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This post is about finally finding a book from one’s youth forty years later – and after nearly thirty years of searching. It is also a tale about goblins and Christmas decorations; about the perils of ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence; and about the real value of librarians, cataloguers, indexers, and archivists – what should be called the Noble Professions. And it is an account that ends with not one but two wonderful events.
posted by verstegan to MetaFilter on Dec 21 at 7:02 AM
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In 1982, while working with 21 Royal Shakespeare Company members, including Judi Dench, Ben Kingsley, Ian McKellen, Roger Rees, Patrick Stewart, and David Suchet, John Barton recorded nine workshop sessions for London Weekend Television. - Wikipedia --- 1: The Two Traditions 2. Using the Verse 3. Language & Character 4. Set Speeches & Soliloquies 5. Irony and Ambiguity 6. Passion & Coolness 7. Rehearsing a Text 8. Exploring a Character 9. Poetry & Hidden Poetry
posted by Lemkin to MetaFilter on Dec 19 at 6:11 AM
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He didn't tell people how to pronounce his surname, so he could study how people said it.
I'm having trouble putting words together here, because Labov was one of my science heroes, so here are some cool things he did:

• Studied how social class affects pronunciation by going into a bunch of department stores in New York and observing how the staff said "fourth floor"
• Worked with Black communities to document (and hopefully increase the social legitimacy of) African American English
• Smuggled a rabbit into a classroom under his coat and asked the students to make it feel welcome, to prove that the kids *could* talk and were just stressed out by taking tests

Previously (rabbit story)
posted by WizardOfDocs to MetaFilter on Dec 22 at 7:28 PM
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“Each year we find ourselves having less social interaction, and we are starting to realize that getting to know people outside of home and work does not just happen on its own,” he said. “We have to be intentional about meeting and talking to others.” from Gen Z Grew Up Chronically Online. Now, They're Craving 'Third Places.
posted by Ghidorah to MetaFilter on Dec 19 at 5:00 PM
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Welcome to the human doom loop "Throughout the pandemic, the media focused on the idea of the “urban doom loop,” in which remote work would kill downtowns, triggering a downward spiral of reduced services that would cause people to leave cities. What went overlooked has turned out to be the bigger and even more consequential story: the human doom loop, a cycle in which people stop connecting in real life, reducing the quality of in-person activities and the physical realm itself, further discouraging IRL activities, and so on. Nearly five years after the pandemic, it’s not the real estate we need to worry about. It’s us."
posted by box to MetaFilter on Dec 20 at 2:25 PM
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At the prehistoric passage tomb of Newgrange, built around 3200 BCE, the light from the rising sun at the winter solstice shines along the 19m passage to the wall of the tomb, illuminating the triple spiral carvings. There is a livestream of the event from 8.40am on the 21st (I think that's 3.40am Eastern Standard Time and 12.40am PST). Last year's recording is here.
posted by paduasoy to MetaFilter on Dec 20 at 1:03 AM
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In 1989 Sony announced the biggest CRT TV ever sold, the 200 kg, 45 inch KX-45ED1. Only two non-promotional photos of it exist and there are no known examples. Until now.
posted by grahamparks to MetaFilter on Dec 22 at 12:34 PM
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Biden commutes most federal death sentences (WaPo), ahead of Trump's plan to resume federal executions (NYT) (WH statement, fact sheet)
posted by box to MetaFilter on Dec 23 at 5:29 AM
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Please enjoy the soothing precision of the Top 100 Woodworking Tools Hacks from Yasuhiro TV.
posted by mhoye to MetaFilter on Dec 23 at 9:12 AM
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The 2024 Hater’s Guide To The Williams-Sonoma Catalog Festivus Airing of Grievances season has officially started!
posted by indianbadger1 to MetaFilter on Dec 20 at 7:56 AM
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A five-minute animation about the difficulties of running a barbershop in a fantasy setting.
posted by Tau Wedel to MetaFilter on Dec 24 at 3:40 AM
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Walking Around In Locations with Philomena Cunk returns to explain the meaning of life. Somehow, this will all make sense.
posted by SPrintF to MetaFilter on Dec 21 at 7:01 PM
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Chinese feminist comedy "Her Story" is on course for US, international release. It's a smash hit in China, drawing comparisons to Barbie, but some men are not amused. Trailer (with English subtitles).
posted by toastyk to MetaFilter on Dec 23 at 6:37 AM
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The Best of Creative Computing, Volume 1 (1976) - edited by David Ahl
posted by Lemkin to MetaFilter on Dec 20 at 5:06 PM
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Miracle Mile (1988) has the logic of one of those nightmares in which you’re sure something is terrible, hopeless and dangerous, but you can’t get anyone to listen to you. Besides, you have a sneaking suspicion that you might be mistaken. The film begins as a low-key, boy-meets-girl story, and then a telephone is answered by the wrong person and everything goes horribly wrong. Much of the movie’s diabolical effectiveness comes from the fact that it never reveals, until the very end, whether the nightmare is real, or only some sort of tragic misunderstanding. - Roger Ebert (assume spoilers everywhere, inclduing below the fold)
posted by Lemkin to MetaFilter on Dec 21 at 5:34 AM
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The Gaetz ethics report is out. According to a 42-page report by the House Ethics Committee, the former congressman and Trump’s former pick for attorney general regularly paid for sex, possessed illegal drugs, violated the house gift rule, dispensed privileges to a sexual partner, obstructed the investigation, and violated Florida state laws by committing statutory rape of a 17-year-old.
posted by Toddles to MetaFilter on Dec 23 at 12:58 PM
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The place held by Action Comics #1 in comic book history is undeniable. And yet, its deep legacy goes even beyond comic books and superheroes. Action Comics #1 is also one of the greatest works of progressive, anti-fascist art ever made. [CBR]
posted by chavenet to MetaFilter on Dec 22 at 1:18 PM
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“The Christians and the Pagans” by Dar Williams is a cheery, hopeful Yuletide song that paints a picture of peaceful possibilities in a world of intolerance and strife. Lyrics here.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl to MetaFilter on Dec 24 at 12:59 PM
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Netflix’s movies don’t have to abide by any of the norms established over the history of cinema: they don’t have to be profitable, pretty, sexy, intelligent, funny, well-made, or anything else that pulls audiences into theater seats (sln+1)
posted by Kitteh to MetaFilter on Dec 20 at 7:15 AM
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In 1985, Folgers Coffee aired "Peter Comes Home For Christmas", a heartwarming ad about bringing family together. A quarter century later, they aired the remake, "Coming Home" -- a headscratching ad that brought family a little too close together. GQ's 10th anniversary retrospective [previously] thoroughly explored the ad's background and cultural impact, from "subtle" recuts and parodies to fanart and an entire genre of "Folgerscest" stories. Four years later, voluble and hyperkinetic YouTuber-musician extraordinaire CJ the X went on a sincerely empathetic deep dive into the greatest of these works -- the sweeping romantic tragedy "A Home For All Seasons" -- and what it says about the nature of love, grief, and how the relentless march of time brings bittersweet closure to us all. #buyfolgerstoday
posted by Rhaomi to MetaFilter on Dec 24 at 10:57 AM
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The name GIMP makes me wince now because it's an offensive term in other contexts I resolve this by pronouncing it Jimp. [view]
posted by aubilenon to MetaFilter on Dec 22 at 6:42 PM
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I remember when we Gen X were hot shit and everyone cared about what we did. Gen Z's turn to get thrown on the trash heap is coming. They just don't know it yet What does this have to do with the article and, as the first comment, set a helpful and curious tenor of discussion? [view]
posted by rhymedirective to MetaFilter on Dec 19 at 5:10 PM
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i know more about truss connector plates than you can possibly imagine. i was a industrial carpenter for almost a decade, assembling the component pieces of southern yellow pine in a jig, hammering them together with nails and truss plates before running over the assembly with a big dangerous roller before sending out through a finish roller in... [more]
posted by glonous keming to MetaFilter on Dec 18 at 1:09 PM
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There are no squirrels in Iceland, and foreigners who’re aware of that fact can sometimes spot Icelanders abroad because they’re the only people who stare at squirrels in city parks. And that’s not because we’re fascinated by these exotic creatures, but because when we look, we see that glint in their eyes, that hint of death, that killing glare.... [more]
posted by Kattullus to MetaFilter on Dec 22 at 1:59 PM
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The other thing that happened is that doing nearly anything is EXPENSIVE now and my paycheck hasn't kept up. The article mentions 4800 movie screens going dark, but taking my kids out to a movie can cost north of $100, which is the same as pretty much subscribing to ALL the streaming services I could want. [view]
posted by Dr. Twist to MetaFilter on Dec 20 at 3:13 PM
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As someone who will celebrate her 6 year sobriety milestone in a couple of months, there is a lot of disconnect between what people think alcoholics are like (see: The Lost Weekend, When a Man Loves a Woman, etc) and what it is. Rock bottom, I have found out, looks different for everybody. And right now, all of us who are in recovery, this is an... [more]
posted by Kitteh to MetaFilter on Dec 21 at 1:15 PM
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Notice that Baldoni et al hired the same PR crisis management team as Depp. I fell for some of their BS a couple weeks ago when I heard about her "tone deaf" promotion for IEwU, how she was talking about "Ladies wear your florals!" or whatever on the red carpet, whereas Baldoni was talking seriously about domestic violence.... [more]
posted by Saxon Kane to MetaFilter on Dec 21 at 6:11 PM
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When COVID started, someone said, “This is the introvert Olympics and I’ve been in training for it my whole life.” They spoke for me. [view]
posted by Lemkin to MetaFilter on Dec 20 at 2:35 PM
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Click here for hot interstellar mediums near you. [view]
posted by GenjiandProust to MetaFilter on Dec 24 at 10:41 AM
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Five years after into the pandemic. [view]
posted by SaltySalticid to MetaFilter on Dec 20 at 6:04 PM
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Ditto what i_am_joe's_spleen said about COVID. I feel like it's completely disingenuous and missing the point to blame people's unwillingness to go out as much on nonsense like "oh no, they might see an unhoused person" without actually addressing the reasons more people are unhoused, or the fact that people are still getting COVID. I saw... [more]
posted by limeonaire to MetaFilter on Dec 20 at 5:25 PM
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> Interestingly, Wegovy is being prescribed for alcohol use disorders, now, too. It appears to be effective. I work in this field and I'm low key obsessed with the research around substance use disorders and GLP-1s. If I get it together I may do a FPP on it. Fascinating stuff. [view]
posted by gingerbeer to MetaFilter on Dec 21 at 2:25 PM
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“Some men are not amused”? I’m sold already [view]
posted by Countess Elena to MetaFilter on Dec 23 at 6:57 AM
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I was hoping this would be a useful discussion of a piece of software millions of us use, instead it rapidly devolved into a metafilter 'naff name moan'. If it's so offensive to so many why is it not banned on metafilter along with lots of other everyday words. Like I can't describe part of my lineage here - another G word. Metaflter is like a... [more]
posted by unearthed to MetaFilter on Dec 22 at 9:39 PM
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Why o why would anyone try this on against this person? The article answers this: "... people really want to hate on women.” [view]
posted by Toddles to MetaFilter on Dec 21 at 4:57 PM
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And this, folks, is why you get someone who loves comics to direct your comic book movies. Because Gunn is the sort of fan who is going to put Krypto in the movie, because he knows that Krypto is awesome and that farm boys from Kansas need their pupper. [view]
posted by NoxAeternum to MetaFilter on Dec 19 at 7:37 AM
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I just want to note that this is boring, important, anonymous government work, done by career civil servants who care deeply about their work. It is also the kind of thing that gets cut, or at best, level funded, year after year. It isn’t unlikely that this entire chunk of the USDA will be proposed to be cut altogether in coming budgets. [view]
posted by rockindata to MetaFilter on Dec 18 at 7:40 PM
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hey nasa you forgot elon [view]
posted by lalochezia to MetaFilter on Dec 21 at 1:41 PM
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This is one of my three or four favorite movies EVER. I have a list of things. I could fill the whole page. Instead, I will make a list: Steve de Jarnatt is at the pleasantly retired stage of his career and if you make a public post on Facebook saying something nice about this movie, in all likelihood he will send you a friend request.... [more]
posted by DirtyOldTown to MetaFilter on Dec 21 at 8:31 AM
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As someone who is Blake Lively neutral but aware of her high profile, to paraphrase Omar Little: "You come at the queen, you best not miss." [view]
posted by Kitteh to MetaFilter on Dec 21 at 5:34 PM
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[more comments]