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Noting a comment on the grey saying that people weren't asking to identify childhood reads anymore, I was reminded of this mysterious childhood SF novel, details within! [more inside]
posted by Frowner at 10:34 AM - 5 answers

Looking for podcasts about cryptids and folklore because it is 2025, everything is on fire, and I'm-a need some creepy critters, legends, and folklore to soothe me. [more inside]
posted by Kitteh at 8:20 AM - 10 answers

I think it’s four panels. Someone is walking their dog. Each panel is a different season. The last one is winter, and the dog has exited off the right side of the frame. I think it’s Patrick McDonnell’s Mutts strip, but I’m not sure.
posted by Lemkin at 8:11 AM - 0 answers

It's harder than it looks. Starting Fun Friday Film Fest for middle schoolers with significant trauma and emotional disabilities. Things to avoid because they're traumatic: any type of violence (so a little swat on the butt is no good, Bambi's mother, etc.); nuclear families (most of these kids are unhoused or in foster care); mean to kids (Home Alone); perilous situations (Emperor's New Groove, Toy Story). I literally have nothing. Help a friend out!
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 3:19 AM - 39 answers

In times of trouble and stress, blogs are the ideal format for me. I have been reading ACOUP and Ada Palmer's Ex Urbe. I also enjoy blogs focusing on literature and material culture (food, clothing, weaving, toys, tools, furniture, building stuff, etc). What can you recommend? [more inside]
posted by Frowner at 10:04 AM - 16 answers

Friendship, some hijinks, lots of laughs and a happy ending. This is what i seek. [more inside]
posted by wowenthusiast at 9:37 AM - 29 answers

Help me build a positive playlist for these dark times [more inside]
posted by mahadevan at 9:08 AM - 36 answers

Please help me recall the name of a video game whose cinematic trailer involved getting lost in a series of dimensions with a group of other people, doing exploration, and a circle of portals. [more inside]
posted by anotherpanacea at 12:08 PM - 2 answers

Scanners, archivists, and graphic designers, lend me your ears. Are there ways to take a fuzzy PDF color scan of an old black and white book and make it sharper and easier to read? What's your toolkit or process to do this? [more inside]
posted by zippy at 11:36 AM - 12 answers

This solo, specifically - though I suppose any of his others would do. [more inside]
posted by Lemkin at 5:01 PM - 14 answers

I am doing a music quiz at an upcoming event and want to play snippets of either Big Hits (like "Lil Boo Thang") or the song that they clearly sample ("Best of My Love"). I know stuff from the 90s (MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice) but I am hoping for more modern stuff that very obviously samples old famous stuff. What are some good examples?
posted by AgentRocket at 9:52 AM - 14 answers

Loved one cannot watch torture but still wants shows. Doesthedogdie isn't granular enough: it tells *whether* things happen but not *when*. Is there any way to find a guide that will help them watch? [more inside]
posted by corb at 5:07 PM - 10 answers

I'm looking for songs that use instruments, like the saxophone, in potentially unexpected or unique ways. Or ways that enhance the song but aren't necessarily traditional for that instrument. In a way that showcases the instrument. Here's an (link to YT video) example. All music genres are welcome; instruments from the woodwind family are prioritized, but harmonica and accordion are also encouraged!
posted by OsoMeaty at 11:25 AM - 24 answers

You Tube video of Chopin Waltz #14 in e minor, Op. Posth. I'm learning this piece. Having a lot of trouble with the final arpeggio, at 2:56. I've watched all tutorials I can find. Any tips about fingering, hand position, etc.? BONUS question: I'd also like tips on how to play the first 7-8 measures of the piece. Thanks!
posted by DMelanogaster at 2:03 PM - 3 answers

Do you know of any independent Jewish glassblowers? [more inside]
posted by MuChao at 5:35 AM - 7 answers

I have a small set of speedball inks for linocut printing. It includes red, blue, yellow, white and black. If I want to get close to a known colour by mixing those colours, is there a way to approximate how much of each ink to use? [more inside]
posted by jacquilynne at 6:03 PM - 8 answers

I am looking for poems about all kinds of love -- romantic, sexual, platonic, familiar, friendly, whatever -- that aren't too long. Some sentiment is OK but nothing obvious. I like conflict or poetry that understands that love isn't always perfect. [more inside]
posted by edencosmic at 5:56 PM - 25 answers

It's been a long time since I was teenager and I don't have kids. But the story I'm writing has in it two teenagers on a long car ride. Brother and sister. He's 16, she's 15. They're white, middle class, from the Bay Area. I don't know them well enough to know their musical tastes. Maybe their musical tastes will help me get to know them better. I'm out of touch with what kids listen to. Can you suggest possible his and hers play lists?
posted by swheatie at 3:00 PM - 22 answers

Framed in her living room, my mother-in-law has a ... racially problematic print signed by Amos Gentry. Here's the exact image from an eBay listing (CW: racially stereotypical imagery). I'd like to know more about the artist. [more inside]
posted by Dr. Wu at 2:02 PM - 13 answers

A human, out in space, encounters an alien engineer. These aliens have no means of birth control and don’t menstruate, so they regularly pump out litters comprising four archetypes: scientists, scholars, engineers, and soldiers. They must reproduce/give birth in order to continue living. They may reproduce asexually. The aliens must live within tight resource constraints (limited food, space, fuel). Since their frequent (monthly?) reproduction reliably generates possible successors, they feel no compunction pushing unneeded offspring out the airlock. They are surprised at the possibility of birth control and how that affects human choices.
posted by Jesse the K at 8:08 AM - 10 answers