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So the boyfriend and I want to go on a trip to Chicago for spring break... [more inside] [more inside]
posted by katieinshoes at 11:25 PM PST - 14 comments

Okay. So I was discussing the politics of the sub-continent with a friend of mine from New Delhi... and the issue of Kashmir came up. I know a little bit about the situation (more than he expected by any stretch of the imagination), but I didn't feel really capable of having a serious discussion on the matter.

So here's my question: does anyone have background on the matter? Are there any reputable sources? Has any consensus been reached by parties outside the conflict?

This was all stirred by my friend's comment that the Kashmiris want Indian statehood — and that this is really just a land grab by the Pakistani government. Sounded pretty one-sided, so any light on the matter would be appreciated.
posted by silusGROK at 9:53 PM PST - 9 comments

I'm looking for a good electronic French-English dictionary. Any recommendations? [more inside]
posted by Johnny Assay at 9:30 PM PST - 5 comments

Why is it that in some versions of the bible, certain words - seemingly at random - are capitalized? And I don't mean things like LORD and such; I'm talking about when it has words like "was" and "went" in all caps. I've never been able to find an explanation for this.
posted by interrobang at 8:56 PM PST - 9 comments

Smirnoff is running an ad campaign right now - Zero carbs. How can this be? Seeing how alcohol is converted from sugar, my guess is it has to interact with the body in a way similar (or equal) to carbohydrates. Can anyone shed light on this for me? [more inside]
posted by rocketman at 8:47 PM PST - 11 comments

1&1 Web Hosting has consistently failed to answer what I think should be a very simple question: given that they do not use per-account httpd.conf files, how do I set the my Alias and ScriptAlias variables so that the web application I want to use can work without my having to go in and re-script them? Thanks eversomuch -- I've been waiting months for a quality reply from them!
posted by five fresh fish at 7:04 PM PST - 8 comments

Vacation advice - - A week at the end of March has opened up, and me and Mrs. _sirmissalot_ would like to go somewhere interesting and off the beaten path. Complicating factor: it's spring break time, and I don't want to run into drunk frat boys (otherwise I'd like to go snorkeling and caving in Belize). Can't spend a mint but a decent tax refund is on the way. We would be leaving from San Franciso/Oakland and don't want to spend the whole time in the air . . . any ideas folks? [more inside]
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 4:34 PM PST - 18 comments

Carpets in new home are producing tremendous amounts of static and lots of sparks. What are good solutions to reduce the static to protect computers and other electronic equipment? Ideally, the solution would reduce the static across the entire house, as trying to protect each piece of equipment with an anti-static mat or some such would quickly become cost prohibitive.
posted by rushmc at 4:17 PM PST - 10 comments

Where can I buy computer gaming related clothing in the UK? All I can find are online shops in the US. Are there even any brick and mortar shops for this kind of thing?
posted by Orange Goblin at 2:40 PM PST - 4 comments

What are your favorite fonts when designing for the web and why?
Oh, and what does the word "optical" mean when it's part of the name of a font?
posted by signal at 2:08 PM PST - 8 comments

Telescopes! All this mars stuff has got me wanting to look at the heavens, up-close like. Anyone have reccomendations for a good entry-level telescope? Is it realistic to expect a decent look at mars from a consumer-grade telescope? [more inside]
posted by Hackworth at 2:00 PM PST - 8 comments

Has anybody ever tried the flash cards that are "designed" for cameras? They claim to have faster write speeds. I can't help thinking the bus would be a bigger bottleneck than the speed of the card, but I keep seeing them and can't tell if it's just marketing hype or if the extra spend is worth it.
posted by willnot at 1:55 PM PST - 5 comments

Does anyone know of a program that will display metadata from Microsoft Office files (such as revisions from Autosave, track changes, etc.)? My searching has documented the range of metadata that is available and I have located numerous programs for removing the data, but nothing that will allow me to retrieve the data easily. I am looking for something a little more advanced than Notepad.
posted by ajr at 1:28 PM PST - 6 comments

When applying for a US passport, has anyone been asked to send supplemental identification (driver's license, social security card, union member card, beautician's license, etc.)? Why? If I send my supplemental identification now, is there any hope that I will get my passport in less than four weeks from now?
posted by rschram at 12:59 PM PST - 11 comments

How can I find a copy the file that used to be at this url? (Of a guy clocking a goofy singer with a book) I'm sure it's got to be mirrored somewhere, but I haven't been able to find it.
posted by oissubke at 12:51 PM PST - 5 comments

I want to learn the art of type design. I have fontlab, I have a basic understanding of typography and an even more basic understanding of what makes a glyph. What I mostly lack is a methodology. Inside is a list of questions, if anyone here has experience with typeface design, please answer them, or tell me why they're the wrong questions. [more inside]
posted by Grod at 12:33 PM PST - 7 comments

What's the best way to keep track of an escalating number of logins and passwords? For the web, there's Opera's magic wand, but what about hosting accounts, ftp servers, ATM PINs, etc? Encrypted text file on the desktop? Scribbled note under the pillow? How do you manage (and hide) your password library?
posted by muckster at 11:08 AM PST - 17 comments

Does anybody know of any good and easy to read introductory texts on Jewish jurisprudence/derivation of law from original sources (ie religious law)? Any interesting texts to follow that up ie application in the current day and age? Any reasonably active Jewish forums to ask any queries on? [more inside]
posted by Mossy at 10:48 AM PST - 8 comments

What's the best way to solve a problem with a neighbor? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by jasonspaceman at 10:25 AM PST - 21 comments

How do sites like Kottke put their sidebar links inline with their weblog entries?
posted by srboisvert at 6:57 AM PST - 7 comments

Is there a sort of IMDB for nutritional information? [more inside]
posted by Hildago at 11:54 PM PST - 6 comments

This may be a forehead-slapper, but occasionally my taskbar (Win2k) will go dim (dark grey, all icons shaded), as though I've selected it. It'll sometime revert to light grey when I'm not looking. What the heck causes this, and how do I make it go away?
posted by notsnot at 11:39 PM PST - 1 comment

I'd like to use a font very similar to Adobe's Rockwell Roman, but in trying to find a freeware/shareware version I'm hindered by the facts that I don't know what else it would be called, and that 90% of font sites are junk. Any recommendations on how I could go about finding such a font?
posted by oissubke at 9:32 PM PST - 4 comments

I swear I looked all over before asking this simple question: How do I remove certain "Favorite Places" from the "Where" dropdown menu in the Save As dialog in Mac OS X? I just don't use certain folders anymore, and I'd rather they not be in the list, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to remove them. [FWIW, I'm currently running 10.2.5].
posted by The Michael The at 9:19 PM PST - 2 comments

When I booted up my WinXP laptop tonight, I noticed that the psds (Photoshop documents) on my desktop all had screwed up icons. In fact, each one had a totally different icon, and none of them were the Photoshop icon! What's the deal? (Screenshot.). The icons for all my other documents (non-psds) are normal.
posted by grumblebee at 8:02 PM PST - 5 comments

How do I sharpen this or any serrated bread knife?
posted by stbalbach at 7:31 PM PST - 3 comments

Where is a good beginning source to figure out what .dll files do and how to fix errors in a Windows ME computer?
posted by brent at 7:23 PM PST - 5 comments

Quite a few American MeFi users, notably Matt, write "not so big of a deal" or, as in the linked example, "too subtle of a point." Is this a legitimate American construction or is that of redundant and/or just plain wrong? If it's acceptable, is it in any way related to the colloquial English construction "Of a Saturday, I enjoy a walk in the park"?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 7:06 PM PST - 30 comments

Are Ryan and Trista from the Bachelorette going to have a very very bad April 15th? [more inside]
posted by konolia at 5:54 PM PST - 4 comments

Has anyone got specific recommendations or gripes about "retail e-commerce solutions"? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by johnny novak at 2:18 PM PST - 3 comments

Is VirtualPC less secure than an actual PC? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by kirkaracha at 1:15 PM PST - 5 comments

I want to sit better (correctly) when I am at my computer, and will be buying a new chair soon. Was considering a Herman Miller chair, should I get the Aeron, the Mirra, or a different chair altogether?
posted by benjh at 12:43 PM PST - 12 comments

Anyone tried Apple's new in-ear headphones? [more] [more inside]
posted by staggernation at 12:18 PM PST - 17 comments

I hang my head in shame as I post this, but here goes: in my zealous effort to eliminate browser helper objects on 2 Windows 2000 Pro Dells in our computer lab, I somehow seem to have eliminated IE and Mozilla's ability to browse, as well. I can ping our webserver so I know they can get online, but I keep getting "unable to resolve this (or any other) web page" errors. Do I now have to reinstall IE or wipe the hard drive and reinstall Windows to make this work? Or....
posted by Lynsey at 11:49 AM PST - 4 comments

Being agnostic, what are some people's thoughts regarding life after death. Where to people go, spiritually or otherwise, after they die? More inside... [more inside]
posted by grefo at 11:23 AM PST - 22 comments

Does anyone in the U.S. have any experience with Door-to-Door Storage or, more importantly, their newer spinoff City-to-City Moving? We're moving cross country, and they sounded great at first - much less hassle than U-Haul, even if a little more expensive. But the more we deal with them, the more red flags are going up: one person tells us one thing, another tells us something different, etc. We're getting a general feeling of incompetence that has us wondering if it's wise to entrust everything we own to these people.
posted by gottabefunky at 10:23 AM PST - 5 comments

I'm having a Super Bowl party, my first, on Sunday. Should I order the pizzas today (Friday)?
posted by johnnydark at 9:50 AM PST - 11 comments

Installing a second OS with PartitionMagic [more inside]
posted by muckster at 9:50 AM PST - 3 comments

My cheap old mandolin, bought out of the back of a friend's truck for $20, just went kaput. Can anyone suggest a) a good mandolin that will cost me under $500, and/or b) a reputable online place to buy mandolins?
posted by UKnowForKids at 9:01 AM PST - 8 comments

Acupuncture? Does anyone have experience with it? How do I find a decent acupuncturist? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by patrickje at 8:47 AM PST - 11 comments

I am thinking about getting a KVM so that I can move my PC tower further away from my desk. What kind of KVMs do you use and more importantly do they slow down gaming? [more inside]
posted by riffola at 8:44 AM PST - 14 comments

I'm looking for an extraordinary guacamole recipe. Any recommendations?
posted by anathema at 8:22 AM PST - 29 comments

What are some really good books and resources to begin studying Ancient Civilizations? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Stynxno at 8:12 AM PST - 7 comments

Superbowl Sunday is fast approaching and major news outlets are reporting that my hometown team are involved. With that in mind, what are people's favorite hangover remedies? Any innovative ideas to beat this crippling disease?
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:23 AM PST - 16 comments

Some of the answers I got to this post made me think about developing cheap, easy-to-use interactive Intranets for various corporate clients (a la this), based on opensource CMS and/or blogware, thus eliminating licensing fees and saving a bundle on programming costs / time. I am looking for advice on what application to use. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by signal at 5:45 AM PST - 7 comments

Suppose you're Catholic, but you don't trust in the Vatican and you don't believe in transubstantiation. What does that make you?
posted by eamondaly at 4:40 AM PST - 47 comments

Have any MeFites had any experience with the services provided through Pre-Paid Legal? The net is crawling with unverifiable anecdotes and rants, but I'd appreciate input from this community. [more inside]
posted by Tubes at 11:01 PM PST - 5 comments

How often do I REALLY need to change my cat's kitty litter?
posted by adrober at 9:49 PM PST - 25 comments

How do I strip email attachments server side? Or, alternatively, how do I redirect email containing binary attachments to an alternate email address? I own my own domain and, because I am forced to use Outlook, I don't want attachments touching my inbox. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by gd779 at 8:07 PM PST - 11 comments

InvestmentFilter: So I'm permanent now at work, and have to pick a 401k option. I don't think i'll be there for many years, and cashed out the last time I had one. (But then again, i'm older now, and 70 is only 31 years away).What do you guys suggest for a 1-3 year timeframe, 401k-wise, given the fluctuating market? (If I need to, I have absolutely no qualms about cashing out again, and have never had much faith in the market at all, in general.) [more inside]
posted by amberglow at 8:03 PM PST - 24 comments

Is there a way, without a meter to find out the ohm rating on a speaker cabinet? Is as easy as just putting the leads up to the input if you use a meter?
posted by drezdn at 7:40 PM PST - 3 comments

Girl came to my door asking if I wanted to vote in the caucus or whatever for Howard Dean. I said no because I am one ignorant American when it comes to the election. Would someone explain caucuses, the party system, how the president gets elected, the electoral college and everything?
posted by banished at 6:13 PM PST - 5 comments

There are over 300 million Buddhists worldwide- how many are Mahayana Buddhists? I can't find the percentage/number anywhere.
posted by degnarra at 4:15 PM PST - 1 comment

Any recommendations for software to run a public, community knowledge base? This came up in a MeFi thread (a site called "Life Support" that supposedly answered any question), as well as in MetaTalk when Ask MetaFilter became reality, and now I'm looking for something similar. In short, I want to build a Q&A/FAQ/KB site where people can turn for advice about my hometown. [more] [more inside]
posted by pzarquon at 4:08 PM PST - 6 comments

The Sydney thread has brought back fond memories of drinking local beers during my trip there many years ago. Does anyone know if Toohey's New or Old is available in the USA?
posted by mmascolino at 2:23 PM PST - 1 comment

I've always thought jezebel.com would make a great URL for a porn site. And after 8 years of using it for photos, desktop backgrounds and postcards, I'm ready to sell it off to the highest bidder in order to finance my upcoming wedding. So I'm looking for two wholly serious pieces of advice: a) high-level contacts in the adult industry and b) a sense of what the current market is like for domain name sales.
posted by heather at 2:14 PM PST - 13 comments

Know of any software that will let multiple users edit a wiki-like document without requiring a central server or network access? [...] [more inside]
posted by jeb at 12:58 PM PST - 12 comments

I'm looking for a plugin for winamp5 that acts as nowplaying or blogamp will. Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by ashbury at 12:51 PM PST - 13 comments

My cat has had a little bald patch on his belly all his life. Gradually, over the last two years, he has started chewing at it with increasing vigor; now the bald patch extends over most of his belly, and occasionally he breaks his own skin. The vet has ruled out mites, fleas, and disease, and concluded that my cat is anxious or depressed and needs medication to control his behavior. Googling confirms that this is not as weird it seemed to me, but it seems pretty drastic. Any thoughts, or ideas for alternative treatments? [more inside]
posted by DenOfSizer at 10:04 AM PST - 22 comments

Inspired by a screenshot of Crunchland's desktop, I'm curious what programs you keep on your taskbar? (Mo'side) [more inside]
posted by Jaybo at 9:24 AM PST - 56 comments

Do you understand the physics of water pressure and/or plumbing? If so, I would love your opinion on this dispute I'm having with a plumber. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 8:55 AM PST - 13 comments

What's the difference between 1) expensive contact lens lubricating solution, 2) cheaper non-contact lens eye drops, and 3) cheap-ass saline solution? If I pour saline solution into my eyes with lenses in, will they melt like Nazi eyes beholding the Ark of the Covenant?
posted by mookieproof at 8:48 AM PST - 6 comments

ok, so I've had it up to here with nefarious spammers and other lowlifes spoofing my email addresses, causing my inbox to be filled with bounces and besmirching my and my company's good name. since we're all relatively smart and tech savvy, what exactly has to happen in order to get an authenticating email system to replace what's currently out there? is it an impossible dream?
posted by crunchland at 11:43 PM PST - 22 comments

Stupid iTunes question(s). I must have cleared some MP3 files off the machine manually (ie: in the Finder) but they persist in my iTunes "Library," which I infer is some kind of application-internal database. The songs I no longer have show up with an exclamation point [60K screenshot] but I can't sort on that column, so I'm looking for some way to just remove them all from my library. Conversely, I dropped some folders full of MP3s into my "iTunes Music" folder, where all the others are, and I can't get them to show up in the Library. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? [more inside]
posted by scarabic at 11:32 PM PST - 20 comments

Has anyone heard of/used word of mouth exchange

I've been getting these emails of late saying someone is looking for info on me. I'm assuming it's just spam. Anyone had any experience with this?
posted by damnitkage at 8:37 PM PST - 5 comments

The smell of space. How and why? [much more... out there.] [more inside]
posted by stonerose at 7:26 PM PST - 12 comments

We're looking for a sun and beach vacation where the temperature is 75 degrees or more, and the water is that beautiful aqua color. We're starting from Boston, and want to stay in our timezone. We'll only have three or four days, so a direct flight is a must. Once there, we'll just be hanging on the beach and having some meals. Any suggestions for destinations and places to stay?
posted by alms at 7:20 PM PST - 12 comments

So, I just found out a small office building I work in from time to time was a warehouse prior to being purchased and converted by the current owners. I also found out that upon purchase of said building a large portion of it was filled to the ceiling with old paint cans. What can I do to find the environmental history of a building? (I'm in New York State, so bonus points for information specific to my region)
posted by alana at 6:35 PM PST - 9 comments

What, if any, is the traditional saying or cultural attitude which lies behind the computer-age excuse It's not a bug - it's a feature? [More inside.] [more inside]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:25 PM PST - 23 comments

Outdoor gear question: I'm trying to choose between a Mountain Hardwear Chugach jacket and a Moonstone Cirrus jacket, or a similar synthetic-insulated jacket. Anyone have experiences or recommendations to help me make my choice? [a little bit more inside] [more inside]
posted by The Michael The at 5:33 PM PST - 3 comments

I'm headed to Sydney all next week for business, and I'm bringing my 5-months-pregnant wife with me... The problem: we don't know anything about Australia. We're staying at a very nice hotel in the Rocks and won't have a car. With that in mind, can you recommend some things to do? Also, are there any decent online equivalents to the U.S. alt-weekly papers, with current concert, event, and dining recommendations?
posted by waxpancake at 3:29 PM PST - 25 comments

Can Adobe InDesign import/export PDFs somehow? I just got 2.0, but when I try to open a PDF, I get the message "Adobe InDesign may not support the file format, or a plug-in that supports the file format may be missing."
posted by weston at 1:45 PM PST - 12 comments

I have been helping a friend convert his punk vinyl into digital audio. Who here is an audiophile? More inside. [more inside]
posted by Keyser Soze at 12:41 PM PST - 7 comments

I'm taking over the booking, promotion and scheduling portion of a local band. Though I've been around people who have done this type of work before, I've never done it myself. Does anyone have any tips, pointers, warnings, etc.? For example, when's the best time to call venues? What are some things not to say? This is a relatively unknown band in this area (they recently relocated from a place where they were popular), so are there any hype techniques I should know about?
posted by Zosia Blue at 12:37 PM PST - 14 comments

I'm considering opening a DVD store. I'd like your opinions on what you love/hate about movie rental shops/web sites. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by dobbs at 12:32 PM PST - 52 comments

How should I move on from spinning records at house parties to spinning in bars and clubs? [Witness the further depth and detail of this enigma upon clicking the "comments" link.] [more inside]
posted by badstone at 12:01 PM PST - 7 comments

Linux / XFree86 question: Where is the actual resolution that X selects by default defined? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Jimbob at 11:17 AM PST - 11 comments

I'm investigating document management solutions for a client running Office 2003. After spending quite a bit of time digging through their marketing junk, I still can't tell the difference between Microsoft Sharepoint Services and Microsoft Sharepoint Portal Server. Can anyone explain these things in non-Microsoftese?
posted by oissubke at 10:35 AM PST - 9 comments

Is there a good free way to begin to learn to speak japanese?
posted by drezdn at 10:30 AM PST - 12 comments

Line etiquette: When standing in a line and another lane is opened, what is the etiquette for who goes in that new line? What should it be? Is it different when there are no numbered "lanes" (meaning it's just another person helping people at the same counter area)? Should another line be created in that situation, or should there just be a single line moving at double speed?
posted by magnetbox at 9:03 AM PST - 32 comments

i just got a toshiba m30-s309 laptop and i'm trying to get everything working in mandrake linux 9.2, especially APM so i can get the battery indicator working. i plan to upgrade to kernel 2.6.1, but does anyone have specific advice they could offer as to how to get APM working? do i just append apm=on to lilo?
posted by callicles at 8:10 AM PST - 7 comments

In order to gear-up for the MeFi Swap I started making myself more familiar with iTunes. While doing so, I found out that even when one checks the "none" setting for seconds between songs, iTunes still ads a short gap between songs. Does anyone have some suggestions for how I might get iTunes to do Disc-at-Once (DAO)? If not, suggestions for other programs are appreciated, but realise I don't have Toast-like money handy. Thanks!
posted by terrapin at 7:14 AM PST - 8 comments

Is there a way to select all the emails in a folder in Outlook and reply to them all without opening each one? Or exporting into an address book?
posted by gleuschk at 6:26 AM PST - 7 comments

Can anyone in the UK recommend a good dial-up provider and give an indication of the cost?
posted by Frasermoo at 5:40 AM PST - 6 comments

When is it proper to place GoogleAds in a blog? My "other" site has been approved for it but I don't want to give the impression that I've sold out or anything. Budget is minimal so maintenance is not a factor...yet. Do you think having those ads will add cachet to a site? Or will it just achieve the opposite? [No self-links/respond with confidence]
posted by azul at 9:27 PM PST - 21 comments

Does anyone know of an easy, free way to take a plain text document and automatically adjust the font, font size, leading, etc. to match a predetermined number of pages, when the page size and margins are specified? I ask because I am currently required to purchase specific copies of works in the public domain. This way the whole class is on the same page. I'd rather save the $15 bucks and download from Gutenberg, if possible.
posted by Grod at 7:48 PM PST - 13 comments

Help me! I'm sinking! How can I loosen a *really* stubborn nut that's holding my old bathroom faucet to the sink? [more inside]
posted by anildash at 7:47 PM PST - 17 comments

Tip etiquette: What is the appropriate tip for carry-out from a traditionally sit-down restaurant?
posted by ferociouskitty at 7:26 PM PST - 40 comments

I have a friend who is getting ready to furnish his new condo. He has a potential sweetheart deal on picking up some Rowe furniture, but neither he nor I know anything about it. Has anyone had any experience with it? Alternately, is there anywhere he can go to get comparative ratings of different brands of furniture?
posted by Irontom at 4:45 PM PST - 1 comment

I have some questions about getting a non-fiction book published. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:32 PM PST - 9 comments

WIth Valentine's Day rapidly approaching, I have a question to help spread the love: anyone have any recommendations for an online lingere store that's not as ubiquitous as Victoria's Secret and more distinctive than Frederick's of Hollywood? Kind of like this, but priced for mere humans.
posted by gottabefunky at 2:20 PM PST - 11 comments

Academics and scholars: anyone familiar with the text processing product on Windows called Nota Bene? A friend is switching to Macintosh and it's an application area I don't have a lot of experience with. In particular, he likes the fact that Nota Bene stores citation information separate from the formatting, so switching from MLA to APA (?) is easy to do... Any suggestions welcomed.
posted by JollyWanker at 2:02 PM PST - 14 comments

What's the best very cheap web- and email-hosting provider? Most packages are geared for small business, but this is for a personal site, so the web-hosting part of it is secondary to my primary purpose of using a less generic domain name (hotmail/yahoo don't cut it).

What I want is a solid combination of reliable pop and webmail at a domain of my choosing, with ~50MB space, for less than $5/month. I'm currently considering doteasy.com and netfirms.com, and doteasy is winning but for the 20MB space they provide.
posted by Sinner at 12:24 PM PST - 28 comments

What's your favorite place to look for bargains on the web, and/or free stuff?
posted by mecran01 at 12:05 PM PST - 22 comments

I haven't been able to find much info on aquascaping a fish tank. I want to create my own landscape, and was hoping to find some sort of aquarium safe clay or similar material to sculpt my new environment from. Are there any fish enthusiasts out there who can help me out?
posted by agregoli at 11:51 AM PST - 9 comments

Advice for flying with a baby, please. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by msacheson at 11:43 AM PST - 24 comments

I have a PC that I use to test web sites on Windows browsers (my main computer's a Mac). I tried to upgrade to Windows XP, and the XP installer seems to have wrecked the hard drive. Should I replace my hard drive or buy a new computer? [sketchy details inside] [more inside]
posted by kirkaracha at 11:40 AM PST - 9 comments

Does anyone have experience with those cell phones that have a certain number of minutes - you buy them without a separate account, and once you use up the minutes you're done. (I tried to search on this but the terms are all part of ordinary cell phone descriptions.) [more inside]
posted by soyjoy at 10:59 AM PST - 14 comments

Is there anywhere I can get a list of movies released theatrically in the US for 2003? I want to put together a Top 10 list, but can't remember many movies I saw this year. (Maybe that's a sign...) I know that you can get IMDB to list movies by year, by that lists EVERYTHING, and is much too long a list to wade through.
posted by emptybowl at 10:42 AM PST - 7 comments

Digital cameras do tons of photo manipulation in-camera, before you ever upload it. Knowing this, I'd like to configure my camera to do as much in-camera as possible, so that I don't have to spend as much time photoshopping (contrast, sharpening, etc.) afterward. Any recommendations on settings I could use, or resources that would help me determine what settings make for the "best" photos? (I have a Nikon CP4500, if it helps.)
posted by oissubke at 9:55 AM PST - 7 comments

I've got some kind of adware on IE 6.0 that is putting hot links on MetaFilter and other pages for certain keywords, like "Photoshop" or "diamonds". The links lead to search engine websites. It is really gumming up the works. I've tried Spybot but that didn't remove it. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks.
posted by trigfunctions at 9:20 AM PST - 7 comments

Should I turn off the light in my aquarium overnight so my fish can "sleep"? Or is that just stupid? [more inside]
posted by crawl at 8:19 AM PST - 15 comments

What is a good, free, hopefully Open Source email client which can handle both Pop and Imap protocols. Have been using Thunderbird, Mozilla and The Bat!, not too happy with any of their Imap implementations, though I love Mozilla/FB's bayes filtering.
posted by signal at 8:10 AM PST - 10 comments

Adding new hard drives to an XP machine. Have questions about the best process to follow. (moron inside) [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 8:05 AM PST - 6 comments

What is a good treatment for infant eczema? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by davehat at 7:48 AM PST - 7 comments

Video amongst both a PC and Mac: I would like to edit home (i?)movies in iMovie on my iBook. The original movies are on VHS tapes. I have a TV tuner card on my PC which I have used to record things from a VCR, which it saves as MPEG files. If I go this route, how do I convert them into something that iMovie can use? Is there a better route to go altogether? [more inside]
posted by magnetbox at 6:57 AM PST - 10 comments

I want a cheap cellphone that can also synch with Outlook on a Verizon or Sprint plan. I don't want a camera or other bloatware. Smallest phone is best. Any suggestions?
posted by mtstover at 6:48 AM PST - 5 comments

Any tips for unclogging a slow-draining garbage disposal? I think that broccoli cheddar soup is the culprit. I've tried Kitchen Drano to no avail. Help me, Ask MetaFilter!
posted by UKnowForKids at 6:24 AM PST - 10 comments

When I was in high school (91-95), I learned three computer languages -- BASIC, LOGO, and a third that I don't remember the name of.

It involved putting everything in nested parentheses, so you'd end up with some code that looked like this: (((object a)go to)object b)

I looked on google, and found something about LISP and SCHEME, but I couldn't find anything that would narrow it down a bit further. I know that we used a piece of software that would make certain we had the right amount of parentheses (by highlighting each closed parenthesis when we included it), and that the software ran on Macintoshes. We learned how to form graphics with the software -- circles within circles, that sort of thing.

Anyone know what it was? Because it's bugging me, and I kinda think learning that helped me later on in life with keeping track of nested tables and HTML in general.
posted by Katemonkey at 4:06 AM PST - 19 comments

What's the best procedure for upgrading to Panther (OS X 10.3) on a machine that's already been upgraded from 10.1 to 10.2? "Archive and Install" sounds like the best compromise between cleanliness and laziness – any problems to watch out for?
posted by timeistight at 3:16 AM PST - 7 comments

Question for all you writers out there: how do you keep from getting distracted? What's your technique to get into the zone, focus, and let the verbiage just flow? Any and all help would be appreciated.
posted by wanderingmind at 11:24 PM PST - 30 comments

There's a space-age looking building that you'll see on a cliff face on the left while driving West on I70 from the Denver airport. Anyone know the name or architect? It looks amazing enough to be famous.
posted by machaus at 5:46 PM PST - 10 comments

Does anyone out there have contacts with anyone at IBM? Specifically the original engineers of the IBM 5100 computer from 1975 that was built in Rochester, Minnesota? I have been researching the story of John Titor and I was wondering if the claims at Titor's Claims on the 5100 can be verified.
posted by banished at 5:27 PM PST - 5 comments

In IBM's new television campaign ("The child called 'Open'"), little blonde boy Linux is seen sitting in a chair near, in or on a series of famous structures. I recognize the Brooklyn Bridge, and St. Mark's Square, but does anyone recognize the silver geodesic dome structure? It may be a process-shot, since the grounds look more than a little like the reflecting pools outside the Taj Mahal...
posted by JollyWanker at 5:04 PM PST - 8 comments

I finally picked up a USB-to-serial adapter for my Mac so that I can use the machine as a serial console on my various SPARC boxes and Cisco equipment. After installing the latest drivers (the IOGear stuff is actually made by ATEN), I've now got a /dev/tty.usbserial0 device. Using ZTerm, I can talk to my Cisco router, but ZTerm smells/looks very badly like a ported MacOS 9 product. I can't get Taylor UUCP to compile under Panther (10.3) correctly in order to have tip or cu, like I use on my Sun boxes.

Any suggestions for good "serial terminal" programs for OS X 10.3? I've already checked VersionTracker, Google, and all the regular suspect places.
posted by mrbill at 5:02 PM PST - 2 comments

Besides this CNN page, does anyone know of a site that has an in-depth, side-by side, easy to navigate comparison of the Democratic presidential candidates? [Is it obvious that I'm one of those still undecided New Hampshire voters?]
posted by anathema at 4:38 PM PST - 6 comments

Does anyone have experience using MATLAB or GAUSS for statistical analysis (specifically for financial modeling)? Pros/Cons/Prices of one or the other.
posted by Frank Grimes at 3:16 PM PST - 8 comments

What are good Windows programs that can rip CDs into MP3 on multiple CD-ROM drives in a computer simultaneously?
posted by Argyle at 1:58 PM PST - 5 comments

Car talk: Why is it, when either of our two cars are in 4WD, that the wheels feel so wobbly when making a tight turn? It's unnerving, feels like the wheels are going to fall off. It goes away when the case is switched back to 2WD. [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 1:26 PM PST - 9 comments

I have Harman Kardon SoundSticks that connect to my iMac. What hardware would I need to connect my television's sound output to these SoundSticks?
posted by BlueTrain at 12:51 PM PST - 12 comments

Is there anything a lot like Furl that I can run on my own server? [more inside]
posted by tranquileye at 11:39 AM PST - 5 comments

Does my signature have to match my legal name? The reason I ask is because I go by my middle name, not my first. My wife insists that I sign "legal" things like car loans and tax returns with my full name, while I maintain that my typical signature is fine (and grudgingly sign her way). Which one is it?
posted by O9scar at 9:27 AM PST - 22 comments

mouse troubles - after trying the old standard: mouse traps, and hired guns: (mouse hunting cats) both of which were effective but didn't finish the job ... im wondering if anyone has any advice for curing a mouse problem once and for all?
posted by specialk420 at 8:52 AM PST - 25 comments

Phone Blogging. I've been browsing on my mobile for a while now, as well as maintaining a weblog in MoveableType. Is there a way that I can compose and send a MT entry from my WAP phone; or even send a picture (!), since my new phone has a camera?
PS - I can send and receive email on a WAP site through my phone
posted by armoured-ant at 8:10 AM PST - 9 comments

I'm looking for web-based annotation software. [more inside]
posted by grumblebee at 7:02 AM PST - 4 comments

Is it possible to batch process layers in Photoshop? I need each layer as a separate JPG.
posted by niceness at 6:20 AM PST - 3 comments

Help required regarding trip to Havana, Cuba (more inside...) [more inside]
posted by gravelshoes at 5:06 AM PST - 5 comments

Godzilla roar, the making thereof. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by plinth at 4:02 AM PST - 6 comments

A question on Anorgasmia. [More inside][TMI?][NSFW?] [more inside]
posted by twine42 at 3:35 AM PST - 24 comments

Blogging application that includes line-numbering? I'd like to publish content for peer review, in chonologic blog format, with automatic line numbering, so that people can comment, by line number, on my writing. Obviously, the line breaks and numbers have to be the same for everyone. AfterDinner.com offers this functionality, though it isn't really a blogging application. I'm a veteran Blogger user, and willing to do a little bit of creative coding (eg: light hacking of Moveable Type). Any help?
posted by scarabic at 11:02 PM PST - 12 comments

Where do t-shirts come from? I bought a t-shirt from a thirft store with a funny print. It reads "America. Made by Humans." It's a standard baseball style shirt otherwise, but its tag was "American Art Wear." I'm interested in the printing of the t-shirt more than the original manufacturer of the shirt. The manager of the store said something a bit cryptic: that the owner/clothes buyer gets most of the tees off the backs of trucks at trade fairs. Who is in the business of printing t-shirts for this kind of distribution? Who is "American Art Wear"?
posted by rschram at 9:04 PM PST - 4 comments

I like to read several academic journals online. Some, however, only have article titles along with a "only available in print edition." However, quick googling for the author of each article often leads me to a copy of said article on the author's website . Without too much more effort, I soon have 90% of the journal contents, scattered across author websites. Whats going on here? Who is being fooled? If i built a web page with links to all these articles would i be in copyright violation?
posted by vacapinta at 8:22 PM PST - 15 comments

What is your favorite erotic fiction website?
posted by johnnydark at 7:39 PM PST - 6 comments

What's the real difference between dark soy sauce and light soy sauce? Fish sauce? If a recipe calls for light (or dark) soy sauce, can one substitute fish sauce? Does fish sauce go bad? Should it be refrigerated, or is it okay to leave it on the shelf for years (which is how long it takes me to use a full bottle)? [more inside]
posted by jdroth at 4:08 PM PST - 17 comments

Internet Phenomenon Questions Phase II: 1. What are good, free ways to publicize a website? 2. How do I know how many people are actually reading the site? (Typepad's list of viewers and referrers don't match up.) 3. How do I make money off the site without being exploitive? Thanks!
posted by adrober at 2:47 PM PST - 8 comments

I have a logitech laser mouse. I bought it three years ago, and it's well-broken in. In fact, it's *so* well broken in that the 'feet' (for lack of a better term) on the bottom ... the little slick plastic things that it slides on ... have started to come off. The adhesive is all goopy. Any idea what I could do to either re-attach them or get new 'feet'? [more inside]
posted by SpecialK at 2:19 PM PST - 14 comments

Does anybody know of a a) Useful and b) Free online or downloadable machine translation system? I use windows XP. [more inside]
posted by signal at 1:32 PM PST - 4 comments

Pittsburgh or Bust!

My wife and I are considering a move to Pittsburgh at the end of the year. Any suggestions for good neighborhoods to live in? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by punkrockrat at 11:29 AM PST - 5 comments

SF residents: what's the easiest/best way to get to Golden Gate Park via public transit? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by DaShiv at 8:18 AM PST - 12 comments

Why are there so many misspellings in movie subtitles? I have no troubles with subtitles that contain poor translations or poor grammar, but misspellings/typos bug me greatly. They even pop up in big budget movies. Doesn't the subtitling system have some sort of spell check?
posted by gluechunk at 12:31 AM PST - 12 comments

Does American real-life, i.e. (in this case) geek etiquette (as opposed to the mainstream standard), require that all e-mails, however perfunctory or informative, be answered? [More inside.] [more inside]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 11:29 PM PST - 24 comments

Is there something equivalent to iTunes Monitor for Windows? I'm curious about who's listening to my music. [more inside]
posted by Aaorn at 7:51 PM PST - 2 comments

Anyone had any experience with hybrid cars? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by answergrape at 7:13 PM PST - 18 comments

Anybody know of a site that lists movie times and can be customized to list only certain theaters in your zip code?
posted by Hildago at 7:09 PM PST - 13 comments

Why do some restaurants and clubs put ice in the urinals? Is it a smell thing or is it to provide manly entertainment? It seems to up the "splatter factor", so I'm guessing it's benefits aren't mainly hygenic.
posted by ColdChef at 3:31 PM PST - 20 comments

I'm building an online gallery for an artist friend of mine. It grew from a small holiday present to a major project, and I have reached the edge of my current skill set. I need a way to easily add and modify content after I am no longer developing the site. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Grod at 1:57 PM PST - 14 comments

How is learning enhanced by the establishment and maintenance of a sense of community? [more inside]
posted by elwoodwiles at 1:46 PM PST - 10 comments

Anyone ever solved the mups.sys hangup on a windows 2000 system? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Stynxno at 12:02 PM PST - 6 comments

I can't find my Temporary Internet Files in Windows XP! [more inside] [more inside]
posted by precocious at 10:01 AM PST - 4 comments

Where can I find a good leather notebook cover that will enclose a mead 3 x 5 wirebound notebook (top or side bound) ?

I've found one source of leather covers for use by police, and some really cool blank book kits, but can't find any good covers that use a generic little notebook as filler. Is this an evil conspiracy by the stationary illuminati?
posted by mecran01 at 10:00 AM PST - 9 comments

I've been really enjoying GarageBand lately, especially since I finally got a keyboard to use as a MIDI controller. Unfortunately, it also reminds me that I have no skill or training on a keyboard (or any other musical instrument). Can anyone suggest a good book to learn keyboards from, especially one that will let me "fake it" easily?
Thanks.
posted by jpburns at 9:30 AM PST - 8 comments

Why is the Kennedy family so often referred to as Camelot?
posted by yalestar at 8:32 AM PST - 6 comments

Etiquette question: when weddings and professional obligations clash, what do you do? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by jessamyn at 7:32 AM PST - 15 comments

Can anyone point me to a source with pictures of the posters that can be seen in Brazil, the movie by Terry Gilliam? Screenshots would be nice, but actual good photographs or scans of the originals would be even better.
posted by zerofoks at 6:00 AM PST - 3 comments

What do people use for a cheap or free programmer's text editor on OS X? I know that BBEdit rules the school, but I'm loath to spend that much money when I'm (almost) happy with vim. I do web programming so I'm mostly working with PHP/Perl/Python/XHTML/CSS, but I'd like a program that could handle heavier work if I decided to move in that direction. Is there an OS X equivalent of Textpad, both in features and price?
posted by amery at 3:04 AM PST - 18 comments

Dumb Excel question: How do you add rows of cells at the top of a sheet that do not scroll? We've tried Googling, we've tried the Excel help, we've tried poking around at every function that looks obvious, and a few that didn't...
posted by adamgreenfield at 6:56 PM PST - 9 comments

Is there any web site or program for OS X that allows you compile a list of your video games, similar to either DVD Aficionado or Books? Thank you MeFi!
posted by the biscuit man at 6:34 PM PST - 4 comments

A friend is preparing a film course. Does anybody know where I can find clips of the very first films, like "The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station" by Louis Lumière for example, or even some of the pre-lumiere "films", such as those shown at penny arcades?
posted by signal at 6:31 PM PST - 14 comments

Is there a way, without constant human intervention, to (1) mine either Google News, Yahoo News, or the AP for new obituaries and (2) drop the name, age, blurb, and URL into a database? [more inside]
posted by PrinceValium at 5:02 PM PST - 6 comments

Anybody have any information on installing my own propane gas logs? [more inside]
posted by ajpresto at 4:38 PM PST - 2 comments

I'm looking for a PC equivalent of the Mac OSX default beaches/nature/cosmos/etc screen savers. I've yet to see anything on the PC that can gently zoom/pan its images like that. Ideally this would be something that would allow me to use my own images.
posted by tirade at 1:52 PM PST - 5 comments

What's the best (free, easy to install, doesn't hog resources) emai list software for OS X?

I've been running Macjordomo, but it is buggy and hogs resources, slowing down my machine. I manage about 10 local lists, with not more than 20 members of each list.

I thank you, MeFi gestalt...
posted by mecran01 at 1:03 PM PST - 5 comments

Teaching question: how do I help a student whose mind wanders? [more inside]
posted by grumblebee at 11:36 AM PST - 34 comments

So I've recently discovered I can't access #mefi from work anymore, and I suspect it's probably because they've blocked traffic on the 6667 port. Is there a means to get around this?
posted by antifreez_ at 11:33 AM PST - 4 comments

My employer is going to be asking me to sign a new NDA in the near future. The original NDA that I signed nine years ago has a lot of holes. Anything in particular I should look out for in the new NDA? Should I be concerned about it at all? (Yeah, I know YANAL.)
posted by maurice at 11:07 AM PST - 11 comments

What exactly is the difference between the National Guard and the Reserves? Now, I know that each branch has their own Reserves set up, even the Coast Guard...so what then is the National Guard for? And for that matter, the Air National Guard?
posted by taumeson at 10:21 AM PST - 5 comments

I'm looking for a furniture store/company to help furnish a house we will be buying. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by jasonspaceman at 7:45 AM PST - 13 comments

PDF question: Is it possible to have text and/or graphics in a pdf that can be seen onscreen, but are suppressed when printed? [more] [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:44 AM PST - 5 comments

The future is Plastics! Anyone with experience with short-run plastic fabrication? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by plemeljr at 7:30 AM PST - 6 comments

I'm looking for a Mac program for organizing and storing research index cards. (More inside.) [more inside]
posted by litlnemo at 4:26 AM PST - 14 comments

I've had a nervous twitch in my left eye for four days now, and it's driving me mad. Any tips for getting rid?
posted by ascullion at 2:42 AM PST - 21 comments

Dumb Windows XP question time. I burned some files to a CD-ROM using Nero. Then I burned some more files to the same CD-ROM, creating a multisession CD. Afterward, when I insert the CD into the drive, I see only the second batch of files on the disc. On the Mac I'd expect to see a separate volume icon for each session; how do I access the various sessions under Windows?
posted by kindall at 11:30 PM PST - 5 comments

Can someone be held liable for infringing upon a patented business model if they aren't in business? [more inside]
posted by Danelope at 8:47 PM PST - 11 comments

Who is owed the United States' debt?
posted by ajr at 8:13 PM PST - 8 comments

Can anyone recommend a good HTML code beautifier? I have Dreamweaver MX, but as near as I can tell, it won't do this. I'm specifically looking for something to do good logical indenting, take care of whitespace, etc.
posted by oissubke at 8:03 PM PST - 11 comments

I've been given a free upright piano but with one catch: I have to move it myself. Any advice on how I can do this myself? I have access to strong men and a sizable pickup truck, but paying someone to move it ain't an option, y'all.
posted by mcsweetie at 7:35 PM PST - 14 comments

I'm using OS X and I want to take a screenshot of my screensaver in action. Obviously though, whenever I press the key to take a screenshot, my screensaver disappears. How can I take the screenshot I need to take?
posted by teem at 7:20 PM PST - 8 comments

Here's the problem. I like to watch movies on my computer (Win XP). However, sometimes I like to work / do other things at the same time. Is there a movie player that will keep the movie window on top at all times, yet still allow me to work in other programs simultaneously?
posted by banished at 6:13 PM PST - 10 comments

What is the best way to sell a domain name? I checked out a couple of domain name auction sites, but it is difficult to tell which are legit and/or get much traffic.
posted by rushmc at 4:45 PM PST - 1 comment

Does carbonated water freeze differently than regular water? [Further information provider by the poster upon clicking of the comments link.] [more inside]
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 4:13 PM PST - 17 comments

I see lots of photographers with candid photos of strangers from the park, on the street, etc., but I'm wary of getting sued just for taking some amateur photos. What laws, guidlines, rules of thumb, etc., should I use when taking photos of people in public?
posted by oissubke at 3:23 PM PST - 16 comments

How do they create book indexes? I have a friend who's a grad student, and she needs to create an index for her hundred page scientific thesis. Is there any easy way to do it in MS Word, or another software product -- something that a non-geek could churn and burn with in a couple of hours?
posted by SpecialK at 3:23 PM PST - 17 comments

Library/information science question(s): My code-fearful friend succeeded in getting through library school without exposure to more than basic HTML. I now have him on a diet of Dreamweaver and XHTML, with a sprinkling of GoLive. He's wondering about next steps: for someone who wants to be well-equipped to work in an academic, medical, legal, or similar library or archive (with web development as part of his job, rather than the focus of it), what scripting language(s) and/or content-management systems are most important to learn? Is the library world fragmented in this regard, or is there a dominant technology? What would be a logical entry vector into this world for someone without a comp-sci bone in his body (in terms of languages/systems, and specific learning resources)?[no more inside]
posted by stonerose at 2:48 PM PST - 6 comments

I'm searching for a dedicated listing of movies/television episodes with direct links and/or crafty allusions to classic literature, a la "Clueless" to "Emma," or "The Lion King" to "Hamlet." (Or various episodes of The Simpsons to a whole bunch of different things.) [more inside]
posted by ferociouskitty at 2:45 PM PST - 11 comments

I'm looking for example by-laws for an association of local, small business owners. Anyone have an idea of online resources for such a thing?
posted by machaus at 2:22 PM PST - 1 comment

Web Dev: Is there any way to define alternate content (i.a.: an html menu) for non-flash enabled browsers?
posted by signal at 2:19 PM PST - 6 comments

Spring break, early-summer travel advice? Specifically for an on-the-budget student (around or less than $1000). (more inside) [more inside]
posted by geoff. at 1:53 PM PST - 14 comments

I know I saw a feature in a recent magazine, which I thought was Entertainment Weekly, but now I can't find it again. It was a full page of photos of regular people from around the nation, and they had asked each person to name the movie they most wanted to see that never came to their town -- "Capturing the Friedmans" was named, among others. Has anyone seen this feature, and if so, can you tell me which magazine it was in? We get a LOT of magazines, so if not EW it could have been in Esquire, People, Vanity Fair, etc. Any help will be much appreciated!
posted by GaelFC at 1:35 PM PST - 5 comments

Is there some sort of program or website that can help create short, punny titles for articles like you find in magazines and some newspapers? Say I have a piece on hazardous waste - I'd love to be able to plug that in somewhere and get a list of common aphorisms, signs, buzzwords, etc. that include those words and variations thereof ("haste makes waste," "a mind is a terrible thing to waste," "dukes of hazard," "biohazard", etc). It would be like a list of sayings combined with a thesaurus and a rhyme matcher, but more...
posted by gottabefunky at 1:28 PM PST - 5 comments

I'd like to print blank monthly calendar pages in a 8.5x11 format, but I can't find a good source. Google points me towards calendar vendors, and any web-based calendars I've found (like Yahoo) are predicated on me posting appointments and the like. Should I just create what I need in Word? Any suggestions?
posted by msacheson at 11:35 AM PST - 15 comments

What's the best way to warm up inside your house? My roommate keeps the temp. far too low in my apartment to the point that my space heater has little effect on clearing out the cold. Any advice to stay warm?
posted by drezdn at 11:30 AM PST - 30 comments

When something burns it uses up it's fuel/calorific content and turns into a small blob of black which is known to chemists as 'carbon' and to the rest of us as 'bugger'. This I can cope with.

If you stick the same item (or an unburnt relative of said product) into a deep fat frier and heat it for too long, it goes black and creates this same black substance. There has been no oxygen for the the energy to burn with. Where did the energy go?
posted by twine42 at 9:34 AM PST - 10 comments

What is the best Universal Wish List? I have found these 3, what do you recommend?
posted by stbalbach at 8:28 AM PST - 2 comments

Mathematicians! I was told that there are fundamental mathematical assumptions (maybe 6, or 7) on which all mathematical proofs rest, but which themselves are unproven. Or maybe they're unprovable. I seem to recall that one is that ab always=ba and another than a+b = b+a. What are the others? Are they unproven, or unprovable? If either, where does that leave every other mathematical proof? Are there any more assumptions waiting to be discovered?

Caveat: I'm a mathophobe lit grad who happens to have just finished reading "Fermat's Last theroum", so be gentle with me, please egg-heads.
posted by Pericles at 8:04 AM PST - 24 comments

What's the most effective and cheapest way you know of to "back-order" a domain (one that's expired, but still on hold)?
posted by luser at 7:33 AM PST - 5 comments

Is Google accepting money to weight search results? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by UKnowForKids at 7:20 AM PST - 17 comments

I have been given several mounted insects as gifts recently (moths, moving leaf insects). I would like some resources (books, web sites) on how to go about buying and mounting/framing/preserving specimens myself. Many of the books on Amazon are out of print, or have no descriptions.
posted by sharksandwich at 6:26 AM PST - 2 comments

Anyone know a font that has in it the laurels that you see on film festival announcements? ie, The leaves that surround statements like "2003 Palm D'or, Cannes Film Festival" on film posters? Preferably a free font but I've searched through a gazillion dingbat fonts so far with no luck so I'll take any links ya got. Thanks.
posted by dobbs at 12:42 AM PST - 7 comments

Another animal question. I want a dog. Only I don't know what kind to get... [more inside] [more inside]
posted by amandaudoff at 9:26 PM PST - 32 comments

Here's a poser, inspired by this thread: In the late 1980s and early 1990s, my boon friend Jamie Mowder made me a truly incomparable series of audio collages on cassette tape. These labors of love were half-hour-(i.e. tapeside)-long call-and-response marathons of Henry Rollins yelping at Quentin Crisp and Ed Koch with Professor Longhair dressing down Jimmy Pursey...you get the idea.

They're priceless, irreplaceable. And now I want to transfer them to mp3. Does anybody have any ideas as to a reasonably elegant way to achieve this? Posterity will thank you, as will I.
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:01 PM PST - 7 comments

A friend is setting up a poker group. I've been invited. What's the best way to learn so I do not completely embarrass myself? Any books, websites, and/or programs that you would suggest? How can you tell when someone is bluffing? Any other lingo I should know? [more inside]
posted by jasonspaceman at 8:25 PM PST - 19 comments

Best dish to take new parents? More inside... [more inside]
posted by daver at 7:47 PM PST - 18 comments

You can use your IRA to buy real estate? A read through of the web site made me think it was a scam, but a quick trip to Google led to a bunch of other links, including this one from msn.com.

Does anyone on Metafilter have experience using IRA funds to purchase real estate?
posted by alms at 7:24 PM PST - 4 comments

Is anyone aware of a Windows app (preferably free) that will enable me to copy a possibly damaged CD-ROM? It seems to me that I'm looking for the data equivalent of CDex or Exact Audio Copy. Any suggestions are welcome...
posted by pmurray63 at 7:24 PM PST - 3 comments

Need a sound browser for XP, should have an explorer-like interface, where I click on a WAV or MP3 and I can hear how it sounds. Speed and simplicity would be nice, too. Having to "process" whole folders would be a no-no.
posted by signal at 5:31 PM PST - 9 comments

We're considering going to Europe for a few weeks this summer, and thought about the possibility of exchanging houses with someone over there, as a way of saving money (we have a house in San Francisco, a pretty popular place to visit).

But we're worried about the possibility of ending up with some crooks or thoughtless people in our house, and coming back home to find that we've been ripped off, had property messed up, etc. Has anyone had any experiences with any reliable (or not so reliable) places that help make house exchanges successful (e.g., screening applicants, etc.)?
posted by jasper411 at 2:04 PM PST - 13 comments

What user-agents reliably support the @font-face rule in CSS? According to Microsoft, IE5 and up supports it. I've been trying to determine if Mozilla does, and I have no clue about Mac only browsers like Safari. Googling has not led me to a clear answer, so I turn to you all. [more inside]
posted by Grod at 2:01 PM PST - 6 comments

I've got a question about tagging MP3s using IDx tags. (turn the page) [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 1:37 PM PST - 10 comments

Any tips on kicking caffeine? I've tried repeatedly to wean myself off of it, either failing miserably or succeeding, but finding myself getting back to it eventually. My consumption isn't even that much -- one cup of coffee each morning and maybe 3 sodas a week, but the difference is *very* noticeable. Short of midday naps, which my office tends to frown upon, how can I shake the fatigue?
posted by boomchicka at 12:53 PM PST - 23 comments

Philosophy experts: were ancient thinkers conscious of the fact that they were making untested assumptions? [more inside.] [more inside]
posted by grumblebee at 11:34 AM PST - 19 comments

Any immigration experts in the house? [more inside]
posted by widdershins at 10:29 AM PST - 22 comments

I'm going to Disney World! I, my fiance, and my 8-year-old daughter will be there this weekend, all day Saturday and Sunday, Ultimate Park Hopper tickets, staying on site, all that. I've never been. What's a must see/do?
posted by MrMoonPie at 10:18 AM PST - 20 comments

I'd like some help with my dog please. [more inside ...] [more inside]
posted by vito90 at 9:53 AM PST - 14 comments

Splinter removal. I got a gnarly splinter last night walking past a light pole, it's very deep and I can't seem to get it out. I soaked my hand, which I found out was wrong because it expands the wood, I tried grabbing it with tweezers, but it's too deep. I tried google, but could only find a few suggestions, any tried and true methods of getting out a DEEP (and painful) splinter?
posted by jonah at 8:59 AM PST - 24 comments

Caught between two stools. Sorry if this lowers the tone but over the years I've heard various bits of advice in the media concerning relative bouyancy of human waste and its implications for health. Can anyone provide something definitive about whether one's output should float or sink? What is the cause of the different behaviours?
posted by biffa at 8:01 AM PST - 15 comments

When a candidate (in this case for President of the US) withdraws from the race, what happens to any leftover money that he/she has raised?
posted by cedar at 6:20 AM PST - 3 comments

I'm sure this is a stupid question, but has anybody seen a link to video of Howard Dean's concession speech in Iowa? [more inside]
posted by ajpresto at 6:09 AM PST - 11 comments

Anyone know a quick and simple way to convert opml files into html? I've found two good XSLT stylesheets, but the W3C XSLT Service seems to be fudging the links.
posted by will at 5:12 AM PST - 6 comments

My laptop has taken to switching itself off at random intervals, but only at my parents or in-laws houses. The general consensus is that these houses are hotter than my own and it may be just enough to upset my system.

Can anyone recommend a good freeware (pref OpenSource) program to check up on the internal temperatures of the system? I'm running WinXP.
posted by twine42 at 4:55 AM PST - 8 comments

To the horror of my inner political geek, I was called away to Mommy Duty partway through the State of the Union address last night and didn't see much after the recognition of the head of the Iraqi transitional government. Does anyone know where I can get the full speech in either audio or (preferably) video format online? I can read the text in a number of places, but I'd like to get that sense of emphasis and audience reaction that cannot be garnered from a transcript. [MI] [more inside]
posted by Dreama at 4:07 AM PST - 12 comments

In Windows XP is there any way to do a quick switch between DHCP and a given IP address? My home network connection uses DHCP - my work uses static. I've tried different hardware profiles with no success.
posted by LukeyBoy at 4:04 AM PST - 5 comments

Does anyone have links to some half decent RSS feeds, specifically for the Entertainment and Media sector? [More inside] [more inside]
posted by MintSauce at 3:20 AM PST - 3 comments

I want to know if I run the risk of Hard Disk damage by having large (8 inch sub+midrange) speakers near my computer. I have a Western Digital 100GB 7200 and a 160GB 8MB cache disk installed. [more inside]
posted by Keyser Soze at 1:45 AM PST - 3 comments

I'm about to design one or more sites I may need to maintain for some time to come. I've always used nested tables and HTML 3 tags to get the job done, but nowadays, CSS seems to be all the rage. I can appreciate some of the advantages it offers [more inside] but given all the questions I've heard about "How can I do XYZ in CSS?" and miscellaneous browser compatibility snafus, I'm wondering whether it's really worth the effort to learn CSS and change all my habits. Convince me? I'm not looking for tutorials or help getting started, I'm looking for arguments in favor of learning the standard, reasons why my life will be easier after doing so. Thanks in advance! [more inside]
posted by scarabic at 10:55 PM PST - 17 comments

I'm very fond of the "staggered" content layout of this site, but I can't figure out how to reasonably duplicate it in CSS (with text instead of images). Any suggestions? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by oissubke at 9:18 PM PST - 9 comments

Inspired by this thread, I'd like to get into Digital photography. I need a camera first ... recommendations? [Details inside] [more inside]
posted by bonaldi at 7:03 PM PST - 13 comments

Is there an image search engine that allows me to take a given image and see if there are other copies online (the image name may be different and perhaps even resized?) (more inside) [more inside]
posted by vacapinta at 5:28 PM PST - 9 comments

I need to find an ADA-compliant webmail interface. I'd prefer a free option that will allow POP3 and (preferrably) IMAP access. Hotmail is not an option since they no longer allow access to external POP boxes and Yahoo is out because of spam. Any suggestions?
posted by answergrape at 5:03 PM PST - 2 comments

In April I moved from Washington state, which has no state income tax, to Vermont, which does. I just got a W2 from an employer. The employer took out state taxes for Vermont, as well as for California where the work was done. Do I have to file a tax return in California to get my eleven dollars back? I'm not looking for binding tax advice, but has anyone been through this before -- filing state taxes in multiple states, or having employers withhold for multiple states? What's standard operating procedure here?
posted by jessamyn at 3:49 PM PST - 8 comments

I've been looking for some tall paperback-depth bookshelves that aren't real expensive. Normal bookshelf units are way too deep. These are nice but only 5 feet tall and kind of pricey. I'd like to utilize more vertical space against my wall. Seen anything that fits the bill?
posted by Tubes at 3:01 PM PST - 8 comments

A prospective client would like a flash movie "Take a Tour" of his company and website. I'm unsure what to charge. I've normally done simple scripting and quoted a price by the job rather than by the hour (I tend to work slowly) and would like an idea how much to charge for the whole movie project. What's the going rate for flash these days?
posted by perorate at 2:58 PM PST - 6 comments

How much stuff can the average person shake a stick at? [more inside]
posted by badstone at 2:39 PM PST - 15 comments

The U-Scan stations: how do they know that the item you just scanned is the actual item? [More inside] [more inside]
posted by internal at 1:49 PM PST - 20 comments

Can anyone explain the dynamics of belly-button lint? [more inside]
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 12:43 PM PST - 21 comments

Has anyone ever had cracked ribs? (More inside - heh) [more inside]
posted by Lynsey at 12:40 PM PST - 10 comments

Do Google's search results depend on where you're asking from, apart from forwarding you to google.ca, google.fr, etc.? That is, if I query google.com, does it take my IP address or other information about my location into account to give me results that are "closer to home"? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by gleuschk at 12:39 PM PST - 10 comments

I need a small scale content management thingie which will allow a large corporate client to easily update news items on their homepage, something simple where they just drop in a file into a folder and it shows up as a 1 line link on the homepage with a link to the full article.
posted by signal at 10:44 AM PST - 8 comments

anyone speak polish? my grandmother used to have a word (most likely not a nice one) for what my irish grandfather referred to as "chippies"--young women, tight pants, high heels, bright lipstick. not *bad* girls, per se, but not nice ones either. i'm thinking it might have been "cichodjka" (more or less pronounced: tsyhodyeh'kah) but my aunt says no, that doesn't sound right to her.
posted by crush-onastick at 10:26 AM PST - 7 comments

Is there any software that enables me to send photos from my pc to a camera cell phone?
posted by the cuban at 8:54 AM PST - 4 comments

I've upgraded my mobile phone and now have the option of using polyphonic ringtones. The ringtones that come stock with the phone are cute and all, but I'd like to have some more options. A Google search for ringtones pulls a ton of sites, but many of them seem just too sketchy. Do any of you have ringtone sites you'd recommend? And have you made your own, possibly from converted Mp3s?
posted by grabbingsand at 7:32 AM PST - 10 comments

How do I keep a cast-iron pan clean? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by starvingartist at 7:16 AM PST - 17 comments

What's the best way to fill up a new MP3 player? [Further details will be provided upon clicking the 'comments' link below] [more inside]
posted by bondcliff at 6:37 AM PST - 16 comments

I have started to lift weights recently, and I was thinking about taking creatine supplements. Has anyone here used creatine? How has it worked for you? Any recommended method or particular brand?
posted by Quartermass at 10:48 PM PST - 6 comments

Office furniture: where to buy it used and what kind do you use? [more] [more inside]
posted by Hackworth at 10:37 PM PST - 3 comments

My dance group is looking for a way to play CDs at variable speeds. There are a few variable speed CD players on the market, or, it's likely that a laptop could be used to play CDs and .mp3s at variable speed. (Variable speed is really useful for teaching dances.) We have raised $600 so far. Experiences? Recommendations?
posted by theora55 at 8:01 PM PST - 8 comments

Does anyone here read Chinese? How can I find more Photoshopping from the guy who made this?
posted by oissubke at 7:17 PM PST - 8 comments

Who should I root for in the superbowl? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by weston at 6:50 PM PST - 23 comments

The film Perfect Blue is very confusing. (more inside, with major spoilers) [more inside]
posted by Prospero at 6:05 PM PST - 11 comments

What are some good songs that are on bad albums? I am using iTunes to buy songs from albums not worth buying. Any suggestions?
posted by adrober at 5:13 PM PST - 30 comments

I have fallen in love with sheep and would really like one for my backyard. Is this doable? Personal experiences are welcome. Feel free to talk me out of this if it's a really bad idea. [more inside]
posted by evilbeck at 4:27 PM PST - 22 comments

I'm moving about 2000 miles across the continental US and I have around 2000 books. What's the cheapest way for me to get them there? Just get my movers to do it (lots of weight), ship 'em via book rate at the post office, rent a uhaul and drive? Advice appreciated. Selling them isn't an option.
posted by warhol at 4:24 PM PST - 10 comments

As a follow-up to the many diet threads, can anyone recommend good online weight loss resources? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by jca at 4:19 PM PST - 7 comments

Excuse me, but can anyone tell me: What exactly is the origin of the phrase Go piss up a rope? I know it's present in the American South and Midwest, but did it originate elsewhere? Does the phrase occur in other countries? And how exactly does one piss up a rope? Does it mean Go climb a rope (similar to Piss off!), or literally Go urinate up a length of braided twine? And, while we're at it, what the hell does the H stand for in Jesus H Christ? I've always wondered. [...a little more inside] [more inside]
posted by Shane at 4:14 PM PST - 13 comments

I've decided to bite the bullet and start mowing my own .25 acre lawn. There lies the rub, as I'm a small woman with not much in the way of upper-body strength. Riding mowers are out because they won't pay back the original investment (I'd have to install a storage shed). I've been looking at mowers for some time, but haven't really been able to get much in the way of "um, but will I be able to maneuver this thing?" advice. Any suggestions? If it helps, I can afford to invest about $600 (what I pay to have the lawn mowed in the first place...).
posted by thomas j wise at 2:46 PM PST - 24 comments

What's a good way to get shards of glass out of my underwear? (Yes, there is more inside) [more inside]
posted by Katemonkey at 2:08 PM PST - 25 comments

Any easy and cheap methods to soundproof a basement room for guitar playing? Something about egg cartons?
posted by Mossy at 1:20 PM PST - 5 comments

Anyone tried 80-10-10 financing? Care to share any thoughts? My wife and I are looking at buying our first house and haven't been able to find many testimonials on google or fool.com.
posted by jragon at 12:05 PM PST - 6 comments

My pedestal bathroom sink has unstuck itself from the wall (following an earring-retrieval-from-the-drain adventure). There used to be a hinge of caulking that steadied it, but that hinge broke during the earring retrieval, and the screws that hold the sink to the wall often slip through, making leaning on the sink dangerous. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty handy. Can I just peel off the old cauking and recaulk?
posted by onlyconnect at 11:42 AM PST - 3 comments

Has anyone here developed custom GIS apps with ESRI's Java Map Objects? Cost and licensing issues aside, how does it compare with open Java GIS libraries such as GeoTools?
posted by badstone at 11:37 AM PST - 1 comment

What's the best way to approach a temp service? Walk in? Call? How to dress? etc.
posted by drezdn at 11:16 AM PST - 8 comments

Is there an Instant Messenging client for Windows that will communicate with Apple's iChat over Rendezvous/ZeroConfig? [more inside]
posted by jazon at 8:56 AM PST - 8 comments

I'm working on a Valentine's Day mix CD for that special someone, and was hoping some of you MeFites might have some suggestions. [More Inside] [more inside]
posted by emptybowl at 7:46 AM PST - 82 comments

Everytime I take a step, my left knee clicks. [More MedicFilter inside] [more inside]
posted by twine42 at 7:24 AM PST - 14 comments

I love Almond Butter but here in the UK a little jar that holds about 300 grams costs around £4.00 or $7.00. I decided to try and make it myself. I bought a bunch of almonds, put them - as I was advised into a food processor, using the steel blades and turned it on - what I ended up with was finally ground almonds. I have looked everywhere from google on down and found nothing useful. What i am after is a pure almond butter, with nothing added, like the stuff that comes in the expensive jars from health food shops. Can anyone tell me how to this?
posted by donfactor at 4:02 AM PST - 16 comments

A serious question: for which euro-friendly Democratic candidate in Iowa should we pro-American Europeans root for? Which one is less isolationist, less likely not to speak Spanish, French or Italian, more pro-EU, more cosmopolitan and, to put it mildly, more civilized?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:01 PM PST - 34 comments

Why has Mozilla Firebird 0.7 (on Windows XP) suddenly started truncating link URLs when I use File/Send Page to email them? It used to do this occasionally, but now it's doing it every time. [more inside]
posted by rushmc at 3:25 PM PST - 4 comments

It's a word I've been using for a while in a ... you know ... "ironic postmodern" sort of a way, but really, I've got no idea what it means. The Google results plain confuse me, so I'm throwing this one out to the Ask Metafilter Posse. What does the word "postmodern" mean? What is postmodern literature? And finally, where do I go for examples? And ... please no laughing from the front of the class.
posted by seanyboy at 2:50 PM PST - 42 comments

PNG and IE6. I seem to recall reading about an active x plugin that enabled IE5.5+ on PC to properly support alpha transparency in png files. After googling, I couldn't find one. I did find lots of work arounds and hacks that are ugly and difficult to implement. There must be a solution.
posted by Grod at 2:48 PM PST - 6 comments

Do you have any advice on purchasing speakers for a home theater / stereo setup in an apartment building with relatively thin walls? [More inside....] [more inside]
posted by subgenius at 2:15 PM PST - 8 comments

I have an allergy which makes fleas bites on my body a real problem. In a concentrated infestation, I may actually become ill from too many. I'm looking for an effective way to keep my house clear of them. [more] [more inside]
posted by scarabic at 12:47 PM PST - 12 comments

Did people really speak in such formal, flowery language in the 18th and 19th century? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 9:15 AM PST - 12 comments

I installed a new OS (mmyes, it was M$ W2k) on my computer on a new hard drive. The old system and the new OS now work next to each other, but I have a technical matter that I can't solve. On the old OS (W98), if I say "Shut down", it will also automatically shut down the power of the computer after it shuts down Windows.

The W2k OS doesn't do that, and while it's not a big issue, I have enough of the neurotic in me to want it to work on the W2k as well. Where and how do I make it do that?
posted by NekulturnY at 9:08 AM PST - 2 comments

Any tips on selling a house? [more inside]
posted by LittleMissCranky at 9:04 AM PST - 24 comments

I'm working with a new 6th - 12th grade school focusing on Arts & Technology integrated into the cirriculum. We're looking for software that will allow us to accomplish varying tasks - e-mail for students/teachers/parents, digital portfolio publishing for students, shared discussion space for class comments, teacher/course specfic pages etc. Each student will have their own portable computer as well.

What I'm looking for is pratical thoughts/examples of how to provide this functionality. I've seen some schools using Manila, dotlrn also seems very promising but perhaps a bit too "big" for us to take on.

Is the weblog paradigm itself a good one to be pursuing to pull this off? Or are we just not ready to go there without significant effort? If you were attempting to create this techno environment for a school (many of whose students and teachers are unfamilar with technology) how would you pull it off?
posted by dhacker at 8:36 AM PST - 10 comments

This is an embarassingly simple question, but after plowing through the Internet Explorer prefs, I can't find the answer.

When using blogger, a small window is left on your screen with a "close" button. When you click on it, a warning pops up: "this web page is trying to close your window and do strange things to your cat." and then you have to click a confirmation button.

Yeah, yeah, I know I can close the window three other ways, but for weak, idiosyncratic reasons would like to just click on that "close" button.

(why do I feel like"Monk" here...)
posted by mecran01 at 6:19 AM PST - 2 comments

Can one choose a political affiliation based on factual evidence (especially in the economic realm)? [MI] [more inside]
posted by grumblebee at 5:12 AM PST - 19 comments

I'm an amateur musician and since Multiple Sclerosis ate my hands, I can't play my guitar. So want to try to make music with my computer. I've got a fast Win XP machine, a SOundblaster card with midi and a midi keyboard, CoolEdit, Cakewalk and lots of ideas.

What I want to do is find a program that'll let me play my midi keyboard and record the music, allowing me to edit/ Quantize blah blah (Cakewalk allows me this). But I want those midi notes to trigger samples that I've got as . wavs, transposing them to correct note (so it plays the real sounds, not tinny midi stuff), and obviously allow me to multi-track to layer the stuff into the songs in my head.

Anyone recommend a program that's easy to get to grips with/ a way of saving the samples so I can do this/ a book or online resource to get me started?
posted by Pericles at 4:10 AM PST - 9 comments

What is a good, guaranteed way to send and receive money if you don't have a bank account? [more]
posted by IshmaelGraves at 9:48 PM PST - 19 comments

Our three cats have fleas and worms. We've tried a couple of over-the-counter products, but they haven't helped (especially with the worms, which are our biggest concern). The vet wants to sell us expensive remedies, of which we are very skeptical. Before we shell out big bucks for the stuff the vet suggests, are there other things we should try? What has worked for you?
posted by jdroth at 7:49 PM PST - 13 comments

Does anyone know how to erase the master boot record from within Windows XP? [you're gonna love this...] [more inside]
posted by soplerfo at 7:15 PM PST - 10 comments

I just moved into an apartment complex with a gym and have started working out, but I'm having a problem developing a routine. The place is basically treadmills, spinning machines, and a well-equipped weight room. Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by billybunny at 6:48 PM PST - 17 comments

Where can I get glitter in rainbow colors? Everywhere I look, I can find red, blue, green, purple... but I can not find yellow or orange. Online or retail store would work too.
posted by benjh at 4:50 PM PST - 7 comments

How do you get rid of those invisible, under-the-skin, extremely painful zits that take forever to work themselves out? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Melinika at 3:29 PM PST - 17 comments

Of all the free metafilter clones which one would you recommend as the best for someone who knows html, but not really any programming? What makes it good? [more inside]
posted by rhyax at 3:01 PM PST - 3 comments

I asked the first part of this question, to much success, a while ago. I'm setting up a MeFi-type community for the queer community. I've tinkered with my style.css and index template until I came up with the right look. Then I load in Netscape... [more inside] [more inside]
posted by moonbird at 1:51 PM PST - 8 comments

How do I find a financial advisor? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by jacquilynne at 1:35 PM PST - 10 comments

Any MeFites have experience with Focus Night and Day contacts? I'm not necessarily interested in sleeping in them, but my current contacts make my eyes uncomfortably dry all the time, so I'd like to know if the N&Ds are as comfortable as they claim.
posted by Aaorn at 1:28 PM PST - 8 comments

How do I get iTunes to recognize song titles on CD's when I put them in my drive? My roommate just got a Mac and I'm trying to help him put all of his CD's on it without having to type in song names. [more inside]
posted by Frank Grimes at 1:27 PM PST - 7 comments

Anyone care to drop some knowledge about stopping spammers from spoofing your address? [more] [more inside]
posted by Hackworth at 1:00 PM PST - 6 comments

In modern screenplays written for movies and television is it acceptable to include a fair share of Direction? I understand it used to be more common but has fallen out of vogue. (more) [more inside]
posted by dhoyt at 10:58 AM PST - 8 comments

Possibly too obscure, but I've got a Samsung Wireless Keyboard which has a drive eject button at the top. Any ideas how I can change the drawer it opens (it currently triggers the CDR when I use the DVD the most). There isn't an option section of the software for that and I've checked the .ini files and there doesn't appear to be anything in there I can change...
posted by feelinglistless at 10:44 AM PST - 3 comments

Suggest an ultralight laptop? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by CunningLinguist at 10:25 AM PST - 24 comments

What to see in Tokyo? I'll be traveling in Asia in March and staying in Tokyo, Japan (Ginza) for 5 days. Any Tokyo savvy mefites have suggestions for places to visit? I'm interested in getting a feel for both the historical as well as modern cultural aspects of Japan.
posted by jsonic at 10:22 AM PST - 12 comments

Does anyone use 'Groupware'? Or put it another way, how do you persuade people to share their data? Experience from long ago says 'Lotus Notes' but there must be something better now. Is there? [MI] [more inside]
posted by grahamwell at 9:16 AM PST - 15 comments

At one time I had the URL for a website that provided a patch/driver that allowed you to use a Logitech USB Quickcam Messenger -- the ones with the good Christmas rebates? -- with OS X. But now I can't find it, whether via Google or Sourceforge or Google Groups (which appear to be down). Can anyone help? I'm about to belatedly give one to my sister for her Powerbook, and I'd like to be able to, you know, make it work.
posted by blueshammer at 5:55 AM PST - 3 comments

I was going to ask these guys, but I'm sure we can come up with an answer here. I use some DC powered "stuff" in my truck and I'm afraid that it may be causing corrosion on the battery terminals. True, false, indeterminate based on the facts presented? [more inside]
posted by ajpresto at 3:40 AM PST - 5 comments

Why is there sometimes an "X" added on the end of a three letter airport code? i.e. LAX [more inside]
posted by SpecialK at 12:18 AM PST - 20 comments

Does anyone happen to know the proper name for the type of film used in early Italian cinema? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by tenseone at 6:01 PM PST - 2 comments

Can someone translate this hex please? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by oissubke at 5:44 PM PST - 19 comments

What is the command hierarchy on a typical submarine? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by badstone at 5:35 PM PST - 8 comments

How exactly do insurance companies figure "pain and suffering" on car accidents? I've been told by several people to take whatever they offer and double it, but how do they decide what they offer? And how do I know if that's enough (because I assume once I take their offer the claim is closed)? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by nramsey at 4:44 PM PST - 11 comments

I just got some new stainless steel cookware, and now I have some (grease?) gunk stuck on the bottom of my frying pan, along with a yellowish hue, likely from mildly overheating the bare pan while cooking. I tried soaking it for a few hours in water and soap, and scrubbing really hard with a plastic scouring pad, all to no avail. How do I get it clean? Steel-wool? Different soaking? Special cleanser? Other?
posted by The Michael The at 4:09 PM PST - 13 comments

Calling all artist-types! How do YOU define the term "selling out?"
posted by ferociouskitty at 1:01 PM PST - 36 comments

My XP Pro system slows down a lot when accesing large amounts of data on a CD (say copying a whole CD to a HD). This doesn't seem logical. Is there some cache-, buffer- or something- setting I can tweak?
posted by signal at 12:45 PM PST - 2 comments

Why did my DVD player on my IBM ThinkPad laptop stop being able to read Audio CDs? It still plays DVDs fine, but when I insert an audio CD I get "Windows cannot read from this disk. The disk might be corrupted..." I've searched all over for a solution to this problem and have found people with similar problems, but haven't been able to find a solution. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by fletchmuy at 10:15 AM PST - 10 comments

About 5 months ago, we bought an awsome Sony home theater system. At the time, I was focusing on buying a system that would play fully loaded DVD's, and did no research concening audio CDs. Consequently, I've become aware of SACD Cds. Unfortunately, the DVD/CD player does not have that capability. Is the sound of SACD CDs worth upgrading my DVD/CD player?
posted by lola at 9:24 AM PST - 13 comments

I was switching stations in Dallas the other day and came across one of the most magnificent pieces of music--where can I hear more? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by vraxoin at 9:11 AM PST - 20 comments

I just acquired a vintage, fully working Sony reel to reel video tape deck, circa 1973. This deck is from the dawn of the consumer video market.
I have no use for it and would like to sell it. Of course the 1st market to sell it in would be EBay, but I've had less than great results with obscure stuff like this.
Does anyone know of a more topically-appropriate place to advertise this item for sale?
posted by Fupped Duck at 9:00 AM PST - 3 comments

What are the practical uses of a DVD-RW drive? [MI] [more inside]
posted by Seth at 8:49 AM PST - 20 comments

Which of the major online weather sites are most reliable? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by COBRA! at 8:21 AM PST - 10 comments

One for the home espresso people: do any of you know of a good way to clean out the grounds that get compacted in the holes of the portafilter basket? I've tried the dishwasher and extended soaking in hot, acidic water, but no luck.
posted by shoos at 6:18 AM PST - 17 comments

I've recently had a schedule change at work that leaves me with large chunks of time that I usually fill with reading. Since January 1st I've read 9 books. The problem is that I seem to have exhausted my personal "to read" list and end up in the public library empty-handed. What is the best book you've read in the past year? I'm open to any genre.
posted by ttrendel at 9:59 PM PST - 68 comments

I have put a wireless card in my old ibm laptop. now the cursor jumps up the screen every time the transfer light blinks. this makes internet navigation rather difficult. [more] [more inside]
posted by clockwork at 8:53 PM PST - 9 comments

I am looking for an English translation of the Italian phrase "Conte Luna." This literary translates to "count moon," but what does it mean? I saw it on a box of Linguine no.19. [more inside]
posted by romanb at 7:20 PM PST - 10 comments

What to do about a foundling kitten... [more inside] [more inside]
posted by oflinkey at 5:36 PM PST - 33 comments

I am preparing to choose a course of graduate study for Fall 2005 and have recently become very interested in the job possibilities available to those with a Masters Of Library Science degree. But I have several questions about the particulars [more inside]: [more inside]
posted by fishfucker at 5:21 PM PST - 16 comments

The Super Bowl is coming, I got an NFL game for my GameCube for Christmas, and I'm ready for some football! But while I know very well the rules of the game, I've never really understood the strategy and tactics, so I've never really felt like an armchair quarterback, much less a general of the field. What do all the X's and O's mean? How does the QB read the defense correctly? I'm ready to go beyond watching the game and getting down into the nitty gritty of it all. Where do I start, short of going back in time to high school junior varsity?
posted by WolfDaddy at 3:36 PM PST - 9 comments

Now that Levi's are no longer made in the U.S. what American-made jeans, similar in quality, durability and style should European diehards buy? [More inside.] [more inside]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:24 PM PST - 18 comments

Spanish (Portuguese?) Translation Needed, please [more inside...] [more inside]
posted by anastasiav at 1:24 PM PST - 21 comments

Last year Charlie Chaplin's "The Gold Rush" was republished on DVD. The original film was released in 1925. Then Chaplin made a new version in 1942, in which he added a sound track with narration. I HATE the sound version. The only thing I like about it is Chaplin's music. When you see the 1925 version (on VHS), you lose the narration (yay) but also the music. The new DVD comes with both versions. Before I buy it, I'd like to know if the 1925 version contains Chaplin's music. Does anyone here own the new DVD?
posted by grumblebee at 12:33 PM PST - 5 comments

i'm thinking of buying a laptop, and i see on bestbuy.com that they have an eMachines M5312 for $999 after rebate. does anyone here have an eMachines laptop, and, if so, how satisfied are you with it?
posted by callicles at 12:32 PM PST - 20 comments

I consider myself pretty versed in all genres of music except classical and hip hop/rap. There's already been a classical thread--I'd like some suggestions for hip hop. However, I have criteria [mi]. [more inside]
posted by dobbs at 12:05 PM PST - 70 comments

A co-worker claims to have lost 4.5 pounds in the last six days on the South Beach Diet. This person goes on to claim that most people lose around 10 pounds in two weeks, then lose additional weight more slowly. So, is this possible? I think he is just losing water. But maybe I'm wrong--do these low-carb diets really, truly work? [more inside]
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 11:32 AM PST - 44 comments

I'm looking for a cordless handheld vac that really sucks. Recommendations?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 11:21 AM PST - 9 comments

I am interested in setting up a personal wiki that I can use to keep track of things via the web. I have used several different types of wiki, including Twiki, Moin Moin Wiki, and OpenWiki. I'm not sure which wiki clone fits best to light usage, easy access, and backup. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best way to proceeed? Thanks!
posted by Argyle at 11:15 AM PST - 10 comments

Wondering if there's a book about the history of LA restaurants. For my December birthday, a friend gave me "Minnesota Eats Out," a fun, colorful book from the Minnesota Historical Society Press. As a former Minnesota restaurant editor and critic, I loved it. Now I'd like to find a similar book about Los Angeles-San Fernando Valley restaurants for my California in-laws, who have many fond memories of LA restaurants, some gone, some still serving today. Does anyone know of such a book?
posted by GaelFC at 9:43 AM PST - 8 comments

I'm a college student, and I was looking for a (cheap) money management software package to manage my loans, credit card, and income from work. Does anyone know of a cheap one that works well? I was looking at Quicken, but that's 80 bucks and seems like overkill.
posted by jare2003 at 9:23 AM PST - 13 comments

CSS Issue: I need to add a 45° notch to the bottom right of a table, so I made an oversize background GIF with said notch, assigned it as a background and set its 'background-position attribute' to '100% 100%', as per w3 instructions. The test page I made works fine in IE6, but doesn't work at all in Firebird 0.7, Opera 7.21 or Safari 1.1. Here's the CSS, and the GIF.
posted by signal at 7:52 AM PST - 14 comments

Due to stupidity, I have more than two years' worth of work written in AppleWorks and saved as .cwk files. The application is no longer bundled with OS X, and I'm not paying for it, so what's the best and quickest way to convert the files to plain text? [more inside]
posted by jack_mo at 7:41 AM PST - 9 comments

Why (in general) do you need source files? Why can't applications manipulate binary files directly? [more inside.] [more inside]
posted by grumblebee at 6:20 AM PST - 11 comments

Low cost temporary internet access in Arizona? My parents are snowbirds, as in, they spend most of the year in Canada, but choose to live the last few months of winter in AZ. They left last week with a laptop and promises of emailing often, if they can find not-too-expensive-only-for-a-few-months-easy-to-hook-up-ISP. [More Inside] [more inside]
posted by kelrae3 at 5:36 AM PST - 4 comments

botanical / electric [more inside]
posted by Tryptophan-5ht at 12:59 AM PST - 9 comments

I'm looking for a way to batch-add Exif metadata to a bunch of jpeg files, specifically the picture-taken date, on WinXP. Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by cbrody at 10:38 PM PST - 11 comments

Can anyone recommend a lightweight, very quick utility that will give me the hex color code for any spot on the screen? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by oissubke at 7:43 PM PST - 17 comments

I recently purchased an old Zenit E SLR camera, and when it arrived, there was a roll of film still inside, a finished one. I would like to get it developed, but the places I've went so far know nothing of the film and won't develop it since they don't want to ruin it. The markings on it are Pat 36, ORWO COLOR, and what appears to be UK 18. The most information I've been able to find is on this page. If someone could shed some light on how I might be able to provide the information to help me get this developed, I'd appreciate it.
posted by angry modem at 6:53 PM PST - 9 comments

This small, simple little restaurant in northern Virgina has completely turned me on to the comfort and charm that is Indian cuisine. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Witty at 5:47 PM PST - 40 comments

Lately, I've been getting a lot of ambient hiss in the headphones I use with my PC. [more inside]
posted by jpoulos at 5:39 PM PST - 6 comments

This has been bugging me for ages. Does anyone know why Elizabeth Perkins (Tom Hanks girlfriend in 'Big') appears on screen in press room towards the end of Michael Douglas big speech in 'The American President'? Was a whole sub-plot cut from that film or am I missing some other connection?
posted by feelinglistless at 5:28 PM PST - 4 comments

I have a old PC. I want to buy a big new (non-boot, second) hard drive. Will I have problems? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:03 PM PST - 7 comments

Online acronyms are often precise as to their source, such as "ROTFL" instead of the simpler "RFL." So where did the slash in "J/K" come from? Is that like the slash in the title of "Face/Off"?
posted by agregoli at 4:35 PM PST - 12 comments

Any easy way to uncompress about 400 zip archives in a Windows XP directory? I thought I was smart but this problem has made me feel dumb.
posted by johnnydark at 3:02 PM PST - 10 comments

What's some good, preferably free software for manipulating TIFF images? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Jimbob at 2:35 PM PST - 7 comments

Recommendations for a good music lyrics search engine? [more inside]
posted by jca at 1:46 PM PST - 12 comments

Economic considerations make switching from cable to satellite look more and more appealing every day (as in same run of channels for about half the price). But there's a problem: I live in western NY, which has, shall we say, weather. Most of my acquaintances have cable and I haven't been able to run down any honest assessments of what it's like to have satellite TV in areas with significant quantities of white stuff. Can anyone out there share their experiences?
posted by thomas j wise at 12:36 PM PST - 12 comments

My girlfriend is planning on transferring to a university on the east coast next semester (Ontario or Quebec with preference for Quebec). She has little experience with French so anglophone universities are a necessity. Currently attending a university in British Columbia (the name escapes me), she has a 3.4 gpa and hopes to bring that up to between 3.5 and 3.7 by the end of this semester. What are good schools? Safety schools? [In Quebec] How difficult will it be to locate part-time employment without speaking much, if any, French?

[She's undecided on a major so ideally the school would have a good sciences or liberal arts program] [more inside]
posted by Raze2k at 11:43 AM PST - 21 comments

How long will the mechanics of a 2002 Imapala LS (3800 V6) last, considering normal upkeep such as oil, sensors, filter, etc? Who knows anything about the 3800 series motor?
posted by Keyser Soze at 11:32 AM PST - 6 comments

Is there any freeware app that will give you window shadows a la OSX in WindowsXP?
I have tried windowFX, which works but isn't free, and have heard of YZ Shadow, which is free but unavailable.
posted by signal at 11:09 AM PST - 3 comments

Can you use an IBM-Formatted Zip disk on a Mac? These are the old 100mb internal Zip Disk Drives, not the new 250mb drives. My design prof told us we must have the Mac-formatted disks or else the computer will eat our files. I really don't want to go to the extra expense of buying a 3 pack of Mac-formatted disks, especially since I have 3 brand new IBM-compatible zip disks laying around.
posted by banished at 11:08 AM PST - 17 comments

OS X: Any way to have the (basically useless) sidebar that appears in all Finder windows automatically disabled for all windows?
posted by gwint at 10:05 AM PST - 4 comments

I want to rent a vehicle for my daughter and 3-4 friends to drive from PA to Myrtle Beach, SC this summer. Guess what - more inside! [more inside]
posted by iconomy at 9:51 AM PST - 23 comments

Does anyone have a good solution for copying files (say... image files) from a CDROM to a user's local disk using a Flash interface (and any appropriate add-on)? It should be cross-platform happy, and specifically able to be developed on the Mac.
posted by jpburns at 8:52 AM PST - 0 comments

This month, I'm applying to Pharmacy school at UGA. The one "essay" goes: "In the space provided below, please provide a personal statement as to what skills, talents, or abilities you posses that will be helpful to you in our program."
Not looking for anyone to write my mini-essay, but anyone in the field of Pharmacy or admissions got any suggestions as to anything I could put on there to seperate my application from everyone else, or just pointers as to what kind of key words/phrases admissions poeple might be looking for?
posted by jmd82 at 8:40 AM PST - 2 comments

Some people at my work are asking for "web development" training. We are a nonprofit that gives away computers, and a part of their job is to understand basic software capabilities, to tell grantees about it. (The grantees are schools and non-profits.) The people I work with are not trainers, they just need to be more informed than the basic user. If you were going to teach web development basics to an audience of former junior high teachers and fundraisers, where would you start?
posted by pomegranate at 8:31 AM PST - 17 comments

Software Question - I am trying to find a freeware or shareware program that can rip from a DVD. Not necessarily an entire DVD, small 2-3 minutes clips from particular chapters. Preferably a program that can convert to .mpg or quicktime clip. Clips will be available for download for reference purposes for a limited time. So I guess this program would should also be able to compress converted files to smaller sizes. Any clue?
posted by turbanhead at 7:55 AM PST - 6 comments

Anyone know anything about small gasoline engines? We've got snow coming, and I pulled out my snowblower last night to see if it would start. It would not. It cranks (electric starter) but does not even cough. It's one of those ones that takes a gas/oil mixture. I filled it up a couple of weeks ago (it already had a quarter-tank or so left over from last year.) This snowblower is about 3 years old and I am not proud to say I have not lifted a finger to maintain it, including emptying the tank in the offseason. Last time I used it was last winter. I'm reasonably handy with the tools, so any at-home suggested fixes would be VERY welcome, and if fact may very well save my back over the next 48 hours!
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:36 AM PST - 8 comments

Scotch: It's coming up on my beloved stepfather's 50th birthday, and he's recently developed an interest in Scotch. I'd like to get him a bottle of something good that he might not pick up himself. We sat at a bar over the holidays and I quizzed him on the bottles on display and would estimate he's tried most of the commonly found brands (or at least most of the ones I've heard of). I'd like to spend in the neighborhood of $50, but could be talked into being slightly more extravagant if it seemed really worth it. Any recommendations?
posted by jennyb at 7:30 AM PST - 36 comments

I've been having a weird problem with my website: eoe.is. It seems that when some users enter my website, some of the images don't appear, and when they click on a link on my site, the images on the linked site don't show either. People have to turn off their browser to make images appear again. I've only heard of cases with IE, WinXP. Any suggestions?
posted by einarorn at 6:14 AM PST - 16 comments

Related to this question, suppose I'd like to do something similar but with the target a remote ftp host on which I can run scripts. More inside... [more inside]
posted by plinth at 3:20 AM PST - 5 comments

Finding more than Nemo: aided by innumerable viewings of Finding Nemo and the Little Mermaid, my three-year old's fascination with the aquatic world continues, fuelled by a lovely trip to the small-ish but very impressive Mote Marine Laboratory while in Florida a few months ago. However: we're in the UK, where - despite being surrounded by water - good quality aquariums seem rather thin on the ground (sic). Can anyone recommend good places of this kind (educational, subjects well looked after)? Is the London Aquarium good?
posted by humuhumu at 3:14 AM PST - 12 comments

I want to get a tattoo, could anyone give me some good suggestions on where to put it? (more inside)

It's like this. I want to get a round ying yang type design on my back. This would be very small, about three inches in diameter or smaller, likely. I'm a relatively small female. I've been thinking about getting it on my back, as nothing else seems like a good place. However, I can't decide where on my back, or even if I want to put it there. If I do get it on my back, I was thinking of adding a larger design of a dragon later, so I've been trying to think of something that won't look weird contrasted to the dragon. Any suggestions?

Oh, and I know to do all the research about the tattooing parlor, and to seriously think about whether it's a good idea to get a tattoo. I've been thinking about this for probably a year, and probably won't actually get it for a couple more anyway. [more inside]
posted by stoneegg21 at 1:04 AM PST - 22 comments

I've been asked to redesign a medium-sized corp (60 employees) web site. The current host is dreadful and I want to switch it to Dreamhost, who I use for all my small clients without problem. How will moving their web site/domain to a different host affect their email? [MI] [more inside]
posted by dobbs at 11:07 PM PST - 8 comments

Create-a-job-title (MUCH more inside) [more inside]
posted by answergrape at 8:47 PM PST - 19 comments

My hardworking but strapped bro. needs to buy a family vehicle for about $4k. Reliability is really important, and it has to carry him, spouse, and four kids (ages 3-13). I know about the online reliabilty ratings but wanted to get your insight about how to find the best vehicle, and what your experiences have been. It'll mostly be used about town, with occasional 60+ mile trips to relatives. Thanks.
posted by mecran01 at 6:40 PM PST - 15 comments

I just got another Windoze update. After ignoring them for all these years, I got "Blasted" in August, so have started downloading and accepting them all ever since. This one, from Tech Bulletin MS04-003 says the vulnerability is a "Buffer Overrun in MDAC Function Could Allow Code Execution (832483)." I want to know, before I install this one, is it necessary? Is it always/ever safe to trust Microsoft?
posted by Lynsey at 6:26 PM PST - 12 comments

I need help finding a scientific-type toy. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:09 PM PST - 5 comments

Can you redownload music that you've purchased on the iTunes music store? Like, for example, if you format your computer and forget to back up or burn the songs you paid for, can you get them back? PLEASE? Because it seems like you can't.
posted by adrober at 5:56 PM PST - 8 comments

What is the best way to receive a lot of SPAM quickly? [more inside natch] [more inside]
posted by DBAPaul at 4:05 PM PST - 20 comments

I'm planning on attending SXSW Interactive and I have a couple questions for those who've been before/going this year... [more inside]
posted by me3dia at 3:21 PM PST - 17 comments

What is the origin of the

1. Do one thing
2. Do another thing
3. ??????
4. Profit!

meme?
posted by jpoulos at 3:11 PM PST - 6 comments

I'm looking for a forum/discussion site about photography, particularly about the business end of being a photographer. Recommendations?
posted by keswick at 2:42 PM PST - 4 comments

Background Noise Reduction Device

I live about one hundred yards from a major freeway and although the house (and my bedroom) is nicely insulated downstairs, during morning rush hour (and particularly when it rains) upstairs where the home office is located the constant din from the cars passing can be quite annoying. Has anyone every used any of the myriad sound reduction devices available out there? I am not looking for a sleep aid, rather something that works much like those hearing aids that reduce background noise, but is actually for an entire room.
posted by piedrasyluz at 1:56 PM PST - 16 comments

I need to set up a mirror between two Unix servers. Basically, there a specific folder and all its sub-folders on one server I want mirrored on the other, but I only want files of a certainl type (.xls) to be mirrored. I also want to make sure that any changes made to the original (new subfolders or .xls files) show up on the mirror. Can anyone recommend any utilities or other methods to accomplish this?
posted by emptybowl at 11:24 AM PST - 7 comments

I'm looking for a good usability study and feature comparison for popular GIS packages. Particularly, I am interested in ArcView for classroom (middle and high school) use. [More inside.] [more inside]
posted by badstone at 10:51 AM PST - 6 comments

Has anyone found a place on the Internet that describes the culture of different places in the United Staes? (sorry if this is a bit US-centric). Having lived in eight states in my twenty two years, I've found a vast difference in many respects --- i was thinking that a neat project would be to start a web site where people could submit reviews and comments about cities/neighborhoods, etc....especially given how often people move to new, unknown places these days. Thoughts? is there something like this out there? (And i'm not counting something like epinions.com, they're almost always overwhelming positive, and not that helpful)
posted by jare2003 at 10:33 AM PST - 8 comments

Where could I find some good dancehall records (especially people doing their thing over hip hop beats)?
posted by Slimemonster at 10:12 AM PST - 3 comments

I have a friend -- no really, it's not me -- who recently filed for bankruptcy. He needs a short-term loan for a couple thousand dollars. Anyone able to give me some advice to pass along? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by me3dia at 9:32 AM PST - 29 comments

My folks are selling the fishing lodge they've been running for the last 7 years or so, and I really want to help them, though I'm half a world away. Does anyone know of free, relatively high-traffic places on the net to put the word out for something like this, or other strategies to find a buyer? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:29 PM PST - 25 comments

Anyone have experience with hospice, in particular when there is no primary care giver available on a regular basis?
posted by noether at 9:04 PM PST - 8 comments

On friendster, why can I click on some of my friends' friends, but not others? If I am a verified friendster-friend of someone, shouldn't I be able to peruse all their friends' profiles, not just a seemingly-random subset?
posted by mfbridges at 8:13 PM PST - 14 comments

Healthy restaurant options in the Big Easy? I'm visiting New Orleans for a week with family, and I've been warned that the place should be called "the Big Greasy." Does anyone have recommendations for fresher, greener eating options? I've seen sites dedicated to helping people pick restaurants, but I'm hoping some here have personal Nawlins experience.
posted by squirrel at 5:46 PM PST - 11 comments

I work with people who have certain views that I find reprehensible, (not just disagree with, but find inimical,) but are otherwise decent people. How do I deal with them when they voice these views? I want to remain true to my principles, but not be combative. [More Inside] [more inside]
posted by Snyder at 5:17 PM PST - 22 comments

What is the origin of the slang term beeyotch (not sure I spelled it right.) [more inside]
posted by konolia at 4:44 PM PST - 23 comments

I need a recommendation for an ISP for when I travel around the USA and Canada. I currently pay MSN $21.95 a month and it includes a nifty dialer application that automatically finds the nearest local access number. I only travel a few months of the year ahd often at the spur of the moment so I keep the account active but rarely used. Is there a better/cheaper way for dialup when traveling?
posted by stbalbach at 3:40 PM PST - 11 comments

I'd like some help identifying an empty flask I found in a drawer.
It's from Germany, and bears the inscription "Herrenberger Blutwurzelansatz / Weinhaus Gläßer / Brennerei Herrenberg / Deutsches Erzeugnis".
The bottle is at least 10-12 years old, and doesn't mention any overseas distributor. Could it have held an herbal wine, or a liqueur?
posted by Smart Dalek at 3:32 PM PST - 6 comments

As a budding web designer, what are good sites to steal ideas from? Hopefully ones that update frequently and cover a wide range of style / technologies, though minimalism/CSS is where I'm at right now.
posted by signal at 1:47 PM PST - 26 comments

Have any of you good folks taken a significant number of online courses or perhaps earned an online degree? I'm looking for an online-only Master's of Education program. And I'd like it to be quick and cheap. Any recommendations, warnings, or otherwise valuable insights?
posted by ferociouskitty at 1:11 PM PST - 12 comments

I'm in the market for new PDA after a year or so PDA-less. (My trusty Palm m500 bit the dust a while back.) There's been a lot of changes since I last bought one, so can someone bring me up to speed? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by keswick at 12:57 PM PST - 12 comments

Safari is being a b!tch about correctly rendering basic CSS elements. Specifically, the 'background' attribute simply is not being honoured in any way, shape or form. The kicker is that according to Apple's own specs, Safari does indeed support that attribute; in addition, Googling turns up nothing--a few lists of Safari CSS oddities, but those don't seem to contain anything about the problem I'm seeing. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by cyrusdogstar at 11:49 AM PST - 14 comments

Who is on your A-list? I'm looking for something new to read -- what are your favorite, visit-every-day-for-sure blogs?
posted by anastasiav at 10:46 AM PST - 46 comments

I'm looking for a web-based (preferrably PHP) random text generator that generates grammatically-correct sentences based on a random vocabulary. I'd like to find an app that uses actual grammar (transitive/intransitive verbs, verb and noun phrase combinations and nesting, conjunctions, stacked clauses, etc.), rather than just markov chains. Also, I'd like to find something fairly robust, rather than just some javascript that slaps words together. Any suggestions?
posted by oissubke at 10:40 AM PST - 4 comments

To all Trillian users: Does anyone else remember that the monkey emoticon used to make a sound? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by MsVader at 10:27 AM PST - 8 comments

Has anyone ever shipped a car, enclosed, cross country? I am researching quotes for my boss and I wondered if anyone had any personal experience or problems that I should watch out for. [more inside]
posted by sugarfish at 8:38 AM PST - 10 comments

Does anybody else here have really, really bad luck with quality for "big ticket" (say over $50) items from Costco? [more...] [more inside]
posted by vito90 at 8:24 AM PST - 11 comments

My husband and I are looking for a good get-away-from-everything backpacking location on the North American continent. We'd like a moderately challenging weeklong trail experience where we'd likely see more animals than people. I'm shopping around on national parks sites, looking at places like Tuktut Nogait, but do you have a recommendation for us? (Our most recent trips have been in Glacier, Isle Royale, and Kepler-NZ.)
posted by clever sheep at 8:07 AM PST - 13 comments

What windows (2K) software do you prefer to rip CDs to mp3? (Aside from iTunes, which I had to uninstall after it totally hosed my machine.)
posted by jpoulos at 8:04 AM PST - 10 comments

I'm looking for a free browser based RSS Aggregator, any thoughts?
posted by mhaw at 6:23 AM PST - 8 comments

Are there any good online web services where you enter musical artists that you currently like, and it figures out what artists you would probably also like (based on what other people have entered)?
posted by oissubke at 6:03 AM PST - 12 comments

Can anyone suggest any really great art museums in the Southeast US? The girlfriend and I both have a long weekend coming up and need something to do. Specifically thinking in the states of TN, NC, SC, GA, VA...
posted by auzten at 5:25 AM PST - 10 comments

Johnny Cash question: I've got the new Unearthed compilation, and want more listening recommendations based on my favourites. Anyone? [inside] [more inside]
posted by bonaldi at 4:33 AM PST - 6 comments

Does anyone know how to change the default app systemwide on OS X? I just installed GoLive CS and it's reassigned all .ram files to itself. It's unbelievably annoying and I can't figure out how to change it back.
posted by derbs at 3:55 AM PST - 6 comments

Is the idea that "we evolved because we did" different from the weak anthropomorphic principle?
posted by timb at 1:26 AM PST - 10 comments

I've been looking for some good music review websites besides Allmusic.com and RollingStone, since they often don't know what they're talking about and I like to get a lot of opinions. Are there any websites out there that are as extensive and as frequently updated? It seems those are the only 2 I can find that are both.
posted by Slimemonster at 12:18 AM PST - 10 comments

My band is going to go on a tour from the Midwest to the East Coast in Late March. What small clubs (Cap 100- or less) or basements- geared towards noisey indie rock- would you recommend playing in between Milwaukee and The Atlantic Ocean? If possible, contact info or a link would be appreciated.
posted by drezdn at 11:30 PM PST - 8 comments

What did they call Canadian Geese before Confederation?
posted by antifreez_ at 10:16 PM PST - 13 comments

I'm about to lose my mind here. I seem to have some sort of auto forward going on in my browser (IE). Every time I hit what I assume is a website that's either down or just gone or whathaveyou I get forwarded to a search engine page with "helpful" results for the URL I was trying to get to. How the hell can I get rid of it? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by aclevername at 8:49 PM PST - 7 comments

Can anyone suggest a book, website, etc. that describes the process of breaking a problem down in order to write a program. I have struggled for far too long trying to figure out how to write a program from scratch only to be stumped by the logic involved.

This question, I think, is outside of a specific language or philosophy (Java, OOP, et al.). It's just something I haven't been able to get my head around.
posted by grefo at 8:33 PM PST - 15 comments

So my 27 year old wife has suddenly decided she wants to become a skate boarder. She wanted to learn in 3rd grade, but got a bike instead. She now wants to make up for lost time. I know nothing about skate boards. How much will it set me back for a decent skateboard? [more inside]
posted by justgary at 7:13 PM PST - 12 comments

This doesn't happen any more, but I distinctly remember in the late '80s-early '90s cable channels would sometimes be interrupted by a three-tone almost digital sound (akin to pressing three touch-tone numbers in rapid succesion). What the hell was this sound for? [more inside]
posted by owillis at 6:20 PM PST - 13 comments

Now that M$ has ended further development of Outlook Express, I get the feeling I should line up an alternative. Now happens to be a good time for me to do this. Can anyone recommend a Windows mail client that's free & fast with filters/rules, spell check, and a halfway decent mail import/export? I'm actually already running Linux and MacOS on several machines already, so spare me those tips, thank you ;)
posted by scarabic at 5:53 PM PST - 18 comments

blogger woes: I've been trying publish (for the very first time) via Blogger, but every single time I press 'publish' I get the same error - "There Were Errors in Publishing. dk.eos.net.FtpError: Login incorrect." I know for a fact that the ftp username and password Im using are correct, so what the heck am I doing wrong?? I've been fidding with this for over an hour and I'm losing my mind!! I thought Blogger was supposed to be easy!
posted by anastasiav at 5:01 PM PST - 9 comments

"Coping With Joshua"? Photos of banalality and horror. What's the artist? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by skryche at 3:43 PM PST - 8 comments

I have a MITSUMI CR-4804TE CDRW drive. While it's slow, it worked perfectly fine for me while I was running Win98SE. Now that I've got XP, it's all gone to pot [more]. [more inside]
posted by precocious at 3:12 PM PST - 6 comments

Will the lines [shown inside] in the .htaccess file cause ANY url of the form www.example.com/filename to be matched and rewritten to www.example.com/m2.php?pg=filename? [more inside]
posted by billsaysthis at 2:51 PM PST - 16 comments

I work with a group of people that develop museum exhibits and I've spent a lot of time thinking about unusual interfaces and compelling non-traditional experiences. I've been deep in this for some time, but would be interested in the views of people not quite so close to the field. So, a few questions:

1.What and where are some of the most compelling museum experiences you've had and why, online or in real life (ideally using tech in a surprising or particularly effective way, but I'm interested in the core of any great museum experience)?

2.Given your druthers, what sort of interaction would you like to have with a museum that you're not getting?

3.What conferences or shows might I attend to be exposed to stuff of which I'm not already aware, in the US or internationally. (Obvious ones are the annual meetings of AAM, ASTC, SIGGRAPH, SIGCHI, Ars Electronica)

4.What universities are doing compelling research and application in creating compelling interfaces and experiences that can work in a museum environment (such as the MIT Media Lab or Fraunhofer Institut)?

5. What companies or design firms execute this sort of stuff like no other (such as Second Story Interactive)?

Thanks.
posted by warhol at 2:39 PM PST - 16 comments

What does the suffix "a' go-go" mean? You see it everywhere, attached to all sorts of things. [more inside]
posted by tirade at 12:30 PM PST - 10 comments

Recently, I've been doing some paid freelance work on the side of my real job - and I may do some more. Obviously, I want to sort out the financial side properly, but don't have a clue how to do it.. I'm in the UK - does anyone know a good accountant here (or know another option) where I might get some cheap advice..?
posted by ascullion at 12:29 PM PST - 4 comments

How do you relocate a long-lost friend online? [More inside.] [more inside]
posted by Aaorn at 12:21 PM PST - 14 comments

I'd like to try snowshoeing. Any snowshoers out there with advice for a novice? Essential gear? Tips? Pacific Northwest trail suggestions?
posted by arielmeadow at 11:56 AM PST - 7 comments

I'm interested in exploring options for building a "green" home, and I would like some advice about where to start. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by stonerose at 8:18 AM PST - 17 comments

I read Dennett's Consciousness Explained several months ago. What next? [more inside]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:47 AM PST - 18 comments

Daniel 6:24 uses the phrase "or ever they came at the bottom of the den." I haven't been able to find any explanations about what that particular phrase means. Does anyone have any insights? [more inside]
posted by oissubke at 6:38 AM PST - 6 comments

I need a fax machine. For light home use plain paper couple times a month. Outgoing only as I use a free service for incoming direct to email. It would sit on a book shelf out of the way and out of sight. What is a good small reliable plain paper fax machine?
posted by stbalbach at 9:18 PM PST - 8 comments

This is making me nuts and A-Meta is my last hope. I just purchased a 17" LCD Monitor and it doesn't seem to like my Windows XP. I plug it in, boot up and for a split second I see the bootup screen and then it goes blank. Here's the kicker: if I power on and power off again, the monitor comes to life for a second and then goes blank again. The picture looks great for that split second then nothing. If I power off and on, same thing. I've Googled till I'm blue and could not find anything similar to this scenario. If anyone has an idea of what the problem might be, I'd love you forever.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 8:34 PM PST - 12 comments

Mr. Lynsey got the live Led Zeppelin DVD for Christmas and we have been enjoying it ever since. In one of the concerts on the 2nd DVD, it looks to me as if Jimmy Page is wearing a Nudie suit. Any rock historians, Led Zep freaks or Nudie aficionados know if Jimmy Page ever wore a Nudie suit onstage?
posted by Lynsey at 8:18 PM PST - 4 comments

What are some good Korean movies? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by alidarbac at 8:07 PM PST - 16 comments

I've been asked to redesign a website for a public school district. I want it to be easy to maintain and keep up to date. So I guess I'm in the market for a good Content Management System. Any recommendations? [more inside]
posted by MiG at 7:11 PM PST - 8 comments

Dang, it's cold! I sure would like to sit around a toasty fire. And hey, look over there! It's a perfectly good fireplace... but we just bought this house in July and have never used it. We know it uses natural gas, as evidenced by the key-knob that releases the fumes. But we don't see any pilot light. It might be electric starting, but no switch is evident, and being in a circa 1985 house, I doubt it. So... anybody ever used one of these things?
posted by grabbingsand at 7:11 PM PST - 8 comments

Many American eBayers won't ship outside of the USA. I find this extremely silly and annoying but I guess that's besides the point. My question is: is there a service I can utilize that will allow me to buy items and give an American address and then someone at that address will then forward the package to me in Canada?
posted by dobbs at 5:10 PM PST - 14 comments

iTunes question: I set up some playlists within my XP profile. My wife wants to access them in her profile. They don't show up. How can she get them to come up in her profile?
posted by luser at 4:22 PM PST - 3 comments

What equipment set should I buy to brew a keg of beer? I want to buy it as a set, but if I can save money buy buying seperate parts I can do that. I am buying the New Complete Joy Of Home Brewing.
posted by Keyser Soze at 3:14 PM PST - 14 comments

Is there any significant difference between cheap and expensive shampoos and conditioners? This question can be extended to all sorts of personal care products, and bunches of other products I suppose, but I'm mostly interested in knowing whether you're a sucker for buying high-end shampoo.
posted by kmel at 2:51 PM PST - 16 comments

I just found out that Earthlink, whose customer service I've always loved (they stay on the phone as long as it takes, and are always patient and nice), is moving those jobs overseas, so I want to drop them and switch to somewhere else. Is there any way of finding out online or otherwise if another provider (or any company in general really) is using US labor? (a little more inside) [more inside]
posted by amberglow at 1:41 PM PST - 28 comments

Considering a Piano Keyboard or MIDI controller, planning to use it with GarageBand. I'm a just-learning beginner for keyboards. How many keys should I get on my first board. Looked at this one which Apple is reselling, and this one which is more keys and more functions. [more inside]
posted by benjh at 1:15 PM PST - 13 comments

How i would go about getting fabric (for clothing) straight from the manufacturer, in bulk quantities, rather than having to pay retail prices? I'm in the UK.
posted by armoured-ant at 12:00 PM PST - 3 comments

Okay, speaking of new jobs, I've got one ~

How do you research a potential employer, particularly if you don't know anyone who works there? After you learn all you can from their website, Googling their key players, stock analyst sites, and F*ed Company, where else do you look? I keep thinking there's gotta be a catch with my new potential employer, but nothing's turning up.
posted by pomegranate at 10:39 AM PST - 7 comments

What can I do to help our dog (13 yrs. old, chow/sharpei mix) who is very depressed? My husband, who she absolutely adores, is on the fourth day of a 3 week business trip. She barely eats, walks around dejectly with her head and tail down, and spends most of her time sleeping in a corner by the front door. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by lola at 10:34 AM PST - 9 comments

Does anyone have a favourite hotel in San Diego? We'd like to be in an interesting neighbourhood; don't care about the beach or shopping that much. (This is a semi-followup to this question.)
posted by timeistight at 9:23 AM PST - 2 comments

My boyfriend is almost finished with his MBA from a state university, with focus in marketing and human resource. He struggled just to come up with an unpaid internship. He is not a US citizen which complicates his finding job. Is there much hope out there for him finding a job that has something to with his degree, aside from selling clothes in a department store, like some other MBA grads we know. What is the best part of the country to look for a job? Any advice is welcome.
posted by Recockulous at 8:46 AM PST - 7 comments

Wow, this is like popcorn. OK then.

All youse New Yorkers: anybody recommend a decent tailor? This is for some detail work. My wife got this amazing Vivienne Tam skirt at a secondhand store in the East Village, which needs to be taken in a little, and the fabric is like neoprene. She doesn't feel right just bringing it in to the local drycleaner/tailor/laundry, and I can't say I blame her.
posted by adamgreenfield at 7:28 AM PST - 5 comments

Which Perl for Windows 98? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by arto at 5:13 AM PST - 7 comments

I live in Madison, Wisconsin. I lost my job managing a bookstore a couple of months ago and I need a new job. Does anyone in Madison know anyone who is looking to hire someone? I'll do anything at this point. My needs are not great. I'm just looking for a job. I have a BFA from a prestigious art school that no one has ever heard of, and I type very fast. Also, I'm stronger than I look.
posted by interrobang at 12:06 AM PST - 18 comments

It's happened again tonight. We rent a DVD from National Chain Video, and right in the middle of the movie we get a 10 minute period of jittery video, and then a bit later the picture inexplicably jumps ahead in the story. We're left wondering what we missed.

Are we the only ones wondering secretly if this whole DVD thing is ready for prime time? DVDs I've bought new, no problem. But can a rental DVD hold up to the casual abuse of multiple rentals, and still play? I don't think it's the DVD player, we're on our third, and the problem has been consistent. Our current player is a Toshiba combination VCR/DVD player, about 2.5 years old. Should we upgrade? Or is this always going to be a problem with rental DVDs? And how does Vanilla Sky end, anyway? We never found out. Grrrr.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 10:56 PM PST - 19 comments

I've been trying to come up with a company name for six months now, and have thus far failed. I need your help! [more inside] [more inside]
posted by oissubke at 9:50 PM PST - 60 comments

Can a person with a severe allergy to nuts drink amaretto safely? I remember reading it's actually made from the pit of a fruit (maybe apricots?), but I can't seem to find any details on the process.
posted by ferociouskitty at 9:39 PM PST - 7 comments

My niece just called and asked about a book. Her description didn't strike any chords, so I thought I'd try the denizens of AskMe.

The theme is a future where noone has a name, only a number. Noone thinks in terms of individuality, and terms like "I" and "me" are not used. The protagonist of the book meets someone who is not bound by those strictures and learns to think like an individual. The last line of the book is something along the lines of "I am" or "I am (somename)".

Ring a bell with anyone?
posted by joaquim at 7:16 PM PST - 22 comments

Roger Ebert's review of 21 Grams (which I'm about to see) contains the following sentence: "Even though modern physics tells that time does not move from the past through the present into the future, entertaining that delusion is how we make sense of our perceptions." This kind of surprised me because I was under the impression that time DID move from the past through the present and into the future. Can someone explain how / why it doesn't?
posted by adrober at 6:09 PM PST - 21 comments

My cool girlfriend and I are planning a possible winter get-away to Costa Rica ... we'd like to hit the beach, someplace relatively remote but comfortable for a couple days and do some exploring. Does anyone here have recommendations for places to stay/visit/itineraries? or advice on CR in general? Thanks in advance.
posted by specialk420 at 5:40 PM PST - 11 comments

'Nother flooring question: Nurri and I want to Ardex the floors in our new place, for that clinical-industrial-minimalist look. Does anybody have any advice as to whether it's better to rip up the extant Pergo flooring and apply the Ardex to whatever substrate may be hanging out under there, or simply slap it on over the Pergo?
posted by adamgreenfield at 3:59 PM PST - 8 comments

I've got six days off in February and we're thinking of flying somewhere warm in the continental USA to escape our Vancouver winter. I don't want to spend half my break in planes and airports, so the east coast is probably out. Where should we go?
posted by timeistight at 2:58 PM PST - 8 comments

Advice on obtaining an internship/co-op, please. I've already submitted resumes to several places, but what else can I do? Something suggests that just sitting by the phone [or on Outlook] waiting for responses isn't it.
posted by casarkos at 2:50 PM PST - 10 comments

Why is the volume of my stereo receiver measured in negative decibals? That is, 0 decibals is loudest (absolutely speaker-blowing deafening), -50 is a good loud setting, and -70 is good for quiet late-night music. My previous stereo was similar, as are most of the others I've seen in stores and friends' homes. WHY!?!?!
posted by The Michael The at 2:39 PM PST - 13 comments

Anyone have a recommended way for cleaning glasses? (spectacles not receptacles)
posted by dodgygeezer at 2:34 PM PST - 13 comments

Is there a tax accountant in the hizzouse, the 2nd ...
I did some work for some guys to make ends meet last year. Also, I had some income from unemployment. I need to file quarterlies next week for this stuff ... which forms do I need to file? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by SpecialK at 2:09 PM PST - 3 comments

Digital answering machine recommendations? [More inside] [more inside]
posted by squirrel at 1:38 PM PST - 5 comments

Is there a Tax Accountant in the House? My new employer gives me paychecks with no itemized paystub attached to them -- just a check. If I ask, they'll also give me a separate printout with my Gross Wages, Federal Withholding, FICA, etc for that pay period, but they can't seem to produce a document with the totals on it. Is this legal?
posted by anastasiav at 12:10 PM PST - 7 comments

Does anyone here work, or know someone who does, at the newly reformed WhittmanHart? I'm looking for information about the working environment, stability, management, client base, etc. Thanks!
posted by gsh at 11:46 AM PST - 1 comment

I've just started studying Hebrew (the class has a focus on "Biblical Hebrew"), and I'm looking for some additional resources outside of class. Does anyone know of software, internet sites, or books that might be helpful in learning a language so different from English? So far the class hasn't been too bad, but I'd like to do additional learning at home.
posted by greengrl at 11:13 AM PST - 2 comments

Mrs MattR and myself have long wanted a hard wood floor to replace the carpet in our house...after some research and pricing, I decided to go for a light oak or beech coloured hardwood panel system - and discovered that an important aspect is the base.

On peeling back my carpet to check - I found a beautifully laid, but in bad condition Parquet floor...in very dark wood...now I'm torn, cover this up? Or use the floor which is the wrong colour?

Or is there a third way - someone tells me that parquet flooring can be bleached to different colours and reconditioned...anyone seen this done? Anyone had it done? Whats your experiences of parquet floors?
posted by mattr at 11:10 AM PST - 8 comments

I need to know the minimum hallway width in an office environment based on OSHA standards. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by answergrape at 11:05 AM PST - 3 comments

Any recommendations for buying an electric guitar? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Succa at 11:05 AM PST - 32 comments

I'm interested in learning about anatomy. Trouble is, most medical textbooks are horribly boring, so I'm looking for something easier, maybe interactive. My memory of biology is, well, non-existent, so I'm looking for basic/beginner's stuff. I didn't find what I was looking for by Googling. Any bio/med students out there w/suggestions?
posted by widdershins at 9:43 AM PST - 8 comments

Hey, youse Jazzholes: I'm in need of some cool jazz (not 'lite' jazz or muzak) with a muted trumpet; brushes on the snare are optional but nice. Something that feels Kind of Blue, maybe a sultry Near Myth (with a horn instead of Bill Smith.) What's cool and new with jazz anyway? Sure, I love the Bad Plus, but I keep going back to the old stuff...
posted by Shane at 8:50 AM PST - 10 comments

My woman and I use the same WinXP computer with different profiles (both running as Admins). How can we access an application that's running on the other's desktop? (More inside) [more inside]
posted by skryche at 8:35 AM PST - 5 comments

Cookie and preference problem with IE 5.2.3 running Panther (10.3.2)...[more inside] [more inside]
posted by anathema at 8:09 AM PST - 8 comments

I have been looking at changing my web development focus from Windows/ASP/.NET to LAMP(Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP/Python/Perl) because my gut is telling me that this is where things are going. Oh, Java should be in there as well.

What's the skinny on LAMP in the real world (Netcraft surveys aside)? Is it difficult to change to LAMP/Java? Is the open source thing really sticking?
posted by grefo at 7:40 AM PST - 14 comments

Why do IE favicons stop appearing? I'll bookmark a site, and for a while it will have its nifty little favicon next to it in the Favorites menu of the browser, then POOF!, it's gone. (Please don't bother with answers like "Switch to Mozilla" or "Microsoft sucks!", I'm curious to know why this happens, I'm not soliciting opinions)
posted by briank at 6:31 AM PST - 13 comments

How can I find maps (paper or electronic) of Shanghai from the 20's and 30s? There is this WayBack archive of a non-responsive French site, which contains beautiful small images of the kinds of things I am interested in (1, 2, 3, 4), but the images are too small for my purposes.
posted by Irontom at 6:00 AM PST - 6 comments

Not only am I not a lawyer, I don't have one, either.

Do I need one for my wife and I to write a simple will, mostly to specify who should take care of our daughter in case of mutual demise? We live in Georgia, US.

Yes, I know... I should ask a lawyer...
posted by jpburns at 4:48 AM PST - 18 comments

What's a good, free, ID3 tag editor? I have 6GB of mp3s, and at the moment, most are stored like this: Artist/Album/## - Title.mp3, and have good tags, except for 500 or so which are dumped in a folder called Misc, and are tagged and named at random. What I want to do is change all of the first group to Artist/Album/Artist - ## - Title.mp3, and all of the second group to Misc/Artist - Title.mp3. Any suggestions?
posted by Orange Goblin at 4:01 AM PST - 9 comments

How do I get rid of a right-click option in Win2K? (More inside) [more inside]
posted by headspace at 11:24 PM PST - 3 comments

I have an Imac 233 G3 with 96MB of RAM, using OS 9.2.1.

This is a continuation from an older post, but new questions:
Itunes wont install with OS 9, but I cant upgrade to OSX.
I need a way to stream music from a PC *without* itunes.

I appreciate anyones advice. [more inside]
posted by Keyser Soze at 11:00 PM PST - 14 comments

I'm looking for a RSS Aggregator to use on WinXP. I'd prefer one that has its own front-end instead of using a browser. Basically something that works like a Newsreader or e-mail program. Free would be good. Any recommendations? Thanks. [more inside]
posted by EatenByAGrue at 10:25 PM PST - 14 comments

Invasion of the Baby Name questions, part 3...
Mr. Shoeburyness and I are having a boy in early April. We've settled on Nathaniel for the first name, but he wants Thomas for the middle name. I'm somewhat opposed, because it reminds me of... "John Thomas". But I haven't been able to come up with anything better. Is my objection silly? Should he get his choice by default since I can't come up with a better alternative? Anyone care to suggest an alternative?
posted by Shoeburyness at 10:14 PM PST - 19 comments

Not to deplete the well, but... I have upgraded to OSX and everything is sunshine and roses save the lack of one application, something OSX native for recording live spoken word as an .mp3 or in a format which can be converted to .mp3 by importing to iTunes. Any suggestions?
posted by Dreama at 9:54 PM PST - 6 comments

What's the best open source group weblog software and why? FreeFilter and MetaPhilter look neck and neck. Scoop seems a little too oversized for the average group weblog.
posted by will at 9:43 PM PST - 13 comments

Anyone here have any experience with Noah Grey's Greymatter weblog system? I'm trying out a few systems for a site I'm working on, and everything went fine until I tried to post a reply. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Grod at 8:57 PM PST - 7 comments

Can anyone recommend a cheap (or Freeware) application for recording to mp3 (or something I can convert) from a line in that runs under WinXP? [more inside]
posted by badstone at 8:57 PM PST - 7 comments

Besides B&H, are there any reputable websites that have a good-sized inventory of gray market photography equipment? Specifically fixed focal length lenses (e.g. 24mm/50mm).
posted by chrish at 7:34 PM PST - 7 comments

Not to be derivative or anything, but my wife and I are in a similar situation as limitedpie, except that we're having a boy and don't agree on names. Any suggestions?
posted by pizzasub at 6:36 PM PST - 45 comments

I have recently been asked to put together some training programs for work, technology related. Looking for some advice on how to proceed... [more inside] [more inside]
posted by benjh at 6:24 PM PST - 6 comments

Where did the term "asshat" originate, and what's it's definition?
posted by SpecialK at 6:23 PM PST - 10 comments

How do I pass a variable from a URL to a XSL stylesheet? I'm using PHP with Sablotron to parse the static XML and XSL files. [More inside] [more inside]
posted by riffola at 5:19 PM PST - 5 comments

A DVD codec for Win2K? Uhm.... [more inside]
posted by dglynn at 4:33 PM PST - 7 comments

I'm looking for a Windows utility that will recurse through a series of subdirectories and change the modification date on each folder to be the same as the newest item in that folder. [More inside] [more inside]
posted by llamateur at 3:31 PM PST - 9 comments

on thursdays, there's a 3 hour window between a pair of my classes. to save myself a half-hour drive home and another back, how can I amuse myself here on campus?
posted by mcsweetie at 2:48 PM PST - 23 comments

I'd like to start investing in stocks. What's the best way to get started in a safe, conservative way. ETFs maybe?
posted by oissubke at 2:41 PM PST - 7 comments

What is the best way to deal with plagiarism of your work on the web? Somebody pointed out to me that a right wing talk show has posted an obvious plagiarism of my original Google Bombing article from 2001. [more] [more inside]
posted by adam at 2:19 PM PST - 17 comments

I urgently need to buy a Blackberry. But their website is mystifying. [more inside]
posted by CunningLinguist at 2:17 PM PST - 9 comments

Looks like we might be moving to Kansas City. We've already read lots of tourist guides, local media, and real estate web sites, but now I need some actual advice. The company I'll work for is in Overland Park, and we want to live someplace a) relatively inexpensive, b) with a good racial and class mixture, and c) moderately hip. Is there such a neighborhood? [more inside]
posted by pomegranate at 1:59 PM PST - 5 comments

My Epson Printer is bleeding me dry and I won't take it anymore. [More inside.] [more inside]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 1:53 PM PST - 22 comments

I have TiVo set up in the living room, and a television without cable in the bedroom. I figure it would be possible to split the cable before it hits the TiVo and get cable in the bedroom, but I'm not sure if it would make TiVo appear in the television in there as well. Any insights? I'm obviously clueless.
posted by agregoli at 1:46 PM PST - 8 comments

Looking for some advice/thoughts on Reno. Is it worth going if you're only a casual (read: cheap) gambler? Is there other stuff to do that would keep us entertained for 3-4 nights? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by trillion at 1:00 PM PST - 7 comments

In trance/techno music, where does the following pattern come from: A major bass hit on the first beat of the measure, then doubling to the first and third beat a couple measures later, then every beat, then eighth notes, sixteenth notes - usually accompanied by a melodic glissando climbing octaves or a vocal loop stuttering - until it releases (usually to a short pause) and then plunges into the full bass loop (and usually the chorus). Where'd this come from? What/who was the first song or DJ to use it?
posted by ao4047 at 11:55 AM PST - 3 comments

I have a WinXp machine with three hard drives, each one holding 100GB. I'm researching backup alternatives, and there are tons these days (tape drives, external firewire drives, jazz drives, etc.). I'd like to find a solution that strikes a nice balance between ease of use, cost and durability. Any suggestions?
posted by grumblebee at 11:29 AM PST - 8 comments

scarabic's question brings up a more general question I have. Is there a good, systematic way to repair Windows' slow and steady degradation other than periodic reinstall? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by badstone at 11:17 AM PST - 21 comments

Our elementary school's PTA is looking for an ethical and/or fair trade fundraiser. I have only found one decent resource. Anyone else had experience with this? [more inside ...] [more inside]
posted by whatnot at 11:09 AM PST - 9 comments

Thinking about taking a vacation to Miami and the Keys sometime in the first half of March. Suggestions? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Vidiot at 10:53 AM PST - 8 comments

How does one go about locating particularly hard to find and very silly music? [More inside] [more inside]
posted by oflinkey at 10:25 AM PST - 5 comments

While shopping around for domain names/ registration, I continually come across "already owned" names that are generating generic pages on domain registration sites. ie: "dotster" or "buydomains.com". My question - is there a way to buy these obviously un-used domains? Am I supposed to contact the hosting page? Are these domains , in fact, for sale?
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 10:13 AM PST - 9 comments

Does anyone know why blue jeans tend to have orange/gold stitching on them even though other colours have thread that blends in? All makers do it, but why?
posted by twine42 at 9:07 AM PST - 6 comments

Can anyone recommend a good fresh seafood market in northern Virginia? Does such an animal exist? The counters at the local grocery stores are awful here (not that they are ever great).
posted by Irontom at 8:46 AM PST - 7 comments

Help us name our daughter! We just found out we are having a girl (!!!) and are struggling coming up with cool / interesting / not overly-popular names. What are your 2 or 3 favorite girls names that escape the orbit of "Brittany / Ashley / Sarah / Etc."
posted by limitedpie at 8:10 AM PST - 139 comments

Whenever I right-click in a folder window, Windows Explorer hangs for about 30 seconds. Same thing if I select a file and hit the delete key. The right-click keyboard key: same thing. Eventually, I do get my right-click menu and can use it, but the lag is making me insane. I've done my Google homework and there's [more inside]. [more inside]
posted by scarabic at 11:14 PM PST - 15 comments

Macromedia Fireworks is one of my favorite tools, without peer (IMHO) when it comes to web design. But it recently stopped doing something I'd ranked among one of my favorite features. It used to be that when I clicked on a color-picking box, I could use the dropper tool to suck up colors outside of the application window, which is rather handy for quick color grab. Last week, it stopped doing this. How can I get this feature back?
posted by namespan at 10:50 PM PST - 3 comments

why on earth will my safari not recognize flash files anymore? i just installed the trial version of flash mx 2004, and now suddenly it's as if i don't have a flash plugin. i'm on os 10.3, safari 1.1.1. any clue?
posted by onthestereo at 9:43 PM PST - 3 comments

What is the type of traditional jewish music that uses clarinet-like instruments (and sometimes, violins, i think) called? An example of this music is heard in the "Snatch" soundtrack at the beginning of the movie, and this type of music is also often played in TV shows that focus on NY's Jewish quarter (Queens?) for their storylines.
posted by elphTeq at 8:37 PM PST - 11 comments

I need some ear piercing advice. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by puffin at 6:53 PM PST - 20 comments

Anyone got the URL of the google page which simply lists important online news sources? I don't mean their News page, but a simple list, mainly newspapers. They put it up within a day or two of September 11, and I've found it invaluable since then. Computer crash means I don't have access to bookmarks and cannot find it by searching google. Thanks.
posted by muckybob at 3:21 PM PST - 14 comments

Our company is looking at configuration management tools for software code. Any recommendations? Note: right now we code in a Microsoft environment (VC++).
posted by Bootcut at 2:34 PM PST - 7 comments

I am examining building a linux appliance. I need small hardware. I have looked at mini-ITX. What other small computer options are available? [more inside]
posted by stbalbach at 2:32 PM PST - 12 comments

My company is buying me a new cell phone. I don't need anything super-high tech, I just want something sturdy and lightweight, and I like the ones that flip open. My current phone is a Motorola StarTAC, which I've been very happy with, but they're not making it anymore. Does anyone have any recommendations? [more inside]
posted by widdershins at 1:54 PM PST - 15 comments

Is there any good way to hide your IP # while online? There are a number of programs out there, but I don't know if I trust their effectiveness or non-malwareness. I'm on an XP box.
posted by signal at 1:19 PM PST - 12 comments

Can anyone recommend a good sound card and computer speaker combination for music? [a little more inside] [more inside]
posted by Witty at 12:37 PM PST - 17 comments

Long, long ago, the Virtual Stock Exchange was a great site that offered free "pretend" stock trading. Since then, most of the free virtual stock exchanges have either gone to a subscription system, or are burdened down with popups and banner ads. Does anyone know of any good free virtual stock exchanges that are currently online?
posted by oissubke at 11:51 AM PST - 11 comments

Any drummers out there? I've been wanting to learn to play the drums for a long time. I have a solid musical background - years of piano, saxophone, and guitar - and a good sense of timing. Without much spare cash for lessons, I'm wondering if it's possible to teach yourself to play. If so, any good instructional books/CDs/techniques? And what about a starter kit - features, brands, models, price range?
posted by gottabefunky at 10:00 AM PST - 9 comments

How do I find a law job? (more, natch) [more inside]
posted by norm at 9:52 AM PST - 8 comments

I've often seen co-conspirators in television and the movies tap the side of their nose to remind the other party of their understanding. I think it used to be more common but I saw it again on a modern crime drama while I was visiting my folks. I've looked on google but haven't had any luck.
posted by substrate at 7:47 AM PST - 26 comments

I'm working with an alphabetical list of email addresses in Excel, approx. 8500 addresses long. Is there any quick way to remove duplicates outside of manually scrolling through and deleting them by hand?
posted by rocketman at 7:12 AM PST - 7 comments

For you home improvement types - we moved into our first house last July, and since then I've been battling some mold in the shower. It's not bad, but despite my attempts to banish it, the critters keep coming back - right at the seam where the shower wall meets the tub.

Will simply recaulking the seam fix it, or will it eventually come back through the new caulk as well? Any, ahem, natural remedies for ridding our shower of the stuff?
posted by tr33hggr at 6:45 AM PST - 7 comments

Can anyone tell me who these people are?
posted by Katemonkey at 4:48 AM PST - 31 comments

Does anyone here work in the club scene in St. John's, Newfoundland? I'm going to be flying out there for a week on Thursday, and I thought it might be fun to see if I can arrange a guest DJ spot at a nightclub, but my Googling has proved fruitless. Is there a club scene out there at all? Any nights that would be open to an industrial/techno/etc guest set? Even if I can't play, I'd like to know if there's anywhere that might be a fun place to pass the time. Suggestions, my cod-kissing friends? [more inside]
posted by Jairus at 3:32 AM PST - 4 comments

Anyone know how to fix a hijacked homepage in OS X? [more inside]
posted by hal incandenza at 1:49 AM PST - 8 comments

Should we be considering the Xserve G5 for the hardware replacement cycle due to descend like a shadow upon our older Supermicro servers later this year? [more inside]
posted by dglynn at 11:20 PM PST - 7 comments

I've woken up this morning with a nasty ache in my right ear. I can't hear very well, and I'm still suffering the congestive effects of my latest cold. A little Googling has convinced me it's probably an ear infection.

Any suggestions on how to alleviate the pain?
posted by armoured-ant at 10:49 PM PST - 22 comments

ID Required? Are you required to show an ID to a policeman? What about car searches? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by geoff. at 8:00 PM PST - 5 comments

I have a friend who hosts a radio show on a local AM radio station. She's going on a tour of Europe in April and would like to continue hosting the show from there, live via the Internet. What are some (cheap, easy, and portable) ways for her to do that?
posted by skoosh at 7:55 PM PST - 4 comments

I'm helping some friends of mine set up a small house network with a cable router. They have two PC's running XP and an Imac with 96MB RAM, OS 8.1.

I do not know much at all about Macintosh computers, and I couldn't find any info regarding the ability to see files on the network, cross platform. I basically want to have access to the music files on one of the PCs from the Imac. [more inside]
posted by Keyser Soze at 7:15 PM PST - 17 comments

Does anyone have a good source to find movie stills on the Internet? Specifically, I'd like one of John Candy playing racquetball in 'Splash' and one of Takashi riding the tricycle in 'Revenge of the Nerds.'
posted by Frank Grimes at 7:10 PM PST - 2 comments

Here's one for the MS types. I have recently rebuilt my machine from scratch, on a new hard drive. Unfortunately, I forgot to write down the account settings (pop server, smtp, etc) before I swapped drives. The oringal drive is intact and unmolested - where does Outlook store this information (it's not in the .pst file)
posted by Irontom at 6:06 PM PST - 6 comments

I need some advice on how to present myself well on television. It seems that this has become a (very unwelcome) side effect of my current job [details thither...] [more inside]
posted by contessa at 4:46 PM PST - 16 comments

How do you become an internet phenomenon? I am a writer who wants exposure and my friends keep telling me to start a website. I've started many a blog--all dismal failures--and need perhaps good advice on how to (a) construct a unique, functional website that is easy to post on and (b) get exposure. Figured this was a good place to ask. Thanks!
posted by adrober at 4:34 PM PST - 32 comments

Is there a good software package for generating employee schedules? [more inside.] [more inside]
posted by grumblebee at 2:50 PM PST - 9 comments

Is there a way to determine who is listening to my network shared iTunes music?
posted by gwint at 2:26 PM PST - 6 comments

Does anyone know where I can find a stainless steel or otherwise all metal men's comb? (As seen in movies such as Gattaca)
posted by banished at 1:42 PM PST - 6 comments

I don't want an overpriced Cintiq. I don't want an overpriced tablet PC. I want... [more inside] [more inside]
posted by stonerose at 12:41 PM PST - 9 comments

Firebird/ Mozilla help. I am a complete idiot. At some point I broke the bookmark manager in the stable build of Firebird 0.7. So I did what any bleeding-edge egotist would do and downloaded a number of nightly builds. The bookmarks manager is fixed. However, my scrollbar has disappeared . . . [more inside] [more inside]
posted by yerfatma at 12:06 PM PST - 8 comments

Does anyone know who makes the chair that Agent Smith wheels over and sits down in while interrogating Morpheus in the first Matrix movie?
posted by tirade at 11:11 AM PST - 11 comments

A case of too many Google results--can anyone help me track down a copy of a print that appeared only momentarily in the movie "Amelie"? The illustration was shown as a wall hanging in the heroine's bedroom, and features the back view of a child and a bear walking beside a river.
posted by clever sheep at 10:24 AM PST - 6 comments

What's the story behind rolling one leg of sweatpants/warm-up pants up? Is it just fashion, or does it signify something? [more inside]
posted by me3dia at 10:13 AM PST - 27 comments

I have a Marshall Valvestate 20 (8020) practice guitar amp. The built-in reverb has stopped working, producing just noise when you turn it up and a sort of wobbly sound if you bump the amp. Also the amp itself has a lot of hum, which goes away when I touch the strings. I'm too cheap/broke to get it fixed but know how to use a screwdriver and a sodering iron. Suggestions?
posted by signal at 9:47 AM PST - 13 comments

Is there a way to send a message to everyone connected to a Windows 2000 machine (i.e., all the people I see when I type "net session")? I've tried this before, and wound up sending the message to everyone in the entire company -- and I'd prefer not to do that again.
posted by oissubke at 9:12 AM PST - 6 comments

Does anyone have an Osteopath as their Primary Physician?
(more inside...) [more inside]
posted by anastasiav at 9:04 AM PST - 5 comments

Anybody have any hints, tales of bliss, tales of woe, warnings, links or other first-hand, experience-based info to share about upgrading from Mac OS9 to OSX? [MI]
posted by Dreama at 9:04 AM PST - 13 comments

I need some music suggestions from the dance/rave/whatever areas... [more inside] [more inside]
posted by twine42 at 8:24 AM PST - 16 comments

Anybody know how to change the lightbulb in a swimming pool? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by ook at 7:37 AM PST - 8 comments

I have bad back problems and want to exercise in such a way that my back will not get stressed. Situps can lead to steroid shots in the back so you can see I'm rather limited. Also, I have no ACL in one knee so high impact is out. While we are at it, solo activities (like swimming) are mind numbingly boring so they are out too. What are some things I can do to hold off the gut?
posted by Dagobert at 6:38 AM PST - 16 comments

Let us say someone has acquired a five string (bluegrass) banjo, but was possessed of limited knowledge of exemplary five string (bluegrass) banjo players (other than Carter Burwell and Pete Seeger) whose recordings are considered good references in learning to play the five string (bluegrass) banjo.

What might some other names be?
posted by textist at 6:22 AM PST - 5 comments

What is the best way to get in on Google's IPO? I know nothing about investing, other than having a 401k. Can the average Joe get in on it without paying a broker or something like that?
posted by quibx at 6:15 AM PST - 9 comments

I have been giving some thought to moving from Australia to Hong Kong for a while (6 months +). What tips would you give to a newcomer to the area - from finding a place to live onwards? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by backOfYourMind at 5:48 AM PST - 2 comments

My writing has gone to hell lately. Fiction, documentation, casual correspondence - it all looks like, uh, bad and stuff. And it's just getting worse as I crank out junk after junk. Any advice on how I can sharpen myself up, and get back on track?
posted by majcher at 11:40 PM PST - 21 comments

Which bank has the best on-line banking interface? Bank of America's systems and poor customer service seem to have been designed to help a merchant steal $650 from me, so I'm looking to switch to a different card (and probably bank) provider. On-line banking is a very important feature for me. Since I'm in LA, it wouldn't hurt if they had a lot of conveniently located ATM machines too (the reason went with BOA 8 years ago when I moved out here), and a bank that takes card holder security seriously would be good since that's the reason I'm looking to switch in the first place.
posted by willnot at 10:26 PM PST - 15 comments

Is there a way to modify an 8 bit nintendo controller to work with a computer, or else, a way to buy nintendo style controllers for the computer (definitely not super nintendo style).
posted by drezdn at 10:21 PM PST - 4 comments

I am having a difficult time locating a print -- inexpensive or otherwise -- of a particular Salvador Dali painting entitled "Portrait of Gala with Two Lamb Chops Balanced on Her Shoulder", which is a particular favorite of mine. I've probably put in a good three or four hours of Googling, and waded through page after page of online poster and art print stores, including the all to no avail. The image I linked to is the largest and highest quality image I can locate, and it's still too small to run off the Fiery at work or bring in to a service bureau to print, so that's out. How can I get my paws on a decent poster or print of this thing or at least a fair sized photograph of it? I know essentially nothing about buying art (or posters of art). I just want to put it on my wall! [more inside]
posted by majick at 8:40 PM PST - 9 comments

Is there any way to properly ground computer equipment when there isn't a ground available from the plug? (more) [more inside]
posted by theNonsuch at 8:10 PM PST - 11 comments

with the freefall of the dollar - should one find themselves fortunate enough to have a few in the bank, what do the nice folks here recommend to hedge ones position?
posted by specialk420 at 8:00 PM PST - 18 comments

How to learn mediation online?
I can find lots of really basic stuff and lots of links to people selling mediation seminars, but can't find a good, completely non-religious site with the basic tutorials how to learn eastern meditation techniques online.(more inside) [more inside]
posted by superchris at 7:21 PM PST - 13 comments

I'm sure many of you are familiar with that jazz staple The Frim Fram Sauce. Can anybody tell me what frim fram sauce is, as well as what "shifafa" and "aussen fay" (oss and fey?) might be?
posted by ashbury at 6:48 PM PST - 5 comments

I'm looking for a simple portal type program, something that can be used by multiple people to post a link to the latest updates to their sites (more inside) [more inside]
posted by SuzySmith at 6:25 PM PST - 6 comments

How do you make chopping onions more bearable on the eyes and sinuses? [more] [more inside]
posted by scarabic at 5:16 PM PST - 30 comments

I desperately want a cat, and my S.O. is slightly allergic. Does anyone know if there are any breeds of cat that are less likely to provoke an allergic reaction? Any suggestions for keeping his allergies from being a problem, other than a HEPA vacuum? Also, he wants a ferret. Is a ferret likely to cause him any problems? Am I likely to have any problems raising a ferret and a cat together?
posted by stoneegg21 at 4:34 PM PST - 34 comments

I'm looking for a very simple to-do list that will sit on my desktop. I've searched Google, but a lot of the results that come up are integrated with calendars and other functions I don't have use for. The ones I did download seem suspicious and attempt to contact their home networks; I don't want anybody spying on me. Does anyone use something like this, where I can simply type a linear list of things I have to get done, and have it floating on my dekstop?
posted by tomorama at 3:39 PM PST - 14 comments

How do they tell whether a particular advertising campaign is successful? Is it as simple as before-and-after sales figures, or is there some sort of focus group/Neilsen rating system where people are like, "Hey, that goofy guy/rabbit/pop-locking babe really makes me want to buy a computer/battery/car!"? And on a related topic, why do the most annoying campaigns often seem to be the most "successful"?
posted by gottabefunky at 3:24 PM PST - 7 comments

Can pasta in sauce be frozen? I just whipped up a vat of penne mixed with tomato-chicken-mushroom-spinach sauce, and post-cooking estimates show that it's a bit more than I can eat in a week. Googled cooking sites tell me about freezing pasta alone and sauce alone, but what about when one has already mixed them? And once frozen, is it microwaveable?
posted by brownpau at 3:14 PM PST - 7 comments

Any suggestions for songs about long distance relationships?
posted by Raze2k at 2:52 PM PST - 38 comments

I saw an unusual bird recently. Can anyone help me identify it? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by adamrice at 2:35 PM PST - 7 comments

I need cheap, do-it-yourself suggestions for some plumbing problems (more inside)... [more inside]
posted by Shoeburyness at 2:32 PM PST - 7 comments

I'm curious how one selects a psychotherapist. Do you go by instinct alone, after a couple of visits? How many times do you have to tell your life story to a complete stranger before something clicks? At $150 a pop, these can get to be expensive auditions. How do you wall off the question of whether he/she is "the right person" from the issues you're there for in the first place? Any experiences out there?

And p.s. to the proprietor: this is the kind of issue that could really benefit from an anonymity option.
posted by luser at 1:41 PM PST - 11 comments

Pideon removal suggestions? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by answergrape at 1:39 PM PST - 13 comments

I would like to return to eating meat (red and poultry) and fish after abstaining for about 16 years. Anyone done this? Do I have to follow a program to avoid feeling "off" (or worse) initially?
posted by Mayor Curley at 1:34 PM PST - 19 comments

I built a computer for a friend and he tells me that it hangs and freezes out of nowhere (XP Professional SP1). Anybody have any software recommendations to verify hardware integrity?
posted by Keyser Soze at 12:56 PM PST - 13 comments

After living together for four years, my sig other and I are ready to take the plunge - and buy a good vacuum cleaner. We have a dog, she has allergies, I googled and quickly came up with the Dyson DC07 'Animal', which has 5 stars on Amazon but which costs $500. Simple? Well, other reviews, including some other Amazon reviews, say it's a bit of a dog, and one accuses Dyson of padding the reviews with their PR material. Has anyone used a Dyson, or the DC07? [More inside]
posted by carter at 12:27 PM PST - 23 comments

How can I use ColdFusion 5 to insert a date and time into a SQL Server 2000 datetime field? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by kirkaracha at 12:01 PM PST - 3 comments

I'd like to hear some tips involving the questionably important Grad School Application Personal Statement. The program I'm applying for does require a Master's Thesis, and while I've got a decent idea of some areas I'm interested in, obviously I've got nothing specifically pinned down (more inside). [more inside]
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:24 AM PST - 15 comments

CSS Question: is it possible to redefine a tag only within the context of a certain class?

For instance, if I have a class called text1, could I specify that any [a] element which is contained in a [span] with the text1 class have certain properties?

I know I could define it for each a with an a.text1 selector, what I want is to not have to set a class for each a element, but rather just wrap them all in the span.
posted by signal at 10:42 AM PST - 4 comments

Has anyone had experience opening a small shop as a business? What are the pros/cons of such an undertaking? If you have, please share a bit of the highlights and lowlights of the endeavor! (more inside) [more inside]
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 10:18 AM PST - 12 comments

Can anyone recommend a good resource (online or a printed book) that has examples of proposals for web site redesign. I'm not looking for samples of designs, but what you would send a client who gives you a Request for Proposal (RFP).
posted by dobbs at 9:53 AM PST - 3 comments

Has anyone had experience with The Purpose-Driven Life or 40 Days of Purpose? [more inside]
posted by ahughey at 9:17 AM PST - 7 comments

What's your favorite recipe that can be prepared ahead of time in bulk and frozen? I'm a single parent with a 13 year old girl to cook for. I work a normal job, then spend evenings doing the Mr. Mom number, housecleaning, clothes-washing, car-repairing, homework-helping etc. etc. My time for even minimal cooking is practically nil and I order pizza or bring home Chinese much too often. Does anyone know something good that I could make several copies of on Saturday and then freeze for later? Some years back Consumer Reports did a review of frozen chicken/veggie pies, and included a recipe for their own homemade and freezable pie that beat all the commercial ones on taste, nutrition and price. That's the kind of thing I'm fishing for here. FYI, I'm a middling cook (my biscuits succeed, my puff pastry fails.) Thanks very much!
posted by jfuller at 9:02 AM PST - 33 comments

Is there a way to get a comprehensive list of radio stations in a city? I've tried looking at the FCC's web site, but the best I can come up with is a list of *all* the frequency allocations in an area, including taxi services, pager companies, etc, which is quite a few pages long.

I just want to find the commercial FM broadcast stations (Austin, TX by the way).
posted by mrbill at 8:29 AM PST - 6 comments

My girlfriend is moving from Chicago to NYC at the end of the month. She's moving into my apartment, and so is leaving most of her furniture behind (no big stuff aside from her dresser, a kitchen table, and some chairs). She also doesn't have a ton of "stuff", so we wouldn't need anything bigger than a small U-Haul, which still costs upwards of $1K. Is there a more sensible way to do this (in terms of cost and time)? Does anyone have any experience with shipping this kind of stuff?
posted by mkultra at 8:18 AM PST - 21 comments

I've sold my home computer to my business. The computer is running WinXP Home Edition. My monitor at home was at some super-fancy resolution, but none of the monitors at work can operate at anything greater than 1024x768. As a result, when the computer boots into Windows, the monitors shut themselves off.

I've tried to boot into safe mode to reset the resolution, but it doesn't "stick". How do I set a lower resolution without taking the computer home and reconnecting it to the old monitor? [more inside]
posted by jdroth at 7:22 AM PST - 4 comments

My girlfriend fiance (thanks, AskMefi!) has managed to make it through high school, college, and now grad school without taking a course in European history. She is looking for a objective, broad, but intelligent survey of the post-Renaissance period. Any book recommendations?
posted by PrinceValium at 6:55 AM PST - 7 comments

Can Quicken or MS Money work over a home network? I have many PCs in my house and it would be nice to be able to enter a transaction from anywhere. More inside. [more inside]
posted by bondcliff at 6:22 AM PST - 6 comments

I'm a small-time, part-time web developer that typically does point-of-contact sites for very small businesses thrilled to have a web presence. I've never done e-commerce, but now have a client who's got the need.

What sort of inexpensive shopping cart do you recommend? Any advice? [More inside.] [more inside]
posted by jmevius at 6:17 AM PST - 7 comments

I need advice on getting my property surveyed, to determine accurate property lines.

The going fee for this seems to vary quite a bit, judging from some calls made after a random walk through the yellow pages. What should I be looking for in a surveyor? What would be the red flags? My purpose here is preliminary to building a garage on my residential property.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 6:16 AM PST - 2 comments

Is there a plugin, AppleScript -- anything -- which will allow me to enqueue songs in iTunes for Mac. Ideally I would like a similar system to Winamp 3, where I could enqueue some songs in my iTunes Library and once they have been played, have iTunes go back to doing its regular thing.
posted by teem at 4:16 AM PST - 1 comment

You know the chart they hang on the end of hospital beds? Apparently there's a myth that nurses put 2 letter codes on these that describe the characteristics of the patient that annoy/irritate/disgust them most. Has anyone heard of these?
posted by kev23f at 3:58 AM PST - 6 comments

For some unknown reason, my validating XHTML and CSS is totally broken in MSIE 6.0.. the text doesn't always appear, and will only show up if you minimize the browser and maximize it, or if you scroll down and then back up. This problem is driving me batty! I checked the css-discuss wiki and archives for answers, but no joy.
posted by xyzzy at 9:33 PM PST - 9 comments

When I record video on my Nikon Coolpix 4500, the sound is a fraction of a second out of sync, which is enough to turn every family video into a kung foo movie. Any suggestions on what might be causing this?
posted by oissubke at 8:29 PM PST - 2 comments

It's driving me mad. My girlfriend thought it was The Entertainer, my housemate calls it Chopsticks. What on Earth is this tune called? Apologies for crap use of recorded midi guitar noise.
posted by armoured-ant at 7:19 PM PST - 11 comments

How can one repair a fairly severe scratch on a Playstation One game? The scratch runs roughly parallel to the edge of the disc, and the PS1 recognizes the disc, and we get as far as loading a saved game, at which point it hangs and won't run the game.
posted by eilatan at 5:16 PM PST - 4 comments

Just what exactly is the field of Information Science? [more inside]
posted by Hildago at 4:09 PM PST - 11 comments

So, I'm moving to Orlando tomorrow for my job for a period of some months. What is there to do there other than the obvious Mouse-related activities? Any good restaurants or bars? Museums? Parks?
posted by GriffX at 3:26 PM PST - 7 comments

One of my nephews (the lucky one everyone in our family loves, featured in this thread) presents us every week with a faultless DVD of a just-released-in-the-U.S. movie. How does he do it? [More inside.] [more inside]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 12:35 PM PST - 15 comments

I'd like a good calendar app that does things like color-code events, remind me of dates (when I log on or start up, even if the calendar isn't running), and come with stuff like major holidays pre-coded. That's why I'm not happy with the WOrks Calendar.

Oh, and I'd like it to be free, and Windows XP comaptible. I've done the searching, and am so far empty-handed. Do you folks use anything you'd recommend?
posted by tr33hggr at 12:01 PM PST - 7 comments

What's the best way to dice an onion? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by jdroth at 11:22 AM PST - 24 comments

There is just one thing that is preventing me using Firebird as my default browser at this point, and it seems like it should be such a ridiculously simple issue that I am left scratching my head... [more inside]
posted by taz at 3:45 AM PST - 14 comments

I was watching The West Wing, and they were talking about a solution to the lack of school teachers. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Orange Goblin at 1:47 AM PST - 12 comments

Where can I find a really funny (and not a Hallmark funny) e-card to send my friend for his birthday? It's today (Sunday) and I didn't send him one in the mail.
posted by adrober at 11:04 PM PST - 7 comments

I used to use winVNC to access my home PC from any web enabled computer. [more...] [more inside]
posted by grumblebee at 8:02 PM PST - 14 comments

With all the Mars Lander attempts going on, I keep wondering why these progams spend years to design and reach mars, but design landers that last only for 2 weeks (in the case of path finder in '97) and 3 mos for the new crop of 'bots.

With all the trouble and odds against landing them on Mars, would it be that tough to design them to last a whole lot longer?

(Didn't Viking 1 + 2 work for a few years?)
posted by Fupped Duck at 7:50 PM PST - 13 comments

My family is computer illiterate, and since I moved out they've been giving the family desktop hell. Every time I come home from a holiday or weekend, ads, spyware and malware have taken it hostage. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by tomorama at 7:37 PM PST - 24 comments

Squirrels in our eaves! [more inside] [more inside]
posted by acridrabbit at 6:39 PM PST - 14 comments

How to loose a serious pet peeve: Seeking advice on dealing with food noise issues [more inside] [more inside]
posted by daver at 5:50 PM PST - 25 comments

How can I repair a DVD with a couple of relatively deep scratches? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by duckstab at 4:41 PM PST - 6 comments

Fonts. They're driving me nuts. Does anyone know of a simple program to generate a specimen book from all fonts present on a system, installed or not. True type, open type, type 1, etc. The problem is, I have my fonts organzied well enough, but I frequently forget what the ones I don't often use look like.
posted by Grod at 3:06 PM PST - 18 comments

History question: January 21, 1977. "The afternoon of infamy" for people in the limousine business. After having just been inaugurated, Jimmy Carter decides to exit his limo and walk with his family (and a large crowd) down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. What has been the trend since?
posted by john at 1:59 PM PST - 6 comments

I'm thinking about making a day trip to Big Sur tomorrow (Sunday). I recently moved to Los Angeles from the east coast, so assume I'm ignorant of everything. How should I get there and what's a good one-day itinerary?
posted by lbergstr at 12:57 PM PST - 10 comments

I need a good relatively cheap quiz creation program for either Windows or Linux. (More Inside) [more inside]
posted by Darke at 12:04 PM PST - 7 comments

I'm thinking about getting into photography - something I have always wanted to do, but never seemed to have the time to fit it in. I would like to go "manual" - anyone have any suggestions on what camera I should try and find? I would like to have a big clunky metal manual monster that I can learn the basics on..... There are lots of sites out there claiming that this camera is the best, or this camera is the best, or this camera.... you know. What do you suggest?
posted by bradth27 at 11:57 AM PST - 15 comments

My hot water smells moldy (more inside).. [more inside]
posted by j at 10:24 AM PST - 9 comments

What was the last Mac Apple Powerbook model to have an old style serial (modem / printer) port? (Which I assume was dropped in the next model in favor of USB). [more inside]
posted by jca at 10:23 AM PST - 9 comments

Pursuant to this specific example, could someone quickly list the end user features of Mozilla that are not available in Safari? (Note that I specify end user features; I don't necessarily see the ability to create my own user interface from scatch using XML as a "feature"...)
posted by JollyWanker at 9:49 AM PST - 6 comments

I'm trying to install a p2p client. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by rocketman at 9:28 AM PST - 4 comments

Some of my XVid movies shake when I play them, regardless of the player used. This does not happen with all XVid movies, and GSpot says they have no errors.

Also, they do not shake when I play them in my DVD player, so it's something software-related. Other than uninstalling my codecs and re-installing them, have you got any suggestions? Thanks!
posted by Masi at 9:10 AM PST - 7 comments

I can't settle on an email client for Windows. What I really want is a program with a nice interface, that let's me compose messages in plain text by default, convert incoming mail to plain text, and check spelling. I'm open to any ideas and suggestions. [more inside]
posted by nthdegx at 9:01 AM PST - 24 comments

Does anybody know of alternative ways to get over an extremely irrational fear of public speaking/presenting?
[more inside]. [more inside]
posted by repoman at 8:44 AM PST - 22 comments

Does anybody use Wippit? How does it compare to the old-style eMusic?
posted by seanyboy at 8:27 AM PST - 2 comments

Does anybody know the shelf of life of altoids? I have a container thats probably several years old, if not older. [more inside]
posted by philcliff at 8:24 AM PST - 6 comments

A colleague of mine wants to show a film (or clips from various films) to her class of media undergrads to help them better understand the pre-wired world -- before the Internet, ubiquitous PCs, mobile phones, 300 cable channels, etc. -- and specifically the 1960s milieu of IBM mainframes, punch cards, and centralized computing. Are there any films or even scenes from films that come to mind?
posted by tranquileye at 7:39 AM PST - 20 comments

How do you trim a guinea pig's nails ? (more) [more inside]
posted by konolia at 5:21 AM PST - 11 comments

How long can you drive a car with a broken alternator with a freshly charged battery? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by rdr at 4:55 AM PST - 12 comments

I've got a couple of Type 1 fonts that I would like to use, but MS Word crashes whenever I try to use them. They work fine in all other applications. I've got Adobe Type Manager, latest version. I've asked about this in several other forums, without being able to solve the problem. If anyone can sort this out, it's gotta be the AskMe crew.

And, oh yeah, I'm running Windows ME. Bring it on. I can take it.
posted by Termite at 4:41 AM PST - 8 comments

I had dinner in a Mexican restaurant a while back, and the menu made this claim: There are only three true "cuisines" in the world, French, Chinese, and Mexican which predates the other two. In that case, can anyone explain to me what "cuisine" means, and how it differs from just meaning "style of food"? Why, apparently, is there technically no such thing as "Italian cuisine" or "Indonesian cuisine". Or am I just placing too much faith in Mexican restaurant menus?
posted by Jimbob at 2:46 AM PST - 8 comments

The Global Cocktail Challenge. For absolutely no other reason than the fact that we are able to, my better half & I have decided to try & sample some of the best cocktails in the best bars in the world. The only rule is to have the signature cocktail for the location or bar we are in. So far the Singapore Sling in Raffles was probably one of the worst drinking experiences of my life. [More inside] [more inside]
posted by i_cola at 1:59 AM PST - 16 comments

Are there hygiene problems with eating ants? I ask because I accidentally ate a bunch of ants that were in a box of cereal. I've now thrown out the box and I am not really grossed out by it but it did get me wondering, given that ants live in dirt and carry around pieces of dead insects as part of their chores, whether there are health consequences.
posted by vacapinta at 12:51 AM PST - 13 comments

Please tell me about Portland, Oregon. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by gyc at 9:52 PM PST - 25 comments

Applescript help... [more inside]
posted by machaus at 9:03 PM PST - 4 comments

My wife and I (childless) and our single-mother friend (three children) are thinking of pooling our resources and sharing either two homes on a single large property, or a custom single home for two family units, with some shared living areas (using a design compatible with selling the home as a bed & breakfast inn, and turning a very, very nice profit on the deal).

Has anyone ever taken part in an alternative living arrangement? Co-parented with another family? Shared a property investment with a friend and survived to tell the tale? Merged two families? Developed rules and understandings that made it a success in the end? Can friends stay friends when money and living space and "self" space enter the picture? Shared resources?

With your working-knowledge advice and guidelines, perhaps we'll be able to build up the confidence in the idea to take the risk, co-invest and co-parent, and make it possible for the kids to become super-successes as adults, and help each other profit to early retirement. Whatcha got for me? [more inside]
posted by five fresh fish at 8:07 PM PST - 19 comments

Is there a way for me to grab the drum sounds out of this?
posted by namespan at 7:28 PM PST - 3 comments

How do I remove marks left by a metal drain snake inside a toilet bowl, below the waterline?
posted by NortonDC at 5:59 PM PST - 8 comments

I was trying to find a good animated TV show/miniseries to watch, and got to wondering why there are virtually no non-japanese non-kids/comedy animated series to be found? I'm sick of "anime" - does anyone have any ideas as to why Japan has cornered this market so completely, or better yet know of any non-japanese shows/series for me to check out? I'm into scifi and adventure stuff.
posted by ac at 5:59 PM PST - 24 comments

My wife and I currently have about 12K in credit card debt. We have controlled our spending and are slowly paying off our cards starting with the highest interest rates first. Does anyone have any tips or experiences on how to refinance our credit card debt at lower interest rates? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by yangwar at 4:21 PM PST - 11 comments

I'm trying to find a simple php program to track employee work schedules. Actually, filemaker pro would work for this, but they charge too much for the server version, and I'm fond of open source. More below... [more inside]
posted by mecran01 at 4:02 PM PST - 6 comments

I'm about to upgrade my beloved Sony Vaio laptop from Windows Me (blecch) to XP. Will this screw up my previously installed drivers, software, documents, etc? Anything I should know before I start?
posted by Vidiot at 2:04 PM PST - 16 comments

One of my main clients (I'm a freelance programmer, been doing tons of web/php stuff in the past few years) stopped paying their bills and wanted to renegotiate my rate with them below the level I can live on ... I told them no, so now I need a new client or three pretty quickly. A lot of people here are freelance web developers; any suggestions on how to get a few new clients?
posted by SpecialK at 1:50 PM PST - 3 comments

A friend and I recently saw 13 Conversations About the Same Thing and had great fun trying to figure out what the italian phrases that split the scenes meant with her spanish and my latin. It would be nice to know what they actually meant though - anyone know?
posted by Mossy at 1:30 PM PST - 9 comments

I'm going to finally get around to setting up my black-and-white darkroom this year. Any tips, tricks, advice or web sites to share? Think it can be done for around $500 (preferably less)?
posted by JoanArkham at 11:41 AM PST - 4 comments

I need help finding an obscure (but very jolly) tune .... [more inside]
posted by sgt.serenity at 11:39 AM PST - 3 comments

Aside from putting every site I tend to spend too much time on (including this one, shortly) into my hosts file pointing to 127.0.0.1, what are some other good tips on how to stay focused on your work and not get distracted?
posted by Space Coyote at 10:32 AM PST - 10 comments

I have an old HP Printer (LaserJet4P) which works perfectly even though it's a decade old. But ever since upgrading to WinXP, it spits out a sheet of paper every time I boot up the computer. The sheet is blank except for a tiny nonsense character in the upper-left corner. I have the latest driver, but it doesn't help. The only way I can get it to stop wasting paper is to remember to keep the printer turned off when I boot up. But I usually forget. Any ideas?
posted by grumblebee at 10:24 AM PST - 5 comments

Anyone know what happened to Fruitopia? It was my favourite drink for a good long while, then it disappeared from the shelves, in the UK at least. Is it still available anywhere in world and in particular any idea of a UK stockist?
posted by feelinglistless at 10:21 AM PST - 3 comments

I am looking for an image depicting the different storylines/-cycles of Terry Pratchett's Discworld. I know it has been linked by BoingBoing or MeFi or memepool or something, but I couldn't find it and Google isn't helping me, either way - all I find are text files. Anyone know what I am talking about and where to get it?
posted by zerofoks at 9:25 AM PST - 3 comments

Having bought a house, I'm now faced with paying a mortgage. You save a few bucks (and the effort of remembering to mail a check each month) if you have the payments deducted automatically from your bank account; is there any reason I shouldn't do this (assuming I keep enough of a balance to cover it)?
posted by languagehat at 8:51 AM PST - 12 comments

My mother is in her late sixties, and her kids just bought her a DVD player for her most recent birthday. Now she wants to know what movies we'd recommend she'd buy or rent. [More inside.] [more inside]
posted by *burp* at 7:46 AM PST - 24 comments

I have a Clie s360 that will not start once the battery is out of juice. Charging it doesn't seem to help. I had luck in the past by resetting it, but this time around I seem to be out of luck - it's dead, dead, dead. Does anybody have any suggestion as to how I can bring it back to life?
posted by ashbury at 7:32 AM PST - 2 comments

One for the helpdesk [hopedesk!] folks: when one is referred to as "starfish", is it a reference to being a butthole, or does it mean one is so low on the food chain they have no brain (like arms + legs + head = 5 appendages)? Neither?
posted by yoga at 6:02 AM PST - 3 comments

Can one still buy Minute Maid Fruit Juicees? They are listed in this recent school lunch menu, but I haven't seen one in years. Or is there another similar frozen fruit treat available that comes in tetrahedron shape packaging (Tetra Paks)?
posted by gluechunk at 11:22 PM PST - 4 comments

I wear a 13 6E in whatever goofy sizing New Balance uses. I need something wider and I can't find anything out there. Does anyone make anything above a 6E width or am I screwed? Would moving up to a 14 6E give me some extra width?
posted by @homer at 7:22 PM PST - 10 comments

I'm looking for a better way to store my vinyl records. Right now I probably have 500 or so sitting in milk crates on my living room floor. I'd like as cheap of a solution as possible, so I was thinking about just pulling the old cinderblocks and some boards deal. I'm not opposed to buying some premade shelving though. Any ideas?
posted by corpse at 5:44 PM PST - 18 comments

This comment got me thinking: is there a standard etiquette for displaying inline images from third-party servers on either private blogs or community sites like MeFi? Is it always appropriate, never appropriate, or only appropriate depending on the source and the server from which the image originates?
posted by PrinceValium at 3:52 PM PST - 21 comments

Frequent moves and physical mail. Instead of using mail forwarding and address change cards, is there a better way to handle physical mail for someone who moves frequently? (More inside) [more inside]
posted by cyniczny at 3:08 PM PST - 9 comments

Home recording studio questions: (1) What to do about sound source with a noise problem (sounds like a bad ground loop) and (2) building some approximation of an isolation booth. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by weston at 1:34 PM PST - 7 comments

I'm probably getting a Canon Digital Rebel soon. Should I pay $200CAD (about $155USD) for the kit lens, or should I put that money toward a better lens?
posted by timeistight at 10:55 AM PST - 9 comments

After following the invaluable advice in the AMF thread on internet radio, I discovered Whole Wheat Radio, and there was introduced to an excellent singer-songwriter named Greg Trooper. He's got about six albums in print in one form or another. Since I've found the taste of the All Music Guide reviewers to be...unreliable, is there anyone familiar with Mr. Trooper's work who can suggest where to begin?
posted by mojohand at 10:35 AM PST - 4 comments

Anyone ever heard of a fashion photographer from the 1980's named Geoffrey Herman? I just found out he's the cousin of a high school friend, and I'd like to see some of his work.
posted by neuroshred at 9:38 AM PST - 5 comments

Why doesn't an NHL hockey team hire a morbidly obese man as a goalie? He could just relax on his side in front of the goal, covering up the entire goalframe. Hockey goalies are incredible athletes, but is my "proposal" unthinkable? Are there not men big enough, or are there rules that say a goalie must stand, not lie down?
posted by edlundart at 9:28 AM PST - 11 comments

I would like a simply way to access my desktop's hard drives from my notebook. I don't have much networking experience. Both systems run WinXP. The desktop is hooked up to an 802.11b Lynksys Wireless-B router. The notebook, which has WiFi, gets its internet connection from this router. I realize that, with this system, there's no way that the desktop can access the notebook's harddrives, but what about vice versa?
posted by grumblebee at 9:24 AM PST - 8 comments

Why is it that when you are hungover, and change the orientation of your head quickly, for a while it feels as if it is still orientated the other way, and isn't very pleasant? Is it something to do with your balance being off, or what?
posted by Orange Goblin at 8:46 AM PST - 14 comments

Is there a plug-in for iTunes (windows) that will allow me to easily view the track information for the current song, even if I am far away from my computer?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 6:43 AM PST - 6 comments