Rachele Gilmore’s 100 MPH Fastball | MetaFilter – This post isn’t actually about baseball; it’s about opera. There are two YouTube performances linked there that you should watch. The first is an aria as performed at the Met by a star at the top of her game. It’s wonderful. The second is the same aria performed by her understudy at another performance. The understudy makes the most of the opportunity and blows the audience away. Apparently there was a 17 minute ovation! And it’s believed that one of the notes she hits is the highest ever sung at the Met. Both performances are fun and beautiful even if you don’t like opera. Very cool.