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I’ve become really interested in improving the way I think on a day-to-day basis, just as I go about my daily life. When I have some down time and I’m just thinking, I’d like to use that time more effectively, rather than just having a random stream of thoughts coming in and out. Are there strategies to structure one’s internal dialogue to be more productive, creative, or otherwise satisfying? [more inside]
posted by strekker at 9:39 AM - 9 answers

This plaque commemmorating the birthplace of Michael Collins, according to the translation on the page and others I've tried, claims he was "first man on the moon". Is this an error of translation, some cultural context I'm missing, or simply ... wrong?
posted by dmd at 5:50 AM - 5 answers

Up in the Laurentians this weekend, we found these strange hair-like filaments of ice hiding in the leaf litter. What is this phenomenon? [more inside]
posted by musofire at 6:16 PM - 9 answers

My toddler's daycare has a mouse issue. A pest control company is coming in. Should we be concerned about the toddlers' exposure to rodenticide chemicals? [more inside]
posted by nouvelle-personne at 9:24 AM - 7 answers

Today I saw Yellowjackets picking off spiders from a walkway. It was cool to watch, particularly since their hunting strategy was both thorough and also sort of not (they checked every stone, leave and piece of dirt to see if it was a spider). I want to learn more about the Yellowjacket/spider predation AND Yellowjacket hunting strategy in general, BUT I don't want to watch videos or see any (or many) photos. Any good websites for this? [more inside]
posted by Toddles at 7:49 PM - 4 answers

I have seen lots of great science communication about how the Webb telescope was designed, built, launched into space, and unfolded. I have marvelled at the photos that have come back, but I'd like to know more about how the telescope has changed our understanding of science so far. What have they been prioritizing in the research so far, and have there been exciting and important results that advance our understanding of basic science, astrophysics, and the history of the universe?
posted by sindark at 9:30 PM - 4 answers

In a moment of extreme pain, my vision went out and I saw a very clear visual without any simultaneous or prior cognition. What was happening in my brain? [more inside]
posted by kensington314 at 10:38 AM - 9 answers

What is the average number of arms humans living in the United States have? Or how many Amerians have less than two arms? [more inside]
posted by Chrysopoeia at 3:45 PM - 5 answers

I've been reading a bunch of writing for lay people about hydrology and permaculture. Help me understand some seemingly contradictory assertions about how trees affect ground water.... [more inside]
posted by quacks like a duck at 5:09 AM - 6 answers

I've recently been experiencing many insignificant but ridiculously unlikely coincidences, and I'd like to read a book about the subject. Ideally the book would touch on probability theory and psychology, but a bit of mysticism is OK too.
posted by Beverley Westwood at 7:15 AM - 11 answers

Vampires seem to always go for the carotid artery in pop culture. I'm assuming it's because 1) it's easily accessible and 2) the neck is considered an erogenous zone. But what if a vampire couldn't access their victim's neck, or... I dunno... is asexual and just hungry, for pete's sake? What are some other arteries on the human body that would be good alternatives? I'm assuming they need something that is fairly close to the surface, and I think they're more interested in arteries because the blood is fresher, right? [more inside]
posted by queensissy at 5:56 PM - 15 answers

I thought it would be neat to have a mylar pillow shape to stay suspended [more inside]
posted by Czjewel at 3:53 PM - 11 answers

I tend to experience repetitive actions -- like walking at a steady pace -- as less tiring than nonrepetitive actions involving a similar amount of physical exertion. Is that perception corroborated by science, and, if so, what are the physiological reasons for it? [more inside]
posted by aws17576 at 11:05 PM - 7 answers

Help us solve an engineering problem. My neighbors and I share use of a 25’ wide private road that is sloped in two directions. Here’s a handy diagram. How do we mitigate water erosion and icing when the two slopes cause water to flow all the way across and all the way down the road? [more inside]
posted by KneeHiSocks at 4:29 PM - 16 answers

More specifically, this particular form of denial, There Is No Climate Emergency [more inside]
posted by mumimor at 3:05 AM - 13 answers

How many days has it rained in Boston since June 1st? It feels like it's been raining almost constantly all summer. [more inside]
posted by Winnie the Proust at 11:44 AM - 5 answers

I'm writing a story in which someone is tortured with drugs and need help figuring out their recovery. Details inside. [more inside]
posted by Tamanna at 9:33 PM - 1 answers

How many platelets are there in a typical donation? Can they be counted, or is it just a volume measurement like 300mL? [more inside]
posted by wenestvedt at 6:25 PM - 3 answers

In 6th grade my crappy science teacher told us that water molecules at the bottom of the ocean don't move. This makes no sense, and he gave no context or explanation that would make it makes sense. What factoid was he getting at? [more inside]
posted by Tehhund at 5:02 AM - 6 answers

I was give a snapshot of a whiteboard with a series of equations that am trying to identify. The writing is illegible in a number of places, but some of it I can make out. It is obviously some sort of equations of motion involving the gravitational acceleration on some mass m, versus another force Fw, and some velocities - here are a few things I can make out: ma = mg - Fw v(t) = vT*(1 - e^(-b*A*t/m)) [more inside]
posted by kjl291 at 8:48 PM - 4 answers