Ask MetaFilter

What is this flying bug? [links to pics inside]. From the file name, you can see we speculate that it is a hornet. This is possible where we are - the Ashdown Forest area of Mid Sussex, England - but it could also be a large wasp. This is relevant to us as my friend's 11 year old has had an enormous allergic reaction to a bee sting on his forehead 2 days ago, and looks like a junior albino Na'vi right now. The beast was shoo-ed by me into the gap of our double glazing, where I took these pics an hour ago. Cheers!
comment posted at 10:38 AM on Jun-16-10
comment posted at 3:14 PM on Jun-16-10


Is it possible for something to live inside a coconut? This one I have has started making chirps, clicks and almost bird-like chirps!
comment posted at 10:37 AM on May-7-09
comment posted at 11:50 AM on May-7-09
comment posted at 3:35 PM on May-7-09
comment posted at 4:19 PM on May-7-09
comment posted at 4:46 PM on May-7-09
comment posted at 3:47 PM on May-12-09


I just saw the trailer for the ostensibly terrible Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher vehicle, "What Happens in Vegas." Can anyone tell me if this is the first time that an ad campaign has been adapted into a feature film? I'd also like some background information about the ads themselves. Who is responsible for them? Where and when did the expression "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" originate?
comment posted at 5:42 AM on May-5-08


When I updated to Windows Media Player 11, why did I lose my sound? How do I get it back? I can get sound, that's not the problem. HELP! (yes, I googled... but i've tried everything on the first few pages and it's still not working.)
comment posted at 7:10 PM on Mar-27-08


Give me some songs about lovin' your TV.
comment posted at 6:59 PM on Mar-22-08


Tomorrow, I am going to try and make a HP840C printer work on a Linux machine (Ubuntu 7.*) I have no idea how to do this...
comment posted at 10:38 AM on Mar-14-08
comment posted at 10:46 AM on Mar-14-08
comment posted at 5:43 PM on Mar-14-08
comment posted at 5:40 PM on Mar-30-08


Recommend me some British comedy, please.
comment posted at 4:16 PM on Jan-23-08


Why is "scrub" suddenly the most popular insult among 12-year-olds?
comment posted at 7:47 AM on Jan-13-08


Moving to London from Northern California in early January. I have a fairly substantial (100+ bottles) wine collection that I'd really like to take with me. Is there any way to do this without getting screwed on customs duty?
comment posted at 3:36 PM on Oct-28-07


Is there some kind of crisis with doctors going on?
comment posted at 3:15 PM on Oct-18-07


What free software do you use to filter the internet for kids?
comment posted at 7:34 PM on Sep-1-07


Is there a way to make MS Word show text on screen but not print it? 'Hidden text' makes it completely invisible on screen. I don't mean formatting codes, just text. This would be for a CV with a date of last update in a footer. WORD 2003 SP2.
comment posted at 6:12 AM on Aug-31-07
comment posted at 7:49 AM on Aug-31-07
comment posted at 10:22 AM on Aug-31-07


Great swiss-army-knife-type Windows app (preferably free) for resizing/downsampling/converting movie files from various formats?
comment posted at 1:14 PM on Aug-29-07


My kid is *such* a whiner. Help.
comment posted at 12:04 PM on Jun-13-07


Our group blog (WordPress 2.1.1) confuses our IDs, and so sends email notifications to the wrong author. Also, this screws up loads of other stuff too.
comment posted at 12:11 PM on May-21-07
comment posted at 12:19 PM on May-21-07
comment posted at 1:37 PM on May-21-07
comment posted at 1:14 AM on May-22-07


Where do I get a prescription for antibiotics in NY?
comment posted at 12:03 PM on May-21-07
comment posted at 12:04 PM on May-21-07


How do they tell if you're a Muslim if you want to go on the hajj or umra to Mecca and Medina?
comment posted at 6:33 AM on Apr-6-07


Last week I downloaded Windows Media Player 11, to complement Real Alternative and all the other MPs on my system. Now, every time it finishes playing a movie clip, it wants to go online. I could block it with Zone Alarm, but I want to stop the behaviour in options. Anyone know which option stimulates the player to do this, and where to switch it off?
comment posted at 3:32 PM on Apr-4-07


What British Television should I be watching?
comment posted at 11:58 AM on Apr-9-07


Er... so my new girlfriend doesn't believe in atoms...
comment posted at 6:10 PM on Mar-24-07


How do I go about having cosmetic surgery in the UK?
comment posted at 1:10 PM on Mar-10-07


I am running a new blog on my own webspace powered by WordPress 2.1. The theme we're using (I am inviting friends in my walking group to join and become authors) is Kubrick, which has it's limitations.
comment posted at 1:54 PM on Feb-26-07
comment posted at 2:10 PM on Feb-26-07
comment posted at 2:21 PM on Feb-26-07
comment posted at 2:45 PM on Feb-26-07
comment posted at 3:02 PM on Feb-26-07
comment posted at 3:49 PM on Feb-26-07
comment posted at 4:28 PM on Feb-26-07
comment posted at 12:30 AM on Feb-27-07


I need help coming up with a creative punishment for my teenage son.
comment posted at 5:13 PM on Feb-23-07


TinFoilHatFilter: So what's the most current info on cell-phone tracking? What can government/private agencies do nowadays if you own a cell phone? (Location? Coversation monitoring? Direct microphone feeds even when phone is off?) What *do* they do with any frequency? (Feel free to differentiate between agencies such as FBI, local police and private investigators)
comment posted at 7:09 PM on Feb-17-07


Where does the phrase "I fuc*ing concur." come from?
comment posted at 2:42 AM on Feb-17-07


Hypotheticafilter: If my wife (UK Citizen) pays for everything on a trip to Cuba from the UK, will I (US Citizen) still be guilty of "Engaging in Trade with an Enemy"?
comment posted at 11:14 AM on Feb-8-07


I recently admitted to myself and to the world that I really, really love ABBA's Dancing Queen! Are there any interesting indie / rock covers of it to be found online?
comment posted at 10:34 AM on Jan-27-07


A friend was in a cinema in Copenhagen and the seats were numbered left to right 2,4,6,8,10,11,9,7,5,3,1. Is this normal in Copenhagen, Denmark, Scandinavia? If so what is the rationale?
comment posted at 11:22 AM on Jan-25-07