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This is a long shot, but: I'm looking for an old comic about the Automat. It is almost definitely from the 1970s or before, and may have been in Mad Magazine and/or a Mad compilation paperback. [more inside]
posted by expialidocious at 6:18 PM - 2 answers

Some years ago I read an article about the history of the YA novel which posited that YA is a marketing term. (Example: The Outsiders probably would have been marketed as a YA novel today but the category didn’t exist then). I’m looking for historical information about YA and middle grade novels. [more inside]
posted by CMcG at 11:36 AM - 12 answers

I read this comment * on BlueSky in a thread about NY Times poll voter quote from a low-key infamous disreputable source explaining that according to an insider that bad sources often come from "quote farm agencies" and I am wondering if anyone could provide some insights into this practice. [more inside]
posted by srboisvert at 6:24 AM - 4 answers

What are some interesting techniques used for hiding the breathing of "dead" characters on TV and film? I am looking specifically for nitty gritty accounts of the mundane or maybe not so mundane techniques used to tackle what must be a very common issue. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:38 AM - 8 answers

In a world of mass manufacturing and artificialness, I've found myself fascinated by the work of artisans and crafters... people who work with their hands and know what they're doing. I recently stumbled upon some signs that are handcrafted, and I'd love to do something similar. But I have no idea where to start. [more inside]
posted by uncannyslacks at 6:12 AM - 6 answers

I'm thinking seriously about releasing a feature length animated movie with a Creative Commons License, specifically one that allows for reuse (in whole or part) for commercial ends, though I would have to be credited (attributed), and any reuse would need to be shared under the same terms (see link below). I'm comfortable with the decision. I haven't taken it lightly. But is there something I'm not considering that I should be? Is there some Creative Commons (Copyleft) horror story that you're aware of? Maybe it happened to you, maybe someone you know. [more inside]
posted by philip-random at 10:54 AM - 9 answers

Just starting to get into choral music. There is a baroque concert happening in a local church and it is general admission. Where is the best place to sit for something like this? Front row? middle? behind the conductor? On the left or right? I do know that I love the soprano voices the best.
posted by storybored at 8:59 PM - 6 answers

I love science fiction stories in which it turns out that everything we know is wrong. A big discovery, a big secret, or a big truth is revealed... [more inside]
posted by Sing Or Swim at 11:38 AM - 42 answers

I'm printing images onto 8.5 x 11 photo paper, then peeling off the back and sticking them to 8.5 x 11 pieces of cardboard. I would like to get 100% accuracy (paper lined up exactly, no cardboard showing) but for dexterity reasons I frequently end up rotating the paper by a fractional degree. What's your secret?
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:49 AM - 13 answers

I need to watch some movies about people, fictional or not, who fell in love, got married, and had genuinely happy, healthy marriages for as long as they were together. I'm especially eager to see scenes of married couples having supportive conversations and moments of sweet, non-sexual affection. Examples inside. [more inside]
posted by The Adventure Begins at 4:44 AM - 23 answers

And where do you go to find it out? [more inside]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:10 AM - 15 answers

I am looking for engaging sci-fi, fantasy, romance (especially if combined with one of the others), or similar books that are generally positive in tone/ending. Some bad things can happen, but I want to feel much more happy than sad or mad once I'm finished. Some example authors are T. Kingfisher, Ilona Andrews, Malka Ann Older, and Martha Wells. [more inside]
posted by unus sum at 5:02 PM - 31 answers

I have published a book and am very disappointed in its low sales. To me, not having an audience just means I wasted my time. My spouse says I should create work for my own satisfaction and not worry about who else likes it. Are there any quotes or writing from successful (or unsuccessful) artists out there about the importance of an audience? [more inside]
posted by commander_fancypants at 12:33 PM - 23 answers

Not sure 100% what I'm looking for. Recently I enjoyed the new Elaine May bio and the book about the making of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and longer ago the Mike Nichols bio and longerer ago, the oral history of Angels in America. So like, stuff that gives a real feel for moments of genius in the performing arts (film, theater, classical music, maybe other stuff) in some particular era but let's say the last hundred years. Got anything? I've got a libro.fm credit burning a hole in my, uh, e-wallet or whatever.
posted by less-of-course at 5:51 PM - 9 answers

My wife is looking for horror movie recommendations. She's looking for more obscure stuff, trippy/weird - the best description of what she wants that she can give me is "The kind of movie Tool would make if they were making a horror movie." [more inside]
posted by eternalhedgehog at 3:54 PM - 53 answers

I enjoy Cyndi Lauper’s Memphis Blues, and Pat Benatar’s True Love. What other performers have made albums like these? Thanks so much!
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 10:53 PM - 12 answers

I'd like to make an attractive bookshelf display that shows various mass communication devices through history. What should I include? [more inside]
posted by nouvelle-personne at 12:33 PM - 22 answers

Jumping off this Fediverse thread: what is the best book you've read that very few other people have even heard of? All genres and languages welcome, fiction and nonfiction. Would definitely appreciate a quick description and a thought or two on what makes it so great. [more inside]
posted by brainwane at 5:29 AM - 106 answers

Someone said that winning a Supporting Acting Oscar was a curse because (and I'm paraphrasing) it priced you out of cheaper film productions but also kept you out of getting starring roles because people casting those don't think you can carry a film by being it's Leading Actor. [more inside]
posted by Faintdreams at 7:05 AM - 6 answers

[WARNING: major spoilers behind the cut for Will Maclean's 2020 novel The Apparition Phase.] Towards the end of the novel, the author brings our attention to a strange detail whose meaning I still cannot understand. If anyone has read the novel, can you enlighten me? Or at least share your own opinion? [more inside]
posted by peakes at 4:08 AM - 2 answers