The Year Without Sunshine is a new story by Naomi Kritzer. It's about what happens after the really big disaster. Kritzer is perhaps best known for Cat Pictures Please, but her other works have been lauded on MetaFilter previously (previously; previously; previously - So Much Cooking; previously - Better Living Through Algorithms, plus her election guide); previously - Paradox; previously; all the previouslies).
posted to MetaFilter by kristi at 12:49 PM on November 10, 2023 (20 comments)

More than 400 years ago, Galileo showed that many everyday phenomena—such as a ball rolling down an incline or a chandelier gently swinging from a church ceiling—obey precise mathematical laws. For this insight, he is often hailed as the founder of modern science. But Galileo recognized that not everything was amenable to a quantitative approach. Such things as colors, tastes and smells “are no more than mere names,” Galileo declared, for “they reside only in consciousness.”

Is Consciousness Part of the Fabric of the Universe? [Archive]

posted to MetaFilter by y2karl at 12:42 PM on November 9, 2023 (92 comments)

Gorgeous...
posted to MetaFilter by dfm500 at 10:10 AM on November 7, 2023 (25 comments)

Any movie scene, rewritten like a Michael Bay movie [via mefi projects] Do you feel like most movies have a serious lack of explosions? A troubling shortage of Blackhawk helicopters? Who among us hasn't watched Titanic and thought, "What this movie really needs is a mechanical shark with a machine gun on it"? Don't worry, we got you. Just enter your favorite movie scene and our team of tiny transformers will re-direct it like Michael Bay.
posted to MetaFilter by ShooBoo at 8:54 PM on November 6, 2023 (78 comments)

"The Web Revival is about reclaiming the technology in our lives and asking what we really want from the tools we use, and the digital experiences we share....The goal is to find what was best about the early web and what is best about new technologies and merge the two into a model for tomorrow; while kicking all the Zuckerberg's and Musk's to the curb so we can get on with our lives. The citizens of the web deserve more respect than to be boxed into cubicles, limited to 280 characters, studied and rebranded." (Melon's Thoughts, on melonking.net, via Web Curios.)
posted to MetaFilter by MonkeyToes at 3:32 PM on November 6, 2023 (34 comments)

CBN, RBS, and not really the BBC Mockumentary or pseudodocumentary Nuclear Confrontation between Russia and NATO (2018) uses fake/semiplausible BBC news programs and archival footage to tell the story of how such a conflict might occur.

It's the latest example of the genre.
posted to MetaFilter by doctornemo at 10:50 AM on November 5, 2023 (32 comments)

Blank Space (Johnny's Version) [SLTikTok]
posted to MetaFilter by mhum at 11:06 AM on October 31, 2023 (9 comments)

We get a bit more of insight into the origins of Evil Morty.
posted to FanFare by onya at 10:26 PM on November 15, 2023 (10 comments)

Love in an Orchard, as Written by the Trees. Donating Kittens to the Goddess Bastet. Parental Grief. Same-Sex Love Spells. A Runaway Child Bride. A Bachelor Wishes to Marry. A Spell to Attract Women. His Mind is Shrouded in Darkness. I am Dying of a Broken Heart.

These and more vignettes of ancient Middle Eastern life at the Papyrus Stories Group Blog (click on language tab or hover on topic tab for best navigation).
posted to MetaFilter by Rumple at 4:11 PM on October 26, 2023 (7 comments)

This week... the main story is about the Israel-Hamas war, specifically about their leaders, "how they came to power, whose interests they do and don't represent, and what role they played in bringing us to this current conflict." Hamas undermined the efforts of the previous poltical party Fatah, which had been pursuing peace; and Netanhayu is currently widely reviled within Israel by those who blame him for the security lapses that allowed Hamas to attack, but has long had other very troubling issues, and currently presides over the most right-wing government in Israel's history. (On Youtube, 32 minutes) And Now: Rachel Campos-Duffy Really, Really Needs You To Know That Her Husband Was Once In Congress. Concluding the episode is an update over the New Zealand Bird of the Century election.
posted to FanFare by JHarris at 4:45 AM on November 14, 2023 (3 comments)

Hi folks -- here's a thread to talk about constructive next steps after this thread from two weeks ago.
posted to MetaTalk by jessamyn at 9:20 AM on October 18, 2023 (122 comments)

This week... the writer's strike is over, and it was successful! The show's been off for five months, and a number of things happened during that time (see inside). And Now: Local News Is Very Excited About What Week It Is (Fat Bear Week). Main story is about the woeful health care in US prisons, a shameful condition often belittled by the media. Yep, Last Week Tonight is back! (On Youtube, 19 minutes) And Now: Fall Is Here, And So Is Something Else (Pumpkin Spice Lattes).
posted to FanFare by JHarris at 12:43 AM on October 2, 2023 (13 comments)

Thanks for your patience as I have worked through talking with lawyers who talk with their experts. This is a substantive update with some news and some questions for the community. The short form is: everyone on the team of people I spoke with agrees that MeFi could potentially be a non-profit organization (with the ultimate determination being made by the IRS). Now we need to decide how to move forward and make MeFi into a community-run organization. I'll give some backstory and a "where we are with this" situation inside.
posted to MetaTalk by jessamyn at 7:52 AM on October 3, 2023 (181 comments)

Sleep With Me has put me to sleep for 10 years and 1200 episodes, entertaining me and helping me feel better about the brain bots that keep my mind busy at night. Northwoods Baseball announces games for a made-up league in northern Michigan. Everything Is Alive is back for another season, this time exclusively interviewing animals. And EIA's sister-show In The Scenes Behind Plain Sight rewatches a fictional show about a nudist colony, as an homage to rewatch podcasts (and it drives my husband up the walls).
posted to MetaFilter by rebent at 2:40 PM on October 4, 2023 (47 comments)

Light is an online poetry magazine that's been going since 1992. If you often think of poems as stodgy and hard to understand, you might want to give the sparkling light verse produced by their stable of poets a chance -- archives include work by Wendy Cope, frequent higgledy-piggledy (double dactyl) appearances, an "impossible rhymes" compilation including Tom Lehrer, Ogden Nash, and Roy Blount, Jr., and more. Poems reacting to current events, large and small, appear in the magazine's long-running Poems of the Week feature.
posted to MetaFilter by brainwane at 10:51 AM on September 18, 2023 (12 comments)

Happy 20th anniversary to the unofficial British National Anthem (now over 380 weeks on the charts!) How The Killers made Mr Brightside, one of the most enduring rock songs of all time - The Independent (more links below the cut)
posted to MetaFilter by Pachylad at 8:03 AM on October 2, 2023 (53 comments)

Agma Schwa's second Cursed Conlang Circus is on YouTube! For those who enjoy a good conlang, these are bad ones -- or rather, fantastically difficult and strange ones -- to enjoy even more. Although the links are to YT videos that take some time to watch, you can consult the transcripts or use chapters for quick looks.
Check out the marvelously alien Gurgle, created for a race of hexapods with a central orifice and beak. Or the ridiculous Douleur ("ultraFrench") with its six genders, including insectile and piratical. Tired of noise? Say it with rocks instead, using Geolaŋ, one of the few languages that requires knowledge of local land use regulations.

posted to MetaFilter by Countess Elena at 12:09 PM on September 30, 2023 (7 comments)

A jargon-free explanation of how AI large language models work - "Want to really understand large language models? Here's a gentle primer." [link-heavy FPP!]
posted to MetaFilter by kliuless at 11:59 PM on September 26, 2023 (28 comments)

The crew investigates whether the universe is a simulation.
posted to FanFare by Marticus at 2:35 AM on September 25, 2023 (7 comments)

For a while I've been collecting examples of 20th century comic strips and newspaper cartoons which include parodies of Modern Art. (I got some help from ask.meta last year!) I've now posted my collection on cohost, and I will add new ones as I find them.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by moonmilk at 10:27 PM on September 10, 2023 (5 comments)

Pete Beard is a British historian of illustration and illustrators. In an age of clipart and ML-generated content, it is worthwhile to look back and celebrate the forgotten artists of the past. Pete Beard has just published his 100th episode of 'Unsung Heroes of Illustration', a series which covers illustrators born between 1850 and 1910. CW: Whilst all the illustrations are skilfully rendered, there might be the odd one that does not conform to modern sensibilities.
posted to MetaFilter by bouvin at 7:13 AM on September 5, 2023 (8 comments)

a 3D reconstruction of the capital of the Aztec Empire The year is 1518. Mexico-Tenochtitlan, once an unassuming settlement in the middle of Lake Texcoco, now a bustling metropolis. It is the capital of an empire ruling over, and receiving tribute from, more than 5 million people. Tenochtitlan is home to 200.000 farmers, artisans, merchants, soldiers, priests and aristocrats. At this time, it is one of the largest cities in the world. Today, we call this city Ciudad de Mexico - Mexico City. Not much is left of the old Aztec - or Mexica - capital Tenochtitlan. What did this city, raised from the lake bed by hand, look like? Using historical and archeological sources, and the expertise of many, I have tried to faithfully bring this iconic city to life.
posted to MetaFilter by aniola at 9:25 PM on September 3, 2023 (30 comments)

Joe Murray created Rocko's Modern Life, Camp Lazlo, and Let's Go Luna!. He wrote a book a while back about animating for TV, web, or film. It went out of print. So Joe decided to make it available for download for free. "As payment, maybe you can donate to a food bank, or simply pay it forward somehow."
posted to MetaFilter by Etrigan at 11:06 AM on August 28, 2023 (3 comments)

Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter.
posted to FanFare by pitrified at 12:45 PM on October 25, 2015 (7 comments)

• How to draw Ronald McDonald
• How to be a Playboy bunny
• How to care for your Pet Rock
• How to run the Haunted Mansion
• How to fly to the Moon
• How to commit sabotage

A selection of digitized manuals from the Internet Archive curated by Jason Scott
posted to MetaFilter by Horace Rumpole at 11:07 AM on August 25, 2023 (46 comments)

When you think of real bangers, you wouldn't generally think of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, because, well, they're the ones tasked on keeping you from a... banger. But they just dropped, very carefully, the album-length We're Safety Now Haven't We, a real, uh, banger?
posted to MetaFilter by eschatfische at 3:03 PM on September 20, 2023 (29 comments)

Yes, it's another listicle. That said, I like it for several reasons: it does not ignore pre-2000 shows; it indicates where the episodes can be streamed; and it does, for those series with which I'm familiar, make solid (though, as always, debatable) choices. (As a bonus, Andre Braugher appears twice!)
posted to MetaFilter by Kat Allison at 10:42 AM on September 19, 2023 (128 comments)

A search index for the very-NSFW web comic Oglaf. On Mastodon, Esther talks about how she built it. [previousliest]
posted to MetaFilter by jessamyn at 6:27 PM on September 18, 2023 (55 comments)

The origins of Granada's resplendent Mezquita Mayor. The Mezquita Mayor of the Spanish city of Granada traces its beginnings to a curious meeting on Portobello Road in London, on the very same day in 1975 that Francisco Franco died.
posted to MetaFilter by rabia.elizabeth at 10:08 AM on September 16, 2023 (5 comments)

Conservative groups draw up plan to dismantle the US government and replace it with Trump's vision - "Led by the long-established Heritage Foundation think tank and fueled by former Trump administration officials, the far-reaching effort is essentially a government-in-waiting for the former president's return — or any candidate who aligns with their ideals and can defeat President Joe Biden in 2024." [link-heavy FPP]
posted to MetaFilter by kliuless at 1:56 AM on September 21, 2023 (60 comments)

--about a question that has been plaguing me for months: Why is this bridge here?" The deepest of deep dives into the history of a seemingly trivial phenomenon: a footbridge over a suburban freeway south of Minneapolis. At the same time, an amazing piece of citizen research and reporting on a bit of pre-internet local history. (via)
posted to MetaFilter by Kat Allison at 7:18 AM on August 29, 2023 (55 comments)

Wordward Draw is a browser game in which each word you type must be either an anagram of your previous word or identical to your previous word with just one letter changed. If you can reach certain goal words (which are gradually revealed), you get to see a little picture. That's it! See all the pictures!
posted to MetaFilter by nobody at 7:32 AM on August 26, 2023 (34 comments)

A Universal Germanic Dialogue (SLYT, make sure sound is on) Is it possible to construct a paragraph in Dutch, German, English, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish that are all mutually comprehendible? That is my plan.
posted to MetaFilter by gwint at 8:05 PM on August 22, 2023 (46 comments)

This link takes you to today's Guardian story about Bragg's new song. And here's the song itself.
posted to MetaFilter by Paul Slade at 6:28 AM on August 21, 2023 (67 comments)

My Parents Are Dead: What Now? A resource (aimed at Millennials, but useful to people of any age) for those who have no idea what to do when their parents die. From the last days through the funeral to probate and beyond, useful advice and links for folks who are working through one of the awful parts of adult life. US-centric.
posted to MetaFilter by gentlyepigrams at 9:48 PM on August 16, 2023 (55 comments)

Barbie suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence.
posted to FanFare by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:17 AM on July 20, 2023 (159 comments)

There's a certain kind of melody that gets lodged in my head in a great way, not that it's a hook or an earworm. I primarily listen to indie rock, singer-songwriter or folksy stuff, or contemporary classical. When I find pieces that have this kind of infectious melody, they're wonderful to write to. Usually slow or mid-tempo. Examples within.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by mermaidcafe at 9:33 PM on September 2, 2023 (5 comments)

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind.
posted to FanFare by miss-lapin at 4:27 PM on August 11, 2023 (12 comments)

After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O'Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
posted to FanFare by praemunire at 6:42 PM on August 13, 2023 (18 comments)

What movies are smart and dumb at the same time?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by latkes at 10:48 AM on August 22, 2023 (55 comments)

Bender uncovers the mysteries of the vast Momazon corporation.
posted to FanFare by Marticus at 12:53 AM on August 21, 2023 (8 comments)

Can you paint a copy of the Mona Lisa in 60 seconds? Anything over 80% is good, 85%+ very good, and 90% may be possible if you're extremely fast and accurate. While making it I posted updates to Twitter and Mastodon (click a later post to load more of thread).
posted to MetaFilter Projects by malevolent at 2:37 AM on August 21, 2023 (1 comment)

"Come one! Come all! And welcome to the ultimate test of skill... That's right, live from the Independent Monetary Kingdom of Coinland, it's time once again for The Coin Toss World Cup! 8 billion players from all around the world! One solitary winner! Who will it be? Who knows! But it could be you! And it has to be someone!" The Coin Toss World Cup is an exciting game of skill and talent in which YOU could become the number one "heads-or-tailser" in the world! All you have to do is choose (and not lose)!
posted to MetaFilter Projects by dng at 3:06 PM on July 27, 2023 (3 comments)

My 5-year-old wants to know if there are any living rhinos named Clara.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by johngoren at 4:10 AM on August 12, 2023 (9 comments)

Bösendorfer’s legendary Model 290 Imperial concert grand piano has 97 keys that cover a full eight octaves. Sauter’s Microtone upright piano also has 97 keys, but they only cover a single octave. It’s one of 15 “metamorphoser” piano designs patented by microtonal music pioneer Julián Carillo; the prototypes, built by Sauter, were introduced at the Brussels World Fair in 1958. This Microtone piano is tuned “with only 1/16 step between the keys so that on this instrument what appears to be a fifth actually sounds 1/16-step less than a half-step,” i.e. 96 steps per octave; the other designs had 36, 48, 60 or some other number of steps per octave. See and hear the Microtone in action in this performance of Bruce Mather’s Étude pour piano en seizième de ton (2001).
posted to MetaFilter by mcwetboy at 8:31 AM on August 14, 2023 (22 comments)

Weird World of LLMs is a concise, true, and very funny rundown of the actual technology behind the latest Internet Gold Rush. (from Simon Willison)
posted to MetaFilter by panglos at 3:48 PM on August 7, 2023 (21 comments)

City Quiz is a fun little webgame where you literally just name every city. It breaks down by the whole planet, or just one continent, or just one country, and scores you based on number of cities or percentage of the population.
posted to MetaFilter by andreaazure at 6:02 PM on August 6, 2023 (72 comments)

Skibidi Toilet [SLYT] is a series of so far 55 minute-long animated episodes featuring an invasion of roving heads-in-toilets taking over the world as they sing remixes of "Brr Skibidi Dop Dop Dop Dop Yes Yes Yes Yes" by Turkish music group Biser King. (CW: Mild jump scares)
posted to MetaFilter by AlSweigart at 5:46 PM on August 7, 2023 (25 comments)

You bookmark interesting pages to check out later. But the more you bookmark, the harder it gets to find and revisit them -- if you even remember to do it. Wander surprises you with a random page that you bookmarked once upon a time. Get back to the places you love, not just the places that hook you.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by ogami at 10:30 PM on August 6, 2023

Happy Dogust to shelter dogs of indeterminate birthday everywhere! FTFA:

Dogust, which takes place Aug. 1 each year, is a nationwide celebration for dogs whose birthdays are unknown. It’s been a holiday since 2008, when staff at the North Shore Animal League America of New York set out to ensure even dogs without official birthdays still get their own special day. “[It’s] the official birthday for all rescued puppies and dogs to celebrate their importance in our lives,” says Joanne Yohannan, North Shore Animal League America’s senior vice president of operations.

posted to MetaFilter by wenestvedt at 6:16 AM on August 2, 2023 (28 comments)