Best Of MetaFilter

So cool: "A campy, '60s-superhero-show theme for a video game I recently scored!" from jake, in Mefi Music

Denali on a clear day by jwinfred (cc by-nc-nd)

Oh, wow, the backstory! If you like reading about byzantine political maneuvers and policy loopholes, you will definitely want to read the Wikipedia article on the naming dispute.

Great info from metaquarry and compartment on the decades-long "congressional name game" and "byzantine political maneuvers" designed to block the restoration of the Alaska Native name "Denali" to Mount McKinley in Fizz's post on the announced renaming.

tip o' the trapper hat to Devonian for the title :P

Copper engraving from 1755 shows Lisbon in ruins and in flames

Remembrances of things past via recent history posts on the blue:

More than 600 secret societies in the US, documented in 1899: here is "The Cyclopædia of Fraternities"; a compilation of existing authentic information and the results of original investigation

"Count Pier Francesco Orsini was a man much given to melancholy": Orsini's Sacro Busco, or the Park of Monsters

Ghosts at the Banquet: "Martin Gusinde documented the life and rituals of the Selk'nam people of Tierra del Fuego ... They had been nearly wiped out by a genocide led by Julius Popper, the Tyrant of Tierra del Fuego"

"In 1986, workers in Sichuan province in China were digging for clay for bricks when they stumbled onto an archaeological treasure: a major site for a Bronze Age civilization previously only guessed at"

Road tripping back in time on the Old Spanish Trail: "Today, you can still find remnants of that road, and there's a group of people who are trying to revive this historic highway."

"after the earthquake, King Joseph I was so afraid of buildings he moved out of Lisbon; his claustrophobia was so severe he lived in tents for the rest of his life. Artists depicted the chaos of the city in the aftermath of the disaster": The Lisbon Earthquake of 1755

Sausalito, CA by ClatieK (cc by-nd)

The very recent 'rats in the shitter' ...
posted by Fig

God, I think I laughed at Rats in the Shitter for 10 minutes straight posted by thetortoise

I think we're due for another "this comment made me choke on my own spit" meta thread!: In Metatalk, phunniemee asks Mefites for "your favorite funny comments, moments where other mefites have made you giggle uncontrollably"

Lego Firefox by Johnath (cc by-sa)

... but a distressing number of our users wind up making some unwise choices and/or installing some dodgy third-party software that a guy on the corner said would be perfectly safe and legal and also a good time, and wake up with a headache and no wallet and some addons that don't _quite_ do what that guy on the corner said they would. And when they try to figure out why their computer is suddenly so slow, process monitor isn't going to tell them it's because that download-accelerator that ad on the torrent site said to install is mining bitcoins on the side, it's going to say "Firefox, 99% CPU".

Mozillian MeFite Mhoye adds insight and answers questions in Rhaomi's recent multi-link Crazy like a (Fire)Fox post.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky / 天空の城ラピュタ（バルス後） by Tatsuya Tanaka

Recently on Mefi, people and places around the world, enchanting, mysterious and magnetic:

World Jollof Rice Day, you say? Jollof rice is a traditional West African dish, but not a humble one

From the Persian for "eyebrow," Ebru (paper marbling) has a long tradition in Turkey

The villagers of Kannauj have inherited a remarkable skill: They can capture the scent of rain

Au Revoir, Mogadishu Vol. 1 — Songs From Before The War: '70s and '80s Somali sound

Since April 20, 2011, Japanese artist Tatsuya Tanaka has created tiny dioramas with common household objects as landscape for tiny people, one every day

Chiara Vigo is the last master of weaving the sea-silk cloth bysso and showcases her art at Museo del Bisso in Sant'Antioco, Sardinia

3-eyed Bear by Brandon James Scott (cc by-nc-nd)

Please Don't Ursinate in Pool! – Atom Eyes

Shibori's first post about a video of a home pool invasion by bears is a fun thread with some great anecdotes from nevercalm and Nerd of the North.:

a bear that is not much larger than a traditional stuffed teddy bear is quite strong enough to do whatever it wants, fuck you very much

After several months of eating nothing but salmon, you'd be pretty desperate for a Breath Saver, too.

"I don't know," I said. "What do you think it is? I have an idea but it's kind of disgusting."

Sunset Boulevard by www.brevestoriadelcinema.org (cc by-nc)

Many classic movies are famous and important without being very entertaining to contemporary viewers. But others feel surprisingly fresh, in the sense that they still hold up as entertainment ... Which oldies successfully make you laugh/scream/cry/think on their own terms, without you having to put yourself in the shoes of bygone audiences?

In AskMe, Beardman asks about Oldies that don't feel like homework viewing, while in FanFare, Old Timey Film Club is announced, and Sunset Boulevard is posted as the group's debut thread (So they opened their big mouths and out came talk. Talk! TALK!).

Chompsky in the hole

Great answer by barchan to popcassady's question, "Found this footprint shaped hole in a rock at the beach. Is it a dinosaur footprint?"

In other news of holes and dinosaurs, Dinosaur Comics author Ryan North turns to Twitter when he and dog Chompsky get trapped in a hole. Amusing thread ensues.

A couple of fantastic examples of animated stichwitchery recently on Mefi:

Nudinits knitted animation

In 27kjmm's debut post, Nina Paley and Theodore Gray beautifully animate the traditional Passover folk song "Chad Gadya" in embroidery on matzoh covers in one of their most labor intensive feats, taking a year and a half

and

"Oh my god, it's knitting, stop-motion and bum jokes" in jacquilynne's post on the Nudinits: Tickled Pink, an all-knit, all nude, stop-motion animation

Time Flies by h.koppdelaney (cc by-nd)

On MeFi, midmarch snowman clocks some multi-link first-post goodness with Finally a horology post for people who like shiny things, while in the Green, mzurer asks, In 1527 how did English households tell time?

Also linked recently on the Blue:

Built For Eternity, on structures designed to potentially outlast human civilization

400 Years, a browser game that uses time as a gameplay mechanic

Why Time Flies, a visualization of why time seems to pass more quickly as one gets older

A helping hand (color version) by Kalexanderson (cc by-nc-nd)

I propose we spend September helping new posters successfully make the leap into the wonderful world of FPPs.

In MetaTalk, julen suggests a cool member collaboration for next month: "Let’s Encourage and Help Folks Make Their First Posts," and asks for input.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

In Ask Me, phunniemee asks Give me your recommendations for creeping, meandering, dream-like movies! Meanwhile, back at FanFare something's brewing with naju ... and Strange Club ("strange & sublime, bizarre & beautiful, arthouse-leaning, unclassifiable") lurches to ecstatic life, with a first viewing set for Aug 12 and first post Aug 17.

Mario Bros. Question Mark by so happy! (cc by-nc-nd)

Asked, "What is this ram-bly, rom-bly thing?"

And answered, "That's a "Cricut Jukebox Cartridge Station ... (I wrote the firmware for it...)"

Thanks, straw!

[Cricut at Wikipedia]

Raymond James Stuart illustration 'Chaw Beef'

Weirdly, I accidentally discovered a lot more about one of the central mysteries today: What the heck sort of prank is knotting a shirt?

In FanFare, maxsparber delves into a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, inside a Mystery Show podcast and unknots the origins of what turns out to be the "Chaw Beef" prank.