I've been an avid collector of tips, tricks, and approaches to solving problems. There are heuristics that I look for that ofthat can have real positive advantages and accelerated productivity for people. In the early, I read a book called How to Win Friends and influence People, a classic of interpersonal management, and found that the advice to "become genuinely interested in other people" worked nearly instantly to improve my relationships with others. Still, other approaches have worekd as well. I used to play little league baseball and couldn't hit for the life of me until someimagine that there was a speck on the ball being pitched to me and to try and hit that speck and not the whole ball itself. The effect was instantatneous as well. [more inside]
posted by RapcityinBlue at 11:16 AM May 23 2013 - 67 answers [165 favorites]

While settling a disagreement over whether Total Eclipse of the Heart was a duet, I just saw the music video and it blew my mind. I grew up without cable, and am pretty much ignorant of everything but the "classic" music videos from the 80's; please let me know what I'm missing. [more inside]
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 8:34 AM May 23 2013 - 202 answers [156 favorites]

Summer’s here. In need of amazing novel recommendations. Particulars within. [more inside]
posted by xenization at 7:37 AM May 22 2013 - 45 answers [110 favorites]

There's a giant Korean supermarket not terribly far from where I live (the mega Hmart in Burlington). It's enormous--big enough to have small aisles dedicated to different Asian groceries--a Thai aisle, an Indian aisle, a Japanese aisle, etc. It's far more than I'd ever be able to explore on my own. What items available in a truly excellent Asian supermarket should I seek out? This is pretty much a pan-Asian free-for-all, so if you have a favorite Indonesian mustard, or an unforgettable Cambodian pickle, please share here. Bonus points for sous-vide-able items! [more inside]
posted by Admiral Haddock at 9:43 AM May 20 2013 - 54 answers [98 favorites]

My husband and I may soon have two incomes. Hoorah! But how do we balance that with making food for our meals? [more inside]
posted by donut_princess at 6:23 PM May 21 2013 - 50 answers [80 favorites]

I'd love to fill my apartment with Eames chairs and Braun speakers, but the great icons of industrial design are almost all hilariously expensive. So, on to plan B: What are the greatest knockoffs of great design? Here, for example, are some pretty good fake Eames chairs. Here is a serviceable copy of the Mondaine railway clock. Do you own a great knockoff of an iconic object, or something beautiful and functional that's heavily inspired by one?
posted by ecmendenhall at 5:39 PM May 21 2013 - 9 answers [74 favorites]

Occasionally my partner and I will find ourselves with an hour to kill and nothing to do (e.g., we show up too early for a movie). I'm looking for word games that we can play that don't require access to the Internet, paper/pen, more than two people, a game board, or anything other than ourselves. [more inside]
posted by southern_sky at 5:28 AM May 20 2013 - 35 answers [70 favorites]

I constantly have a huge list of things to do in my head and I'd like to get better at organizing/prioritizing them. [more inside]
posted by sprezzy at 12:16 PM May 21 2013 - 21 answers [59 favorites]

Spurred by the events in Bangladesh, a growing dissatisfaction with clothing quality, as well as an oddly shaped body that doesn't conform well to rack sizing, I've decided to commit to making more of my own clothing. I know how to operate my sewing machine. I know how to read a pattern. I frankenstein and repurpose clothes on the regular. I need some advanced basics to take it to the next level. [more inside]
posted by lilnublet at 1:50 PM May 23 2013 - 15 answers [54 favorites]

I feel very uneducated in 'important' cinema and I'd really like to know and understand more. If I knew how to properly define 'important' I probably wouldn't need to ask the question, but names like Kurosawa, Tartakovsky, Fellini that I know I don't know anything about. What I'm hoping the lovely hivemind can do is give me a good starting point - something equivalent to the five-foot shelf of books that contains an entire liberal education (http://archive.org/details/harvardclassics), but for cinema. DVD collections (or YouTube links) that form part of this would be welcome too. Basically, help me educate myself in cinema!
posted by Kirn at 2:28 AM May 21 2013 - 19 answers [53 favorites]

I want to read nonfiction about ritualistic/magical/occult/religious practices or events in a historical/cultural context that will learn me real good without sacrificing the fun factor. More interested in things like druid sacrifice or the Salem witch trials than modern-day ghostbusters or psychics, but all cultures are welcome.
posted by goosechasing at 7:58 PM May 20 2013 - 22 answers [52 favorites]

I'm looking for songs that are in love with Appalachia, mention places, rivers, Dogwood flowers, etc and are full of that Blue Ridge heartache. Blue grass, country, folk and that ilk. I'm driving along the blue ridge parkway, and want a killer soundtrack. I already have the Sweetback Sister's Virginia is for Lovers, Paradise by John Prine, Tom Wait's Oh Shenandoah and of course, Wagon Wheel, on repeat on my playlist. What am I missing?
posted by Grandysaur at 4:06 PM May 22 2013 - 35 answers [50 favorites]

My dear friend who is known for making awesome mix tapes/CDs/playlists is getting married, and I'd love to give him an awesome mix CD as part of my wedding present. So, musical & in-the-know folks of AskMe, please give me your best suggestions for what songs should be on it! Artist suggestions welcome too, but ideally you will suggest specific songs. [more inside]
posted by aka burlap at 9:32 AM May 22 2013 - 58 answers [49 favorites]

Serious and fascinating interviews with people (celebrities, musicians, whomever) who are not usually considered serious or fascinating? By the metric I'm using, Lady Gaga or George Clooney are probably a tad too highbrow; Tom Clancy or Katy Perry are fair game. It doesn't matter who the people are, what they do, or what they're known for, only that they are generally not taken especially seriously or considered to be all that interesting.
posted by Rory Marinich at 3:58 AM May 23 2013 - 22 answers [48 favorites]

Anxiety along with a tendency to depression is kicking up lately, and I'm having a hard time finding non-disturbing yet entertaining things to distract myself with. I need recommendations of books that will be engrossing enough to keep me interested without dark/scary/disgusting/horrifying elements. [more inside]
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 10:36 AM May 22 2013 - 36 answers [47 favorites]

Can you recommend nerdy things (papers, sites, podcasts, books, articles, whatever) about spatial and urban data, and things people are doing with them? [more inside]
posted by carbide at 1:02 PM May 20 2013 - 16 answers [46 favorites]

I'm looking for new mystery series with a strong, atmospheric setting. [more inside]
posted by superfluousm at 1:16 PM May 21 2013 - 45 answers [45 favorites]

Last night I realized that two of the places I have worked have had, as part of the lore of the place, a fictional character who everyone willingly pretended was real (in a tongue-in-cheek way). These were both in semi-educational institutions, but it was the adults who propagated the myth of the character, for each others' entertainment. These characters both sent postcards from around the world, and gathered to them improbable stories about their adventures. I'm wondering, how common is this phenomenon, and can you describe any fictional characters that have been part of the lore and legend where you have lived or worked? [more inside]
posted by Miko at 5:45 AM May 23 2013 - 65 answers [41 favorites]

I like to sing traditional-styled songs to myself during my day. It helps me feel happy. I'd like to learn some new ones. The catch is I'm attracted to a specific subset of songs that I can't quite classify, so I'm having trouble finding new ones that really hook me. I like the songs that are very... bittersweet? Like, they demonstrate profound hope or love, but at the same time seem to understand how awful the world can be sometimes. Songs like Long Time Traveler (or more properly "White"), The Parting Glass, Peggy Gordon, Down In The River To Pray, etc. Do you know any songs that strike this chord? (They don't have to be Irish or American; as long as I can learn the words I'm excited about everything.)
posted by ictow at 7:55 AM May 23 2013 - 41 answers [41 favorites]

Lessons are expensive and I never want to sing for an audience, I only want to improve my voice for singing in the car and shower. Is it possible to teach yourself to be a better singer? [more inside]
posted by keep it under cover at 5:54 PM May 23 2013 - 10 answers [41 favorites]