The Secret History of the Magna Carta. This is a fascinating article on the Magna Carta and the lesser known Charter of the Forest, and the early establishment of the rights of commons.
posted to MetaFilter by homunculus at 1:24 PM on October 29, 2003 (7 comments)

Watford's Mark Vidler, better known as Go Home Productions, has been taking other people's tracks and making new and alternately-great-and-disturbing tracks with them for the last five years or so. Within the community of people who make and follow this style of music, he's a giant. Now, however, Vidler's apparently done with the mashup scene for the time being and moving on to other things. As a parting gift, he's making every single mix he's ever released, and a couple of dozen more besides, available in a veritable avalanche of .rar archives.
posted to MetaFilter by genghis at 6:57 AM on September 21, 2007 (39 comments)

The Por-Bazhyn Fortress (meaning “clay house” in Tuvan) is believed to have been built in the 8th century CE at the behest of the Uighur kagan Mo-yen-çur. Its remains occupy a 3.5 ha location on a spectacular island location in Lake Tere-Khol in the south west part of the Republic of Tuva. This summer a project to excavate and ultimately preserve the site began [Embedded video] (attracting some notable visitors). Via
posted to MetaFilter by Abiezer at 9:28 AM on September 20, 2007 (9 comments)

Is there a reason that we're allowing the blink tag?
posted to MetaTalk by Afroblanco at 9:18 PM on September 13, 2007 (288 comments)

I'd like to take the time to invite everyone informally to #mefi on slashnet (irc://irc.slashnet.org/mefi)! Ops for everyone! Please check your discontent at the door. That is all.
posted to MetaTalk by cellphone at 12:58 PM on March 23, 2007 (47 comments)

A brief history of lighght. via
posted to MetaFilter by hototogisu at 12:53 PM on September 10, 2007 (26 comments)

Writer's Links. Write better, or at the very least, more authentically, with this list of hundreds of resources for writers of all shades. For example, writing a jazz age screenplay? This guide to 1920's slang will be handy. Need help getting your procedural legal drama accurate? Try the Jurisdictionary. Enjoy tormenting your readers? This list of Tom Swifties will do the trick nicely.
posted to MetaFilter by jonson at 8:47 PM on September 9, 2007 (14 comments)

In "What Did I Do to Feel So Black and Blue," what does Louis Armstrong mean when he sings, "Cold empty bed / Springs hurt my head / Feels like old Ned"?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by josh at 3:27 PM on December 6, 2006 (6 comments)

In the Fall of 1991, MTV's 120 Minutes released two compilations (Amazon: one, two) of songs from the show. (Youtube: one, two)
posted to MetaFilter by nervousfritz at 6:05 PM on June 18, 2007 (45 comments)

Understanding the foodways of Texas' coastal natives by studying the written account of Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca's 7-year sojourn amongst the tribes of the Texas coastal plain. Shipwrecked on Galveston Island, and imprisoned by the natives, he amazingly survived a lengthy trek across Texas and Mexico [map -- lg. jpeg] and recorded his saga for posterity. Full Text.
posted to MetaFilter by Devils Rancher at 6:11 PM on September 7, 2007 (7 comments)

What are some quick & tasty recipes I can make with potatoes?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by UbuRoivas at 8:38 PM on August 14, 2007 (33 comments)

Could someone be richer than the usual suspects (Gates, Buffet, et al.) and not have that fact be known to the world at large?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by maxwelton at 7:39 PM on January 1, 2007 (22 comments)

This is what email is for.
posted to MetaTalk by salvia at 9:04 PM on October 25, 2006 (64 comments)

I've just read a classic SF novel and I'm looking for some other titles in a similar vein.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by h00py at 6:52 PM on August 30, 2007 (52 comments)

T.S. Eliot reads the The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, accompanied by Portishead.
posted to MetaFilter by monju_bosatsu at 8:35 AM on August 30, 2007 (55 comments)

"The storm carried twice as much dirt as was dug out of the earth to create the Panama Canal. The canal took seven years to dig; the storm lasted a single afternoon. More than 300,000 tons of Great Plains topsoil was airborne on that day."
Black Sunday. April 14, 1935. Timeline, Oral Histories (Kansas, Nebraska), Dust Bowl Movie (part I, part II), Black Sunday photos (1, 2, 3, 4). [previous dust on mefi: iraq, texas, africa, china]
posted to MetaFilter by jessamyn at 5:56 PM on August 26, 2007 (17 comments)

I'm about to live out of my car for about two months. What tips or tricks should I know before doing this?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by mulkey at 1:15 PM on June 3, 2007 (23 comments)

name our yacht
On a sunny afternoon in June of 2002 Peter James Zielinski and Brett Presson, on an eternal quest to live the lives of rock stars, acquired a contest about acquiring a brand new yacht. As such, they were left with the daunting task of giving a name to said yacht. After much debate, they ultimately came up with the perfect name for said yacht but consequently, they forgot the name of said yacht shortly after said yacht was acquired in a contest about acquiring said yacht. Thus, they'll need your help.
posted to MetaFilter by bwg at 10:55 PM on June 15, 2002 (37 comments)

At the risk (feh, who am I kidding?) of pouring salt in the proverbial wound, I'm going to draw attention to this thread. These two users were apparently engaged in some buffoonery, and perhaps the community was a little harsh, but their reactions really made me mad. Do I, or we, or MeFi in general, really need these guys maliciously baiting other users?
posted to MetaTalk by Yelling At Nothing at 8:39 PM on June 16, 2002 (54 comments)

You’d need years to really study these murals of Califonia’s history - the artist certainly had a lot a free time to create them. You'd probably also need a special invitation to engage in a multi-year study in the gallery - and you probably don't want one.
posted to MetaFilter by rtha at 12:11 PM on August 20, 2007 (8 comments)

My uncle recently sent me some money through my sister. And just as she always has done, she's frittered it away and I'll never see a cent of it. I don't really care because I'm used to it, and I don't care for the money either. But how can I warn my uncle without giving off a "Give me more money" message?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Xere at 5:08 PM on August 20, 2007 (12 comments)

Hooked On Heat is the two year old foodblog of Meena, daughter of a Malaysian mom & Indian father, with tons of recipes & food stories for those who love spice in their food; her recent series of posts, Indian Cooking 101 is a must read for those who love to eat Indian food and want to try it out at home.
posted to MetaFilter by jonson at 7:20 PM on August 11, 2007 (25 comments)

Help decorate my house in a week.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by craven_morhead at 1:28 PM on August 14, 2007 (4 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 mathowie at 3:03 PM on July 14, 1999 (115 comments)

It's common for pro se prisoners to sue unusual defendants, but never before have I seen a list of defendants [pdf] so awe-inspiring. Francois Rabelais would truly be proud. Unfortunately, this particular prisoner's follow up lawsuit against Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Michael Vick isn't nearly so entertaining.
posted to MetaFilter by saslett at 12:22 AM on July 28, 2007 (58 comments)

Do you prefer to travel light or be prepared for anything? The Flickr pools for what's in your bag? and The Items We Carry reveal all. More prevalent than I would have expected: Burt's Bees, multitools, carabiner keychains.
posted to MetaFilter by emmastory at 6:53 AM on July 27, 2007 (49 comments)

Help me deal with my grief over the end of Harry Potter.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by HotPatatta at 1:14 PM on July 22, 2007 (67 comments)

Anyone CAN Cook [NY Times link] 101 incredibly simple 10-minute recipes from Mark Bittman.
posted to MetaFilter by dersins at 9:09 AM on July 18, 2007 (70 comments)

Give me some exercises for creative writing.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by invitapriore at 8:00 PM on July 9, 2007 (21 comments)

Who loves sandwiches? I do! But I'm tired of sandwichs designed in the vacuum of my mind. My question is thus: What are some great sandwichs?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by TwelveTwo at 10:28 AM on December 1, 2006 (92 comments)

LP Cover Lover The world's greatest LP album covers. Groovy, man. [some nudity, some total insanity]
posted to MetaFilter by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:35 AM on July 18, 2007 (28 comments)

I am looking for examples of secret / esoteric information and facts that changed your perspective on the world or caused you to say 'Now that's interesting, I haven't heard that before!'. For example, this recent thread contained information about ADM that opened my eyes to the subtleties of the sugar markets. A simpler example of the type of knowledge I am looking for are the interesting things that grocery stores do to increase sales. Or the unsubstantiated claim that more people speak English in China that they do in America. I am looking for interesting tid-bits of knowledge that you might find in books like The Tipping Point and Freakanomics. Something your Oxford educated, weed-smoking Uncle might whip out during a random conversation at a cocktail party.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by kaizen at 12:09 PM on July 16, 2007 (61 comments)

Our own fandango_matt, of Metafilter design contest and multiple pissing elephant fame, has come up with his own Boy Scout inspired Metafilter safety guide.
posted to MetaTalk by Krrrlson at 10:25 AM on July 16, 2007 (184 comments)

Requesting advice for finding and starting anew in a dangerous yet lucrative or rewarding yet non-lucrative job.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by MarvinTheCat at 6:01 PM on August 24, 2006 (33 comments)

Taylor Mali speaks on what teachers make - Taylor Mali speaks on Education: The importance of proofreading, Like, You know. Taylor Mali's Website.
posted to MetaFilter by Mr.Encyclopedia at 1:00 PM on July 15, 2007 (38 comments)

The Censored Eleven [IMDB] is a group of Warner Brothers cartoons that have been withheld from syndication because of their racial stereotypes: Hittin' the Trail to Hallelujah Land (1931; info), Sunday Go to Meetin' Time (1936; info), Clean Pastures (1937; info), Uncle Tom's Bungalow (1937), Jungle Jitters (1938), The Isle of Pingo Pongo (1938), All This and Rabbit Stew (1941; info), Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943; info), Tin Pan Alley Cats (1943; info), Angel Puss (1944), and Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears (1944). [more inside]
posted to MetaFilter by kirkaracha at 7:01 AM on July 10, 2007 (63 comments)

please oh please would someone enable new users on mefi again. the shame and humiliation of posting as "demo" is monumentally soul-destroying. Won't anyone think of the children?
posted to MetaTalk by demo at 6:37 AM on June 10, 2003 (133 comments)

Looking for something to read this summer? Well, if you like crime fiction The Rap Sheet has some recommendations for you.
posted to MetaFilter by otio at 5:54 PM on July 8, 2007 (4 comments)

Would the internet survive Armageddon?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by szechuan at 7:24 PM on July 1, 2007 (37 comments)

How long would it take for the Empire State Building to vanish without a trace?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ikkyu2 at 9:56 PM on November 16, 2006 (25 comments)

Say something medically catastrophic happened to human beings and most of them were wiped off the earth. The buildings and monuments and such remained, intact but uncared for. How long would the highrise buildings stand and be relatively livable? How long would it take for a building to come down?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ashbury at 10:03 PM on January 4, 2007 (23 comments)

So, to recap, dhoyt was highsignal, hall of robots and jenleigh. [more within]
posted to MetaTalk by y2karl at 10:11 AM on November 15, 2005 (694 comments)

Some knuckle-dragging, hot-dog eating dufus at work thinks it's okay to yell at me.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by frosty_hut at 2:27 PM on June 25, 2007 (61 comments)

McDonald's UK goes Web 2.0 with a site answering user's questions. Apparently, all of them.
posted to MetaFilter by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:31 AM on June 15, 2007 (136 comments)

'Filtering for Dollars: Let's ignore the questions about the veracity of the claims of the particular user here. Where is the line when it comes to soliciting money via Metafilter? [more inside]
posted to MetaTalk by daveadams at 10:06 PM on February 28, 2005 (178 comments)

I love beans, but when I make them myself, they taste gross. What's the secret to great tasting beans?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:58 PM on May 14, 2007 (36 comments)

What is the most interesting* thing you can buy for $30-$50? *(By my definition: non-consumable, long-lasting, functional.)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by archagon at 9:26 AM on May 18, 2007 (63 comments)

Can you guys help me add some new staple recipes to my dinner repertoire? I have about 3 things that I cook, and I'm sick of 2 of them. I have a few ... issues ... with the kitchen that I'm trying to work around, which I've noted inside.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by tastybrains at 12:33 PM on May 11, 2007 (37 comments)

Metachat is ready! Come on over and post about anything you damn well like.
It all started from this thread
posted to MetaTalk by dodgygeezer at 2:58 AM on May 19, 2005 (63 comments)

Can I just make a frustration-vent post? These days it seems like MeFi is down constantly, several times a day, and to be honest... I'm getting to the point where I'm about ready to move on to another spot. The problem is that, for me, my main community site is like comfort food; it's a place that I can always pop into to see posts and comments from the people I know, and I can always fill in a time gap or soothe my real-life-related nerves by browsing there. But one of the things about comfort food is that it has to be easy and accessible, and lately, MeFi... isn't. So I have some questions...
posted to MetaTalk by taz at 4:03 AM on May 16, 2005 (154 comments)