"While the problem of consciousness is far from being solved, it is finally being formulated mathematically as a set of problems that researchers can understand, explore and discuss.

Today, Max Tegmark, a theoretical physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, sets out the fundamental problems that this new way of thinking raises. He shows how these problems can be formulated in terms of quantum mechanics and information theory. And he explains how thinking about consciousness in this way leads to precise questions about the nature of reality that the scientific process of experiment might help to tease apart.

Tegmark’s approach is to think of consciousness as a state of matter, like a solid, a liquid or a gas. 'I conjecture that consciousness can be understood as yet another state of matter. Just as there are many types of liquids, there are many types of consciousness,' he says."
posted to MetaFilter by Strange Interlude at 7:14 AM on June 12, 2014 (234 comments)

Let us cast our boats upon the water. (Seattle meetup)
posted to MetaTalk by y2karl at 4:52 PM on June 20, 2008 (64 comments)

How to Lace and Tie Your Shoes
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 2:46 PM on April 2, 2004 (30 comments)

If geeks talked about cookbooks the way they talk about RPG books, the results would not be pretty.
posted to MetaFilter by Artw at 1:13 PM on June 19, 2008 (50 comments)

Follow up to y2karl's post about the stubbornest old lady in Ballard (Seattle).
posted to MetaTalk by Slarty Bartfast at 5:29 PM on June 17, 2008 (43 comments)

ilovebacteria.com explains science to people who do not necessarily have a scientific background. You'll find a selection of DIY experiments like egg osmosis, and strange facts like the ever popular why does asparagus make your wee smell? And don't forget to meet the microbes.
posted to MetaFilter by netbros at 5:16 AM on June 11, 2008 (9 comments)

With all the crystal skulls, nazca lines and such at the box office these days now might be the ideal time to reacquaint yourself with the theories of Erich von Däniken. What better way to do it than by watching William Shatners Mysteries of the Gods ( Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3, Pt. 4, Pt. 5, Pt. 6, Pt. 7, Pt. 8, Pt. 9, Pt. 10)(MULTI LINK YOUTUBE SHATNERFEST)
posted to MetaFilter by Artw at 10:00 PM on June 10, 2008 (28 comments)

In the 1980s, Richard Lenski hypothesized that his research team should be able to watch random mutations and natural selection taking place in a lab by observing a bacteria population over many generations. In 1988, beginning with a single bacterium, he started several replicate colonies. Recently, after 33,127 generations, his team has observed natural selection.
posted to MetaFilter by Tehanu at 4:36 PM on June 10, 2008 (55 comments)

Walkenworks
posted to MetaFilter by Blazecock Pileon at 11:24 AM on June 10, 2008 (28 comments)

Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen - YouTube animations of Maurice Sendak's classic childrens' books.
posted to MetaFilter by UbuRoivas at 3:40 AM on June 10, 2008 (39 comments)

What Is A Species? "To this day, scientists struggle with that question. A better definition can influence which animals make the endangered list."
posted to MetaFilter by homunculus at 12:12 AM on June 8, 2008 (11 comments)

Over the last few months one of the Metafilter regulars has produced a number of comments demonstrating an above average grasp of the democratic parties political process as well as an above average ability to articulate that understanding in to language that highlights the substance of the comments.
posted to MetaTalk by iamabot at 3:12 PM on June 7, 2008 (100 comments)

"Imagine the year is 2053 and homosexuality were accepted to the point of being of no importance. Now, is the deviate allowed to continue his pursuit of physical happiness without restraint as he attempts to do today? Or is he, in this Utopia, subject to marriage laws?" The same-sex marriage debate in ONE magazine in 1953. [via]
posted to MetaFilter by Pater Aletheias at 10:30 AM on June 7, 2008 (40 comments)

This fun Japanese contact juggler's clip is proving popular lately, but he is not the first Japanese practitioner of the art to surface online. Here are several more highly entertaining Japanese contact juggler clips worth watching: one, two (starts about 1:06), three, four, five. (all via the highly entertaining Ministry of Manipulation's blog).
posted to MetaFilter by madamjujujive at 8:13 PM on June 5, 2008 (27 comments)

You'd be forgiven for thinking that the iconic American folk song The Wabash Cannonball was written as a tribute to an actual train, but in fact, in an interesting case of life-imitates-art, the actual train name was inspired by the song. The Lake Erie, Wabash, and St. Louis Railroad Company was formed in 1852, but there was no train called the “Cannonball” when the song was first sung late in the 19th century. There have been many, many, many wonderful versions through the years, but I think Roy Acuff pretty much owns it, wouldn't you say? [NOTE: See hoverovers for link descriptions]
posted to MetaFilter by flapjax at midnite at 6:49 AM on June 7, 2008 (20 comments)

I've just figured out how to use my gas grill to smoke things. It's really working well. Any ideas or suggestions about great things to smoke? Meat, veggies, cheese? Different woods? Recipes?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by snsranch at 5:57 PM on June 6, 2008 (18 comments)

So it's mid-April already, and I haven't yet heard anything about MefiSwap 2008. So who's in?
posted to MetaTalk by god hates math at 3:42 PM on April 14, 2008 (202 comments)

Maps: Finding our place in the world is an exhibit at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, and it runs until this Sunday June 8. That page contains images of a few of the maps. One of the many great things included is an animated map of the US Civil War in 4 minutes (one week per second, timeline noted at bottom, casualty counter rolling in bottom right corner - info about this animation) The exhibition book was previously linked here; that site includes higher-resolution versions of some more of the maps. I was floored by all the stuff they have; in terms of the rarity of the stuff in it, and the geek-delight factor, I think it's probably the best gallery show I've ever seen.
posted to MetaFilter by LobsterMitten at 9:48 PM on June 4, 2008 (24 comments)

Tastespotting is a wonderful visual blog for food enthusiasts, by the makers of notcot.
posted to MetaFilter by jonson at 7:19 PM on February 8, 2007 (12 comments)

A teeny-tiny bloggie about itty bitty kitties. A foster parent of (usually) motherless kittens at the Tacoma Humane Society, Laurie Cinotto's blog IBKC has developed a following among ailurophiles through occasional shout-outs from Cute Overload.
posted to MetaFilter by lleachie at 12:46 PM on June 4, 2008 (31 comments)

The Speculum theologiae is a beautiful medieval manuscript. Its diagrams demonstrate visually various aspects of the medieval worldview. The diagrams are explained and translated and most of them are expounded upon in a short essay. My favorite diagrams are The Cherub with Six Wings, The 10 Commandments, Plagues of Egypt and Abuses of the Impious and The Tree of Virtue and The Tree of Vices.
posted to MetaFilter by Kattullus at 5:00 AM on June 3, 2008 (14 comments)

I want to make pizza from scratch. I mean From Scratch. Just how far can I go?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bondcliff at 10:41 AM on January 8, 2008 (36 comments)

FruitAndVeggieGuru – everything you need to know about the delicious fruits and vegetables you enjoy. Answers about how to lower your cholesterol or how to prepare asparagus. You’ll find loads of background and variety information, nutrition specifics, serving sizes, preparation ideas and care and handling tips.
posted to MetaFilter by netbros at 7:04 PM on June 2, 2008 (18 comments)

All of Metafilter's links taste like mustard.
posted to MetaTalk by felix at 6:43 AM on June 2, 2008 (145 comments)

In 1948, W. Eugene Smith, best known for his brutally honest war photography, traveled to Kremmling, Colorado to document the life of a small town country doctor. The result, a splendid piece for Life magazine, has been hailed as one of the first photo essays of the modern photojournalism age.
posted to MetaFilter by Slarty Bartfast at 10:00 AM on June 2, 2008 (13 comments)

Polyhedral Maps is a website that explores unconventional methods of mapping the surface of the earth. The most famous of these unusual maps was Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion map, which used the net of an icosahedron. Da Vinci had experimented with this technique in his “Octant” map of 1514, which used Reuleaux triangles as map elements. This process is now being used by photographers and artists in manipulating panoramic images. A good example is Tom Lechner’s The Wild Highways of the Elongated Pentagonal Orthobicupola.
posted to MetaFilter by Tube at 10:33 AM on June 1, 2008 (23 comments)

Explore the playful side of invention and the inventive side of play in Invention at Play. Learn how play connects to the creative impulse of both historic and contemporary inventors.
posted to MetaFilter by netbros at 5:48 AM on June 1, 2008 (1 comment)

DjVu is a sort of alternate to PDF. What (free) programs are available for editing DjVu documents? I need to: add pages, extract pages, delete pages and resize entire work for printing.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by stbalbach at 7:02 AM on June 1, 2008 (2 comments)

Too much serious talk and stress? Take a break with this nice little distraction. Flight of the Hamsters. How far can you get them to go?
posted to MetaFilter by MaryDellamorte at 1:38 AM on January 21, 2008 (23 comments)

Peculiar corpses: "Incorruptibles remaining free of decomposition have baffled scientists to this day. These bodies are discovered in many different environments, including environments that would typically cause an accidental or deliberately preserved corpse to decompose rapidly." The photographed examples seem to all be associated with Christian faith. Hmm. "[At Oratorio di San Lorenzo] in Palermo, however, corpses are treated as characters in a play": The Museum of the Dead, reassuringly less preserved.
posted to MetaFilter by nthdegx at 4:25 AM on May 30, 2008 (66 comments)

See For Yourself - Purves Lab's optical illusions web page with empirical explanations of familiar and unfamiliar illusions.
posted to MetaFilter by nthdegx at 3:32 AM on November 16, 2007 (6 comments)

Come, take a ride and look at some of the Islamic Art of the past. Or, you could call it Art of the Islamic World if you're so inclined. If not, then how about taking into account some of the major milestones of Islam throughout the centuries, from past till present (more examples here), including the art of Calligraphy and Architecture. Not to mention the Arab world's contribution to music, both old and new. [Previously mentioned, here, here, here, and here, with a wonderful comment from nickyskye as usual]
posted to MetaFilter by hadjiboy at 10:03 PM on May 29, 2008 (28 comments)

The Peasant-Nobles of the Roncal Valley and the Tribute of the Three Cows.
posted to MetaFilter by homunculus at 2:30 PM on May 29, 2008 (10 comments)

How to make the worst White Russian ever. That's what you get for asking for cocktail at some super square looking business hotel adjacent to an exhibition center. Ok, ok, here's how to make a nice one. Ooh it looks like Jupiter. Try one hot. Teeny tiny Kahlua drinks. Do NOT cook pork in it. Oh, okay, go ahead. Make you own kahlua. It won't be as pretty as this. While we're adding coffee to booze why not add booze to coffee.
posted to MetaFilter by Artw at 11:50 PM on May 29, 2008 (58 comments)

Creative Balloon Art, Pink Chewing Gum Sculptures^* and more.
posted to MetaFilter by ericb at 11:45 AM on May 26, 2008 (10 comments)

An interesting food web site - enter your ingredients, it tells you what you can make. Even suggests items you'll need for other dishes. Previously questioned in AskMe.
posted to MetaFilter by ObscureReferenceMan at 4:59 PM on May 27, 2008 (25 comments)

Do you have Adultitis?
posted to MetaFilter by netbros at 10:34 PM on May 26, 2008 (110 comments)

Summer has arrived! It's the perfect time to experiment with flowers. Begonias, pansies, roses, violets, lavender and more are all edible. Throw some color in your salad and enjoy! Careful, though!
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 4:02 PM on May 24, 2008 (5 comments)

Can you provide examples of common false memories?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Tube at 11:18 PM on May 22, 2008 (39 comments)

Wedding photographers captured the exact moments of the earthquake in Sichuan, China.
posted to MetaFilter by spacesbetween at 5:59 AM on May 21, 2008 (55 comments)

The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats - Online Exhibition. [Via]
posted to MetaFilter by homunculus at 11:30 AM on May 19, 2008 (10 comments)

With a pickup mounted on the body of the instrument just below the strings, Revathy Krishna, KP Sarada and Sivanandam and Jayanthi Kumaresh get an unexpectedly fat sound out of their veena. Rocking! The instrument is more often amplified with a microphone, in which case it sounds more like this performance by D. Balakrishna, who, as you'll hear, ain't no slouch, neither. And here Pichumani gets his groove on, no doubt about it. So, hey, two more raags for the road, courtesy of Rajeswari Padmanabhan. The second tune on her clip, by the way, has got some deep blues in it, so I'm thinking maybe Rajeswari might've been down to the crossroads at midnight... [NOTE: see hoverovers for link descriptions]
posted to MetaFilter by flapjax at midnite at 1:24 AM on May 16, 2008 (28 comments)

“They’re the ant of all ants...and are moving about half a mile a year.” Crazy Raspberry Ants! (And you might want to check your computer....)
posted to MetaFilter by Kronos_to_Earth at 6:18 PM on May 16, 2008 (57 comments)

Photos of cleaning crews on the Space Needle (via.)
posted to MetaFilter by 1f2frfbf at 9:14 AM on May 16, 2008 (62 comments)

The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy is an excellent resource for matters philosophical. There you can be enlightened on such diverse subjects as paradoxes existential or logical, Greek or American philosophers obscure to the wider world, philosophers whose names have resounded through the ages, both well-attested and possibly mythical, Buddhist thought and Western mysticism and definitions of thorny and difficult concepts. And that's just a small sampling of the letter P section. All articles are written by specialists on the subject and the editors of the IEP are all academic philosophers. The encyclopedia is far from complete, so if you think you can help out, they have a list of their 100 most desired articles.
posted to MetaFilter by Kattullus at 12:42 PM on May 15, 2008 (31 comments)

MUTO - Seven minutes of wall-painted animated joy by blu (previously)
posted to MetaFilter by Blazecock Pileon at 9:28 AM on May 13, 2008 (50 comments)

Help me find some awesome DIY-able summer drinks (non-alcoholic)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 2:18 AM on August 4, 2007 (21 comments)

Laurie Anderson live in concert - 1984; Sharkey's Night: Language is a Virus: Talk Normal: Langue D'amour: Sharkey's Day: Gravity's Angel: Radar: Kokoku: How to Write: Late Show: Excellent Birds: Zero and One
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky at 7:24 PM on May 11, 2008 (60 comments)

The Panda's Thumb is a multi-authored blog "dedicated to explaining the theory of evolution, critiquing the claims of the anti-evolution movement, and defending the integrity of science and science education in America and around the world." [Via The Loom.]
posted to MetaFilter by homunculus at 2:07 AM on March 27, 2004 (5 comments)

Mazes and complexity Like mazes? Check out these computer generated mazes that might play tricks with your visual cortex. Each is available as a downloadable PDF that will take, um... at least a minute to solve.
posted to MetaFilter by daHIFI at 10:24 AM on February 26, 2008 (14 comments)