MetaFilter

In the beginning, I thought Biden was going to do a second term. When doubt crept in, I began to sink into despair at an-all-but-unthinkable Trumpian future. But before I ever needed to really grapple with that possibility, Harris popped up. For a little while, I dreamt of a modern American presidency. Ugly doubt crept back in when her numbers started to stall. Early in the evening on election night, it was clear that Harris was a goner — and my mood sank in tandem. Ever a compulsive news reader, after Trump won I found far too much of it distressing, even maddening. Then I stumbled across an article on the democratic governors organizing to resist. For the first time in days, my mood lifted.
posted by Violet Blue to MetaFilter on Jan 22 at 10:48 AM
146 users marked this as a favorite

Between 1996 and 2002, VH1 had a show called Pop Up Video which paired music videos with trivia and jokes that "popped up" on screen, mostly without controversy. Most of it is unavailable today, but the Internet Archive has a number of episodes taped off televion. Here is a list:
posted by Kattullus to MetaFilter on Jan 19 at 11:25 AM
107 users marked this as a favorite

1. Do not obey in advance. Much of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then start to do it without being asked. You've already done this, haven't you? stop. Anticipatory obedience teaches authorities what is possible and accelerates unfreedom. - Historian Timothy snyder from On Tyranny with 20 rules for resisting tyranny
posted by crazy_yeti to MetaFilter on Jan 20 at 6:53 AM
72 users marked this as a favorite

You meet all kinds of interesting people on the train. Frederick Joseph, a Black writer born and raised in the UsA, writes unforgettably of his post-2024-election trip across country on the Amtrak Zephyr.
posted by rabia.elizabeth to MetaFilter on Jan 21 at 5:12 AM
49 users marked this as a favorite

In 1998 Greek neurosurgeon Dr. stergios Tegos published a documentary of his work in the field of microneurosurgery. Nearly 11 hours across three VHs tapes and accompanied by a 253 page book, Tegos' film Μικρονευροχειρουργική με βίντεοταινίες, or "Microneurosurgery With Video Tapes", shows- in graphic detail-educational footage of brain surgery techniques over 35 separate surgical cases. sensing that 10 hours of spinal lesion surgery footage was maybe a bit much even for seasoned doctors, Tegos decided to set the film to music and asked his longtime friend Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου- better known to the world as Vangelis- if he would create a soundtrack.
posted by 40 Watt to MetaFilter on Jan 22 at 1:42 PM
44 users marked this as a favorite

Journalist Robert Evans, best known for his sharp, sardonic perspective in everything from Cracked to Bellingcat to Behind the Bastards, live-skeeted his experience of the 2025 Consumer Electronics show (CEs) in Las Vegas, the annual showcase of the latest tech coming your way (whether you like it or not). Lowlights of the bacchanalia can be found in a series of increasingly pointed episodes of Better Offline (hosted by fellow silicon Valley curmudgeon Ed Zitron). But it wasn't all bad -- true to the show's mission to be "an oasis within a tech industry gone wrong", Robert and friends made a discovery: after days of grifters and con men at CEs we stumbled upon the booth for VLC. they were all dressed as wizards and told us, "we have nothing to sell, we just decided to show up". i told them I'd been using their software to pirate media for 15 years and they said "keep doing that". And reader, there are pictures.
posted by Rhaomi to MetaFilter on Jan 19 at 11:15 AM
44 users marked this as a favorite

A coalition representing veterans, public health professionals, teachers and other groups filed a suit today against DOGE, citing the the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), and asking a court to block DOGE's activities until it complies with law. The 1972 Federal Advisory Committee Act says that committees of outside government advisers must be “fairly balanced in terms of the points of view represented,” and that they must make their records available to the public — yet Musk and Ramaswamy's DOGE does neither.
posted by Violet Blue to MetaFilter on Jan 20 at 12:46 PM
37 users marked this as a favorite

Kim Kelly Offers Advice and Reading suggestions for How We Might survive the Depredations to Come We can go one step further, though, because it shouldn’t take a catastrophe for people to care for one another. Mutual aid—a voluntary, collaborative exchange of resources between members of a community—is a daily practice, and an act of everyday resistance.
posted by toastyk to MetaFilter on Jan 22 at 7:47 AM
36 users marked this as a favorite

Joe Biden has granted clemency to Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, in one of his last actions as president. Clemency isn't a pardon--the conviction stands--but the 80-year-old Peltier will be released from prison.
posted by Nibbly Fang to MetaFilter on Jan 20 at 9:09 AM
34 users marked this as a favorite

Beans, beans, the musical fruit been found in ancient Egyptian tombs and are mentioned in the Illiad. They were cultivated in Peru as early as the second millennium B.C.E. (Warning: Raw beans of the Phaseolus genus have a toxin (phytohaemagglutinin) that requires cooking at high temperatures to neutralize).
posted by bunderful to MetaFilter on Jan 21 at 2:59 PM
34 users marked this as a favorite

Infer your way to killing the dragon in Dragonsweeper, a delightful and slightly maddening roguelike Minesweeper-alike in which figuring out the rules is half the challenge. (The other half of the challenge is killing the dragon.)
posted by cortex to MetaFilter on Jan 18 at 8:14 AM
30 users marked this as a favorite

Doctor Explains Why The Neurodivergent Feel Younger Than Their Age [Youtube 13 Mins] A video made by a clinician based in the U.s.A - who works with Autistic people, and is also Neurodivergent themselves. "I am neurodivergent, and so is my wife and others in my life. I love to identify autism in others who have been misdiagnosed for years, have not been taken seriously, or have been told that their problems are a choice. I operate two clinics and we are one of the few clinics that test and diagnose autism and other areas related to mental health. "
posted by Faintdreams to MetaFilter on Jan 23 at 6:42 AM
30 users marked this as a favorite

My Unsung Hero is an ongoing NPR series where people tell brief stories of the (mostly) strangers they met who changed, and sometimes saved, their lives.
posted by girlmightlive to MetaFilter on Jan 20 at 6:25 AM
29 users marked this as a favorite

"And it seems that I’m just getting started." Hanan Levin (MeFite growabrain) has watched more than 4000 movies in the last four years and shares short reviews, favorites, and bits of film history on an extensive and engaging set of Tumblr posts (with a bonus spreadsheet of movies watched). [via mefi projects] (growabrain previously)
posted by kristi to MetaFilter on Jan 22 at 12:47 PM
29 users marked this as a favorite

"some argue EUPD [emotionally unstable personality disorder] is a misogynistic diagnosis that mostly serves to dismiss women in distress. The disorder itself has been in psychiatric practice only since 1980 when it appeared in the Diagnostic statistical Manual of Mental Disorders III. The criteria are decidedly questionable: impulsivity, unstable relationships, unstable sense of self, fear of abandonment, anger, feelings of emptiness. These describe trauma responses and neurodiversity, and can easily be crafted into very feminine shapes: I’ve had friends clinically admonished for dyeing their hair different colours, as a sign of impulsivity and an unstable sense of self. But if that’s the case, why do cosmetics shops sell so much brightly coloured hair dye? I was never formally assessed, but I was later told my history of childhood physical, sexual and emotional abuse played a part in my diagnosis, and it’s not just the abuse, it’s how you deal with it – it must be processed with elegance and good grace. If you go off the rails, do drugs, drink, screw around, then the criteria are met, the diagnosis is made, rinse and repeat."
posted by Thella to MetaFilter on Jan 18 at 4:33 PM
29 users marked this as a favorite

You like guitar gear? You like diagrams? Have I got something for you.
posted by Lemkin to MetaFilter on Jan 20 at 5:20 PM
28 users marked this as a favorite

Man sits in chair
posted by dick dale the vampire to MetaFilter on Jan 18 at 11:10 AM
26 users marked this as a favorite

The last surviving member of The Band, keyboardist, multi-instrumentalist, musical genius, and gloriously weird old man Garth Hudson passed January 21st at the age of 87. A magisterial eulogy in The Ringer by fellow keyboard/accordionist Franz Nicolay traces "the ever-expanding breadth and depth of his musical reference—Anglican hymns, Bach, country polka, parlor song, jazz, R&B—broadening what had been a very good bar band into a group which, at its best, seemed capable of summoning the whole of American vernacular music." as well as his peculiarities and eccentricities, the Band's rustic image contrasting with the realities of '70s rock stars, the dynamic of "a slick social climber, 3 good-time Charlies, and a genius", his later career as a prolific session musician, and technical innovations in recording and sound tinkering.

soundtrack for reading: The Genetic Method/Chest Fever, an improvisational tour through icy ranges of the Lowery organ culminating in one of the greatest organ riff-driven songs in all of rock 'n' roll.
posted by Jon_Evil to MetaFilter on Jan 23 at 11:13 PM
26 users marked this as a favorite

The Man who used Nazi propaganda to help the Allies win " The German soldiers and civilians listening to the station knew the soldatensender was a British station masquerading as a German station. And the British who broadcast the station wanted the Germans to know it was the British. Their aim was not to deceive the listener, but to give ‘cover’ to German listeners. “Cover” so that if the Gestapo or commanding officer caught you listening—you could claim they thought it was a real Nazi station. Cover psychologically: it was easier to hear criticism of German leadership when it was presented as coming from “us” and about “our boys.” And cover to do what deep down many Germans wanted: surrender, defect, shirk and disobey the Nazis."
posted by Zumbador to MetaFilter on Jan 24 at 6:38 AM
26 users marked this as a favorite

"Autonomy" is a short scifi/horror story by Meg Elison, published January 2025 in Clarkesworld, that partially takes place in an autonomous vehicle. Elison notes, "Here is my story of bloody revenge, a theme I can't get enough of these days." Content note for sexual assault and gore.
posted by brainwane to MetaFilter on Jan 20 at 9:35 AM
26 users marked this as a favorite

[more posts]

Ooo, I'll take "counterpoint" on this one: Among the pithy little observations I've gathered over the years, one of my favorites is "every temporary solution is permanent." This tactic is a big part of why. These little harmless-seeming bits of verbal jiu-jitsu are regularly employed to justify cutting corners that will lead... [more]
posted by gelfin to MetaFilter on Jan 22 at 1:49 AM
79 users marked this as a favorite

They always show how many die because of alcohol, but never mention how many get born because of alcohol. [view]
posted by mitocan to MetaFilter on Jan 23 at 8:39 AM
68 users marked this as a favorite

In the mid '00s, I worked as a researcher for Eyeboogie, the Pop-Up Video producers. But I wasn't working on music videos — I was working on a "popped" version of Forensic Files. There was a huge demand for more Forensic Files episodes, but as a producer said, the only way they could increase production was if they started murdering... [more]
posted by rednikki to MetaFilter on Jan 19 at 12:02 PM
62 users marked this as a favorite

Biden’s three-paragraph announcement did not explain why he waited until the last few days of his presidency to make the declaration, even though he cited Virginia ratifying the ERA nearly four years ago. "Too little, too late" must be inscribed on the Biden family crest. [view]
posted by Lemkin to MetaFilter on Jan 17 at 6:00 PM
59 users marked this as a favorite

tl;dr: You know who else pretended to be Nazis? Perfect timing. I've been grasping at something about modern politics and don't have the education to really express it. I'll be buying this book. But at the same time, Delmer observed, Hitler’s followers were also performing their fervour. Delmer described the Nazis as a gruesome cabaret... [more]
posted by Richard Daly to MetaFilter on Jan 24 at 9:10 AM
56 users marked this as a favorite

A think a lot of neurotypical people also can't There is no autistic trait that only autistic people have. There is no autistic trait that all autistic people have. Autism is when you have a lot of autistic traits, you have them intensely, and there's no other clear explanation for those traits. Be aware that whenever an... [more]
posted by Zumbador to MetaFilter on Jan 23 at 8:39 AM
55 users marked this as a favorite

Meth, fentanyl, alcohol and crack addiction. 1 1/2 years off the booze and 3 months on the rest. [view]
posted by nTeleKy to MetaFilter on Jan 20 at 5:44 AM
51 users marked this as a favorite

I’m 998 days sober! [view]
posted by punchtothehead to MetaFilter on Jan 20 at 7:30 AM
47 users marked this as a favorite

Clemency isn't a pardon--the conviction stands I mean, we can't even call this justice. Allowing the conviction to stand is just one more act of political cowardice, if I'm being honest. And the commentary from Native communities about second rate treatment practically write themselves. What a weird legacy Biden leaves. so much good,... [more]
posted by smedly, Butlerian jihadi to MetaFilter on Jan 20 at 10:44 AM
38 users marked this as a favorite

“Every drink takes five minutes off your life.” Am I... am I dead now? [view]
posted by DirtyOldTown to MetaFilter on Jan 23 at 9:27 AM
38 users marked this as a favorite

I spend a lot of time wondering if I actually have autism, since I'm not diagnosed, and then yesterday I had a full physical meltdown because my grocery store changed its layout. [view]
posted by tofu_crouton to MetaFilter on Jan 23 at 7:26 AM
35 users marked this as a favorite

Woke up October 16th and said "fuck this." I had been drinking 5-6 glasses of wine on top of some meds every night for years. Downing way too many beers at friends' parties, and at trade shows. Also lots of martinis. A miracle I never got a DUI. Joined AA October 18th and never looked back. If you've ever wondered whether you're an... [more]
posted by ZenMasterThis to MetaFilter on Jan 23 at 8:45 AM
35 users marked this as a favorite

I don't want to hear about how everything I CHOOsE to do is bad when we're all poisoned with microplastics and BPAs. It's so exhausting. I've said it before but we're just apes! We shouldn't have to navigate all this, let us have some fermented fruit and grains [view]
posted by tiny frying pan to MetaFilter on Jan 23 at 9:01 AM
34 users marked this as a favorite

New Orleans still has many places abandoned since Katrina A large part of the Black middle class left for Houston and Atlanta and never looked back, so those neighborhoods have gone through forest development over twenty years There s an invasive Tallow tree that poisons the soil for other trees that a absolutely dominated the canopy for... [more]
posted by eustatic to MetaFilter on Jan 17 at 11:04 PM
34 users marked this as a favorite

The amendment was not ratified either within the timeframe specified in the original proposed text, or in the extension that congress granted. As someone who originally held that view (based on how it was presented in junior high civics class), not that, the time limit was not in the original proposed text, as you can see here.... [more]
posted by mark k to MetaFilter on Jan 17 at 8:35 PM
32 users marked this as a favorite

I'd rather squeeze the life out of life by actually living cancer free. Not that you have to drink to enjoy life, but at some point you're draining the life out of life avoiding every possible risk. [view]
posted by star gentle uterus to MetaFilter on Jan 23 at 8:43 AM
31 users marked this as a favorite

got married & had a baby eight days later, feeling like a sim on ultra fast speed [view]
posted by taquito sunrise to MetaFilter on Jan 20 at 9:16 AM
30 users marked this as a favorite

Came in for this: “ Moderate drinkers tend to be richer, healthier, and more social, while nondrinkers are a motley group that includes people who have never had alcohol (who tend to be poorer), people who quit drinking alcohol because they’re sick, and even recovering alcoholics. In short, many moderate drinkers are healthy for reasons that have... [more]
posted by toodleydoodley to MetaFilter on Jan 23 at 9:41 AM
30 users marked this as a favorite

I’m still trying to figure out why Bernie sanders felt the need to say “I look forward to working with President Trump when he stands with the working families of this country.” I think I know the answer to this question. Bernie doesn't look forward to working with Trump. Bernie doesn't think Trump will stand with the working families... [more]
posted by kensington314 to MetaFilter on Jan 20 at 1:48 PM
28 users marked this as a favorite

Britney spears went into conservatorship. Charlie sheen didn’t. That’s all I need to know about gender and the psychiatric system to realize this is a thing. [view]
posted by vim876 to MetaFilter on Jan 19 at 9:27 AM
28 users marked this as a favorite

[more comments]