Ask MetaFilter

Please recommend books, videos, free courses, podcasts, and such that will help me learn two things: 1. How music works. From “what is a scale” on up. 2. “Our Musical Heritage”, as the course was titled, back in my undergrad days. [more inside]
posted by Caxton1476 at 4:20 PM - 14 answers

I'm not from the UK so I might use some wrong terminology here, but the show I'm trying to remember was a scripted series -- definitely NOT a reality show -- about a teenage girl from a "low class" sort of of neighborhood who got scouted as a model and tried to fit it with her regular life. [more inside]
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 2:58 PM - 2 answers

My kid loves graphic novels, especially in fantastical settings and with delightfully odd characters. Her 13th birthday is coming up. Her favourites so far: Hilda, Lumberjanes, Lightfall, Real Frieds+sequel, Witch Boy. Can you recommend more? Non-favorites below [more inside]
posted by Omnomnom at 11:43 AM - 22 answers

Please help me find this post/comment link to a short story about building community in a crisis. [more inside]
posted by supermedusa at 10:34 AM - 9 answers

Can you recommend a movie or two with "heart?" Something moving and inspiring to watch. [more inside]
posted by Number Used Once at 10:55 PM - 64 answers

Does the Stephen King HBO series “The Outsider” have any supernatural elements? I don’t want to spoil it for myself by looking through reviews to find the answer. Thanks!
posted by andoatnp at 8:49 PM - 4 answers

What are some examples in science fiction or fantasy where a society has reached some kind of stagnation for a long time, and a conqueror or leader destroys the society, scattering it, and is viewed as a villain - but ultimately it is for the best as humanity now is free to develop again? [more inside]
posted by dmd at 4:59 PM - 19 answers

I'm looking for golden age or other older mysteries to catch up on. I really only started reading mysteries recently so "older" could even mean almost current. I've been reading the Mrs. Pollifax ones and enjoying those, and I've read Mrs. Marple and Dorothy Sayers too. What other mysteries hold up to the test of time that I might find enjoyable to dive into?
posted by azalea_chant at 9:28 AM - 32 answers

I loved this song at a particular time of my life but now I can't remember it. It was circa 2006-2010 in Aus. The band (or video at least) was UK origins in black and white on a train and shenanigans/wagging/end of school vibes. [more inside]
posted by Lesium at 6:07 AM - 4 answers

The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank on YouTube was linked in the Erma Bombeck thread and in that video at about 4:07 is a kid with a speaking part in a McDonald’s commercial that I think I recognize as someone who became a popular actor. Who can name that kid? [more inside]
posted by Glinn at 8:16 PM - 8 answers

I'm looking for some resources on the basics of graphic design and how to use Photoshop or a similar program, specifically to make social media info posts. I'm also looking for any particularly good examples to model after. [more inside]
posted by myelin sheath at 3:00 PM - 4 answers

My kid is having their 9th brithday party in a couple of weeks. A million years ago when I was a kid, I was a magician, and sometimes did kids birthday parties. My kid wants me to do some tricks at their party. I’m looking for ideas, suggestions! [more inside]
posted by ManInSuit at 5:28 PM - 6 answers

I'm throwing a banana-themed birthday party in a week. What are the best banana-related songs? Preferably mentioning or being about bananas (e.g. "Hollaback Girl," "Yes! We Have No Bananas") or possibly by a musician or group with a banana name if the song is good (e.g. Bananarama's "Cruel Summer.") Any genre works. Difficulty: it's for a young child, so super-explicit music is probably out (Ween's "Bananas and Blow" is a maybe at the moment).
posted by miltthetank at 11:16 AM - 55 answers

I'm rewatching "Buffy" from the beginning, and this guest star reminds me of another actor I can't place. [more inside]
posted by cozenedindigo at 5:28 PM - 18 answers

I'm interested in this painting - any idea what it is? (The head isn't part of it, obviously.)
posted by amtho at 3:50 PM - 4 answers

Who is the actress standing between Margot Robbie and America Ferrera at the Oscars, as seen in this video of Ryan Gosling singing "I'm Just Ken"? She's singing here at 2:42. Thanks.
posted by themanwho at 3:31 PM - 3 answers

I'm trying to remember the name of the rumored They Might Be Giants compilation album that was supposed to come out in the mid-90s. I think I read about it on Usenet at the time. It would have been similar to Miscellaneous T in that it would have included all the B-sides from the Elektra singles. [more inside]
posted by themanwho at 3:57 PM - 4 answers

It’s the Ides of March! You know what that means - everybody should totally just stab Caes- I mean, link to your favorite Ides of March memes. [more inside]
posted by panther of the pyrenees at 9:00 AM - 13 answers

Our new kitchen, for design reasons, has one ‘cupboard’ door that just covers some wall. I want to cover the wall with fake bookends so that when you open the door it looks like a shelf of cook books, but I want joke titles that are puns on classic literature, eg ‘Loaf of Pi’ or ‘Bun day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich’. Ideas, please!
posted by Phanx at 3:39 AM - 55 answers

I've done some research into the genre, and the zone is absolutely flooded with light to heavy erotica. Glad the readers and writers of that are finding each other, but it's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for stories with a classic sci-fi focus, mainly on the premise and not how the premise could be horny. Any influential classics?
posted by PikeMatchbox at 4:38 PM - 27 answers