the checker was unable to identify a portabello mushroom. And no, she wasn't new...and to make matters worse the checker next to her didn't know either. (more inside)
posted to MetaFilter by MiHail at 9:25 AM on November 12, 2005 (1011 comments)

Nerve-tapping neckband used in 'telepathic' chat A neckband that translates thought into speech by picking up nerve signals has been used to demonstrate a "voiceless" phone call for the first time. Video. The technology has previously been demonstrated for guiding a wheelchair with thoughts. Company website.
posted to MetaFilter by MythMaker at 7:43 PM on March 15, 2008 (33 comments)

Bacon lollipops. That is all.
posted to MetaFilter by Dormant Gorilla at 10:51 AM on March 13, 2008 (85 comments)

How does Heston Blumenthal create drinks that are hot on one side and cold on the other?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by chill at 8:28 AM on January 8, 2008 (22 comments)

The Anonymity Experiment. Is it possible to hide in plain sight? Privacy-minded people have long warned of a world in which an individual’s every action leaves a trace, in which corporations and governments can peer at will into your life with a few keystrokes on a computer. Now one of the people in charge of information-gathering for the U.S. government says, essentially, that such a world has arrived.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms at 12:14 AM on February 16, 2008 (43 comments)

Last minute valentine idea: Chocolate Ganache Truffles. "You'd have to go a long way to screw it up." (video, expect an interstitial)
posted to MetaFilter by rouftop at 12:14 PM on February 13, 2008 (18 comments)

I don’t understand the term “begs the question.” I know I use it incorrectly—or so I’ve been told—but I don’t know what I’m supposedly doing wrong. Can you explain? The Morning News' The Non-Expert tackles "the phrase that nobody understands."
posted to MetaFilter by amyms at 11:09 PM on February 8, 2008 (186 comments)

Is this the end of the bus timetable? It can be bloody cold in Helsinki in January. The last thing you want to do is hang around too long for a bus or tram. Soon you won't have to because Helsinki City Transport is currently fitting *its entire fleet* with Linux servers. Not only will each bus or tram become a travelling wireless hotspot, but you will be able to see exactly where in the city your new bus actually is. Meaning that you only step into the bitter cold the minute before it arrives. (its in beta but you can see the effects of the live trial)
posted to MetaFilter by MrMerlot at 5:23 AM on January 27, 2008 (49 comments)

Warning: this is possibly the worst story ever told. Ever wanted to know what it's like to have a beef tapeworm? (Fun fact: they're the kind that fills your whole intestinal tract!) A storyteller on The Fray helpfully clues us in to the experience of living with, and eventually destroying, his li'l parasite buddy. Don't read it if you don't want to wish for death at the end. (Blessedly, there are no photographs, though there are some toon-like illustrations.) Via Boing Boing.
posted to MetaFilter by logovisual at 11:29 AM on May 7, 2004 (38 comments)

Sesame Street video archive from Sesame Workshop itself, searchable and keyword-tagged. It's not quite comprehensive (yet), but includes many Monsterpiece Theatre, Kermit's News Flashes, and Ernie & Bert sketches.
posted to MetaFilter by cerebus19 at 8:35 PM on January 1, 2008 (28 comments)

I Waterboard! If I had the choice of being waterboarded by a third party or having my fingers smashed one at a time by a sledgehammer, I'd take the fingers, no question.
posted to MetaFilter by telstar at 5:45 PM on December 22, 2007 (85 comments)

Peripatetic, endearingly-awkward geek seeks amazing advice for casual sex shenanigans.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 1:11 PM on December 18, 2007 (107 comments)

What's the best way to create an office jukebox with a web interface?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jmprice at 8:43 AM on December 14, 2007 (15 comments)

I'm awake by 7 AM, but don't feel truly mentally "awake" and in the "zone" till the afternoon. Caffeine and exercise early in the morning help a little, but mainly they seem to affect my physical energy more than my mental energy. Does anyone else feel this way, and what can I do to get my brain up to speed earlier in the day?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by parallax7d at 2:45 PM on December 14, 2007 (29 comments)

London Christmas Meetup
posted to MetaTalk by essexjan at 12:40 PM on December 1, 2007 (87 comments)

After what has felt like months of waiting, it now looks as though I may very soon have a new flat (yay!) and need builders to carry out renovations in that flat. Although several friends of mine have made recommendations, I am having trouble finding recommended builders who work in (very) central London, WC1 to be precise. Any suggestions?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sueinnyc at 2:16 PM on November 25, 2007 (6 comments)

Which food do you credit most for your weight loss?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by rolypolyman at 10:40 AM on October 14, 2007 (56 comments)

Oops: UK tax collection agency loses discs containing personal details of 25 million Britons in the mail.
posted to MetaFilter by goodnewsfortheinsane at 8:55 AM on November 20, 2007 (50 comments)

Fire Roasted Salsa. Chipotle Salsa. Pico De Gallo. Salsa Verde. Five Green Salsa. Orange Salsa. Apple Salsa. Cucumber Salsa. Yogurt Salsa. Rosemary Salsa. Bean Salsa. Conejo En Salsa De Chocolate. Roasted Poblano and Coconut Salsa. Monterey Jack Salsa. Salsa Negra. Mango Salsa. Holiday Salsa. Artichoke Salsa.
posted to MetaFilter by bigmusic at 8:29 PM on November 11, 2007 (27 comments)

The Greater Internet F***wad theory is funny, right? Wrong.
posted to MetaFilter by Steven C. Den Beste at 5:00 PM on November 12, 2007 (266 comments)

Congress at Work The U.S. House Judiciary Committee sends an email to all persons who had sent messages to its "tip line." The email described the measures the committee was taking to safeguard the tipsters' identities. All the the email recipients' addresses were in the To: field. Oops.
posted to MetaFilter by Kirth Gerson at 5:02 AM on October 28, 2007 (35 comments)

Censored: The scariest news may be the stuff you haven’t seen yet. David Phinney thought he’d struck journalistic gold. The veteran reporter, who has done freelance work for PBS, ABC, The New York Times, and other news companies, learned from a disgusted American contractor that the Kuwaiti company hired to build the U.S. embassy in Iraq was using forced laborers trafficked in from Asia.
posted to MetaFilter by psmealey at 3:30 AM on October 12, 2007 (48 comments)

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails plans to join Radiohead in the self-distribution game. Reznor's public feud with Interscope records reached its head recently; the musician was forced to finance the alternate reality game promotion of Year Zero himself and was shocked at the record label's pricing in Australia. With the release of Year Zero Remixed, Reznor will be free to go his own way.
posted to MetaFilter by beaucoupkevin at 9:00 AM on October 9, 2007 (59 comments)

At San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving 1976, The Band served turkey dinners to an audience of 5,000 and played Don't Do It, Theme from The Last Waltz, Up on Cripple Creek, The Shape I'm In, Who Do You Love, It Makes No Difference, Such a Night, Helpless, Stage Fright, The Weight, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Dry Your Eyes, Coyote, Mystery Train, Mannish Boy, Further on up the Road, Evangeline, Ophelia, Caravan, Forever Young, Baby Let Me Follow You Down, and I Shall Be Released with a ton of guests (listed in link titles).
posted to MetaFilter by kirkaracha at 4:49 PM on October 8, 2007 (44 comments)

I'm gonna be in London from Oct 1-6th. If there's a meetup that week, I'll be there. - Mathowie Can we firm up the plans?
posted to MetaTalk by srboisvert at 10:29 AM on September 16, 2007 (121 comments)

Remember this? It's content-aware image resizing. Well, now it's alive online.
posted to MetaFilter by flibbertigibbet at 5:03 AM on October 1, 2007 (25 comments)