MetaFilter

I'm imagining trying to explain this development to the scribe that originally created this "letter".
posted to MetaFilter by Hatashran at 5:04 PM on September 19, 2022

I have never in my life run a 7:15 mile, and he averaged that pace over the entire 24 hours.
posted to MetaFilter by tclark at 10:55 AM on September 19, 2022

I haven't searched for a job in fifteen years, and in a few weeks if everything goes well with my health, I'm going to have to go search for a job again.

I've been a bit nervous about that, but I really shouldn't be.

I should have been terrified. This sounds like something out of a nightmare. Be vulnerable and expose yourself to your employers to gain some advantage over other candidates? I'm not auditioning for BFFs, I just need a paycheck and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MrVisible at 4:18 PM on September 19, 2022

Balk’s First Law: Everything you hate about the Internet is actually everything you hate about people.

Balk’s Second Law: The worst thing is knowing what everyone thinks about anything.

Balk’s Third Law: If you think the Internet is terrible now, just wait a while.
posted to MetaFilter by General Malaise at 12:36 PM on September 19, 2022

The lifecycle of social media
posted to MetaFilter by chavenet at 12:30 PM on September 19, 2022

acb, about combining emoji, this is a previously here but I don't have the thread link to hand: you want https://emoji.supply/kitchen/
posted to MetaFilter by jzed at 4:07 PM on September 19, 2022

And then there are the ghost kanji; Japanese ideographs with neither meaning nor pronounciation which originated in bureaucratic mistakes and/or photocopier malfunctions in the 1970s when the JIS was standardising computer encodings for kanji, and ended up in Unicode because nothing that's in use gets removed.
posted to MetaFilter by acb at 3:13 PM on September 19, 2022

This is why it's my fave glyph:

Most Proto-Indo-European languages had a grammatical number for nouns between the singular and plural called the dual. That is, we have "cat" and "cats," but most PIE languages had a special form for things in pairs. A lot of Celtic and Slavic languages preserve at least some dual forms. English retains only a few. "One/both/all" is one. "Either" and "neither" are also holdover dual forms,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Eyebrows McGee at 1:48 PM on September 19, 2022

I doubt that Ford is going for this thing, as much as I'd like for him to leave Queen's Park; I highly advise him to go for it

Not gonna lie - a highlight reel of Dougie in a French leaders' debate would be an absolute delight.
posted to MetaFilter by mandolin conspiracy at 6:29 PM on February 2, 2022

The sky is the ocean today.

The ocean is a desert with its life underground, and a perfect disguise above.
posted to MetaFilter by Greg_Ace at 10:04 AM on September 19, 2022

Taskmaster, almost all episodes available on youtube. I am working through season 13 now, but will honestly just randomly grab an episode sometimes and then loop back through that series. I have choked with laughter on some episodes. Everything is low stakes but the participants (usually 80% professional comedians) all take it as a sort of improv madness.

Another very good one is Would I Lie To You? (WILTY) which is also available on youtube in various versions. Any... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by dorothyisunderwood at 12:16 AM on September 19, 2022

Teenagers are going to inexplicably figure out how to send/receive texts on this, and somehow they will be able to do it efficiently.
posted to MetaFilter by mcstayinskool at 6:34 AM on September 19, 2022

I am in the unnerving position of having my life more or less back after a prolonged hiatus to deal with family issues, and have to admonish myself that it doesn't mean I get to be upset about politics right away. I marked my social media and news apps collections on my phone as "Jesus No" and "Depression," respectively.
posted to MetaFilter by Peach at 5:01 AM on September 19, 2022

> "I guess the low-stakeness of it is why it's offensive?"
> "I expect the haters hate that it’s such an overtly feminist ..."

You guys are way overthinking this. They hate it because the superhero is a woman.

That's it.
posted to FanFare by kyrademon at 12:31 PM on September 18, 2022

I'd love to hear from one of the models* 'playing' in the band. it really is a parody of itself. Great article, and fun to rewatch the video. Anybody got a link to the Britney Spears Pepsi commercial referenced? I'm not up for searching for it.

from youtube comments: "Let's meet the girls as they are in the video, from ..Julie Pankhurst-keyboards, Patty Kelly-guitar, Mak Gilchrist-bass, Julia Bolino-guitar and Kathy Davies-drum/partially hidden in the back.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by theora55 at 8:01 AM on May 4, 2021

This show is just good plain fun. Not every MCU show has to be part of the World Building toward whatever the huge epic Kang battle is going to be.

It's a big universe, and some of the superheroes are more "street level", like She-Hulk, Daredevil, etc. Spider-Man is one who crosses boundaries from street level to Big Damn Hero.

I am thoroughly enjoying this more comedic entry showing more daily life stuff. Nerds on the internet need to relax and enjoy the ride.
posted to FanFare by Fleebnork at 4:50 AM on September 16, 2022

Not necessarily. There’s knockoff Calvin & Hobbes merch but no official Calvin & Hobbes merch, for instance.
posted to FanFare by gauche at 5:07 PM on September 15, 2022

Overall, the show's saving grace for me is that it's low key fun. I understand if someone has issues with plot or characterization or what you, but focusing on those details miss the point of this show, imo.

This is lightweight superhero fun, nothing more and nothing less. The bar is low and that's not a bad thing! Too often with the MCU there's endless theories about how this character or story arc will interact with such and such, what it means on a grand scale, etc... [more]
posted to FanFare by Brandon Blatcher at 7:53 AM on September 15, 2022

To be fair, a lot of us are going to kiss in his grave regardless.

Either the worst typo evar, or the worst idea evar.
posted to MetaFilter by chavenet at 5:47 AM on September 15, 2022

→ Stone of Scone to be moved to London for coronation

that went really badly last time
posted to MetaFilter by scruss at 11:47 AM on September 13, 2022

a largely forgotten novel called “Consider the Consequences,” published in 1930, that most closely anticipated the Choose Your Own Adventure form. Written by two middle-aged friends, Doris Webster and Mary Alden Hopkins, it invited the reader to make choices about the romantic life of a young woman and her two suitors

Interestingly, a year prior to this, the same authors published Tell Your Own Fortune which had the related... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Wobbuffet at 4:14 PM on September 13, 2022

Tobias: You know, Lindsay, as a writer, I have advised a number of other writers to explore TV Tropes where the writer remains subject to storytelling tropes, but free to explore trying to avoid common pitfalls.

Lindsay: Well, did it work for those people?

Tobias: No, it never does. I mean, these people somehow delude themselves into thinking it might, but… But it might work for us.
posted to MetaFilter by DoctorFedora at 11:59 PM on September 13, 2022

I put that last bit together a little sloppily. I meant to say: Daggett is violence as authority; English Bob is violence as fame/virility/aristocracy/being the big name; Schofield Kid is violence as toughness/manliness. And each of those has it entirely wrong. Violence is evil, is cancerous, is toxic. Munny knows this. That's why he wanted to stay out.
posted to FanFare by DirtyOldTown at 10:36 AM on September 13, 2022

I don't think this is a technical problem or an AskMe problem, I think it is a Human Nature problem. And so I don't think there are any fixes aside from either the asker, or someone else, to point out that "please note that the OP said they did not want a metal bat". I've done that on occasion and try to provide my own answer as well so it doesn't look only like a spank.

Although one time I didn't provide my own... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by EmpressCallipygos at 12:49 PM on September 12, 2022

My nearby, extremely busy Starbucks is having trouble keeping product in stock. Maybe Starbucks needs to focus on real world supply chain issues rather than bizarro world blockchain issues.
posted to MetaFilter by GenjiandProust at 1:41 PM on September 12, 2022

Several days ago we spilled a full gallon of apple cider vinegar in the garage. The glass shattered on impact. In the minute or so it took to gather the cleaning supplies to deal with this nearly the entire gallon had seeped into the concrete. Diluted vinegar is a fantastic way to clean your concrete, which is good. This was not diluted, which is bad. It was also, I point out, apple cider vinegar -- a fluid with a live culture in it. That's why vinegar smells okay and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by majick at 12:51 PM on September 12, 2022

On Saturday, I managed to catch a glimpse of the mouse that lives in the rocks by my front steps. They held still long enough for me to get a photo.
posted to MetaFilter by Dr. Twist at 9:41 AM on September 12, 2022

Surprisingly-colored spiders lurking in skulls, and putting root vegetables where they don't usually go... So far so good.

My mom passed away two nights ago (in hospice at home with her family, so it's... okay), and yesterday, I'm sitting at her desk when I notice a small box there. It was originally a notecard/envelope box. I open it and find a bunch of small strips of paper rattling around inside. Each one is folded up to a small square, and each has writing on it,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by whatnotever at 4:55 AM on September 12, 2022

Last week I passed the "20 years on Metafilter" milestone. I don't comment or post as much as I used to, but I still visit every day and still learn a lot every time I do. Thanks a bunch for being here and being you, MeFites.
posted to MetaFilter by Paragon at 3:16 AM on September 12, 2022

Stephen Fry literally, physically recoils and makes an "eugh" expression

Maybe I'm being too generous, but I read those moments as a kind of sarcastic clowning on his own sexual orientation rather than anything sincere.
posted to MetaFilter by juv3nal at 1:50 AM on September 11, 2022

The constellation map stealing hijinks was so incredibly hokey.

Seemed like the perfect level of humour for Hobbits/Harfoots. I'm glad this show has a sense of humour.
posted to FanFare by crossoverman at 12:13 AM on September 11, 2022

Also, somewhat oddly the headline specifies "Japanese Emperor" which is redundant since there aren't any other Emperors anymore.

I mean, not acknowledged ones...

* coughs politely *
posted to MetaFilter by EmpressCallipygos at 4:55 AM on September 11, 2022

@BlackKnight10k: If you're white and you wonder why black twitter is on some totally different shit than you today, just look at this map of Africa and when countries gained their freedom from European colonization.
posted to MetaFilter by mazola at 7:59 AM on September 10, 2022

Well, it was a mantra during those days, when tracing scandalous behavior.. "Follow the Monkee."
posted to MetaFilter by hippybear at 1:36 PM on September 10, 2022

And another change. HMS has always meant Her Majesty's Ship, now His.

Also, all the Q.C.s becoming K.C.s.
posted to MetaFilter by snuffleupagus at 2:23 PM on September 9, 2022

To paraphrase:

"If seeing Black people in science fiction/fantasy ruins science fiction/fantasy for you, thank you for explaining why you enjoy science fiction."
posted to MetaFilter by lalochezia at 10:05 AM on September 9, 2022

Yes, the national anthem is changing its pronouns. It's going to be real fun watching the right wingers get their heads around that one.
posted to MetaFilter by automatronic at 9:15 AM on September 9, 2022

Like, people who enjoy fantasy with fantastical elements (dragons, elves, or whateverthefuck) but cannot wrap their heads around a black elf or hell, any person of colour in those fantasy worlds, is one of the most idiotic missing the point things I have ever seen.
posted to MetaFilter by Kitteh at 9:57 AM on September 9, 2022

As parodied regularly on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue: "Leeds galleries and museums may contain countless priceless artefacts, but keen-eyed visitors may also find here certain curiosities of no financial value, remnants from a bye-gone age guaranteed to kill half an hour. Let's meet the teams."
posted to MetaFilter by crocomancer at 7:07 AM on September 9, 2022

→ biffa: An unelected head of state shouldn't be influencing any policy

I've mentioned my unelected HoS policy meddling interaction before, but there are some "yeah anyone can write a letter so what?" comments above that might not get the gravity of the situation.

About 30 years ago, I was working for a wind farm developer. We had an amazing prospective site in the NE of Scotland: supportive community, nearby electrical infrastructure... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by scruss at 7:01 AM on September 9, 2022

When Gaddafi died, there was unadulterated cheers in western halls of power. If Putin was to croak tomorrow, there would be a debauched party in London. But if a monarch with the blood of millions upon millions on multiple continents dies, we’re supposed to show class.

don't really care whether people 'show class', but it would probably help if they could tell the difference between (i) an actual dictator personally pursuing the deaths of thousands... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by inire at 6:19 AM on September 9, 2022

In the US you had Hollywood Squares and Match Game, shows that went on for decades, letting has been chuckle-miners retire in style with a cocktail on stage and a chance to riff with their peers. Paul Lynde, Nipsey Russel, etc, etc, etc.
posted to MetaFilter by seanmpuckett at 6:11 AM on September 9, 2022

Since it was made in 2011, the documentary doesn't have Sandy Toksvig as host, and I like her better than Stephen Fry.

I adored Fry as host but I can just never get into Toksvig. Maybe it'd be different if she'd been hosting from the beginning but as it is I just keep waiting for her to leave and Fry to come back.

I don't think the US really has enough of the right kind of celebrities to make an American QI work. There are a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Ursula Hitler at 11:12 PM on September 8, 2022

I think "Would I Lie to You" is the British panel show most likely to succeed in a US version. We've got plenty of comedians, actors, and so on that can handle telling a rambling story -- they keep the Jimmy Kimmels in business. And it requires less chemistry between the contestants as long as the host and team captains have some. Get Craig Ferguson or Conan O'Brien to host and you're halfway there.

I'd love to see an American "Richard Osman's House of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mmoncur at 10:47 PM on September 8, 2022

Brit, born in '54. She was Queen for the whole of my life and it will be weird to hear people talking about the King, or hearing about King's Counsels or swearing allegiance to His Majesty. Won't be another Queen in my lifetime and possibly not for a very long time after that.

And, as someone quipped on Twitter, come Christmas Day when people talk about the KIng's Speech many of us will assume it is a rerun of the movie.

Not looking forward to the next few days...
posted to MetaFilter by epo at 3:15 AM on September 9, 2022

The magazine and its news site, which are based in Washington, have been owned since 2019 by the Walt Disney Co., which acquired a majority stake in the famed yellow-bordered publication as part of its $71 billion purchase of 21st Century Fox, controlled by Rupert Murdoch.

I'll take "Sentences My Grandparents Would Have Thought Were Gibberish" for $800, Alex.
posted to MetaFilter by The Underpants Monster at 2:43 PM on September 8, 2022

It's nice that they took the time to run the word salad algorithm and provide an explanation for the layoffs. I'm sure staff will find it comforting to know the magazine is, "realigning key departments to help deepen engagement with...readers while also nurturing existing business models and developing new lines of revenue."
posted to MetaFilter by Winnie the Proust at 11:34 AM on September 8, 2022

you just know that the desperate Churchill wannabe is gutted that he didn't get to be PM at a moment of great statehood

If nothing else, I will grant the late Queen this: she hung on just long enough to make Boris Johnson just a little bit sadder, and for that I'm grateful.
posted to MetaFilter by Mr. Bad Example at 2:06 PM on September 8, 2022

Oh, ricochet biscuit, it's even funnier than you remembered. There are photos.

Twitter link
posted to MetaFilter by TWinbrook8 at 1:18 PM on September 8, 2022

Just wait until the new Royal Mail postboxes get installed with C III R on them, or something to that effect.

That surely won't happen for a while, since the existing ones are quite sturdy. I still post my letters into one marked V R.
posted to MetaFilter by altolinguistic at 1:08 PM on September 8, 2022