MetaFilter

Take The Mensa Test [From BBC Radio 4's Today Programme]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 10:33 PM PST - 43 comments

Man dies before boarding an airplane? Or did he die in midflight? "Authorities disagree on whether Walsh, who had a history of heart- and kidney-related health problems, died midflight or before he boarded the plane." What really gets me is: how could he get on the airplane if he was already dead? Wouldn't the people helping him onto the plane notice?
posted by Kevin Sanders at 10:12 PM PST - 13 comments

If you were a reader of Who's Who in Baseball or The Sporting News back in the late '70's and early '80's you probably recall seeing ads for the amazingly intricate APBA Sports games, arguably the forerunner of Fantasy Baseball and the like.I was always fascinated by themyet I never ordered a set. I imagined that in the age of the GameCube, they had gone the way of many outdated amusements. I couldn't have been more wrong, apparently.Judging by the number of fan sites and league sites,(not to mention APBA shareware)the hobby seems to be alive and well. Makes me wanna go buy a set and start a league.
posted by jonmc at 8:33 PM PST - 7 comments

Ever wonder why junk mail comes to your mailbox? Enter your zip code (US only) to see where your neighborhood fits in marketing categories.
posted by MidasMulligan at 8:17 PM PST - 17 comments

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time! …Yet another inscrutible Internet meme. (Warning: contains Flash, sound, dancing banana icon)
posted by Down10 at 8:09 PM PST - 20 comments

Where are your limits? Inspired in part by mikhail's earlier post on the gelatin used in Guinness (and Bass), for those with voluntary diet restrictions (kosher, halal, vegetarian, etc.), what unexpected choices have you faced? Does it go beyond food? Toothpaste? Collagen injections? Silk? Buying a car with leather seats? A used car with leather seats?
posted by NortonDC at 7:55 PM PST - 59 comments

Britain is now at War - US request the support of 1,700 Marines "These troops are being deployed to Afghanistan to take part in warfighting operations. We will be asking them to risk their lives. Their mission will be conducted in unforgiving and hostile terrain against a dangerous enemy. They may suffer casualties." A lot of people, including the media, were stunned by this announcement. Speculation is starting to become rife as to why the US need our troops? SAS, fair enough, but why our Marines? This is the largest deployment of British troops since the Gulf War, and arguable in far more dangerous circumstances. Most thought we were just going to lend a hand, now it appear that we will be playing a very serious part. Has there been much comment on this over in the US? Specifically on why these troop have been requested?
posted by RobertLoch at 5:55 PM PST - 43 comments

this is your spider on drugs. got it? as a dedicated coke-a-holic (cola) what wigs me out is the caffeine example! (thanks to the fabulous toadie for the link.)
posted by centrs at 5:41 PM PST - 27 comments

The Scout Walker Kama Sutra. Selections from the Kama Sutra, demonstrated by Scout Walkers, of course. What else would it be?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:22 PM PST - 5 comments

Temporal Anomalies in Time Travel Movies discusses time travel concept discrepancies in popular movies, such as Back to the Future, 12 Monkeys, and Flight of the Navigator. Although they're really just movies, and time travel isn't real (as far as we know), author M. Joseph Young provides very logical arguments for why those things couldn't really happen.
posted by lnicole at 4:17 PM PST - 25 comments

More than one way to get your hands on nuclear material. You probably know that Russia's ability to keep track of nuclear material is something that keeps a lot of people in the US military up at night....but is it possible that the problems are worse than we thought? (more inside...)
posted by PeteyStock at 2:52 PM PST - 6 comments

100 Dumbest Moments in dotcom land a particular favourite being.. "Candice Carpenter tells Fast Company in Feb 98, 'There isn't an Internet company in the world that's going to fail because of mistakes -- Internet companies make thousands of mistakes every week" .... quite :) (via lesser-evil)
posted by zeoslap at 2:51 PM PST - 15 comments

(In)famous Last Words We often look to the last words of our great thinkers to tell us something about that mysterious transition between life and death. So what are we supposed to make of Walt Whitman's last words: "Hold me up; I want to shit"? And how about Dylan Thomas' dying declaration: "I've had eighteen straight whiskeys. I think that's the record"? What last words would you want recorded for posterity? (via a & l daily).
posted by pardonyou? at 2:46 PM PST - 38 comments

Last year brought us the Road to Springfield. This year? Why, it's Comic Book Super Heroes Versus The Stars of the Old Testament. I, personally, am looking forward to the Goliath/Richie Rich matchup.
posted by solistrato at 2:00 PM PST - 7 comments

Government admits spying on drug reform advocates. Not to be snide, but why are these people even surprised? You can't even get photocopies made these days without being ratted out.
posted by tankboy at 1:04 PM PST - 15 comments

The Eden Project celebrates its first birthday today. Happy birthday.
posted by homunculus at 11:19 AM PST - 3 comments

war on the environment part II how many of the closed door meeting mr. cheney is refusing to discuss with GAO were related to this?
posted by specialk420 at 10:49 AM PST - 5 comments

Is President Bush Gay? (Answer: No, but he says "fabulous" a lot.) Is Billy Joel washed up? (NYT required) (Answer: Sounds like it.) Is Star Wars Episode Two any good? (Answer: Yes, beyond your wildest dreams.)
posted by adrober at 9:58 AM PST - 36 comments

The Challenges of Modernizing Mexico, or, How Do We Keep Our Village Elders From Burying People Alive?
posted by o2b at 9:49 AM PST - 9 comments

Air Canada bans Salman Rushdie because "the extra security required for him to fly could mean long delays for other passengers." Extra security? You mean it isn't at maximum already?
posted by laz-e-boy at 9:48 AM PST - 5 comments

Million Clown March attended by 80 clowns, who chant "No more chanting!"
posted by swift at 9:24 AM PST - 9 comments

About to take the plunge into BlogWorld? Help me out, here! Assuming that I have enough 'interesting' thoughts on my 'interesting' life (ha ha), which of the many products and services out there has the best features for the novice, and which are for the veteran? Talk to me of writing style and format, any early mistakes you made, and what are your proudest blogging moments? F'gedabou' de 'A-List' - what do you think - I wanna pick yer brains!
posted by dash_slot- at 9:16 AM PST - 29 comments

Best... Phone Message... Ever! An audio clip from This American Life. Check out Act Four... Buddy Picture, the last maybe 20 minutes. Long but hilarious.
posted by bob bisquick at 8:42 AM PST - 11 comments

N.Y. taxpayers' welfare Viagra bill rises to $6M. Conservative Party chairman Michael Long called the expense "an unconscionable waste of taxpayer money."

I would tend to agree. It doesn't seem right. The money could have gone to those who really need it, instead of a bunch of old folks who just want to get laid.
posted by susanlucci at 8:15 AM PST - 23 comments

Moby on the cover of the NYTimes Mag, talking about music. Actually, the whole issue is "Future of music" related, and considers what will be valuable when the music itself becomes free. Very interesting stories. It's an NYT story, so l:metafilter, p:metafilter.
posted by rev- at 7:16 AM PST - 35 comments

All the News that's Fit to Blog Blogs as alternative sources for news. But the writer does not focus on the many un-professional blogs that can be as tedious as the mainstream news. What think?
posted by Postroad at 6:59 AM PST - 3 comments

Remember the missing boeing? Well, the man behind that revelation has now come out with a book that will blow all previous conspiracy theories out of the water. (and by conspiracy theories i don't mean 9/11 - but also who shot JFK, etc). Interesting way to get rich.
posted by dabitch at 6:52 AM PST - 18 comments

Thrash Yoga is not yet on the horizon, much to the comfort of a few people who think breathing can be too loud for neighborhood noise standards. Now, let's all chant together, but quietly, "where's my pony....."
posted by dwivian at 6:49 AM PST - 1 comments

A Good Summary, albeit in the form of a NYPost Editorial, as to why Israel should ignore 95% of the criticism it gets regarding it's current policy towards negotiating withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza. President Bush: are you listening?
posted by ParisParamus at 6:04 AM PST - 33 comments

Brand USA Naomi ('No Logo') Klein on Charlotte Beers' work to manage the US 'brand'. Sitting outside the US, a lot of what Klein says about external perception of the 'brand' (and of Beers' actions) seems quite believable to me, but I'd be interested in hearing an insider view.
Klein's assertion that "...America's problem is not with its brand-- which could scarcely be stronger--but with its product" seems relatively solid, and if it is, it seems that Ms Beers' mission is all-but-impossible, or at the very least misdirected.
That said, the thrust of Klein's argument is the assertion that the US's values are basically incompatible with the whole idea of branding, and I'd suggest that the same could be said of many countries. I suppose the point here is that this specific exercise is rooted in the US's positioning of itself in the world at this point in time.
[Via abraxas]
posted by jonpollard at 4:59 AM PST - 4 comments

Brilliant Astronomy Pix "This page is the gateway to a unique collection of wide-field astronomical photographs, mostly made with the telescopes of the Anglo-Australian Observatory by David Malin.....These are some of the finest pictures made with professional telescopes anywhere and every effort has been made to capture the true colours of distant stars, galaxies and nebulae using innovative photographic techniques and CCD detectors". Found via Scout Project - http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/report/sr/)
posted by peacay at 4:44 AM PST - 3 comments

Gravity's Rainbow: Humans evolving at the mercy of their environment. What other innatenesses do we allow to control our reactions?
posted by crasspastor at 2:41 AM PST - 5 comments