I passed high school physics by the skin of my teeth and in general am not the best at grasping scientific concepts. But, I am also deeply fascinated by space, and I'd like to understand more about it. What documentary movies/series should I watch?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by nancynickerson at 12:07 PM on November 9, 2021 (9 comments)

What are the best general audience books on physics, astronomy, and cosmology written in the last 20 years or so that cover recent developments in those fields?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jomato at 8:27 PM on August 31, 2021 (10 comments)

May I interest you in a moment of mechanical joy? George Rhoads, the man who designed delightful kinetic sculptures made of twists and turns and gears and track, died on July 9, 2021. His audio-kinetic ball machines can be found across the United States, from the New York Port Authority (42nd Street Ballroom; YT), to the Radys Children's Hospital in San Diego, California, and beyond. He spoke about his life's work in an interview in 2015.
posted to MetaFilter by MonkeyToes at 7:55 PM on August 11, 2021 (19 comments)

I dislike most forms of cardio. I love dance. I've been trained in a classical dance form of my country for over a decade, so I'm a fairly competent dancer. I'm looking for great dance videos (like pop song videos/movies, for example) I can copy off from - just for personal entertainment and fitness/happy hormone purposes. Difficulty level- easy to medium. Link me, please. Thank you!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Nieshka at 8:35 AM on August 6, 2021 (10 comments)

I think it's not too tin-foil-hatty to say that we're getting more extreme weather because of climate change. Let's say you're city dwelling DINKs with a cat and you want to kit out one of those under bed storage boxes with supplies (food? candles? batteries? whiskey? tiny cat hard hat? I really have no idea) in case of extreme weather. What would you include?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by nerdfish at 1:36 AM on December 31, 2013 (33 comments)

What with the state of the world I've been thinking about fire and flood recently. If I had to get up and go right now, what should go in my go-bag? How do I avoid putting all my eggs in one basket? Computer/digitisable stuff I guess I can have a back-up offsite or on a hard drive ready to go, but what about irreplacable/sentimental/unique stuff? How to keep important things safe but also separate?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by I'm always feeling, Blue at 9:53 PM on July 24, 2021 (22 comments)

Myself and a friend, both intermediate level learned-as-adults piano players decided to learn about (not play!) all of the Beethoven piano sonatas, one per week. We will get the scores and we will have recordings (Barenboim to start). What guides (videos, books, websites) are the best for this adventure? We'd be looking for insightful analysis, maybe a bit of the history, notes on performing... We also don't know what we don't know, what other things that would sparkle. I've reserved the Great Courses lecture series at the library but what else is good?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by storybored at 1:48 PM on May 4, 2021 (8 comments)

At 20:25 in this video about the York Museum of Automata, they show a fantastic automaton called The Birth of Venus, by Katie Rowe (spelling uncertain). I wasn't able to google up any more information about this artist, using multiple spelling variations of the name. The museum has been gone for 20+ years and has no significant web presence. I'm familiar with a lot of late 20th century automata artists through Cabaret Mechanical Theater and associates, but I'd never encountered this artist before!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by moonmilk at 11:03 AM on March 7, 2021 (4 comments)

Years ago, I heard a concert on CBC Radio 2 wherein a presenter analyzed one of Mozart's works. I would love to be able to find it again. Do you know what I might have heard? Is it available online anywhere?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by TangoCharlie at 11:19 AM on February 26, 2021 (7 comments)

I'm thinking of giving my character an interest, or maybe even degree, in mycology. I'm working in the life sciences but besides hunting mushrooms in my childhood and seeing a bizzare documentary about slime molds or lichen have no clue about the field. Is there some book/film/documentary where I can pick up something about it?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by SweetLiesOfBokonon at 3:53 AM on November 2, 2020 (11 comments)

If I find higher math fun but I'm not gonna do a degree in it, how else could I indulge in it as a hobby?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Cozybee at 11:55 AM on September 3, 2020 (25 comments)

I have been realizing more and more that I've forgotten most of the history I learned in primary school and college. I work/study in a STEM field, but in my free time I am very interested in leftist politics and organizing. However, I think having a good baseline understanding of US history as well as major events in international history is really important to discussing politics with people at a deeper level. Details on the types of resources I'm looking for below the line.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by unid41 at 2:50 PM on August 12, 2020 (8 comments)

I've been a long-time Dorothy L. Sayers fan, and from there branched out into reading lots of mysteries from roughly the 20s-30s. I've read (or am aware of and am getting to) many of the major authors, and I'm looking for new books to queue up next.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by PussKillian at 1:36 PM on August 12, 2020 (23 comments)

I used to download a lot of audio and video off the 'tube but now it seems someone will write a plugin and then it gets disabled, but seeing as I'm listening/watching the data must be able to be drawn down in other ways. Right now I'm listing to D E E P D U B and it'd be awesome to physically have it, along with several gigs of other fine sounds. I normally use chrome but happy to use another browser or tool for this task. I'm on win10 64 Home Edition and have pretty fast net - at the moment.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by unearthed at 7:13 PM on July 27, 2020 (20 comments)

I'm starting my programming journey (again) and am figuring out what's the best way to learn. What book, online resource, video series, etc., did you find most useful in becoming a Python master?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by miltthetank at 11:35 AM on June 18, 2020 (19 comments)

I want to learn more about art history, and require your book recommendations. Assume I have a base level of knowledge (I've been to some museums here in the US and in Europe and took the audio tours, etc.), so something akin to a college-level textbook (though it doesn't need to be one). If you need more particulars, I'd probably prefer something about art history over a variety of periods vs. diving deeply into one. I'd also love for it to encompass art globally, but Western art would be were I'd concentrate if I had to narrow down the scale. What are your suggestions?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by po822000 at 2:37 PM on May 28, 2020 (13 comments)

I keep getting ailments in various parts of my body and then searching for anatomy drawings on the internet and getting frustrated by the results--things are paywalled or tiny or don't show the right angle. Are there any good books of detailed, labelled color drawings that cover human anatomy comprehensively and relatively authoritatively?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ropeladder at 7:08 PM on January 21, 2020 (9 comments)

I'm after books, podcasts, documentaries etc on dinosaurs aimed at adults.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by poxandplague at 2:20 AM on January 13, 2020 (11 comments)

So I was told that due to health problems (long-standing depression, sadness and anxiety) that I have to change my whole chemistry and this to be done through happiness. Ugh. No really UGH.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by watercarrier at 9:24 AM on January 9, 2020 (49 comments)

I have a wide social circle but relatively few close friends. How can I deepen existing friendly relationships into lasting and genuine friendships?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by unicorn chaser at 3:41 AM on January 8, 2020 (20 comments)

I could use help zeroing in on dress shoes I can walk around in without setting myself back. The shoes most helpful are these bad girls, with solid, rocker-bottom soles and a lifted heel. I know I'm not going to find that in a dress shoe, but something with a bit of those qualities would be really nice.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by moira at 4:41 PM on January 3, 2020 (10 comments)

Today I learned that Jupiter could have become a star if it were bigger and this fact both terrifies and intrigues me. I would like to learn more about how planets and stars, y'know, work. However, high school algebra and physics were as far as I got in those subjects, they were never my thing, and those classes were a long time ago. Can you recommend some books (or podcasts, but books would be preferable) that explain space stuff for people with only a rudimentary science backgroud? Thank you!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by darchildre at 5:49 PM on December 11, 2019 (13 comments)

I enjoy buying things for myself... and I hate this fact about myself! For me, retail therapy really is therapy. How can I change this around and become more thoughtful about my purchases? I don't want to be a slave to capitalism, but acquiring new 'stuff' makes me feel good. How do I stop wanting things?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by unicorn chaser at 3:49 AM on November 30, 2019 (35 comments)

The company holiday party is coming up, and I have a slinky black dress and sparkly accessories, but find myself without appropriate shoes. I have problem feet and can't do any but the steadiest and gentlest of heels, and pointy toes are right out. Dress sandals are my fallback but wouldn't be quite appropriate. What's is your comfiest dressy black shoe?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by rhiannonstone at 10:37 PM on November 18, 2019 (29 comments)

Years ago, I had a glorious weekend with my best friend where we just hung out and did Weffriddles all weekend long. (Also wore togas, but that is not important.) Where can I find more/the best like this so I can do them with people!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by OnTheLastCastle at 9:06 PM on August 1, 2016 (5 comments)

My wife is looking for a new hobby/activity which scratches a particular problem solving/puzzle-ish itch. We've tried looking but honestly aren't even entirely sure what we're looking for so I suggested we see what kind of ideas the hive mind might offer up. She's mostly looking for stuff that can be done indoors/at the computer but all suggestions welcome! Her thoughts inside.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Mister_Sleight_of_Hand at 8:18 AM on November 12, 2019 (21 comments)

So I'm in the middle of an external situation that is filling me with dread and stress. One of the ways this is affecting me is that I wake up between 2-3 am, "fight or flight" reflexes blazing. I generally don't have trouble falling asleep -- often I'm exhausted and fall asleep easily -- but after about 4 hours I'm done. I haven't had a full night of sleep in weeks and it's starting to affect me badly. Anyone have tricks for staying asleep?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by fingersandtoes at 12:44 PM on October 30, 2019 (42 comments)

I'm looking for recommendations for a specific type of pilates/pilates fusion/workout video. Key features: fast-paced, high energy, difficult workout, set to fun and energetic music.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by lomes at 12:28 PM on October 27, 2019 (5 comments)

I'm starting to feel like it's time for me to make a will. I'm in my early forties and enough people from my cohort have died unexpectedly that I can't just pretend I'l live forever. I don't have any kids or anything--what should I do with my estate?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by exceptinsects at 5:08 PM on September 23, 2019 (21 comments)

BigLifeQuestionFilter: How long does it take to learn to be a decent professional programmer/developer/software engineer/whatever? And if so, do I want to?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by mosst at 9:59 AM on September 16, 2019 (18 comments)

Looking for workbooks on anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Those that have questions that I can answer, think things through, that kind of thing. Do you have any recommendations?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by pleasebekind at 10:06 AM on September 10, 2019 (5 comments)

I want to learn some dance moves suitable for using when dancing alone to whatever range of dance music typically gets played these days at clubs, weddings and so forth. What moves should I learn and what freely available instructional videos should I use to learn them?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by orange swan at 9:45 AM on September 6, 2019 (10 comments)

I’d really like to understand physics better, especially quantum mechanics, string theory all that spooky kinda stuff. But I really lack the maths brain to get in depth. What’s the best way to get my maths a bit more up to scratch?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by KateViolet at 3:06 PM on September 1, 2019 (10 comments)