Best Of MetaFilter

STOP Snowing! by jpctalbot (cc by)

MeFi member Jane the Brown's guidance on how to survive and manage a heavy snowfall for a first-time homeowner is loaded with good advice.

Do not dig out the foundation. In fact, if it doesn't add to your effort, pile snow against the house. Your foundation should not leak from melting snow any more than it should leak from rain. In the meantime you can pile snow higher when it is against a wall and the snow has insulation properties, so that half burying your house in snow will cut your heating bills.

Peaches by La Grande Farmers' Market (cc by)

Former fruit agency and Whole Foods employee jocelmeow offers amazing detailed advice on how to find and treat yourself to the best peaches possible.

Ethylene (the fruit's natural ripening gas) output rises for a while but then levels off. The level of sugar the fruit contains and its red color stay exactly the same. The effect of all these changes is that the fruit goes from hard and sour to soft and sweet.

Drawing on index card by koalazymonkey (cc by)

In a thread seeking advice/gifts to impart on a 9 year-old receiving his first wallet, MetaFilter member decathecting describes the ultimate reference card for young people:

Make a card that is twice the size you actually need. Fold it in half, and then write on both sides of what is now the outside. Tell the young man that this is his emergency card. Include on the card a telephone number that you promise to answer, day or night, if he is in trouble and needs an adult, no questions asked. Advice about stuff he can't talk to his parents about, help getting a ride home from someplace he's not supposed to be, bail money, whatever. Before you laminate it, slip a $50 bill between the two halves, inside the fold. Tell him it's there, and that it's his emergency money, and that it will always be there if he needs it, but that the money is a one-time offer, so he really needs to save it for a situation he can't get out of on his own.

At rest by kennymatic (cc by)

Knowing what to say when a friend or family member tells you about someone's passing is never easy, and compounds an already less-than-ideal situation. The question "What was the most comforting condolence sentence you ever heard?" has so many good answers for what to say at that moment that I'll just point to the whole thread.

Cuban dreaming by gilbrit (cc by)

When a question came up about drinking liquor and pairing it with cigars, MeFi member Scientist mentioned selling cigars and drops knowledge on what kinds of cigars go with various types of booze, what the sizes mean, what brands are good, and how best to enjoy them.

by Môsieur J. [version 7.0.1] (cc by) & El increíble SleeveFace Gaudério by mauren veras (cc by)

If you're looking for some classic music, look no further than this recent Ask MetaFilter question about "perfect albums". Hours of great music await.

Boston Celtics vs LA Lakers Game 2 2008 NBA Finals by Adam Pieniazek (cc by)

If it's been many years since you followed NBA basketball, or even if you're completely new to the sport, this long detailed guide to what teams to watch and what to watch for in the 2012 season by MeFi member cashman is totally amazing. It reminds me a lot of the annual "superbowl preview for non-sports fans" the Rumpus has done the past couple years.