There's a lot of writing on the internet about French eating habits and how refined (and superior) they are, but I'm curious how these habits play out in less refined circumstances.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by stoneandstar at 12:54 PM on July 12, 2016 (18 comments)

Rafinesque’s “absurd” botanical legacy, Gray wrote, amounted to little more than a “curious mass of nonsense.” Gray’s note wouldn’t be the last unkind obituary in the annals of taxonomy, nor would it be the worst. That’s because the rules dictating how taxonomists name and classify living things bind these scientists in a web of influence stretching far back into the 18th century. When an agent of chaos like Rafinesque enters the scene, that web can get sticky fast. In a field haunted by ghosts, someone has to reckon with the dead.
posted to MetaFilter by sciatrix at 9:57 AM on April 27, 2016 (4 comments)

It was like a mirror world to YouTube comments, where several dozen anonymous people had come together in love and harmony to write a complex, logically coherent document, based on a single tweet.

Fan is a tool using animal. Maciej Cegłowski on what happened when fandom was forced to migrate from Delicious to Pinboard and he asked what his site could do better.
posted to MetaFilter by MartinWisse at 9:54 AM on September 2, 2015 (32 comments)

Which Android-friendly chore tracking/timekeeping app do I need? Some tasks should be done for 30 minutes each day. Others? Only 30 minutes a week. Is there an app with a built-in timer that I can use to keep track of my chores, and then look back over previous weeks' performance to keep track of my goals?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by redsparkler at 4:00 PM on January 2, 2013 (6 comments)

What are those tiny, tiny changes ("life hacks," in the parlance of our times) that make a minute long task take thirty seconds, or a ten second task take five? Examples inside.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by griphus at 2:34 PM on January 2, 2013 (114 comments)

My son (9) says he wants to learn how to do programming, specifically how to build computer games. Is there any good, pc-based software that introduces kids to basic programming?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Framer at 7:11 PM on August 3, 2011 (13 comments)

Help me find a picture "rating" type website from a few years ago
posted to Ask MetaFilter by shoreline at 8:35 PM on December 28, 2010 (2 comments)

If you tried and failed and tried and failed and then succeeded in getting fit- what finally worked for you?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by showbiz_liz at 4:17 AM on December 12, 2010 (44 comments)

Just how dangerous are the Hell's Angels these days? That is, how dangerous to live next to?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 7:49 PM on November 18, 2010 (34 comments)

Looking for a political cartoon from the 1992 US Presidential election, I think it was.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by rheumy_the_dwarf at 5:47 AM on November 18, 2010 (2 comments)

On November 8, 1940 was Munich Germany bombed by the RAF.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by clavdivs at 11:25 AM on November 16, 2010 (11 comments)

Why is cmd+V bringing up the insert hyperlink dialogue, rather than pasting in Word?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by liss at 8:43 PM on November 15, 2010 (1 comment)

Are flexible spending plans a racket? Where I work we have a benefit called a "select benefit account" which seems to be called a "flexible spending plan" other places. We can add pre-tax money to an account which can be used for medical expenses. If the money isn't used in the year, then "you lose it". The tax benefits of this plan are obvious. What isn't so obvious is where that money is going when it is lost. Who is making money off this?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bdc34 at 8:48 AM on November 10, 2010 (25 comments)

I'm working on a new podcast with a co-host who's 3000 miles away. The podcast requires us to take telephone (or Skype) calls. What hardware & software setup will allow us to record mic-quality audio of my co-host and myself, along with telephone/Skype-quality audio of our guests?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by YoungAmerican at 3:36 PM on October 27, 2010 (14 comments)

Help me find this horrible cartoon featured on MeFi years ago.
posted to MetaTalk by griphus at 7:30 PM on October 26, 2010 (15 comments)

Oops -- I didn't mean to permanently associate a NSFW image with my business email...
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ROTFL at 3:17 PM on October 24, 2010 (6 comments)

What does this graffiti say? I'm fairly sure it's Armenian.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by lapsangsouchong at 9:53 AM on October 16, 2010 (2 comments)

Help me reduce the footprint of my home theater components. Any and all options welcome.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bondcliff at 8:18 AM on September 17, 2010 (10 comments)

Flickr user katinthecupboard has scanned and posted nearly 2000 vintage illustrations, largely from children's books. Luckily they have been organized into collections and sets, and extensively tagged. There's so much in there that I hesitate to point out any individual images I especially like, but here's a few starters: A foppish Mercury, freezing child Jesus in modern city, children playing with sunbeam, boy with a bone-whistle, dancing fairies, bathing silhouettes and sailing ship and merman riding a sea creature.
posted to MetaFilter by Kattullus at 11:41 PM on September 15, 2010 (17 comments)

What's that bug? In mid- through late-August I heard a bug I hadn't heard before here in Sacramento, CA down by the river. Starting about sundown and going for several hours, insects in sections of tree canopy overhead would let out a single, high-pitched "zhick!"
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Ogre Lawless at 9:37 AM on September 14, 2010 (11 comments)

What are hot and dry foods? I heard somewhere these are good for memory and people living the north western hemisphere. This is from Chinese methodology.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by alshain at 10:29 AM on September 13, 2010 (9 comments)

What is wrong with this bacon? (High-res scan inside)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by crapmatic at 4:33 PM on September 9, 2010 (12 comments)

Should I ask my ex to marry me?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by spaceandtime30 at 7:13 AM on September 7, 2010 (104 comments)

Can you translate the Chinese(?) characters on this picture for me?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by dyobmit at 10:13 AM on September 8, 2010 (7 comments)

What do good but not great restaurants (2-3 star) do to make their flavors so intense that I don't do in my kitchen? Can I replicate some of those tricks in my kitchen, or is that something that can't be reproduced without mass equipment?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by philosophygeek at 11:21 AM on October 7, 2008 (28 comments)

How do I graciously ask people not to come to me for relationship advice?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by po at 3:18 AM on August 27, 2010 (25 comments)

DISCO music challenge: Disco recording artist, solo guy, one (?) hit in US in 70's (I think) but big in Europe and many albums under his belt, and the recording artist name is like masterblaster or masterbox or blasterbox or something. Suggestions?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Mike Mongo at 10:40 PM on August 22, 2010 (12 comments)

What shadowy creature did I see eating my cat's food last night? What do I do about it?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Katine at 8:16 AM on August 23, 2010 (31 comments)

What to do about Meetup member that ruins everything?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by idle at 8:02 AM on August 16, 2010 (24 comments)

I've been really enjoying "lifehack"-type AskMe posts lately - questions about how to change one's own habits to be better at day-to-day life situations and challenges (How do I become one of those people who makes everyone they talk to feel great? from Chrysalis is a good new one). What are some of your favorites?
posted to MetaTalk by l33tpolicywonk at 10:49 AM on August 15, 2010 (33 comments)

What did I see happening at 2am in Cuernavaca last night?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by molecicco at 11:50 AM on August 15, 2010 (6 comments)

Robot identification help?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by librarianamy at 3:08 PM on August 12, 2010 (25 comments)

Help me identify this SciFi novel. I can't remember the title or who wrote it. I read it back in the late 1970s or early 80s, so it is at least that old.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by governale at 10:57 AM on August 10, 2010 (4 comments)

How can I train myself to do [anything] every day? Help me to re-calibrate my routine-resistant brain.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Alabaster at 6:35 PM on August 9, 2010 (22 comments)

How do I easily make a map like this, from data like this?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Stu-Pendous at 1:57 PM on August 9, 2010 (13 comments)

Are there insects on the space station? (Not counting any being used in experiments)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by DMan at 2:59 PM on August 6, 2010 (5 comments)

why does refrigerated cooked chicken taste different than freshly-cooked chicken? i dislike the strong gamey taste that it acquires. is there anything I can do about it, except covering it up with spices or condiments?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by macinchik at 6:25 PM on August 1, 2010 (24 comments)

I extricated a friend's car (nondestructively) from a parking lot that it was locked into. What was going on, and what might happen next?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 7:04 PM on July 31, 2010 (22 comments)

36 people total, meeting in groups of 6. After 5 minutes, the groups shuffle into completely new groups. How many "rounds" can we go without people meeting with someone they've already met?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by foggy out there now at 10:14 AM on July 31, 2010 (27 comments)

You think people know what you are thinking. You think that you are rational. You even think that life is fair. Actually, you are not that smart.
posted to MetaFilter by ejoey at 3:22 PM on July 27, 2010 (64 comments)

Arron Diaz of Dresden Codak (previously previously previously) shows us how he makes his colorful comic pages at Indistinguishable From Magic, an art/instruction blog about Character Design, Hands In Storytelling, and Batman.
posted to MetaFilter by The Whelk at 11:18 AM on July 30, 2010 (49 comments)

What are the best Cook's Illustrated recipes?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by rossination at 7:49 PM on July 29, 2010 (81 comments)

I remember this storyteller comedian from the late eighties and early nineties. Who am I thinking of?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by rileyray3000 at 12:41 PM on July 29, 2010 (7 comments)

What in life did it take you a surprisingly long time to realize you've been doing wrong all along?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by colinmarshall at 1:58 PM on July 6, 2010 (915 comments)

I need recommendations for lavaliere mic on the cheap. One I can hook up to my Zoom H4. Details inside.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by spartacusroosevelt at 8:44 PM on July 25, 2010 (4 comments)

I am ashamed to admit that I have never watched an episode of Doctor Who. Where do I start?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by backseatpilot at 1:25 PM on July 25, 2010 (32 comments)

How does a real restaurant kitchen work? I've been watching "Hell's Kitchen" and, yes, I know it's a reality show and thus somewhat or largely fake, but having watched it, I now really don't understand how any restaurants actually produce food. Have you worked in a restaurant kitchen? How is it different? Why does my food always come out on time and nothing is raw?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by tamaraster at 8:43 AM on July 21, 2010 (34 comments)

What parts of the US are good places for freelance writers to live? I'd like somewhere that is affordable, but not too far from culture and like-minded creative types. Another "special snowflake relocation" question.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Sara C. at 4:58 PM on July 18, 2010 (32 comments)

I'm looking for a standardized list of user ranks in online forums/communities. I'm wondering what has become the standard out there, and please don't suggest the Star Wars ranks.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ctreadwell at 1:38 PM on July 12, 2010 (6 comments)

"Eggs? Yeah, we fix 'em. Well, are they broken all the way or are they just cracked? OK, well that's good, just bring 'em right in..." The year: 1984. The sketch: "Roy's Food Repair". The stars: John Candy, Valri Bromfield, Dave Thomas, Carrie Fisher, and Paul Simon. The show: a short-lived NBC comedy variety program produced by Lorne Michaels called The New Show.
posted to MetaFilter by Atom Eyes at 11:42 AM on July 10, 2010 (7 comments)