Matthew: For a long time, I have been sad at the loss of HypotheticalFilter. When AskMe was young, such questions would arise. But those days are gone now, as the site matured. It's simply not done, you'd say. It floods the page with nonsense. It makes the real questions get lost. Still, I thought, I want to know how to dispose of a body, or how long we'd survive without the sun. Who would win in a fight? A squirrel, or a squirrel's weight in ants?
posted to MetaTalk by John Kenneth Fisher at 8:46 AM on April 3, 2008 (96 comments)

Terrorists destroy the sun.... How long does humanity survive??? (the inside... there's more???)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by John Kenneth Fisher at 9:08 PM on December 22, 2004 (32 comments)

In an alternate universe, the golden mean is found, moderation is possible, and everyone on MeFi will hear their counterparts point of view first.
posted to MetaFilter by phyrewerx at 3:58 PM on April 3, 2008 (56 comments)

"1 Crunchwrap Supreme + 1 OCTO-MAC + 20 or so Taco Bell Fire Sauce packets + Taco Bell Cheese Sauce + Bacos + Garfield's Macaroni & Beef + A splash of Jim Beam + Approximately 2 cups of salsa = GODKILLER, for why else would it exist but to kill God?"
posted to MetaFilter by Del Far at 9:28 PM on April 2, 2008 (59 comments)

Grapes in milk... now what?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Rinku at 4:57 PM on April 2, 2008 (176 comments)

The Royal Mint revealed their newly designed currency today. Looks pretty sharp.
posted to MetaFilter by zeoslap at 6:55 AM on April 2, 2008 (92 comments)

Owl Cam. Physics professor sees Great Horned Owl nesting outside window & sets up webcam.
posted to MetaFilter by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:11 AM on April 2, 2008 (112 comments)

All those passengers delayed amid the chaotic opening of Heathrow Airport's new Terminal 5? Some are actually homeless locals wearing "floral shirts, fanny packs and other travel accessories to blend in."
posted to MetaFilter by dw at 9:36 AM on March 31, 2008 (77 comments)

AprilFoolsDayOnTheWeb brings you the most complete listing of April Fools' Day Jokes that Web Sites have run each year from 2004 all the way up to today. Also, the Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time. Meanwhile, Google seems to be up to its old tricks...
posted to MetaFilter by Effigy2000 at 2:05 PM on March 31, 2008 (39 comments)

Famous photographs re-shot with Legos.
posted to MetaFilter by Slithy_Tove at 6:40 PM on March 31, 2008 (38 comments)

Elephant Paints Self Portrait. I'm not sure what to say about this except that its pretty cool.
posted to MetaFilter by KevinSkomsvold at 3:56 PM on March 30, 2008 (76 comments)

during the wintertime, what is the kindest way to get rid of a spider?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bitteroldman at 6:48 PM on March 30, 2008 (20 comments)

Things That Look Like Other Things. Also known as pareidolia, it's the phenomenon in which our brains perceive familiar things (especially faces and human forms) in random places. See also The Pareidolia Museum and the Flickr pareidolia pool. [Previous pareidolia-related threads here]
posted to MetaFilter by amyms at 10:56 PM on March 28, 2008 (39 comments)

Larry Niven warned everyone about it. MetaFilter, too: Try to escape. Quantum black holes is dangerous.
posted to MetaFilter by Kronos_to_Earth at 8:14 AM on March 29, 2008 (67 comments)

This project is offensive beyond the pale for those who worship the Son of God, and who are grateful He gave His life and defeated death.
posted to MetaTalk by survivorman at 11:45 AM on March 28, 2008 (96 comments)

Japanese Myst-like escape games from neutral (Flash)
Vision - Hints
RGB - Hints
Sphere - Hints
posted to MetaFilter by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:31 AM on March 27, 2008 (14 comments)

Then I don't need a jacket! (Videosift link) From start to finish, the most inexplicably joy-inducing 9 seconds the internet has to offer.
posted to MetaFilter by ghastlyfop at 8:25 AM on March 27, 2008 (100 comments)

ROM CHECK FAIL is a goofy little PC game, in the classic 1980's arcade/home console genre of ... err ... Use the space bar to fire your blaster. Or sword. (Or jump.) Use the arrow keys to control your ... guy as if you were playing ... that ... classic game. Eliminate all the enemy, well, things in the expected way, and go on to the next maze/planet/cave/highway. Look, just play it, OK? It's fun!
posted to MetaFilter by CrunchyFrog at 11:53 PM on March 25, 2008 (16 comments)

The Most Insane, Child-Warping Moments of '80s Cartoons
posted to MetaFilter by [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] at 2:52 PM on March 26, 2008 (126 comments)

How much difference does $5 make?. Mashup by bertrandom pulls the most recent comments from Metafilter and the comments from the most viewed videos on Youtube and puts them side-by-side for comparison.
posted to MetaTalk by dmd at 10:35 AM on March 24, 2008 (102 comments)

Every One That Hates Billy....” It featured a photograph of Billy’s face superimposed over a likeness of Peter Pan, and provided this description of its purpose: “There is no reason anyone should like billy he’s a little bitch. And a homosexual that NO ONE LIKES.”

Billy, busy building a miniature house, didn’t see it coming: the boy hit him so hard in the left cheek that he briefly lost consciousness. [His mother] remembers the family dentist sewing up the inside of Billy’s cheek, and a school official refusing to call the police, saying it looked like Billy got what he deserved.

posted to MetaFilter by orthogonality at 11:05 PM on March 23, 2008 (266 comments)

40 Years in the Future - Another "what will life look like in the future" article. This one from Mechanix Illustrated, 1968. (via Boing Boing)
posted to MetaFilter by caddis at 9:57 AM on March 24, 2008 (49 comments)

Rent Vs. Buy Myths That Ruined the Housing Market
posted to MetaFilter by Afroblanco at 4:38 PM on March 21, 2008 (107 comments)

If Metafilter did time travel, it might end up like Desmond Warzel's Wikihistory. It's a short piece in the latest issue of Abyss and Apex and features snippets from the WWII subforum of the International Association of Time Travelers. Takes only moments to read but might amuse for hours.
posted to MetaFilter by squink at 5:34 PM on March 19, 2008 (43 comments)

It all seems so clear now-- I had to share this comment of pure wonderment, I'm still smiling. If you've ever needed to really understand how far a distance is, behold the answer within.
posted to MetaTalk by Static Vagabond at 7:56 PM on March 19, 2008 (58 comments)

It's not OK to dismiss an entire country because you couldn't resist making a lame joke.
posted to MetaTalk by gomichild at 7:48 PM on March 18, 2008 (126 comments)

Amazing video of BigDog. Described by its developer, Boston Dynamics, as "The Most Advanced Quadruped Robot on Earth."
posted to MetaFilter by qldaddy at 8:33 AM on March 18, 2008 (105 comments)

Who are The Fillers, and why are they after me?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by dinger at 3:09 PM on March 17, 2008 (36 comments)

An Efficient Representation for Sparse Sets. Or, Using Uninitialized Memory for Fun and Profit
posted to MetaFilter by orthogonality at 8:09 PM on March 15, 2008 (82 comments)

Celemony are a bunch of crazy German software engineers known best for making Melodyne, a family of top of the line pitch correction tools. Apparently they've recently figured out how to do what they do with polyphonic audio. I can't begin to explain how cool this is. Just watch the video.
posted to MetaFilter by stenseng at 4:10 PM on March 13, 2008 (119 comments)

Suppose you killed somebody...

How would you dispose of the body without getting caught? Would you dump it somewhere? Bury it in the backyard or basement? Dissolve it in lime? What? What would your master plan be that would allow you to get away with it?

And no, I haven't killed anybody and I'm not planning to - I was just curious.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ashbury at 5:48 PM on June 13, 2004 (74 comments)

You stay classy, San Diego. A television reporter and an anchorman engage in an embarrassing on-air pissing contest in the middle of a newscast.
posted to MetaFilter by psmealey at 1:58 PM on March 12, 2008 (64 comments)

Who needs a movie? (SLYTP)
posted to MetaFilter by allkindsoftime at 3:43 AM on March 12, 2008 (81 comments)

"On Web sites touting the mind-blowing powers of salvia divinorum, come-ons to buy the hallucinogenic herb are accompanied by warnings: 'Time is running out! ... stock up while you still can.' That's because salvia is being targeted by lawmakers concerned that the inexpensive and easy-to-obtain plant could become the next marijuana....Among those who believe the commotion over the drug is overblown is Rick Doblin of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a nonprofit group that does research on psychedelic drugs and whose goal is to develop psychedelics and marijuana into prescription medication."* "Salvia Divinorum is a small leafy green plant found primarily in the Mazateca region of Mexico. Sometimes called 'diviner's sage' the plant was traditionally used by indigenous peoples as a healing and divinatory aid due to its unique properties when chewed or smoked. When consumed in this manner, the active ingredient, Salvinorin-A produces psychedelic effects in the body ranging from mild to extreme."* [previously - 1, 2]
posted to MetaFilter by ericb at 2:42 PM on March 11, 2008 (93 comments)

Is sansgras the new Kaycee?
posted to MetaTalk by heatherann at 5:30 AM on March 10, 2008 (3501 comments)

Captain Disillusion has created a series of videos that provide a skeptical analysis of sensational viral videos. One in particular, “Gas Station Ghost RECUT” addresses an unusual image caught on a gas station surveillance camera.
posted to MetaFilter by Tube at 11:31 PM on March 9, 2008 (33 comments)

Have you ever wondered how much a hamster can store in his cheeks without exploding? Smoke will show you. (Single link YouTube post)
posted to MetaFilter by onlyconnect at 8:15 AM on March 9, 2008 (29 comments)

The new video, "Run", from R&B group Gnarls Barkley (best known for their ultra-popular and painfully ubitquitous 2006 hit song "Crazy") has been banned from MTV for failing the Harding Test, a set of criteria determining the likelihood of video material triggering seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy (PSE), approximately 1 in 6000 people^*. The video is now circulating online. [Watch at your own risk. May cause seizures.]
posted to MetaFilter by loiseau at 11:06 PM on March 8, 2008 (88 comments)

"Hendon's library's opening hours have been cut, a cafe has taken the place of part of the fiction section, and a computer learning zone has replaced the periodicals room. When I complained, a local councillor wrote back to say that he did not feel that the cut in opening hours was a great hardship for anyone."

The Guardian writes on the long slow death of libraries.
posted to MetaFilter by The Jesse Helms at 2:04 PM on March 7, 2008 (86 comments)

Gaming journalism at its silliest. What do you get when you have the designer of Grim Fandango and Psychonauts Tim Schaefer play a game that you make up on the spot? Text based adventure hilarity. More of the same feature here.
posted to MetaFilter by Del Far at 6:50 AM on March 8, 2008 (10 comments)

Wank wank wank wank wank.
posted to MeFi Music by Evstar at 8:53 AM on March 7, 2008 (1 comment)

The opening credits to Star Wars, if Saul Bass had made them. Previously.
posted to MetaFilter by hifiparasol at 12:39 AM on March 4, 2008 (42 comments)

The George W. Bush Presidential Library : visualizations
posted to MetaFilter by Gyan at 12:39 AM on March 4, 2008 (41 comments)

History's greatest replies. Any attempt to compile history's greatest replies—or history's greatest anything, for that matter—is fraught with difficulty, so it might be more accurate to refer to the replies that follow as simply my all-time favorites.
posted to MetaFilter by psmealey at 10:44 AM on March 3, 2008 (66 comments)

Amy Walker does a little tour of 21 accents in 2 1/2 minutes. From the UK and Ireland to Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Russia, France, Australia, New Zealand, and around North America.
posted to MetaFilter by nickyskye at 9:25 PM on March 1, 2008 (145 comments)

Hungry? Arteries not quite plugged enough? Behold, the Big MacChicken.
posted to MetaFilter by mr_crash_davis at 5:04 PM on February 29, 2008 (55 comments)

Today on Penn Jillette's video blog he mentions a hilarious crew of Koreans have ripped off an old Penn and Teller trick.
posted to MetaFilter by byronimation at 10:35 AM on February 28, 2008 (51 comments)

1 in 99.1 American adults are now incarcerated according to a new Pew Center study (pdf). Some interesting numbers from a NYT article on the report: 1 in 36 Hispanic adults are incarcerated, 1 in 15 blacks, 1 in 9 black men aged 20-34, 1 in 355 white women aged 35-39. Some context from the World Prison Population List (pdf).
posted to MetaFilter by aerotive at 10:56 AM on February 28, 2008 (136 comments)

"The Billboard Liberation Front today announced a major new advertising improvement campaign executed on behalf of clients AT&T and the National Security Agency. Focusing on billboards in the San Francisco area, this improvement action is designed to promote and celebrate the innovative collaboration of these two global communications giants." [Via Threat Level.]
posted to MetaFilter by homunculus at 1:00 PM on February 28, 2008 (65 comments)

Bacon Cups are sure to make your next party a hit.
posted to MetaFilter by jonson at 2:50 PM on February 28, 2008 (82 comments)