Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with whimsical

And now, some music on the Light Programme ...

scruss — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:21:34 -0800

Trying to track down a piece of mid-20th century music. It's got a whimsical "Auntie Beeb" feel to it, a meandering woodwind (clarinet) theme and unexpected woodblock or claves usage. Last time I heard it, the piece was being used ironically. Whether the piece was actually used in 1950s BBC broadcasts, I don't know, but I'd love to get its name.

Seriously this was a really good sandwich.

Dillonlikescookies — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:39:33 -0800

Can I patent a sandwich? I may have just invented the best sandwich ever, and before I reveal the recipe I want to know it's safe from those would attempt to misuse it's power for evil. Naturally, I would share it, but I want to protect my invention first. There are only two ingredients but pairing them is pretty rare. Turns out it tastes great. Can a sandwich be patented at all? Does it have to be weird enough before I can? Do I have to commercially exploit it in order to patent it? Is the cost prohibitive for whimsical patents? Is the world ready to accept a vegetarian candidate for the king of sandwiches?

I'm not even hungry and I want one now. I might go to the supermarket for more ingredients even though I don't need any other groceries. It's that good. My mouth is watering thinking about it. It's hard to overstate how good this sandwich was, but I like to think it was art

I could be rich from this. People would take out loans for these babies. We're talking devote your whole life to getting them because nothing taste good in comparison, living in the gutter begging for change to go buy one type good.

Naturally, after becoming independently wealthy I would donate profits to charity and allow certain organizations free use of the recipe, you know, pull a Paul Newman, I mean, there's only so much money one guy needs.

It would be kind of cool to have a patent as a conversation piece. I'm in New Zealand so our patent law might be a bit weird. Is there anyone I can call to get (preferably free) advice from?

And where can I order bulk quantities of cough syrup?

Who drew it?

Soliloquy — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:05:38 -0800

Help me find the artist/stock image CD these fantastic illustrations are from... A friend sent me these gorgeous illustrations recently. They're probably pirated stock illustrations but there's no data under File Info, and I'd like to find the artist or stock image site where I can buy more like them. I've tried searching for the filenames on Google and relevant keywords on istockphoto but no luck. They were originally in .ai and .eps formats.

Amateur night at the symphony: clank, rattle and thump

leapfrog — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 14:20:17 -0800

Cheap, noisy and fun: Help me to build/make/collect dozens of inexpensive, whimsical musical instuments. I am looking for ideas and suggestions for fun musical instruments which can be made at home or purchased inexpensively. They should be easy to play as the people playing them will have little to no musical experience and preferably the instruments would be untuned (i.e. percussion) since I won't be able to train the musicians. The key characteristics I'm looking for are: fun, whimsical and boisterous. Bonus points for cleverness, uniqueness, and ease of use.

Some examples: Kazoo, guiro, plastic easter-egg shakers, bottlecaps/washers nailed to a stick, washboard.

I'm also looking for suggestions of more traditional percussion that can be picked up easily by the untrained, like woodblocks, claves, or cowbell; particularly shops/websites where I can find such things at bargain prices.

Thank you, O Great Hive Mind.