Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with awesome

Only You Can Help Make Maui Awesome!

joelhunt — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:35:29 -0800

Where should we stay in Maui? "We"are my wife and I (early 30s) and our son (will be 19 months).
We want to probably rent a condo somewhere on Maui in early February. We're looking for someplace clean and cheap (who isn't?), hopefully in a good location on the island. Looking for suggestions, ranging from the vague (general area in Maui) to the specific (name of a great condo complex).

We'd like to be close to a beach, ideally. We'll be renting a car. Also, any suggestions on must-do activities or things that are awesome for a small family with a toddler to do are appreciated.

Aloha? (Is that right?)

Not your grandma's Schumann records: give me piano bands that will rock my face off.

JaiMahodara — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:37:13 -0800

I'm looking for piano-based rock bands that rock really, really hard. I've seen this question, but I'm specifically looking for bands - not songs - that are led by a badass, hard-rocking pianist, like the Led Zeppelin of piano rock.

I love Ben Folds, Fiona Apple, Brad Mehldau...and suggestions in this genre are certainly welcome as well, but I'd love to find bands leaning more towards punk, heavy metal, hip-hop, or any hard-rocking, unconventional bands that are piano driven.

Bring me audio ecstasy, hive mind.

I wanna shred you up!

sprocket87 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:14:12 -0800

Looking for recommendations of modern indie rock artists that aren't afraid to shred & solo - on the electric guitar, not a Casiotone. I'm a major music fan with tastes all over the board. For the past couple years I've been super heavy in the indie world. Much of what I've been listening to is quite, shall we say, "eclectic", and very experimental. I've noticed that prominent use of the guitar seems to be languishing in such music. It's present, yes, but subdued, scrubbed through a sea of effects, and diluted either into a wash of supplemental melody or a wall of noise. The Moog solo has replaced the guitar solo - and though that isn't a bad thing per se, I want to get back to my roots, so to speak.

I feel like I'm ready to go through an electric guitar rennaissance. I miss the riffs, energy, and lead of yore. Few 90's alt songs were lacking a decent solo, and I really miss that.

So, what can you recommend? I'm NOT looking for "classic" examples of solo-centric bands (classic rock, 90s alt, metal, etc). I've got plenty to choose from there (though, for examples' sake, Pink Floyd fits the bill nicely - really experimental music that employed guitar solos masterfully, yet weren't a silly shredder hair band either).

I'm looking for recent/up & coming bands that aren't afraid to turn the amps to 11 and bust out some righteous solos, or, at the minimum, that use the guitar in a technically impressive fashion, instead of just a yawn-inducing strum box.

Note: I'm not just looking for loud, power-chord-weilding indie bands (Glasvegas, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, etc). I love this stuff too, but I want to hear some riffs, man!

Examples:

The White Stripes (their older, more guitar-centric stuff - Ball & Biscuit, etc)
Apollo Up! (This is pretty much exactly what I'm talking about)
Some B.R.M.C.
Alberta Cross, a little
Eh... can't think of any others at the moment?

Don't feel that it has to be restrained to a certain genre, per se, but I'm not looking for pure metal (Uneath, Skeletonwitch, etc). Like I said, lots of easy choices there. I'm looking for more eclectic, indie-oriented groups that incorporate heavy guitar lead into their music.

Thanks!

If you were a circus director spending lots of time and effort on a n00b, what would you appreciate?

divabat — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:59:47 -0800

What can I get as a thank-you gift for my circus directors? I'm a week and a bit away from my first ever festival performance, as part of a project by a women's circus I'm a part of here. The project involves about 5-6 of us producing and performing personal pieces with the assistance of two experienced circus/theatre directors. I got picked as a bit of a wildcard - I had the least experience out of everybody (less than a year and at very basic levels) but they liked my proposal and thought I had an interesting story. We've been working hard, twice a week at least since August, and for me I've learnt so much about performance skills, about developing personal strengths, about why I'm interested in the issues that informed this piece. It has been an amazing experience.

I would like to get my two directors something as a token of appreciation. I didn't know them before this project, though I do interact with one of them on another street theatre project we're doing. One (P) is the Artistic Director of this circus; the other (C) used to work with this circus but has now moved to another youth arts organisation but decided to come over and help us out. P's the one I primarily work with but I've received lot of help and feedback from C too.

P is a relative newcomer to our circus - she was hired as our Artistic Director in August and this is her first big project. She has about 6+ years of experience with community circuses and mainly does street theatre. She's got pink hair and goes everywhere with a small pink Mother Mary bag but I don't think she's particularly girly otherwise. She can be serious and stern sometimes but she's also quite loving and open and encouraging and friendly. We tend to bump into each other a lot and we have an injoke about "tying me up" - my piece involves escaping from rope, which she helps tie me up in, and we've been to a fetish party hosted by her housemates (also my friends) where I recently got my first flogging!

C is also quite outgoing though I think she tends to come up with crazier ideas more readily than P (P does too, but it seems like more of a shock coming from her than from C because P often seems more serious!) She doesn't tend to be as colourful as P in style and is often harried with multiple jobs and responsibilities. I don't know too much about her but I do know she can be quite silly!

Both have circus experience (I don't know C's speciality) and also are involved with queer art and culture in some way, though I can't say for certain what they define themselves sexuality-wise. C's told me that people tend to perceive her as a "lesbian artist" and P got her start in circus from an event at a lesbian event, but as a pansexual girl who sometimes goes to lesbian events I can't say that they're definitive answers, just that it shows something that they care about. From their conversations I gather they're in tune with alternative spirituality and healing, though neither of them are particularly "hippie" like.

I feel more attached to P because I feel like she's been a "mother" figure to me, helping me get out of my shell and create better performance. I would also like to thank C for her hard work with me. Asides from this project they don't work in the same office so I don't want to get them something they'll have to share. P came up to work for our circus partly because she lost all her stuff - including a lot of performance gear - so I'd like to get her something that she might have missed.

What can I get them? Should I go for form over function? Should I get them the same thing but in different colours or styles? I was going to give baked goods at first but I have no idea what their dietary habits are. I don't want something useless but I don't want something boring either! Something personable would be great, though I don't have tons of money and time.

If you were a circus director spending lots of time and effort on a n00b, what would you appreciate?

THE Game, you just lost it.

cobain_angel — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:53:07 -0800

Help me find the perfect videogame for my boyfriend. My boyfriend's birthday is coming up. Recently, we were talking about his neverending quest for the perfect videogame, and I realized that would be a great present to give him. However, I cannot find a game tailored to his specifications. Below, his closest matches, in his words, and why they are not quite what he's looking for:

"The Sims 2 is pretty close, but it gets pointless pretty fast, and I get bogged down in making pretty things. 4x4 Evolution is another good one, very open-ended with good development, but I've played all it has to offer many times over. Also I get bogged down making stuff for that, but it's usually not supposed to be pretty. XD
EV Override is also a close one, but it's gotten tedious and it doesn't run natively in OS X. Starcraft is kind of good, but the pace isn't quite right for me. It's not open-ended, you're not really reaching for any kind of a goal. The missions are too long to be just little pieces of the progression, but too short to be a long-term commitment. It's very scripted and unforgiving.
Runescape is too simple and kind of pointless. Everything is too organized, like the system of weapons and armor. There aren't any real goals once you've finished all the quests, but the quests are too tedious and difficult when you're doing them. After that, all you can really do is try to level up and get rich.
So I want a game that's open-ended, with an ability to set goals. I'm really big on gradually gaining items and abilities, but in a way of my choosing rather than a strict ordered progression. Driving games are cool, but don't allow for too much creativity. Multiplayer can be cool, but I don't really prefer one way over the other. So I want a game that's semi-sandbox, but still has a steady gain of items/powers/money to buy said items or powers."

The things that come to mind with these descriptions are Spore and WoW. He's nearly done with Spore, and WoW doesn't really interest him. I'm not a gamer, so I'm not very well-versed in games like this. What does the hivemind suggest?

PS. The boyfriend has a Mac, a Wii, a PSP, and I think he might have an Xbox tucked in there somewhere.

i love u smartwool!

leotrotsky — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:31:22 -0800

Super efficient/awesome clothing &/or gadgets that have changed your life? I finally bought a lightweight soft wicking wool undershirt and it's a revelation. I can't believe that it took me so long to realize how much BETTER they are than standard cotton or synthetics. Does anyone else have any similar recommendations?

Let's do this right, shall we?

orville sash — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:29:18 -0800

I want to get a story on This American Life. I would like some help. You may remember that about a year ago, I asked how to get a job at NPR. I recently had the idea for a story that I thought would be a good fir on This American Life. Without bothering to contact them, I started compiling the necessary interviews, and the subjects for the story responded positively. I am already ankle deep in producing the story on my own, and I have the audio equipment and technical know how to finish it myself, but I have a couple of questions for the hive mind.

1.) Should I just finish and submit the completed story to This American Life, or should I use the form on their website to pitch the story to them to see if they're interested?
2.) I don't have much experience with writing pitches, so if you think I should write a pitch, can you point me in the direction of good sample pitches?

Thanks, everyone

Waddaya think I am? Some kind of Jerk or something?

Bageena — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:48:55 -0800

This is easy - I just want the 'TV' version of Steve Martin's 'The Jerk'. So... how do I get it? IMDB admits that it exists, so I know I'm not crazy. An alternative version to both the original and the 26th anniversary release, known amongst some as the 'TV' version. Besides changing the dog's name from 'Shithead' to 'Stupid', there was a scene where Navin is so heartbroken over the lost of Marie that he 'just had to spin'. The bathroom scene was completely re-cut, and there were two additional scenes where Navin is solicited by people seeking charity, one of whom a wealthy Texan millionaire who he weeps with over the cracks in the leather seats of his airplane.

So all I want to know is... how the heck do I get my hands on a copy of this? It doesn't seem to exist in any format I can buy, there's no torrent that I can download, there's not even clips of the alternative footage on Youtube. In digging around, I learned about a cameo with Bill Murray that had been cut from the film. So now we're up to like, fifteen minutes AT LEAST that is missing from my life. Is there anything I can do? Any place I can go? Help me Askmefites! Pretty please?

How does 3d work for this dvd?

Large Marge — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:11:37 -0800

I saw My Bloody Valentine 3D in theaters, and it was awesome. I also just saw the DVD at target with four 3D glasses!! Since I know the theater uses the REALD (CP polarization) system, and I know tv panels don't operate the same way, has anyone bought the DVD/know how the home theater version works/is it worth checking out?

Move my archive of awesome to the cloud?

ooklala — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:09:45 -0800

How can I organize my archive of awesomeness which has mostly pictures? I have started an archive, much like Adam Savages creative projects archive, of awesome random stuff, like interesting images I find, or links or songs, etc. Currently this archive is a folder on my desktop ("archive of awesome"). To organize the items, I have been writing in the metadata (spotlight comments) about everything. I'D like to move this archive to the cloud, whilst keeping the process of adding things to the catalouge simple. What service can I use for this?

REQUIREMENTS:
currently, all pictures, mostly weird ones that I get to make points for friends and such. I plan on adding text clips and links.
I use a mac, and would like something ideally that combines a desktop software and a nice website.
It must be easy. If it takes more than a few seconds to add to it, it will probably end up being too cumbersome.

What's the coolest thing you've ever seen at a bar?

bjork24 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:28:55 -0800

What's the most unique feature you've ever seen in a bar or pub? Ideally, this would be something that could be replicated anywhere, so "an awesome view of the Pacific ocean" wouldn't quite fit. I'm looking for that one special thing that, when you're sitting around talking about cool bars with your friends, spurs you to say, "I went to this one bar in [Anyplace] and they had [cool feature]. It was AWESOME!"

I'm brainstorming ideas for a potential bar, and have several unique features in mind, but I thought I'd query the hive as well. Anything from unique drinks, unusual architectural details, nightly/weekly specials/events, waitresses with all the same first names, or whatever else!

Dear god not more plaid.

Eothele — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:54:19 -0800

Are all adult sized pajamas boring? Where can I find some with dinosaurs, space ships, fairies, that kinda thing?

More 'pew pew' please.

eurasian — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:32:34 -0800

Why hasn't another movie like "The 5th Element" been made since, well, "The 5th Element"? ("Because it sucks" is not an answer) Its a fun, campy, whiz-bang space opera. Its had multiple editions of it released to DVD. I assume it's done well in sales. Why the heck hasn't there been another like it? Too expensive? No one writes scripts like it (I find this hard to believe)?

Don't make me go to the Bongo Room! I won't go to the Bongo Room!

TheWhiteSkull — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:06:13 -0800

Really Specific Chicago Restaurant Filter: Does anyone know if Dodo's new location has opened yet? This is the first time that I'll be back in Chicago after a 10 month absence. I'd really like to take a friend to Dodo for brunch. Did they ever re-open? I can't find anything that will confirm or deny this. I heard that they were going to open somewhere on Fulton.

Inexpensive awesome in Copenhagen?

jrb223 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:29:29 -0800

Inexpensive awesome in Copenhagen? I'm headed to Copenhagen for two weeks, and I have heard that the city can be quite expensive. To that end I was looking for recommendations of things to do, see, eat and drink that won't break the bank. Any recommendations of can't-miss spots that are easy on the pocketbook and might not be in the guidebooks?

Bring me the Blackberry related awesome!

By The Grace of God — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:06:44 -0800

Awesome my Blackberry. I just got a Blackberry Curve 8310, and it just eats awesome for breakfast. I want free apps and any other suggestions that can further increase its awesome quotient, particularly when playing with my mac shop at home.

The primary use of this is as a campaign phone. I will use it to keep myself organised while getting a certain Mr. Candidate elected whether he likes it or not! It's served well in this capacity thus far..its mappey gps goodness works to help keep me and my team from getting lost when we're canvassing, and answering email immediately is great. Can I manage multiple diaries with it? Mr Candidate is in a Windows environment and doesn't keep his diary in digital format like a civilised person anyway, and he's got a SEK810i and refuses to en-Berry himself anyway...

In any case, interpret this question widely; apps, fora, accessories, etc. to maximise the use of this thing would be great. I have other gadgets as well that go with me - an iPod touch for when i have wireless and prefer the internets/email not to look like ass, and a backup k810i with my old number on it and for the good camera.

Awesome Twitters?

rossmik — Sat, 24 May 2008 07:43:35 -0800

I just saw this, from the Tower Bridge, and for the first time I thought: "Twitter could be awesome for things like this!" Any similarly awesome twitterers you can recommend? (Strict awesomeness criteria inside.) For the most part, I think of twitter as an "Incredibly Shitty Blog," but towerbridge changed my mind. It's not really the kind of thing you would bother to put on a web page, but twitter's format of small updates is perfect here. I can't find much else like it though, so please help me with some recommendations.

I am looking for things that:
1. Are not about one person. That's what blogs are for.
2. Are not marketing. "Choosy moms choose JIF" is a bad tweet.
3. Are Micro-updates, not Macro-facts. MarsPhoenix and CNN below are good examples of things I would rather see on a regular web page, maybe with an RSS feed.
4. Are Awesome. This is a matter of taste, and I hope this doesn't make this question too chatfiltery. MeFi has an eclectic blend of personal tastes; if you think it's cool, please post it here.

Examples, both good and bad:

1. Tower Bridge again: Awesome. Micronews, but interesting, in a nerdy trainspotting sort of way.
2. LAFD: Awesome. Micronews again. Tax dollars are being spent on saving lives here.
3. Mars Phoenix: Kinda cool. Fun facts aren't really updates though -- maybe this will improve when it gets to Mars.
4. LAX: 4 updates in the last 5 months is not Awesome.
5. CNN: The news here is too macro -- really this is like a crappy version of their RSS feed.
6. Stuff about people, even interesting people: Not what I'm looking for here. Good stuff gets blogged, eating sandwiches can be skipped.

I did find this list but wasn't too impressed; I'm hoping metafilter knows some better twitterers. Any suggestions?

The awesomest song

ictow — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:24:16 -0800

I need a really awesome entrance song. Something that makes the audience be like, "Aw damn, I now know that this is going to be very enjoyable, all because this song is so badass." What I've got so far:

Battle Without Honor or Humanity
Sabotage
Die Motherf***er Die
O Fortuna

Please tell me the song I obviously forgot to include on this list.

Can you name this tiny little riff?

crazyray — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:53:52 -0800

I recently saw the "Beatles LOVE" show in Vegas and was absolutely blown away. I now have the DVDA disc but am trying to identify all the songs mashed into it by Sir George Martin. Here's a clip I am particularly interested in. Can someone please tell me exactly what song is mashed up at the 3:56 mark of the Beatles "LOVE" song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waHWwZsjvCk

Bonus points if you can tell me where I can find what songs go into the entire soundtrack.

Lonely movie seeks mate for night of incredible synergy

fuzzbean — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:52:11 -0800

Double Feature: Help me come up with pairs of movies that, viewed together, create ULTIMATE AWESOME. I want to host movie nights at my apartment. I'd like to show pairs of movies such that, while initially not connected, together make an evening of total awesome. Movies can be from any genre and together should be under four or five hours (so a Dr. Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia double feature is RIGHT OUT.) One could be the source material for a subsequent takeoff, they could have similar themes or deal with similar situations in different ways. They do not need to be classics, but they both need to be good in an entertaining, thought-provoking, funny, sick, etc. sense (but they do not need to be all of these things simultaneously). They don't need to be "good" in a critic-approved sense; bad movies that turn into awesome in large groups with popcorn and alcohol is totally fine. They can be from any time period, any genre, any country (subtitles are fine), etc. Go nuts.

My only real restriction is nothing truly excessively gross (think the scab / dinner scene in Dead Alive; Burton's Sweeney Todd was also pretty over-the-top for me). Also no gorno - Hostel, Saw, etc. Basically - avoid luxurious cannibalism and gratuitous torture. Stuff that is trying to make me puke is not okay.

Some things I've come up with so far:
The Princess Bride and Stardust (sweet fairy tales)
Office Space and Resident Evil (evil corporation)
The Wicker Man (1973, tyvm) and Hot Fuzz (cop meets quaint town + referential)
The Great Escape and Chicken Run (takeoff / referential)
Dog Soldiers and Cursed or Ginger Snaps (werewolves)

Feel free to suggest alternate pairings for any of the movies I've listed above (especially Office Space; my bf thinks there will be insufficient people interested both in Office Space and a zombie flick). If anyone's seen The Happiness of the Katakuris and would like to suggest a mate for it, that would be great too.

Bonus question: Suggest movies+sequels that would be well-suited to a bunch of...well, Mefite-type-people sitting around and watching together. I've already done The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and a full Saturday of the director's cut LOTRs is a distinct possibility, as is Kill Bill I+II

Remember: AWESOME.

The Greatest Bachelor Party in Sin City

ZackTM — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 11:16:39 -0800

How can I throw my other best friend the greatest bachelor party ever in Las Vegas around Spring Break time? So last year I threw a pretty sweet bachelor party in Myrtle Beach and its going to be really hard to out do it-- but out do it I must. My other best friend has asked me to throw his bachelor party as well! I figure it's about time we make it to Vegas so I need some help. I've never been to Vegas in my life and I really don't know what to expect or how to plan anything at all?

What:
My best friend's bachelor party

When:
Spring Break Season! (I'm assuming Spring Break will bring an influx of young people. Any time between March and April is fine with me though, so recommend a date if you have any suggestions!) We'd be in Vegas from Friday morning until Monday morning of some weekend.

Who:
10-12 guys in their mid twenties (me and the groom are 25). Half are single, half are in committed relationships. Ones um.. ya know.. getting married.

Where:
Las Vegas

One catch:
No hookers :-(
Hey but we can have strippers this time!

Help!
Is there any way to set this up as a cheap package? I imagine everyone can find their own flights to LV since they're pretty cheap. What about getting a suite at a hotel for us all to sleep in? Any suggestions?

What about activities? There are two things I want to have happen. A: We participate in some sort of athletic event (like Whirleyball or Capture the Flag or something), preferably featuring just our group

B: The groom (and the groomsmen?) must wear a different costume every day. Elvis one day, a cowboy the next, etc.

The rest is wide open, so I need suggestions!

Priorities:
1. Having lots of fun!
2. Not spending more than $400 on the whole trip not counting gambling (preferably less!)
3. Bonding activities

foxdog!

beerbajay — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 08:45:04 -0800

I must find the most fox-like dogs that exist! Points given for breed names and links to photos! Yes, I have seen the tamed silver foxes, which are adorable.

(halloweenfilter) Help me look like Captain Kirk on a budget

stenseng — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:56:31 -0800

I'd like to be Captain Kirk for halloween. Anyone on MeFi have any ideas/experience as to how to find/fashion/fake a gold Star Trek TOS shirt/tunic thingy for a halloween costume? I've got black pants, leather boots, and good hair, but I'm fairly broke, and need to come up with a convincing Kirk costume top without breaking the $20 mark. Also, I don't really know how to sew. I'm about 6'3, 50" chest, 42" waist Thoughts?

Pedal faster!

Squid Voltaire — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:23:05 -0800

Please suggest good high-BPM music for the gym! It seems that if I keep up roughly 160 strides per minute, I get myself a damn fine workout. Can you recommend some interesting (e.g., not merely the same electronic riffs endlessly repeated) music to keep me dancing on the Elliptical Machine? Free music is preferable to expensive music, and music on iTunes would be easier for me than music available only on forty-year-old vinyl.

Some examples of what I'm looking for are:
Psychobilly and Pussycat
or
Sudenpolkka.

Mad shout outz to Wolfdogg and Methyl Violet, who have given me an awful lot of cool music already!

Please help me identify this series of paintings.

bradth27 — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:25:16 -0800

Help me identify this series of paintings I found a series of paintings today ( prints, actually) that depict the progression of a city through time. On the back of one print, there is a note that states "1956".... no artist signature.

The painting series starts with a house in a field, with hills in the background. The house gets bulldozed down, roads are built, buildings are erected, torn down, and eventually a freeway runs right through where the house once stood.

There is a mixture of languages in the paintings on the street signs and what have you - german, japanese, english, etc....

I don't think I have all the images, but I would like to find out where I could. Only, I don't know the first thing about the painting - or the artist. Anyone familiar with this work?