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October 2008 Archives
October 31
Anyone have personal experience with ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy) and/or Stephen Hayes 'Get Out Of Your Mind, And Into Your Life'?
[more inside]posted by dinkyday at 11:57 PM PST - 2 comments
My husband is going to be staying in Provo, Utah, next week for work (visiting from New Zealand). He's busy during the day. What are the highlights for dinner food and things-to-see-at-night? He has a rental car.
[more inside]posted by slightlybewildered at 11:30 PM PST - 9 comments 
I've been sent an email from a company producing a calendar. They are interested in using some of my photos from flickr for their calendar - not as main images, but as smaller fill pictures. I've said I'm interested, but I've never done anything like this before and now I'm freaking out a little - am I handling this right?
[more inside]posted by warble at 10:06 PM PST - 7 comments
How can we assist our adult daughter who has Nonverbal Learning Disorder in finding/creating some sort of outboard executive function so she can pursue her interest in designing and building furniture?
[more inside]posted by mumstheword at 9:31 PM PST - 4 comments
Adult magazines and pay cable channels can now show more. Did the laws change, did society change, or both?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 8:54 PM PST - 12 comments
In what worthwhile or cautionary ways have you spent a gap of downtime before grad school starts?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 8:54 PM PST - 14 comments
Trying to remember the title/artist of a spooky werewolf song from the 1980's that played on the radio in Michigan.
[more inside]posted by mrbarrett.com at 8:51 PM PST - 8 comments
Has anyone found 13" MacBook Keyboard only (not the whole upper assembly) replacement instructions?
[more inside]posted by herrtodd at 8:44 PM PST - 3 comments
HTML/DOM/JavaScriptfilter: Help me get a handle on my frames! I'm by no means a javascript expert, though I can bash my way around in it when necessary - but I just can't figure out how to get a handle on the frames in my document via the DOM.
[more inside]posted by jferg at 8:00 PM PST - 7 comments
Where can I find information on how the internet is changing the way software is delivered?
[more inside]posted by lunchbox at 7:32 PM PST - 1 comments
I am making a photo montage DVD for a friend. It is going to be pictures of their kids set to music...I need some help with songs! Nothing to overly mushy. Ideas?
[more inside]posted by muxnaw at 7:09 PM PST - 15 comments
Thursday I went to the ER with sudden sharp pains, which turned out to be a large ovarian cyst. The Dr said I might need emergency surgery to remove it. After getting some tests back he wants to "wait and see" about a month before approving their removal. I'm still in a lot of pain and want to try convince him to please just take them out... but not sure how I can talk him into it.
[more inside]posted by wowbobwow at 6:52 PM PST - 21 comments
I have a question on how to change the CSS and other formatting of a web page that I don't know the location of. Warning, we are talking more drupal! Screenshot inside...
[more inside]posted by yoyoceramic at 6:38 PM PST - 5 comments
Rails on Ubuntu.
I've followed this tutorial: http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/RailsOnUbuntu
Now how to do I access ror from my browser? Where do I put files for dev? Help please!!
posted by BoldStepDesign at 6:02 PM PST - 4 comments
Can anyone help me out with getting a pdf copy of Robert Cox's 1981 article - "Social Forces, States, and World Orders"?
[more inside]posted by knapah at 5:10 PM PST - 4 comments
To what extent can we discern different colours? What of this power is merely relational (a light blue, a lighter blue)? Have studies been done to determine if our "resolution of discernment" (a particular distance in nanometers of which we can differentiate two visual wavelengths with unaided vision)? What's the difference between how we speak of colour, how we conjure it up in its particularity in our imagination, and how we differentiate it through experience?
[more inside]posted by ageispolis at 5:08 PM PST - 13 comments
I'm stumped as to finding an amazing Mongolian Barbeque place in Los Angeles. I'm used to places like BD's out in the midwest but have yet to find anything similar- Help!
[more inside]posted by razzamatazm at 5:04 PM PST - 5 comments
My outdoor basil plants are being chewed away by something that leaves behind tiny black grains. Who is the culprit, and how can I stop it?
[more inside]posted by teem at 5:02 PM PST - 5 comments
Should I rename my Open Source project because someone owning a trademark with the same name wants me to?
[more inside]posted by schwa at 4:33 PM PST - 30 comments
What are some good relationship-themed 'question of the day'-type questions that don't make too many assumptions about the audience's gender/status/sexual orientation/etc?
[more inside]posted by logic vs love at 1:20 PM PST - 5 comments
Moviefilter: I would like help compiling a list of movies set from the late 1930's - Dec. 7 1941, specifically that time between the rise of Nazi Germany and the start of U.S. involvement in WWII.
Not movies made then, nor movies about the war. Rather, ones in the plot highlights the interaction of Americans with Nazi Germans (or the Axis powers in general), at a time before when the American or the German would have been preemptively arrested or imprisoned.
[more inside]posted by TDIpod at 1:14 PM PST - 18 comments
Are dawn and dusk interchangeable in visual media? How does one differentiate a photograph taken in the early morning from one in the late afternoon? Can it be done?
[more inside]posted by CheeseburgerBrown at 1:09 PM PST - 22 comments
I will not have internet access on election night, but really want to be able to follow along--has anyone seen a good cheat sheet?
[more inside]posted by Mavri at 1:03 PM PST - 11 comments
Help me find an essay about a woman working in an affluent toy store during the holiday season and a life like baby doll is the hot ticket item but nobody wants to adopt the minority baby dolls or the "mutant" display doll.
[more inside]posted by thewalrusispaul at 1:00 PM PST - 3 comments
Philly Philter: I am looking for a pre-dinner activity for a very low key bachelorette party.
[more inside]posted by als129 at 11:08 AM PST - 5 comments
Emergency should-I-Eat-This! Burger King Apple Fries showing discoloration. I know apples are supposed to turn brown, but these are looking yellow-ish, with somewhat transparent/brown-ish bruise-looking spots. Also, the plastic bag was completely inflated when I went to open it. I took a sample taste and it didn't taste too bad. Final note: I'm really hungry but not hungry enough to not care about food poisoning and I tend to be really bad about being able to judge food-rot.
[more inside]posted by amethysts at 11:03 AM PST - 33 comments
How can I change my address on my driver's license if I don't have the proof of address that the BMV requires?
[more inside]posted by Nedroid at 10:53 AM PST - 9 comments
Algebra-filter: help me create a formula to calculate "
good time credits" for California jails:
([{actual days in jail/4} - any remainder] x 2) + actual days in jail = number of days sentenced to jail
Solve for "actual"
Show your work
[more inside]posted by unclezeb at 10:25 AM PST - 18 comments
Are there any good alternatives to Hulu for watching TV on a computer? I'm having some bandwidth/connection problems, and I'd like to try an alternative if one exists.
[more inside]posted by willnot at 10:12 AM PST - 11 comments
I'm thinking about taking my wife to Banff, Alberta for our tenth anniversary near the beginning of May. Help me with some ideas.
[more inside]posted by MagicEightBall at 10:09 AM PST - 17 comments
Is it humanly possible to take A+P II (3 credits, 4 with the lab), Introduction to Chem (4 credits), Microbiology (5 credits), and Nutrition (4 credits), for a possible total of 16 or 17 credits, all in one semester?
[more inside]posted by sully75 at 10:09 AM PST - 18 comments
I'm buying my first home and there are potential special assessments looming. Am I truly protecting myself from future repair and legal fee costs by setting up an escrow account? I'm buying my first condo and am clueless. Help me make this protection ironclad or tell me to run away!
[more inside]posted by joemax at 10:03 AM PST - 8 comments
My sister has a stone muffin pan
like this (except it is 6 jumbo muffin cups) that broke into three pieces during a recent move. She said none of the cups were damaged, so any ideas on an oven-safe adhesive to put it back together?
[more inside]posted by sararah at 9:56 AM PST - 13 comments
What are some good sayings or quotes along the lines of Bill Clinton and the Sphinx from Mystery Men? i.e. the power of our example not the example of our power, before you can learn what I teach i must first teach how to learn, etc....
posted by sorindome at 9:48 AM PST - 19 comments
Today is Halloween and i can't procrastinate anymore...I guess I have to go as the only thing I could come up with: A damsel in distress. I wanna look like the girls in the old westerns when they get tied to train tracks by the bad guy. Any suggestions on what to use as train tracks? I can run over to home depot, I just don't know what to look for that's lightweight (i'm a small girl) and looks like tracks. I can nail a few things together without problem.
[more inside]posted by wannaknow at 9:44 AM PST - 14 comments
New to Therapy: My 3rd and final free therapy session through my company's EAP program is this afternoon, is there some 3 session progress meter I should be looking for to help decide if i want to continue paying for this?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 9:28 AM PST - 10 comments
Where’s a good place in the Boston or (preferably) Metrowest area to take my six year old son to shoot some pool?
[more inside]posted by bondcliff at 8:49 AM PST - 12 comments
I was wondering if there is a script/tool that I can install on my own webserver (apache2 on linux) that will do the work or dropload or yousendit or one of those numerous websites.
[more inside]posted by carthik at 8:49 AM PST - 7 comments
I have a free ticket to anywhere in the 48 states (no Hawaii or Alaska) that I need to book in the next week. I am one person and expect to go for 5-7 days. Please help me decide where to go and what time of year to go there. (The ticket can be booked for any date within the next year.)
[more inside]posted by D Wiz at 7:41 AM PST - 30 comments
I'll be in Paris for a few days next month, and I'd like to check out some thrift stores. I'm not looking for anything fancy or designer, just maybe some cute skirts or sweaters. Most of the articles I've seen online talk about places where you can get couture for a fraction of the price, but that's not really my thing. Also, this might be silly, but I'm a size 8 US...would resale shops have things in my size? Any advice that can point me in the right direction is greatly appreciated!
posted by odayoday at 7:08 AM PST - 7 comments
A friend of mine is coming in from a couple hours away (each way) for the night (halloween party), and money is tight on her end. I would go pick her up myself, but have to work late into the afternoon and wouldn't have time to drive up and back twice between today and tomorrow. I want to give her the money for gas (I am in a much better position financially), since I know this is a big expense for her and she is saving me the trip, but she is very independent and does not want me reimbursing her.
How can I get her to accept it without making damaging her ego or seeming like this is out of pity?
posted by pennstatephil at 6:55 AM PST - 21 comments
Two ColdFusion applications on separate subdomains in IIS are getting confused with eachother. How do I properly separate them? Note: My experience with ColdFusion starts with Metafilter and ends with my recent editing of jrun-web.xml.
[more inside]posted by odinsdream at 6:03 AM PST - 11 comments
This question has been (sortof) made before. Which *good* online radio station's
programs do you listen to? (Not the radio stations themselves). Preferably music, it doesn't matter the style.
[more inside]posted by karvajavi at 4:03 AM PST - 16 comments
I'm a writer, and I have a job interview on Tuesday afternoon. While I have my work lying around in folders on my PC (some video, some print, some flash, some radio), I haven't organized them in any meaningful, presentable way.
How can I organize my work
quickly into a decent portfolio that I can burn onto a CD as a leave-behind? Difficulty level - no Flash ability whatsoever, conversant with HTML.
posted by micketymoc at 1:40 AM PST - 6 comments
My girlfriend wants to dress as Rachel from 'Blade runner' but she has no idea how to do her hair like her. I remember a link somewhere showing how to do it but now i can't find it. I've googled extensively and found nothing ... can anyone help ?
posted by grex at 1:11 AM PST - 5 comments
When I was a kid in first grade (around 1972 or so), for Halloween we saw a filmstrip that had no words to it, only what I remember to be classical music. The film strip itself started out with scenes of dead trees, against the night sky -- then a bell tower rang out 12 times, and on the 12th time the music started, and ghosts rose out of the graves to dance around. By the end of the filmstrip, the sun starts to come up, and by daybreak all the ghosts go back into the graves. I believe that all the illustrations for it were done in watercolor, but they might've been some other type of painting -- I don't think they were drawing. Might anybody have any idea what that filmstrip was?
posted by eener at 12:28 AM PST - 9 comments
Pitching an upper-division English course on Literature and Film. Would like to focus on the films of the Coen Brothers, but need suggestions of novels, short stories, plays, etc. to pair with their movies. Any suggestions?
[more inside]posted by Saxon Kane at 12:02 AM PST - 16 comments
October 30
Why do people keep their shoes on in pornographic films? Does anybody really find this sexy? Or, am I missing something?
posted by anonymous at 10:38 PM PST - 26 comments
When I go to a restaurant, am I expected to use their cultural mannerisms and customs or is it ok for me to do things however I want? Is there a limit to how lenient they are about letting me do things my way?
[more inside]posted by alitorbati at 9:41 PM PST - 18 comments
We were daily buddies at work for two years - she has a boyfriend and I'm married - but we cracked each other up and "fought the man" together. There were rules, and if I pushed them she reminded me, sometimes harshly but still there was genuine mutual
platonic affection. About a month after me getting laid off she won't talk to me anymore. It's really bothering me because I don't know why... advice??
[more inside]posted by Barrows at 9:16 PM PST - 28 comments
Relationship Psychology Filter: How to DTMF already, when you have major insecurities?
[more inside]posted by Phalene at 8:59 PM PST - 23 comments
My son, 9, likes math, playing music, computers, video. He's not athletic; he likes Wii Fit better than real sports. He's starting to get shunned by other boys: he seems nice and normal to me but I guess he's a geek to them. What do I do, besides support him in every way I can?
posted by anonymous at 7:41 PM PST - 44 comments
YANMD Filter: I was told recently that my eye drops (Cosopt) could limit my heart rate: is this true?
[more inside]posted by 47triple2 at 6:56 PM PST - 5 comments
My new first generation Ipod touch can connect via a USB 1 hub to Itunes, but it gives errors when trying to restore or synchronize via any USB 2.0 port on my computer. I have windows XP and I tried everything suggested by apple support. his problem seems to be independednt of firmaware version.
Should I take it in to the Apple store?
posted by spacefire at 6:42 PM PST - 3 comments
I am looking to purchase color photo gels in the Boston area. Does anyone know of any stores that sell them?
posted by cheero at 5:25 PM PST - 3 comments
Need to attach a felt mustache to my kid's face for a school Halloween party. No time to buy anything fancy (a la spirit gum or the like); what should I use?
[more inside]posted by Lucinda at 4:57 PM PST - 17 comments
Where can I listen to BBC's Peel Sessions? There doesn't seem to be a way to stream them, or to buy them? Am I dense?
[more inside]posted by rbs at 4:42 PM PST - 8 comments
With some products, the off-brand is as good as any other brand, sometimes even coming off the same production lines in the same factories. With other products, there is a quality difference between brands. How about for replacement HEPA filters for a Kenmore air cleaner? (And, as a bonus, should I believe the warning against washing and reusing the charcoal pre-filters?)
[more inside]posted by daisyace at 4:15 PM PST - 4 comments
Where can I buy/find the mp3 of the traditional Swedish Christmas carol, "Nu är det jul igen" with children singing it?
[more inside]posted by perpetualstroll at 3:53 PM PST - 2 comments
Are there any remote help companies that I could earn residual income for by signing people up for their service? (not just disguised as a BS affiliate program)
[more inside]posted by schindyguy at 3:38 PM PST - 2 comments
I have a crush on the night clerk at my local grocery store. How do I let him know I find him intriguing without coming off all stalkerish?
[more inside]posted by ruemonkey at 3:21 PM PST - 31 comments
Can the hive mind help me by suggesting some good, but simple, literary costume ideas for halloween?
[more inside]posted by anoirmarie at 3:12 PM PST - 29 comments
I think a company is trying to do an end-around to get my domain name, what can I do about it?
[more inside]posted by rhizome at 3:08 PM PST - 8 comments
I want to give the five-year-old son of my good friends a magazine subscription as a gift. I'm giving their eight-year-old bookworm daughter a sub to Puffin Post, which I loved as a kid. Any recommendations?
[more inside]posted by acalthla at 3:06 PM PST - 23 comments
Woohoo, I'm converting my Prius to a plug-in! Now I want a personalized license plate to go with it.
[more inside]posted by cocoagirl at 2:39 PM PST - 25 comments
How do I (quickly) educate myself on the props and candidate choices I will be faced with on my ballot next week?
[more inside]posted by allkindsoftime at 2:30 PM PST - 7 comments
My dragon has lost its fire. I have a dragon above my front door. I want to make it blow smoke out the nostrils. And I'm cheap.
[more inside]posted by disclaimer at 2:15 PM PST - 9 comments
How do these TV reality contestants (i.e. Biggest Loser and others) get away from work for 5-6 months? Surely they are not all weathy enough to not be working people? Anybody know how folks do this?
posted by shaarog at 1:53 PM PST - 20 comments
What's the best way to make a video go viral? One of my friends is trying to hype up interest his nonprofit organization with a funny video featuring one of the founders. What specific websites or other modes of communication should he utilize to get the video out there?
posted by easy_being_green at 1:32 PM PST - 14 comments
Halloween costume filter: For once, I'd love to have a really great costume - something smart and witty and not overdone. But it needs to be something that I can dance in all night long. Help!
[more inside]posted by inatizzy at 1:29 PM PST - 10 comments
Can I
successfully cook brown and white rice together? The plan is to use a steamer with a 50/50 mix of the 2 varieties.
If so, could you suggest a methodology?
I prefer the brown, but I have a partial bag of white that I don't want to throw away.
posted by Exchequer at 12:15 PM PST - 12 comments
Looking for educated guesses on what will happen to the price of gas at the pump for the US resident in 2009.
[more inside]posted by modernpoverty at 12:05 PM PST - 16 comments
What skills can I teach my daughters, aged 9 and 7, while hiking? Also, where should we take our big, culminating hike in the spring (in or around Phoenix)?
[more inside]posted by Barry B. Palindromer at 12:02 PM PST - 21 comments
Sansa Connect two-fer: (1) the little dial sometimes become immobile; (2) which program to use now that Yahoo Jukebox has bitten the dust?
[more inside]posted by ibmcginty at 11:42 AM PST - 4 comments
Moving in with your significant other: Please tell me your stories and general advice. Good, bad, things you wish you'd talked about ahead of time, things you'd do differently. How long had you been together? Do you wish you'd moved in sooner, or later, or not at all? What can one do to make things go smoothly? What changes should I expect?
[more inside]posted by soleiluna at 11:36 AM PST - 41 comments
Please help me negotiate a business arrangement with my boss that has me doing some work as an employee and some work as an independent contractor.
[more inside]posted by headnsouth at 11:28 AM PST - 9 comments
I read a book in the late '80s that I really enjoyed and I've been unsuccessfully trying to remember the title (or author). It was a fantasy softcover book with a purple cover. The story was set in a small village in New Forest, England. The main characters were involved in a love triangle with the two main lovers dying and being reincarnated three different times in three different centuries before having their happily ever after. Any fantasy buffs out there that can help me?
[more inside]posted by carrieworm at 11:19 AM PST - 7 comments
For minor pet health questions: suggest websites that are comprehensive & user-friendly? I'd like to avoid unnecessary vet visits.
[more inside]posted by pseudostrabismus at 11:17 AM PST - 10 comments
I am looking to learn about philosophies of time and their popular reception in the early 20th century, can anyone recommend any good books or other resources?
[more inside]posted by kaspen at 11:12 AM PST - 8 comments
Can anyone recommend a good pet boarding facility in New York City? When in I lived in California, I used a place that let healthy kitties run and around play during the day. I would like to find something similar in NYC (basically a place that doesn't keep the cats locked up in a cage 24 hours/day), but Google is failing me.
posted by Faithos at 10:58 AM PST - 2 comments
I lost part of my headphones. Must I replace my beloved earbuds, or can I just replace the lost part?
[more inside]posted by Sheppagus at 10:14 AM PST - 10 comments
My wife and I are looking at writing a US based (lower 48) travel guide and would like any tips possible regarding getting one published, and how to make it actually happen.
[more inside]posted by arniec at 10:11 AM PST - 3 comments
I'm looking for easy and funny Halloween costume ideas. Topical or newsy/political stuff is great, but I'm open to anything that doesn't require a lot of supplies.
[more inside]posted by allen8219 at 9:46 AM PST - 18 comments
Can you think of any parlor games (not commericial games; I don't want to buy anything), for a bunch of players (5-15, give or take) that rely on math/strategy/logic skills?
Haggle is a perfect example.
[more inside]posted by Ollie at 9:29 AM PST - 14 comments
What type of phone should I buy next month and what carrier should I be on? I'm on a Verizon family plan right now with my parents and it expires around Thanksgiving. I have a free upgrade with Verizon, as well.
[more inside]posted by decrescendo at 9:16 AM PST - 13 comments
Probably a dumb question, but if skin cells regenerate completely over time, why aren't scars... regenerated out?
posted by xmutex at 9:06 AM PST - 7 comments
I know I've heard the opening bars of
Beck's "Gamma Ray" in a commercial or promo recently (Telus? The Gap?) but I can't place it and my Google-fu in in the ditch today. Help!
posted by wexford_arts at 8:59 AM PST - 0 comments
30" Apple Cinema Display with Xbox 360 and PS3 (all HDMI) problems.
I have bought probably $100 worth of cables and still it doesnt work.
[more inside]posted by spinko at 8:54 AM PST - 5 comments
I am trying to find inspiration graphics for a piece I want to create. I know I have seen what I am looking for sometime in my life.
The piece I am creating is for a mythical toy that is a disc shaped flying object. I want to make it in the guise of a 1930's or 1940's advertisement.
A boys face in wonder
A splashy graphical font across the top
The disc "comin' at ya" with wind sweeps trailing back
All in bold primary colors.
I have scoured the web for some source material, but keep coming up empty handed. Any pointers would be appreciated.
Henry
posted by silsurf at 8:53 AM PST - 6 comments
Law School Application Filter: Is there a centralized place (on the LSAC site) where I can find out what law schools have given me application fee waivers?
[more inside]posted by fructose at 8:48 AM PST - 6 comments
Looking for specific techniques to put engaging interaction back into online learning at the university level.
[more inside]posted by jeanmari at 8:32 AM PST - 2 comments
I was denied a raise that I really deserved because the small company I work for "isn't doing so well right now." My request came after I was given a very positive review in which all parties agreed that have exceeded expectations.
[more inside]posted by RingerChopChop at 8:21 AM PST - 40 comments
I need to know which Planet of the Apes movie the line, "Your parents died 2000 years ago! (laughing)"....
[more inside]posted by foodybat at 8:12 AM PST - 4 comments
I've been digging on the cuban hip hop lately. I've seen the doc East of Havana. I listen to las Orishas, and I have the soundtrack/related album to East of Havana by El Cartel. I do like the artists featured there, but I enjoy las Orishas more because it feels a bit more infused with traditional Cuban music. Any recommendations of what else I can listen to?
[more inside]posted by Soulbee at 8:09 AM PST - 3 comments
Mrs Mutant & I live in London. We see lots of planes flying overhead. We wonder where they are coming from and where they are going and how to find out.
[more inside]posted by Mutant at 8:06 AM PST - 10 comments
Please advise me on the best answering machine/cordless phone combo for our home. The cost is not the top concern except inasmuch as I want to buy value for money.
[more inside]posted by Mr. Justice at 8:02 AM PST - 6 comments
Woke up this morning, opened my HP laptop, and found out that the LCD screen was showing a very faint and dim image. I suspect the backlight is broken. It's out of warranty. What should I do?
[more inside]posted by nasreddin at 7:15 AM PST - 9 comments
Does Obama / McCain slash fiction exist? If so, where can I find it and what are the major themes in the genre?
[more inside]posted by abirae at 6:31 AM PST - 10 comments
I think I broke my littlest toe. Everything I read online says that basically nothing can be done, so there's no point in going to the doctor, right?
[more inside]posted by desjardins at 6:19 AM PST - 27 comments
In the mid eighty's there was a comedian that did a piece on godzilla. Basically he acted like a badly dubbed godzilla film with mouth movements out of sync with voice saying "look out" "godzilla's going to trample the city again". Anyone know who he was or remember the sketch?
posted by mefiskiing at 6:13 AM PST - 6 comments
Are there any print on demand services that offer APIs for large prints or small posters, instead of having to email requests manually, or manually fill in web forms again and again?
[more inside]posted by steiny at 6:05 AM PST - 2 comments
InsuranceFilter: Would homeowners insurance generally cover a large concrete porch that has pulled away from the house due to a summer drought?
[more inside]posted by schleppo at 6:05 AM PST - 6 comments
What is the best place to buy ready-to-wear or slightly altered men's business suits in Vancouver BC? Bonus points if the place sells both ready to wear and provides custom tailoring services at reasonable prices.
posted by thewalrus at 5:11 AM PST - 2 comments
ShoppingFilter: In order to complete a Halloween costume, I need to acquire some Reagan-related political pins/buttons. However, my initial search has mostly taken me to places that no longer exist! Is there anywhere the Green would suggest I go to in the Washington DC metropolitan area to satiate my thirst for this kind of political paraphernalia?
[more inside]posted by Keter at 5:04 AM PST - 5 comments
Back when I was in Elementary school around 1969 our teacher read a book aloud to the class that I remember as being kind of fantasy and kind of spooky. The plot was something about a sister and brother who were latch-key kids. I think the sister wore the house key around her neck on a green ribbon. Anyway, somehow they were "kidnapped" by an old person and and ended up on an island where the people never got older. I believe a closet was involved too THe way the people stayed young had something to do with the kids not being abled to leave. If someone knows the name of this book it would be great. Thanks.
posted by pjlalala at 5:01 AM PST - 8 comments
I've been a sole trader for 10 years, but calculators such as
this suggest I could save maybe £2000 a year on tax by becoming a limited company. Have others found it worthwhile?
[more inside]posted by hatmandu at 4:15 AM PST - 3 comments
My girlfriend and I are moving into an apartment in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. We'd like to be able to stream video and download various things at high speed and we're trying to figure out which service to sign up for.
[more inside]posted by swhitt at 1:50 AM PST - 3 comments
October 29
Does anyone know of a working mirror with all the "I accidentally the whole fleshlight" conversations?
[more inside]posted by hobbes at 11:59 PM PST - 2 comments
I have an awful lot of trouble with 'easy open' packaging. I also have trouble with zip lock bags, sealed OTC medicines and just about any other kinds of packaging. My hands work just fine. Is this common for very left handed people? Everything I open looks like a dog did it with teeth.
posted by Pennyblack at 9:43 PM PST - 19 comments
What should a California girl wear to a job interview in Boston in few (cold) weeks?
[more inside]posted by brynna at 9:39 PM PST - 8 comments
My bartender (and his wife) are voting yes on proposition 8 (the amendment to ban gay marriage). Help me figure out an appropriate response to this.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 8:49 PM PST - 92 comments
My Mom’s wages are being garnished by a collection agency. Can we still settle the debt? How much do we offer and where do we get the money?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 8:49 PM PST - 4 comments
CostumeHelpFilter(NYC): I'm trying to pull my costume together at the last minute (namely: Artie, the Strongest Man in the World.) To do so, I need red longjohns / thermal underwear / tights -- and I need 'em someplace in NYC, so I can buy ASAP. Anybody know where such things could be purchased? (Online stores are not too helpful at this point.) Thanks!
posted by theoddball at 8:36 PM PST - 9 comments
Identify This Song Filter: My friend made me a mix CD that included this wicked awesome song - it's a Bollywood/Reggaeton mashup and I love the hell out of it. I would like to find more songs like it, and it would certainly help if I perhaps knew something about the song. Like, anything.
[more inside]posted by grapefruitmoon at 8:28 PM PST - 6 comments
Just moved- how can I intercept something sent via overnight mail to my old address without waiting for USPS to forward it to my new address?
[more inside]posted by arnicae at 8:09 PM PST - 7 comments
San Francisco Parking: I'm in town for a week or so and looking for a cheap way to park my car within the city. I can't get a temp permit since I'm not a resident. (more boring details inside)
[more inside]posted by ryecatcher at 7:46 PM PST - 6 comments
Good off-the-shelf Flash player to play Quicktime (.mov) files? Or get one custom-built?
[more inside]posted by mark7570 at 6:28 PM PST - 2 comments
PrepressFilter: Issues with film output of our PDFs We're having a problem with specific letters dropping out, specifically the "i" and and hyphens "-"
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 6:04 PM PST - 7 comments
Was given a bottle of 1991 Chassagne-MOntrachet 1st Cru "Les Vergers" mis en bouteille pour Jean Lecellier today
I can find reference to "Les Vergers" of course but nothing of this maker
Can anyone tell me anything about this particular wine?
posted by dougiedd at 5:32 PM PST - 7 comments
Need software to make a good looking slideshow with effort and time approaching zero.
[more inside]posted by signal at 4:56 PM PST - 8 comments
I'm looking for accessible, credible writing about global banking conspiracies that doesn't lapse into anti-semitism or tinfoil haberdashery. Does such a book exist?
posted by mecran01 at 4:18 PM PST - 13 comments
Oven management strategies for thanksgiving? I am hosting thanksgiving at my house this year, and need help planning the best strategy for making a large roast meal with insufficient oven space.
[more inside]posted by Joh at 4:06 PM PST - 22 comments
I have a papier mache Carnival mask that's too narrow for my face. It curls back to sort of wrap around the temples, which instead digs into my head. How can I open it up a bit? Will steaming it work?
posted by backseatpilot at 3:20 PM PST - 1 comments
Is there a way to make ArcGIS spell -meter like a Canadian? For example, inserting scale text pops out -meter, but I'd like to see -metre and sometimes -mètre. I know that I can subsequently convert these to graphics and edit the text from there, but is there any way to skip this step entirely by changing language or spelling settings within the program? Altering my XP language/international settings didn't do anything. Thanks in advance!
posted by avocet at 3:12 PM PST - 3 comments
Childrens book from the 70's filter: A book about a kid who makes a lubricant that makes cars frictionless.
[more inside]posted by Ponderance at 2:51 PM PST - 3 comments
if i start a local restaurant review blog, and attempt to make an income from it, via advertisements on my page or any other means, can i take tax deductions for the costs of my meals that i write about and any other associated costs?
posted by fumbducker at 2:38 PM PST - 9 comments
Can anyone identify this splendid
mystery houseplant? It was received as a gift, but without any accompanying little plastic tag, and I'd just like to know what it is so I can figure how how best to take care of it.
[more inside]posted by hydatius at 1:52 PM PST - 5 comments
My router password changed itself! I'm using the DD-WRT firmware on WRT54G v7 Linksys router, what can I do?
[more inside]posted by rintako at 1:26 PM PST - 8 comments
I have a song I composed / recorded / etc. I'd like to make simple video by cutting together fragments of public-domain films with this song. I have a MacBook. How to get to point B? iMovie is crashing on every import.
[more inside]posted by tmcw at 1:24 PM PST - 2 comments
I think I'm very attracted to my therapist. No, I'm not that kind of person, and that's why this is bothering me a lot.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 1:24 PM PST - 20 comments
Registering for British citizenship by descent: do they return the documents? Also: cutting a check in foreign currency?
[more inside]posted by paultopia at 12:53 PM PST - 7 comments
I still don't have HDTV and have been postponing this major expense as much as I can. Last week was in Costco and saw Westinghouse 32" LCD for just $399 and almost snapped. Does it make any sense to wait longer? Will prices sink after Christmas or will they stay flat?
posted by bargainhunter at 12:36 PM PST - 17 comments
What is the proper MLA citation format (parenthetical and works cited list) for these internet-related sources?
[more inside]posted by Awkward Philip at 12:21 PM PST - 3 comments
My son and his wife have just adopted a daughter. She is now 3 months old. They want her to know from the beginning that she is adopted. How to they incorporate that into their conversations with her so that it will just be part of her life and something that she always knew.
posted by pamspanda at 11:38 AM PST - 20 comments
Do I have any rights as an employee who sees other employees being treated unfairly? I live and work in Michigan at a bar/restaurant, but have worked in HR and payroll, and am astonished at the things I see and hear.
[more inside]posted by slyboots421 at 11:30 AM PST - 15 comments
Christian-faith-filter: What do evangelicals think of Catholics? What sorts of things would be good to emphasize, or, conversely, to avoid mentioning, as a Catholic who wants to be taken seriously as a Christian by a group of evangelically-oriented Protestants?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 11:28 AM PST - 39 comments
I've got an aging Motorola Q on Verizon. Someone just gave me a Blackberry Curve that was on ATT. How can I use the Curve?
[more inside]posted by trbrts at 10:53 AM PST - 12 comments
My parents have offered to *give* me between $100K and $120K to go in on a house with them. I will accept this gift, but I need some help figuring out how to handle the strings that are certainly attached. Long story.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 10:32 AM PST - 44 comments
My wife and I are taking a trip to Memphis, Nashville, and Little Rock next week.. Need help on what to do and where to stay..
[more inside]posted by seinfeld at 10:22 AM PST - 16 comments
Is the second part of Kant's Critique of Judgment, in English translation, available online/in public domain? I can find James Creed Meredith's translation of the first part (Critique of Aesthetic Judgment), but cannot find any translations of the second part (Critique of Teleological Judgment). I'm not interested in the latest translations or paying for an ebook; this is just some fun reading for me, and if buying the book is the only option, I'll just borrow the Guyer translation from the library. And if there's some reason why the second half is not in the public domain while the first part is, I'd be interested in finding out why.
posted by philosophygeek at 10:11 AM PST - 4 comments
I was supposed to see a psychiatrist today. I waited six weeks to get this appointment, after waiting five long months for my insurance to kick in. When I arrived they told me that my appointment had accidentally been given to someone else, and the soonest they could reschedule was another month. I honestly don't know if I can wait that long. What are my options here, and how can I manage my life in the meantime?
[more inside]posted by nataliedanger at 10:10 AM PST - 24 comments
Is my home's water pressure (90 psi) too high?
90 year old house with mostly PVC piping.
In prep for a replacement hot water heater I measured the water pressure by the washing machine. The pressure gauge showed 90 psi, which seems high. How much of an issue is this?
posted by smelvis at 10:01 AM PST - 6 comments
In C or C++, how can I input a number, perform some computations on it, and then have it be the size of my array?
[more inside]posted by amsterdam63 at 9:54 AM PST - 10 comments
I am always seeing these stories about statements made by Al-Qaeda on various Al-Qaeda websites. What are the URLs for these websites? I want to looksee myself.
posted by zzazazz at 9:53 AM PST - 5 comments
I have a very repetitive task that I think might be a good candidate for scripting, but I'm not sure what "scripting" even involves except getting a lot of things done automatically. So how do I get started getting this thing done?
[more inside]posted by Willie0248 at 9:12 AM PST - 8 comments
How do I export email messages from Outlook into Excel (or CSV) while retaining the date/time stamp on each message?
[more inside]posted by geekgirl397 at 8:34 AM PST - 4 comments
Trying to track down a British film (I think) that had an erotic scene in a public bathroom.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 8:13 AM PST - 6 comments
Do you know how to take screenshots of individual frames of video files with
Avidemux 2 for Windows? I can't find anything in the docs or the forum. Thanks.
posted by sushiwiththejury at 8:13 AM PST - 4 comments
Can you point me to any examples of “neighborhood watch” type websites, such as the ever creepy ISawYourNanny.blogspot? Basically, any site where Joe Schmo can share what he saw someone do in a public space? It doesn't have to be about neighborhood crime, anything will do.
posted by loping at 7:49 AM PST - 6 comments
I am writing a grant for a project that will include some relatively simple web development. Please help me with some rough estimates for labor and equipment costs.
[more inside]posted by googly at 7:10 AM PST - 5 comments
GolfFilter(Part2): In my
previous golf question, I mentioned that I would be looking for clubs of my own soon. I've started looking, and I have some questions. The main question is: new clones or used name-brands?
[more inside]posted by chndrcks at 7:03 AM PST - 6 comments
Are market indexes usually at their historical low before a "declared" recession (or when the indicators are there even if not officially declared), do those market indexes tend to continue rising or falling afterward, by how much and usually for how long?
posted by CollectiveMind at 6:47 AM PST - 4 comments
Vague music filter: I'm trying to find a song I can barely remember. I think it was dance/electronica. Probably early 90s. I think it was by an individual artist, not a group. A/the year featured heavily in the lyrics (ie; 19-something, a something to something) and I seem to remember the music video feeling like it was shot in the guy's basement. This was a hit (more or less) in Australia. There may have been a vocoder involved. Help?
posted by krisjohn at 6:46 AM PST - 8 comments
Help me deliver a single cupcake to my girlfriend's hotel room in Los Angeles by Friday evening.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 6:45 AM PST - 15 comments
Can you recommend good books about Los Angeles? Non-fiction preferred but fiction as well.
[more inside]posted by jeremias at 6:16 AM PST - 25 comments
What technological advances are we likely to see in the commercial airline industry over the next 25 years?
[more inside]posted by modernnomad at 5:55 AM PST - 21 comments
What do I need to do to be able to go to the Obama rally in Grant Park on November 4th?
[more inside]posted by garlic at 5:52 AM PST - 8 comments
Where online can I find a decent quality top hat and monocle, barring Ebay?
[more inside]posted by Phire at 5:47 AM PST - 7 comments
A few years ago at a restaurant in a small Southern town, I witnessed a strange event involving a group of serious-looking elderly men, a bunch of coins, and a mysterious contraption…
[more inside]posted by Wroksie at 5:15 AM PST - 9 comments
Can you suggest some dark, foreboding, scary classical music? Not the obvious stuff like The Hall of the Mountain King or Carmina Burana, but some pieces that might not be instantly recognisable. Can be any era - I'd love to find some stuff from the baroque era that fits the bill - but any period as long as it sends chills up and down the spine.
posted by skylar at 4:13 AM PST - 35 comments
Please point me to resources that will help me learn about libraries, library software and IT as it applies to libraries (OPAC, etc.).
[more inside]posted by syzygy at 3:19 AM PST - 6 comments
I'm thinking of switching from Gmail to Fastmail, and would appreciate hearing from others if this is a good idea---and if so, why? and if not, why not? There was some debate on this on several sites a few years back when Gmail first launched, but I've not seen anything new on the comparison between these two services in a long while, and would appreciate some more up-to-date, informed opinions.
[more inside]posted by m4nju at 3:08 AM PST - 9 comments
MathFilter: When you take the average of a series of ratios expressed as fractions, you get the same result whether you add together all of the fractions, then divide them by the size of the series or divide the sum of all of the numerators by the sum or all of the denominators. What's this called, and what's the formal proof for this look like?
[more inside]posted by ignignokt at 12:36 AM PST - 14 comments
Where is the best place to buy produced screenplays? 12-point courier, 8.5x11", brass-brad screenplays. Not buy to make, but buy to read and study?
[more inside]posted by wonderyak at 12:28 AM PST - 7 comments
I've recently moved across the US, away from a group of friends I was close with. How do I keep the group friendship alive?
[more inside]posted by nat at 12:05 AM PST - 13 comments
I saw a really cool ad for Fight Club featured on the awesome channel G4. What I am after is the soundtrack to that ad, does anyone know what it was? Or possibly where there are scores like it? It was basically a 30 second really intense drum beat. I know this is vague, but any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
posted by bostonhill at 12:00 AM PST - 6 comments
October 28
So I had a regular sized (full) feather bed, I'm real tall, I thought to take the feathers out of the bed and put them into a king sized duvet and -- Viola! A king sized feather comforter! A good plan. So I bought the duvet, dumped the feathers in, and the thing is warm. But now, feathers large and small are poking through, and poking ME, there's feathers everywhere, I look like a chicken coop landed on me.
[more inside]posted by dancestoblue at 11:04 PM PST - 9 comments
Why does PowerPoint keep cutting off my very short (~1 second) WAV files during my slide show? (Using Office 2007, PC running Vista).
[more inside]posted by rebel_rebel at 11:00 PM PST - 4 comments
Nikon D3 and greenscreen photography - what is the "live action" program for doing green screen shots?
[more inside]posted by samuel1613 at 10:54 PM PST - 10 comments
Has anyone written a good biography of Robert Smith?
posted by pompomtom at 10:44 PM PST - 5 comments
I can't figure out the exact quote and who wrote it. It goes something like this but I'm not completely sure -
"The world either breaks the heart or turns it to stone"
My suspicion is Rochefoucauld, once again shaky.
posted by bodywithoutorgans at 10:00 PM PST - 6 comments
I know how these relationship posts can drone on and on, so I'll cut to the meat of the situation. I'm dating a girl who is 27 and has a daughter who is almost two. I'll be 30 in December. She still lives with her ex (the father) because she can't afford to move out yet, and I've been very understanding of that. We've been dating for three months, the first of which was conflict free (as most new relationships are).
[more inside]posted by ISeemToBeAVerb at 9:44 PM PST - 37 comments
Due to an unfortunate mixup at the bulk food emporium, I find myself in possession of a metric buttload of spinach. Help me use it with your favorite spinach recipes.
[more inside]posted by *s at 8:54 PM PST - 32 comments
Where can I find a freeware or shareware download for Mac OS X that will allow me to plug in numerical data (e.g., public library funding in a given year) for each U.S. State and get a map of the USA that displays color-coded states? Like the infamous red / blue states map, which also has county breakdowns.
[more inside]posted by bad grammar at 8:13 PM PST - 5 comments
How do I best explain to my employer, a prestigious & expensive American Ivy League school, that I won't be taking advantage of the incomparable tuition discount and will instead finish my masters with a small-but-well-regarded British polytechnic?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 7:59 PM PST - 7 comments
What is the best way to attach newsprint to a dress to insure reasonable longevity?
[more inside]posted by thivaia at 7:47 PM PST - 8 comments
Is a Neighbourhood Association (NOT a Home Owner's Association) a legal entity? Does it need to be one? What are its legal benefits? Sordid details inside
[more inside]posted by dancinglamb at 7:38 PM PST - 10 comments
My question dear MeFites is... do you have any advice for me to help make the transition from very hot to very cold temps. comfortably and cost-effectively?
[more inside]posted by katala at 7:36 PM PST - 18 comments
There is a characteristic to my speech in which my lips are often pursed tightly together when I speak. It's not a lisp, nor is it a
tongue thrust. My wife says it's because I have a long tongue, so the opposite of a lisp. Anyone know if this even has a name?
[more inside]posted by zardoz at 7:25 PM PST - 2 comments
I'd like to add
captions to my YouTube videos and preferably not do it by hand. YouTube recommends
this software but I have a Mac. Is there something free or cheap I can use? Any other tips? Thanks.
posted by jessamyn at 7:04 PM PST - 11 comments
I'm living in BC and and have a money on a credit card that is at around 15%. Every once in a while I hear about some offer that they will transfer your debt and give you 0% or really low interest for a year or something. Any good offers out there right now??? Thank you!
posted by figTree at 6:39 PM PST - 4 comments
Can I use my Guitar Hero 3 for Wii controller guitars to play Guitar Hero World Tour?
posted by chuma at 5:58 PM PST - 5 comments
Turntable identification please! Found this bad ass turntable/radio thingamajigger at a thrift shop. It's a Braun but other than that I can find no info.
[more inside]posted by spicynuts at 5:41 PM PST - 6 comments
Back in the dark ages of the internets, someone forwarded me (or sent me a link to) some pencil/line drawings of a stereotypical Jesus doing some rather non-stereotypical (but not NSFW) things: playing baseball with some kids, driving a semi, etc. Each one had some pretty funny captions or speech bubbles or something like that. Not sure why, but I need to see these again. Anybody point me to them...?
posted by TigerMoth at 5:34 PM PST - 11 comments
Help me find places in the Washington, DC Metro area to sell edgy men's jewelry, and discover where my target customer shops.
[more inside]posted by Redruin at 5:27 PM PST - 10 comments
What (pro)consumer-level webcam should I get that will let me read the marker board my coworkers are using to brainstorm?
[more inside]posted by whycurious at 5:11 PM PST - 1 comments
I'm moving to San Francisco for 7-8 months, and I need to find a storage unit for my things here in Washington, DC. I only need to put my things in once, and then take them out when I return. Any advice on finding the best unit for my needs?
[more inside]posted by waylaid at 4:48 PM PST - 3 comments
My daughter loves the videos on "Here come the 123s" DVD, and I'd like to get her the "Here come the ABC's" DVD as well. I can easily find the ECD, but there are no descriptions on the tubes, on whether this is the equivalent of CD+DVD, or just a CD with some computer content. How and why is it different?
(I could just order the two-disc set from Amazon.ca, but having to pay twice the US price just doesn't appeal to me.)
posted by Chuckles McLaughy du Haha, the depressed clown at 3:02 PM PST - 4 comments
What are the chances, in blackjack, that I will start with 15, and the dealer will be showing a 10 (or face card worth 10)?
[more inside]posted by gummo at 2:50 PM PST - 10 comments
How do I build a website to catalog historic documents, photographs, autographs, books and magazines out of FileMaker and AbeBooks.com HomeBase databases?
[more inside]posted by nessahead at 2:41 PM PST - 1 comments
What kinds of questions am I likely to be asked in an upcoming phone interview for a facilities management job?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 2:37 PM PST - 1 comments
(Project Management Filter) I've looked around but I can't seem anything to answer this that seems right for me. Maybe experiences of others will help me navigate. How to coordinate paper and electronic files and emails etc when dealing with many vendor/many location things...
[more inside]posted by sio42 at 2:33 PM PST - 5 comments
Please help me identify/find this David Foster Wallace (very) short story.
[more inside]posted by hugo at 1:48 PM PST - 3 comments
What are the best ways to encourage audience participation and reception of potentially boring presentations? I have two presentations late November / early December and want to keep people alert and do a memorable presentation. What tricks did the best / most memorable presentations you have seen use?
[more inside]posted by philsi at 1:47 PM PST - 15 comments
Hello, gifted people. I have a library patron whose dog has been diagnosed with mucopolysaccharidosis, aka Hunter Syndrome. She is pursuing an experimental bone marrow treatment plan that has helped other dogs with this rare condition, but in the meantime her dog is limited to foods that have no triglycerides, polysaccharides, or mucopolysaccharides. Her question: are there any foods in the carbohydrate family that are NOT triglycerides, polysaccharides, or mucopolysaccharides? Or, to rephrase in maybe a simpler manner, are there any carbs that her dog can eat with this mucopolysaccharidosis disease?
[more inside]posted by agathafrye at 1:45 PM PST - 7 comments
How would I do a google trends style analysis of the political use of Hussein as a middle name on Facebook?
posted by billtron at 1:39 PM PST - 6 comments
Can you help me make a list of specific dishes associated with religious holidays or rituals? (Example: challah bread on Shabbat; eel for Italians on Christmas Eve.) The more diverse the religions and dishes the better. Thanks!
posted by adrober at 1:26 PM PST - 31 comments
I'm seeing annoying reflections of lights around the lenses of my new glasses. Are the frames causing this or something else?
[more inside]posted by Ultra Laser at 12:41 PM PST - 17 comments
I'm working on a BA in chemistry, with a concentration in biochemistry. Compared to getting a BS, will it be harder for me to find a job when I graduate? If so, how much harder?
[more inside]posted by pullayup at 12:31 PM PST - 13 comments
I just started up my new Windows Vista laptop for the second time and it told me that it detected a second monitor. I don't have a second monitor and one has never been plugged in, the first time I started up the computer all I did was do the mandatory first-time-startup configuration, and it's never been connected to the Internet (I'm writing this from another computer). Should I just ignore the message, or might something be wrong I should look into? (I started up the computer again to check whether this would happen again, and it didn't, although the screen went black for a while after the desktop was fully loaded.)
posted by Cucurbit at 11:53 AM PST - 4 comments
How do I find a doctor that can figure out what is wrong with my family member? This seems like a Medical Incredible/House type case.
[more inside]posted by nougat at 11:18 AM PST - 21 comments
Looking for good documentaries that are truly informative (i.e. a kind of textbook in movie format). What are the best documentaries you've seen that left you much more informed about basic history and human knowledge?
[more inside]posted by the other side at 11:10 AM PST - 28 comments
Where do the printers that dont sell go?
In other words, where can I buy a band-new printer from say 2006?
[more inside]posted by cmherskovic at 10:59 AM PST - 14 comments
Does anyone know anything about the digital expert shopping engine "Digital Jones" that was purchased by Shopping.com / Dealtime.com in 2000? Pictures, Videos, Some old website? Checked Wayback machine and had no luck.
[more inside]posted by UMDirector at 10:39 AM PST - 1 comments
Looking for a Multitasking Timer: a bunch of timers on screen, clicking on one stops the others. Like a chess clock, but for 6 to 12 players.
[more inside]posted by bartleby at 10:33 AM PST - 3 comments
I have a friend who suffers from anxiety and panic disorder. She currently sees a therapist, but is interested in a more structured approach. Does anyone have a recommendation for a female therapist in Austin, TX who specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? I would also be interested in getting recommendations for brief inpatient programs.
posted by anonymous at 10:00 AM PST - 3 comments
Due to a breakdown in negotiations, I have $30,000 more student debt than I thought, leaving me with $35k. I live very, very simply, and after college I wanted to go travel the world for a few years and not worry about a career or marriage or consumer debt. Am I totally, completely screwed into a life of mediocrity?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 9:53 AM PST - 58 comments
We are considering buying a Skystream wind turbine for a new home we're building in Northern New Hampshire (in the U.S.) Does anyone have any first-hand experience with this brand of turbine? Has it performed as well as expected and held up over time?
posted by soulbarn at 9:27 AM PST - 2 comments
PERU: Puno vs. Cuzco: Which is a safer destination for a 27 year-old SWF (American)with very limited Spanish ability and very little money? Or somewhere else in Peru, maybe?
[more inside]posted by mateuslee at 9:24 AM PST - 11 comments
Please recommend a wireless picture frame that I can load with pictures remotely (through an online service like Picasa, by emailing the device, etc). This is for my grandparents, so the frame should require minimal to no interaction once set up, and I would like to avoid subscription fees for the WiFi service. Decent picture quality and viewing angle would be nice too.
posted by Krrrlson at 9:11 AM PST - 8 comments
I want to start a small business making/selling casual video games. I'm aware of the many smart and committed people who have tried this and failed, but I want to make a go of it anyway. How do I improve my chances of success?
[more inside]posted by [user was fined for this post] at 9:11 AM PST - 7 comments
Each year in the fall, my DH and I go to Ireland for his business meetings. These meetings last 3-4 days and then he takes 3 days of vacation and we go somewhere else in Europe.
We have gone to Paris, the west coast of Ireland, Scotland and here is my question:
When you have only 3 days, what would be the best plan of attack?
[more inside]posted by seekingsimplicity at 9:06 AM PST - 8 comments
I've been with my current job for over 10 years, but haven't developed any significant skills in this field that will help me in the future, and I'm starting to get freaked out....(Details inside)...
[more inside]posted by TwilightKid at 8:17 AM PST - 7 comments
Is there a website that will track a particular item and alert you when it's offered at discount?
[more inside]posted by c:\awesome at 8:07 AM PST - 9 comments
At the very last minute, I'm applying to grad school to get my PhD in English. Hooray! Except that I'm
abysmal at math. How much will that hurt my chance at top PhD programs in English? Because I've got two weeks to A) teach myself basic algebra for the GRE, and B) stop psyching myself out to the point of panic attacks.
[more inside]posted by zoomorphic at 7:31 AM PST - 42 comments
I recently found out that one of my professors takes practically all of his lecture material straight off the web. Should anything be done?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 7:07 AM PST - 51 comments
Other than Rambam's "Mishnah Torah: Sefer Madah," what other famous book or work begins with the Tetragrammaton?
In "hilchot yesode hatorah," the first four words of the chapter begin with the letters yud hay vav hay. Our teacher said there is some other famous book/chapter/text that uses words with the same four letters? Anyone know what it is? Thanks!
posted by andoatnp at 6:55 AM PST - 5 comments
Prius owners: have you successfully brought home a full size IKEA bed frame in your car?
[more inside]posted by puffin at 6:54 AM PST - 9 comments
NotSpamFilter: Why are letters sent from my Gmail and Google Apps email addresses getting intermittently marked as spam in Outlook?
[more inside]posted by rentalkarma at 6:53 AM PST - 7 comments
My kitten is snotty. Some sort of permanent virus he picked up in the shelter. I've talked to the vet about his health, but she had no tips for keeping my house mucus-free. Help?
[more inside]posted by crush-onastick at 6:20 AM PST - 13 comments
Around 4 weeks ago I moved house and took my cat with me. He seemed to take the move well he wasnt scared and settled in quite quickly. Ive installed a cat flap and for the past 2 weeks hes been using it if only to do business outside.
I work 9 - 5 ish so the cat is on his own all day but when i come home the cat behaves very strangely. He will follow me round sometimes dashing back and forth trying to play sometimes just shadowing me and ocasionally meowing a bit. Im guessing hes bored and i have a feeling its because the area the new house is in only has 1 cat in the area. Im not sure.
So im wondering what i could do to make him less bored. I was thinking maybee get another cat? or am i jumping the gun a bit is this normal behavour from a cat that has had to move? he does seem very happy
posted by toocan at 6:14 AM PST - 10 comments
Do I have "Manic Depression"? I know you are not my Dr., but since I'm not dying and my Doc usually changes the subject on me, I'd love to hear your general knowledge and experience before I go force the issue.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 6:01 AM PST - 16 comments
My wife, a high school teacher, has an extra period with her students tomorrow. She wants to show them something (documentary, TV episode) interesting and have a discussion afterward. Suggestions?
[more inside]posted by FeldBum at 4:46 AM PST - 30 comments
Where can I get a quality medical education for cheap in Europe when dual French and Canadian nationalities?
[more inside]posted by snoogles at 2:52 AM PST - 5 comments
Help me find a replacement fan for my VGA heatsink. The base of the fan is mounted onto the copper plate with 3 screws (in the shape of a 'Y') instead of the typical rectangular shape with 4 screws. This is an after-market heatsink for the 9800pro so I couldn't find any place that still sells it. The size of the fan is approx 2.12in which is about 53mm which is not typical either.
posted by parttimeninja at 12:16 AM PST - 8 comments
October 27
Calling all Swedish mefites! Laptop repair for an American Dell in either Lund or Malmö, Sweden?
[more inside]posted by rossination at 11:32 PM PST - 5 comments
How can I use my
name@
my-domain.com email address to
send email, if the same address is set to forward incoming mail to another address?
[more inside]posted by churl at 11:18 PM PST - 12 comments
IKEA Rag Rug nastiness: Has this happened to anyone you know? (Somewhat gross explanation ahead)
[more inside]posted by lottie at 10:37 PM PST - 12 comments
Looking for opinions here. My husband just retired, we have a government pension of $1,600/month. House paid for, ditto basic health insurance; we can live comfortably (high speed net access, Netflix, newspaper) if we're careful. We have $12,000 in savings, in cash. SO: save it all & add to it (last summer's plan) or spend some or all of it on useful items that may get scarcer and/or more expensive. What would you do?
posted by kestralwing at 10:28 PM PST - 21 comments
I'm trying finish up a mask I'm making for Halloween; it' s basically a giant papier-mache eyeball, and I'm looking for suggestions for suitable paints to use to make it look good.
[more inside]posted by millions at 9:46 PM PST - 8 comments
Why do I get floppy feet after I run? They don't hurt, so I don't think they're shin splints...they just flop around when I try to walk. Help?
[more inside]posted by cheeken at 8:16 PM PST - 7 comments
What are all the things I should do to prepare an old iBook of mine before I sell it to another person (who I don't know and isn't related to me)?
[more inside]posted by micawber at 7:49 PM PST - 3 comments
Where can I buy La Guacamaya hot sauce with lime juice in the Seattle area?
[more inside]posted by Tube at 7:41 PM PST - 8 comments
I am in Canada (BC) and with the economy slowing and such, what is the best way to protect myself? I am in an entry level job now and growing "old" but I want to know the best course of action. White collar jobs? learn a trade?
Get a degree? I am open to ideas...
Thanks!
posted by brinks at 7:37 PM PST - 8 comments
What can I expect at interviews for simple restaurant/food service jobs? What things should I be saying to increase the chances I'll get hired? How should I dress? I have no foodservice experience.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 7:03 PM PST - 16 comments
Should we go to St. Lucia for our honeymoon next week, or hold out for better weather?
[more inside]posted by anomie at 6:39 PM PST - 6 comments
Fun suggestions and accommodation for Savannah GA- Filter and/or changing a flight-Filter.
[more inside]posted by oflinkey at 6:31 PM PST - 5 comments
Help me identify famous people who were respected for putting up a good fight but still lost the (figurative) war.
[more inside]posted by metahawk at 6:09 PM PST - 36 comments
Last Wednesday I was assaulted by a foul smell in my front (guest) bathroom. I have been trying to pinpoint the cause for several days. I'm about to go out of town and need advice on what to do, especially since I'm extremely broke and have tried all the usual methods of attack. Details inside...
[more inside]posted by Unicorn on the cob at 5:43 PM PST - 13 comments
What sort of CMS configuration would I use to integrate the current content of a Blogspot blog with a website of basic HTML articles and photo galleries?
[more inside]posted by stleric at 5:19 PM PST - 2 comments
Financial advice-filter. I'm a college student with no debt and negligible living expenses. Where should I be putting my income?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 5:16 PM PST - 8 comments
I hooked up with an old friend who I had very long standing crush on, I'm pretty confident I'm being rejected, but his behavior during and after is still making my head spin and I would really like to understand his behavior more so that I can move on.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 5:16 PM PST - 31 comments
Hi All,
I am due to go to Slovenia very soon, arriving in Ljubljana. I'm booked into a hostel but looking at online reviews the place is getting I'm quite scared. Any advice for places to stay whilst I'm there? I'm not generally scared of hostels, and have travelled through Asia, Sth America, Europe a bit.
If anyone lives there or will also be there over the next week or so, speaks a bit of English and wants to have a meal/drink or two then I'm up for that as well.
Thanks!
posted by Admira at 4:10 PM PST - 13 comments
With very few exceptions I have never really liked anime. Recently I watched Death Note on hulu and got a huge kick out of it. I'd like to watch some more anime that isn't about people who are awesome at fighting fighting other people who are awesome at fighting and is generally suspenseful and tightly serialized.
[more inside]posted by I Foody at 3:32 PM PST - 48 comments
I have several Word and PDF documents that I want to combine into a single PDF using Adobe Acrobat Professional 8. Is it possible to label each document with a different number?
[more inside]posted by k8lin at 2:45 PM PST - 4 comments
I recently had my second perm ever in my life. I bought this liquid from the hair salon that the stylist assured me would not make my hair hard. It turned out to be a half-truth.. Tell me what's better!
[more inside]posted by pinksoftsoap at 2:36 PM PST - 8 comments
What are some physical jobs or hobbies that I can get involved in to be more healthy, but also something that will be regular enough to require me to keep going?
[more inside]posted by jkl345 at 1:52 PM PST - 23 comments
Investing/Day Trading -Why is it bad to pick stocks off the losers of the day assuming they will rebound?
[more inside]posted by SirStan at 1:44 PM PST - 29 comments
I'm looking for US (or international) source for (whole) olive pit charcoal (not an extruded product made out of pressed olive). Fruit stone charcoal (especially apricot pit) might also work. I am not looking for large quantities - maybe 1-3 kg at most.
I know some Chinese sources, but right now, the shipping regulations are making it difficult to bring into the country. Ideally, these would be Chinese or Japanese olives, but Mediterranean olives could be Ok too.
[more inside]posted by PandaMcBoof at 12:41 PM PST - 5 comments
Looking for Feng Shui software to lay out a new house (not yet built).
Has anybody used a product they'd recommend?
posted by jackround at 12:34 PM PST - 1 comments
I have about a hundred teenagers in a room for about two to four hours. What type of service project could we do on-site that would require little capital (less than $100), but could make a difference in someone's life here or somewhere around the world? We have lots of energy and time, but are lacking money and transportation.
posted by roaring beast at 12:23 PM PST - 17 comments
I'm looking for a downloadable version of the Max Webster song
Battle Scar. iTunes has nothing. I haven't heard this song in about 20 years, so any help will be appreciated.
posted by rockhopper at 12:17 PM PST - 2 comments
Help me get a Memorex USB TravelDrive to work once again with my Dell Laptop!
[more inside]posted by jazon at 12:09 PM PST - 5 comments
What exists out there that discusses Tao not in the context of self-help or meditation but rather how its philosophies bear on practical aspects of art, scientific thinking, skills requiring concentration, etc? Case in point: it encourages an open mind and total awareness. I've read a good part of
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance but it seems that's more about our relationship to technology. Related non-Tao items of interest are fine.
posted by crapmatic at 12:04 PM PST - 15 comments
My favorite bars use large blocks of ice in their cocktails - much bigger than what can be obtained with a standard freezer tray. How can I make these myself? Is there such a thing as an extra large ice cube tray?
[more inside]posted by aladfar at 11:50 AM PST - 18 comments
I'm a 37-year-old American, about to get a passport for the first time for a trip in March, 2009 to Southern Sudan, with a little time in Uganda. Even though the trip is months away, I'd like to get my passport as soon as I possibly can, but I'm not sure what is the best way.
[more inside]posted by 4ster at 11:44 AM PST - 23 comments
Are there any websites that have easy to understand guidelines about matching colors in fashion?
[more inside]posted by peep at 11:25 AM PST - 10 comments
I have a bunch of dull knives, chisels, etc. I think I'm looking for a bench grinder. Used? New? How do I use it when I've got it?
[more inside]posted by echo target at 11:21 AM PST - 13 comments
A friend is searching for early references in science fiction literature (a genre that I am not very well read in) where a corporation runs the world. I thought of Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel,
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Are there earlier references?
posted by stephenfrancoeur at 11:05 AM PST - 13 comments
[VideoEditingFilter] Easiest/quickest way to join MANY single-word videos into a whole, full-paragraphes one?
[more inside]posted by XiBe at 10:58 AM PST - 5 comments
Make writing more satisifying with sound effects! *Tahtikkatakkatahtakkatikkatitakkatahtitakkatitatakka-ka-CHUNG*
[more inside]posted by Citizen Premier at 10:32 AM PST - 4 comments
Can I put a piece of furniture - sofa? bookcase? - in front of a 5 foot installed electric baseboard heater without burning my house down? The guy who did our renovations, who we like and trust a lot, insisted when he installed it that it would be perfectly safe to put a sofa right in front of the heater, which would prevent our kids from sticking their hands in it and possibly burning themselves. But now that I see how hot it gets, I'm afraid our house will go up in flames. That would not be good. What say you, electric-baseboard-heater-owning-Mefites?
posted by missuswayne at 10:29 AM PST - 15 comments
I've read that raw chicken should be kept in the refrigerator for only 2 or 3 days before using. So why is the "Use By" date on the chicken sold at my local supermarket 6 days from now?
[more inside]posted by gfrobe at 10:25 AM PST - 6 comments
I remember a website from a few years ago that showed three different still photography scenes that morphed into one another, showing that scene over the course of 24 hours. These scenes had accompanying recordings of the surroundings. If I remember correctly, the scenes were a park, outside a bus station or some kind of intersection, and a quiet canal in Venice.
I would like to find this site again. Any help?
posted by greta simone at 10:15 AM PST - 3 comments
I feel the need to move my computer data to the cloud, but I am... afraid. This has been troubling me for months now. I've bothered friends and family, but most of them have already switched and have no fear. But I'm an old computer dude and I've always stored my stuff within arms reach. I'm lured by Google features but, but... I guess it comes down to trust. This is emotional people! If I pay google monthly (for more space) does that imply any durability? Or am I way outta line and being too virtually materialistic?
posted by mouthnoize at 10:01 AM PST - 12 comments
Dear Hive Mind,
I'm thinking of switching my college's wordpress.com literary
blog to its own domain using wordpress.org. But I don't know if this is the right thing to do.
[more inside]posted by omnigut at 9:55 AM PST - 5 comments
What's the correct way to set things on a Windows server (SBS 2003) and our client computers so the time is synchronized properly?
[more inside]posted by bcwinters at 9:53 AM PST - 12 comments
Like most people I know, I'm pretty sick of the presidential election - to the point where I'm going to try something interesting this year. On Election Day, I'm taking the day off. I'll go vote at the beginning of the day, but after that I plan on actively avoiding the whole thing, best I can, until Wednesday morning. How can I best pull this off?
[more inside]posted by captainawesome at 9:49 AM PST - 25 comments
The Han and Cinema
I am working on a paper on the Korean concept of Han and how Han is
communicated directly or through the use of trope in film and television.
Of particular interest are films and television from East Asia, those
which feature East Asian actors, and those which are set in East Asia.
The definition I am seeking to support or reject is the idea of Han as:
The pain of victims that has festered in their hearts for a long time.
My ideas thus far:
The West Wing (2003) Episode 504 - entitled Han.
The Good Earth (1937) In addition to the plot of the film of interest
is the fact Anna May Wong was passed over for the role of O-Lan and
the pain and woundedness and the sense of "Han" she experienced.
M*A*S*H (1972-1983) set in Korea but not focused on Korea. The Korean people are merely a silent witness in the series, they have no voice.
If you have any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.
posted by the_binary_blues at 9:47 AM PST - 7 comments
NY Unemployment Benefits Filter: I applied for unemployment benefits approximately three weeks after my company had to release me, due to downsizing. Essentially, I am trying to recover unemployment benefits I did not claim during those first three weeks. Am I out of luck?
[more inside]posted by helios410 at 9:33 AM PST - 4 comments
How do you make a town more local-music-friendly? What things can individuals, businesses, and cities do to encourage a better local music scene?
[more inside]posted by Miko at 9:13 AM PST - 20 comments
Can you point me towards some articles about planning and methodology for developing small video libraries?
[more inside]posted by sswiller at 9:08 AM PST - 2 comments
Do you know of anyone, yourself included, who has actually made significant positive in terms of optimism, discipline, and ambition? How did this happen?
[more inside]posted by mjewkes at 9:01 AM PST - 13 comments
My organisation has entasked me with installing a computer-based car booking system. We have roughly 14 cars. We currently use a huge whiteboard to manage this. But we imagine it could be easier to manage if people used a computer to query a database via an asset booking GUI. At least one of the computers ought to be a touchscreen installed somewhere central with a super easy GUI for those who are not so computer-literate. Access control an advantage (registered users, etc). Ability to leave messages about what's wrong with the cars - and equally see what others have reported - a wonderful thing. Also a real boon could be the ability to tell the system, I want a car from then to then - what's available?
[more inside]posted by dance at 8:53 AM PST - 5 comments
Why does the MBTA Worcester/Framingham CommuterRail trains switch from the inbound tracks to the outbound tracks between certain hours?
[more inside]posted by lizzicide at 8:39 AM PST - 2 comments
Why does putting a couple pieces of bread in a sealed container of cookies keep the cookies soft while the bread goes hard?
[more inside]posted by shadowfelldown at 8:25 AM PST - 14 comments
Do consumer loyalty programs make sense or is it generally better to pick hotels and flights based on price and convenience?
[more inside]posted by 2bucksplus at 8:24 AM PST - 6 comments
Can anyone recommend a Toronto-based laser clinic for facial/skin treatments? It makes me a bit nervous to think of just picking one out of the yellow pages, and I can't even seem to find any customer reviews of laser clinics on the web.
posted by orange swan at 7:56 AM PST - 3 comments
My girlfriend and I are travelling from London to Paris with a very early 5.25 train. We will arrive in Paris around 8, and I'm sure we would appreciate going straight to a very nice cafe or similar from a nice, long breakfast. Can you recommend such a place? We like sweet and savoury things, but prefer baguette, croissants and jams type of place. We're looking for something a bit more upmarket than normal cafes, but nothing which would cost more than 15 euros per head...
Thanks!
posted by hairgelburrito at 7:43 AM PST - 4 comments
I bought the ATI Sapphire HD 3870 a couple of months ago. I was especially stoked about the HDMI out feature that would allow me to play audio from my DVD receiver (Samsung HTQ80T/XAA). Well it does that but, the resolution is blurry. Changing the display quality on the pc doesn't help. My PC is connected to the HDMI IN on the receiver and the HDMI OUT on the receiver is connected to my monitor. DVD's look fine but the PC looks horrid. Not sure if it's the Home theater, or the card. Any Ideas as to what I can do about this? thanks.
posted by Student of Man at 7:14 AM PST - 6 comments
I have three days a week and approx. 1 hour 15min. I am about 30 lbs over weight but eating healthy. I know I need to do cardio and I like weights. Anybody have a workout plan that they can suggest for 3 times a week? (I hope to go 4 eventually but this is the time I have). The only exercises I cannot do are military presses do to a rotator cuff issue. So with this limited time and stretching thrown in, what is your advice/opinon? Feel free to share with me your workout program. I am in okay shape but still in the walking stages of cardio. I am rather strong but am not looking to get more muscular....rather to get lean, if possible. I would hire a trainer but cannot afford it at this time.
posted by snap_dragon at 6:35 AM PST - 16 comments
Child seat on bicycle + reflective stickers: what's the best pattern?
[more inside]posted by Huw at 6:26 AM PST - 7 comments
Political TV Ads. Do they use professional actors in the majority of TV ads, or are they "real" people that work for the candidates? Not that my decision would be swayed by TV ads, but most of the people in them seem to have absolutely no enthusiasm or belief in what they are saying (the "I'm not Joe the Plumber" ads being the prime example).
posted by 543DoublePlay at 5:54 AM PST - 6 comments
I found a song back in the days of Napster which has no accurate metadata. But, I like it and need help figuring out who it is. There's some folks out there via Google who say its the Grateful Dead. I'm not so sure.
Here are the lyrics:
[more inside]posted by Shanachie at 5:53 AM PST - 11 comments
What did you do to get over your deep-seated belief that you'll fail at everything you do? In the past this has manifested itself in overtly self-destructive behaviors (e.g. substance abuse), and while those are currently under control I still engage in massive self-sabotage that I'm pretty sure is connected to my belief that I do not deserve success and will fail at anything I try to do.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 5:18 AM PST - 19 comments
Is it possible to launch a preemptive strike against jet lag--by gradually waking up earlier to adjust your biological clock to a foreign time zone?
[more inside]posted by Gordion Knott at 2:13 AM PST - 15 comments
How is it that as you grow older your perception of people's faces as being roughly in your age group grows with it?
[more inside]posted by =^^= at 2:03 AM PST - 9 comments
Please help me find awesome alt. country\indie folk\country-influenced pop bands. Examples within.
[more inside]posted by !Jim at 12:17 AM PST - 56 comments
October 26
I am trying to resolve some angry and anxious feelings I’m having about emergency medical care my husband received this weekend. Very long story inside.
[more inside]posted by jay dee bee at 11:57 PM PST - 28 comments
I want software to split, combine, tile, and imposition pages (produced by different apps) before sending the job to the printer. Can I do this without spending megabucks on Acrobat or learning to read and write PostScript by hand?
[more inside]posted by Myself at 11:41 PM PST - 6 comments
Oops bought something on ebay, but gave them the wrong zipcode, product shipped via US Postal Service First Class Mail
[more inside]posted by matimer at 11:00 PM PST - 8 comments
How can I insert a white lining onto my curtains, thereby appeasing my condo association?
[more inside]posted by December at 8:45 PM PST - 18 comments
Dressing as a Preist (leaning more toward Irish Catholic one )for Halloween. Looking for ideas and wierd and funny things to say. So far i found this
Things you dont want a Preist to say was hoping to query the hive mind for funnier things and ideas.
posted by Rolandkorn at 8:21 PM PST - 16 comments
Why do the slices stick to the side of my chef's knife when I'm slicing apples and such? Is there anything I can do to stop it? It doesn't seem to happen to the TV chefs.
posted by smackfu at 6:58 PM PST - 9 comments
Why does my Lenovo ThinkPad T60 running Windows XP 60 Gig HD show 12.5 Gig capacity?
Screenshot of the weirdness: http://screencast.com/t/5wUUE5BORI
posted by zalary at 6:42 PM PST - 8 comments
US user desperately seeking workaround to view BBC/Channel 4
full program(me)s. Thank you.
posted by red cell at 5:56 PM PST - 9 comments
Question for Aussies or Mauritian ex-pats: Where can I buy some products from Mauritius in Australia?
[more inside]posted by chris88 at 5:39 PM PST - 2 comments
Does anyone know of a proofreading service that offers high end proofreading for professionals?
[more inside]posted by bucksox at 5:29 PM PST - 9 comments
So, I've been in three long term relationships, and while I'm not quite a blushing virgin, now that I'm dating, I'm realizing that I'm quite possibly a bit more naïve than most. I've been on a few dates with a really wonderful man, and he's disclosed that he has herpes. Nothing has happened yet that would put me at risk, but I'm trying to figure out what this means.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 5:11 PM PST - 13 comments
KidsTheseDays Filter: I see 'em walking their bikes by holding them propped up vertically, by the handlebars, balanced on the back wheel. What's this all about?
[more inside]posted by Rash at 5:02 PM PST - 19 comments
A dear friend of mine is morbidly obese. He has a variety of medical issues which are mostly being addressed. He has several related issues that are not - mostly hygiene related. Help me help him. (possible squick inside).
[more inside]posted by ninazer0 at 4:07 PM PST - 12 comments
My roommate wants a friend to live at our place while he gets his life together... should I be cool with this?
[more inside]posted by FireStyle at 2:21 PM PST - 39 comments
My maternal great aunt's husband just died; this guy had been lying to my great aunt for years, claiming they were destitute and living off of her while squirreling away all his money. It looks like he's trying to leave everything to his son, and leave her cold; where can my mother find a good inheritance lawyer in New York City? Neither my mother nor her aunt is rich.
[more inside]posted by korpios at 1:51 PM PST - 7 comments
Anyone remember a website that had lots of old movie posters which I think were possibly from Russia but of American or western films?
[more inside]posted by aqueousdan at 1:14 PM PST - 3 comments
I want an Android google phone but live in South America where they aren't available yet, and when they do they will be overpriced.
[more inside]posted by lapsang at 12:47 PM PST - 2 comments
Fable 2 local co-op question: Is it possible to play through the game once with a henchman tagging along, without the second player needing to play through their own game?
[more inside]posted by cacophony at 12:43 PM PST - 2 comments
I have started developing and selling software for the iPhone. What websites should I read on a regular basis?
[more inside]posted by alms at 12:32 PM PST - 5 comments
What is the best way to experience the upcoming US election in the UK?
posted by fernbritton at 12:03 PM PST - 6 comments
I'm writing a paper which deals with architectural representation. In doing so I'm providing very brief explanations of plans, sections & elevations intended to bring a non-design crowd up to speed on these conventions. I'm looking for informative and quasi-poetic quotes to describe, contextualize and problematize these drawing types. What should I use?
[more inside]posted by serial_consign at 11:55 AM PST - 3 comments
How can I get CVS-brand liquid "high efficiency" detergent out of a nylon duffel bag? (asking for a friend)
posted by prefpara at 11:52 AM PST - 5 comments
Asking for a friend: How might she go about finding gainful employment in Chicago? She's two years out of college, graphics design major, working for a printer in middle America, and wants the bright lights, big city. Marketing would be the dream job for her. Any advice? Recruiting agencies? Pounding the pavement? The Internet hasn't worked so well for her.
posted by cameradv at 11:37 AM PST - 9 comments
what's with ebay usernames like 7***j...I'm frequently being outbid by this type of username...is this an automated type of bidding account, like for bid sniping? is this fraud? anybody know?
[more inside]posted by othersomethings at 10:57 AM PST - 12 comments
Does this word exist? Definition: a concept that is either so large and/or complex that you cannot even wrap your mind around it, specifically in the sense that the idea/concept/whatever-are-discussing essentially can't "fit" in your brain. I believe it is a many-syllabled German word that is used in English similar to how English speakers use the terms "zeitgest" or "doppelganger".
[more inside]posted by acehigh at 10:55 AM PST - 24 comments
Capitalising on other peoples stupidity: On Ebay, how do i know which broken devices aren't really THAT broken after all?
[more inside]posted by freddymetz at 10:51 AM PST - 11 comments
Law School Filter: OK, so my numbers put me as likely in at Chicago or Michigan (according to hourumd), which are my first choices. But which is best for my family?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 10:50 AM PST - 9 comments
Can anyone recommend a Brio Toy collector website that has complete set lists? (I'm basically looking for a site like
This Old Toy but for Brio trains.
posted by anastasiav at 8:59 AM PST - 1 comments
Can anyone recommend an "online journalism" or "digital journalism" course/training/seminar for existing journalists ?
[more inside]posted by motdiem2 at 8:09 AM PST - 5 comments
My Linksys WRT54G becomes unresponsive about 2 minutes after boot if the WiFi is on. This prevents Internet access even for wired clients. This does not happen if I quickly get into the router at boot and disable WiFi. Any ideas? Should I move to DD-WRT?
[more inside]posted by Xoder at 8:00 AM PST - 13 comments
I need to convert a double 30 amp breaker that feeds a 240V dryer outlet into a subpanel for several 120 lines...
[more inside]posted by docpops at 7:55 AM PST - 9 comments
A neglected neighborhood cat has moved into my yard and is driving me crazy with his nonstop needy behavior since the day I petted him. What can I do to help him chill out?
[more inside]posted by Jennifer S. at 7:23 AM PST - 16 comments
October 25
s. korea filter: in seoul for two weeks and wondering about pay-as-you-go phones. existent? procurable? where? how? i sure could use one while i'm there...
posted by artof.mulata at 11:23 PM PST - 5 comments
My laptop's right-arrow key is remapping itself. Any tips for diagnosis or repair?
[more inside]posted by Rhaomi at 7:52 PM PST - 10 comments
My boyfriend has started a GFCF (gluten-free, casein-free) diet. This is following a recent diagnosis of Adult Aspergers. Please help us.
[more inside]posted by mjao at 5:29 PM PST - 22 comments
Can someone explain the processes of how fish gets from fishermen and producers in California (specifically the San Francisco bay area) to restaurants. Is there a central fish/wholesale market?
[more inside]posted by Infernarl at 4:39 PM PST - 3 comments
We're having great difficulty getting required insurance approval for the house we are trying to buy, all due to us having a web-based business. Please help!
[more inside]posted by Kickstart70 at 4:07 PM PST - 5 comments
Short Story Suggestions: I need a short story for a specific lesson. Criteria inside.
[more inside]posted by gursky at 2:38 PM PST - 11 comments
I remember reading about these spectacles that'd let you control their focal lengths by varying an oil film between two rectangles of glass that were held together by the frame ('oil inside the lens'). Links?
posted by Taksi Putra at 1:56 PM PST - 5 comments
Please suggest products that I should and should not use to clean different parts of the kitchen, such as a laminate counter top, stainless steel sink, or metal stove top. I am particularly interested in products that won't generate fumes that will send me out of the kitchen.
[more inside]posted by grouse at 1:53 PM PST - 21 comments
We are traveling to the Crossville, TN area and are asking for suggestion of things to do and great places for a good meal. We will have four days to travel around the area and are willing to drive about 100 miles in any direction. Any suggestions? Also any suggestions for good stops along I-81 between Charlottesville, VA and the Tennessee border are welcomed. Thank-you.
posted by shadywood1 at 1:43 PM PST - 9 comments
My sweetheart loves, and has read every book by, Anna Quindlen, Jumpha Lahiri, Pat Conroy, Joshua Henkin, and Anne Packer. I need to buy her books to read on our honeymoon. I'm at a loss. Save us from a sad and illiterate start on our new lives! Suggest authors or books to get her.
posted by Sockpuppet The First at 1:28 PM PST - 25 comments
I woke up this morning and noticed a darkish, donut-shaped spot almost in the middle of the field of view of my left eye.
[more inside]posted by bonobothegreat at 12:25 PM PST - 16 comments
Where do I start? I have an idea for a "rate my ____" website. It is not a photo-based one, more like the rate my teacher sites around.
[more inside]posted by nitor at 12:18 PM PST - 6 comments
What US-based cell phone service will I be able to get in Matamoros, Mexico, across the border from Brownsville, Texas?
[more inside]posted by lockestockbarrel at 11:54 AM PST - 2 comments
Would like to end the ongoing clashes over housework and childcare with my husband. What has worked for your family?
[more inside]posted by lgandme0717 at 11:40 AM PST - 30 comments
Hopefully-not-too-ugly Divorcefilter: How can I get my (future-ex) wife to finalize our separation agreement?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 11:03 AM PST - 8 comments
For the purposes of fantasy football, is the performance of a defense/special teams harder to predict than the performance of, say, a wide receiver?
[more inside]posted by stuart_s at 10:58 AM PST - 5 comments
I live in Ontario. I'd like to write to some government body praising my oral surgeon, who is so amazing it should be on record somewhere for anyone researching him in the future. Should I do this, and who should I send the letter to? He's DDS, MD, FRCD(C), Dip. ABOMS.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 9:20 AM PST - 3 comments
We rent an apartment and have some pet stains in our hardwood floor. I believe they are too deep to sand out and I think the floor will have to be partially replaced. The damage covers parts of an area about 32" x 36". I'd like to try and take care of it without involving my landlord. Is it possible to replace only part of a hardwood floor? Does anyone know a reputable flooring company in the Chicagoland area?
posted by youngergirl44 at 9:16 AM PST - 10 comments
What's everyone's experience with tennis training aids? Have any actually worked for you and helped improve your game?
[more inside]posted by isoman2kx at 9:15 AM PST - 6 comments
Currently I've created several Excel files & sheets to keep track of my timelog, fuel expenses and statistics... but this set up is very messy, and I would like to keep all this data in a database. I'm wondering which would be the best option to do that.
[more inside]posted by volpe at 8:13 AM PST - 7 comments
Is there an affordable way to set up a videoconference among the five households in my family, which are scattered through the U.S. and Europe? I understand that Skype and IM services support one-to-one conferences, but I'm not sure about multipoint.
Oovoo looks good, but I understand it's prone to abuse. What's my best option?
posted by futility closet at 7:27 AM PST - 9 comments
I need to stop muttering, talking too fast and slouching if I'm going to progress in my job. Can anyone recommend a "personal impact coach" (what a terrible name) in the Washington DC metro area to turn me into a confident and assured manager?
[more inside]posted by TrashyRambo at 6:46 AM PST - 7 comments
Looking for a decent year-round convertible which can comfortably fit two adults and two children.
[more inside]posted by evilelf at 4:10 AM PST - 15 comments
What is the best way to transfer money from Korea to U.S.? My sister is in Korea teaching English. The last time she transferred money into her US account it costs her about $2k to send $2500. How does she get around this problem. Sorry I don't know any more details.
posted by docmccoy at 12:29 AM PST - 7 comments
October 24
I am trying to make a preliminary (or maybe final) decision on what foreign language I should study with respect to a computer science major after transferring to the University of Michigan. Any pointers???
[more inside]posted by JoeXIII007 at 9:40 PM PST - 24 comments
What application/platform should I use to create a YouTube type portal (focusing on user-generated content) that allows site users to search for content (videos as well as other file types) and upload their own content?
[more inside]posted by jurczyk at 9:34 PM PST - 6 comments
Does smoking marijuana carry the same risks as smoking tobacco while taking birth control pills?
[more inside]posted by Satapher at 8:59 PM PST - 19 comments
The Gas Company installed a new meter this week and broke my sprinkler line. My house and garage are now slightly flooded and laminate flooring that was just installed 1 month ago is ruined. How to I make the Gas Co. pay for the repairs?
[more inside]posted by sirhensley at 8:57 PM PST - 12 comments
This is sort of a personal question, so I don't know if anyone will really want to respond or not, but here goes.
I'm at a point in my life where I'm seriously starting to cast about for a real relationship. But as I try and try to find somebody, I'm noticing that most of my ideas about how these things go down play out in my head like sixth-generation bootlegs of hokey '90s romantic comedies. I've never had a real relationship before. I think it would be easier for me to find one for myself if I knew what they looked like at the start.
So my question to you is: How did you fall in love?
[more inside]posted by AAAA at 8:31 PM PST - 45 comments
Are you or your child anosmic? As in can't smell anything? Have you found a way to reverse your condition?
[more inside]posted by emhutchinson at 7:33 PM PST - 23 comments
LongshotFilter: Does anyone know if any 15.4" WSXGA+ panels with LED backlights are coming to market soon?
[more inside]posted by knave at 7:16 PM PST - 3 comments
PC-game-filter: I vaguely remember reading about these games years ago, help me remember what they were and bonus points for where to "obtain" them. 1) A game about B-movie like monsters --or maybe it was a make your own monster and set it loose on a city with a "movie mode" tacked on? 2) A game where you control a bizarre floating island that you build into a "battle ship", with jet engines, guns and even a battering ram.
[more inside]posted by DetonatedManiac at 7:11 PM PST - 7 comments
Is there a service to which I can have my mail sent to, and then either forwarded to us overseas, or, scanned and emailed to us.
[more inside]posted by steppe at 6:58 PM PST - 11 comments
Is there ever a tactful way to let someone know you don't want to be friends? What to do in an instance of hurt feelings.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 5:57 PM PST - 25 comments
I'm trying to figure out if a server I'm working on can withstand being linked to by very high traffic websites. Can anyone tell me the basic traffic characteristics of, say, a front page link from: Drudge Report, Yahoo! Buzz, Huffington Post, Slashdot, Reddit, or Digg? I'm using ab (ApacheBench) and I'd like to have some idea of how many requests, and at what level of concurrency, I should be trying to make this server capable of pushing out. Thanks!
[more inside]posted by evariste at 4:54 PM PST - 5 comments
I bought 5kg of very cheap honey at a market. Unfortunately it tastes off - it has a strong smokey flavour which makes it unpleasent to eat.
I'm wondering what useful stuff I could do with it instead of eating it? Also, is that smokey flavour likely to be harmful?
(I'm In Australia where bushfires are common, so that might explain the smokey flavour).
posted by singingfish at 4:46 PM PST - 18 comments
Does anyone know where I can get a passport photograph taken that meets EU regulations in the Providence/Boston area?
[more inside]posted by Ylajali at 4:05 PM PST - 6 comments
What's your favorite tech/GTD blog?
I'm looking for a blog like Lifehacker, but with more of a focus on office/workspace and geeky stuff.
posted by BoldStepDesign at 3:51 PM PST - 4 comments
I deleted my entire drupal installation after a botched upgrade attempt. I have the /sites folder and the SQL database both backed up.... how do I restore my Drupal installation to how it was?
[more inside]posted by yoyoceramic at 3:06 PM PST - 6 comments
I'd like some instructions on how to grant somebody, who is outside my local network, read and write access to a folder on a computer. Mac OS X 10.5.5 and not at all familiar with this process. Said computer is behind a router/switch.
posted by phaedon at 2:49 PM PST - 3 comments
I would like to hire a freelance programmer from India for a programming project. The programmer would remain in India and operate as an independent contractor rather than an employee. What legal hurdles must I overcome or can I just do it?
[more inside]posted by wdwcuwa at 2:36 PM PST - 9 comments
Costume Filter for the Bearded (again): How do I pull off Jesus on the cheap? If not the Big JC, then who (or what)?
[more inside]posted by piedmont at 2:30 PM PST - 14 comments
My wife is 12 weeks pregnant... and just got a job offer with a small company. Should she disclose her condition?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 2:29 PM PST - 23 comments
I found out why a friend cut off contact with me. More details below. Can this friendship be saved?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 2:29 PM PST - 30 comments
I read
this question about how to tell the difference between love and infatuation. Most of the answers seem to say that love and infatuation feel the same in the beginning but love is what lasts in the long run. My question is, is it possible to fall in love with someone with out really experiencing true infatuation with them?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 2:25 PM PST - 26 comments
We're taking a road trip next week, and looking for any suggestions of places to check out or good places to eat along the way.
[more inside]posted by disaster77 at 2:20 PM PST - 8 comments
Can anyone personally recommend a one piece hockey stick that they had good luck with?
[more inside]posted by Amby72 at 1:56 PM PST - 3 comments
Moving to New Hampshire from Arizona next week! We are driving across to OK, then up to Chicago and through Ontario from Detroit. From there I just don't know what route to take...
[more inside]posted by phytage at 1:56 PM PST - 6 comments
I've been thrilled to discover that a simple, donut shaped cushion is amazingly effective at preventing my excruciating foot pain. Yet for a small piece of foam with sticky stuff on one side,
these bunion pads are awfully expensive: about 3 bucks at the cheapest, generic level. Can you suggest a cheap alternative? Something soft with a sticky side? I can easily cut out the donut shapes myself if I can find an inexpensive source of the basic material.
posted by serazin at 1:51 PM PST - 10 comments
Is there anything approximating a Windows-based version of the OSX application PandoraJam, allowing me to record tracks suggested by the
Pandora website?
[more inside]posted by newfers at 1:33 PM PST - 6 comments
On November 4th, I intend to spend the evening watching election returns on TV and refreshing as many election-y tabs on the laptop as possible. What websites should I have loaded and ready to go?
[more inside]posted by rtha at 1:29 PM PST - 25 comments
Anyone gotten an HPAP loan in DC? I'm buying a condo and the seller is wiling to pay my closing costs. However, the big question is will HPAP let someone pay my closing cost for me? I can't find any documentation for this online. Any general words of wisdom about HPAP would be appreciated. Also, any info on the Bond program would be great. I am buying in a neighborhood that qualifies.
posted by i_love_squirrels at 1:25 PM PST - 1 comments
Banks are preparing for a rise in defaults on credit card debt. That debt
is securitized, and although home-equity loans have overtaken credit-card debt since 2003 it still makes up a good percentage of asset-backed securities. Are those credit-card debt products tranched and insured and re-insured with credit-default swaps like the mortgage-backed securites are? If so, is there some reason to hope that credit-card defaults won't trigger another credit crisis or aggravate the one that stalled interbank and corporate-bond lending this month?
[more inside]posted by nicwolff at 1:20 PM PST - 4 comments
Antidepressant filter question #4529, I've searched the archive to no avail and I am wondering what antidepressant might be right for me. I know, I know, YANAD, but I am looking for anecdotal info.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 12:49 PM PST - 24 comments
DoctorFilter: Based on this lab result, is there any way that there is NOT something bad wrong with me?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 12:48 PM PST - 6 comments
Will I be able to bring my camera in
this bag, into heinz field with me on sunday, for the steelers giants game?
[more inside]posted by ecks at 12:32 PM PST - 3 comments
Do you hear Neko Case's voice clipping when you play her "Fox Confessor..." on vinyl? Especially the inner songs on both sides?
posted by ArcAm at 11:37 AM PST - 8 comments
The rear seat belts on a 1997 Honda Accord bleed onto the upholstery. Is there any way to stop this?
[more inside]posted by fujiko at 11:24 AM PST - 4 comments
I need to enter the following information into excel, but excel wants to transform one of them into a date format. This is for a statistics class and being used to make a graph of some kind.
[more inside]posted by Jackie_Treehorn at 11:00 AM PST - 9 comments
Job and apartment search turning out to be a far more painfully drawn out process than anticipated. How do I keep my sanity and some sense of optimism?
[more inside]posted by piratebowling at 10:03 AM PST - 21 comments
I am looking to purchase editable stock Flash animation files to make holiday e-cards. I just want to add my name and another text message to an exisiting clever animation. Istockphoto just doesn't have what I am looking for. A google search was suprisingly not helpful. Any ideas?
posted by punkfloyd at 9:27 AM PST - 3 comments
How do I persuade OpenOffice Writer to move the cursor when a space is typed at the end of a document? It's driving my neighbour mad and he's kindly sharing this madness with me.
[more inside]posted by Lionel d'Lion at 9:01 AM PST - 5 comments
What is the easiest, most foolproof way to move files and programs from an old PC computer (XP) to a new one (presumably Vista, sigh).
[more inside]posted by JoanArkham at 8:30 AM PST - 15 comments
How do I file an out of state sale that I made online. I know that I do not charge tax to out of state customers but is there a exemption form that I need to fill out or somewhere I can get more information on this process. I run a company in Connecticut and we have been making more and more out of state sales and I need to figure out how to go about the exemption process. Thank you for your help.
posted by CFMartin at 8:18 AM PST - 3 comments
Doe anyone know a simple, small-office type of web based purchasing software?
Just something to keep track of purchase requests, approvals, etc. Maybe with an employee login to request stuff and buyer/boss login to view pending requests to approve/deny.
posted by plexi at 8:13 AM PST - 1 comments
OK. I just admitted to my therapist that I have been cutting and having some dark thoughts. He was about to go into a session when he answered my page. He's calling me back later and we have an appt scheduled for Monday. I'm not in any immediate danger FYI but I'm very worried and anxious what actions might be taken. He said he thought a conversation between him and my psychiatrist was in order, and I agreed to that. I've read the questions about "I told my therapist I want to kill myself, will I get committed" and there is some useful info there. But I want even further specific information about what comes next. What am I in for? What should I expect? Will this change the therapy dynamic? He knows I'm a past cutter but I have always assured him it is in the past. Now I've admitted to six weeks of lies by ommission. What happens now? I've never told anyone about this, and I'm a little freaked.
posted by anonymous at 7:29 AM PST - 17 comments
It's MBA hiring season. I have been selected to attend second round interviews with three different companies in three different cities on three consecutive days.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 7:29 AM PST - 5 comments
Is it true that there are wire nets on the Empire State Building (or any other tall building) that will catch a heavy object (like a human body) if it falls (or jumps)?
[more inside]posted by junipero at 7:20 AM PST - 14 comments
SynthFilter: Help me find more information about this keyboard I saw in a pawn shop!
[more inside]posted by clcapps at 7:12 AM PST - 2 comments
Here's an obscure one: suggest some (brief, advanced beginner to early intermediate) musical interludes for a Tenebrae service. For double bass (or easily transposed cello, I suppose).
[more inside]posted by availablelight at 7:05 AM PST - 8 comments
So suppose I wanted to teach myself quantitative finance,
computational finance, whatever you want to call it. How would I go about doing so? What books should I get? I imagine there are some standard textbooks that most students use available on amazon, what are they?
[more inside]posted by delmoi at 7:05 AM PST - 9 comments
What can I use in explaining to my boss how software licensing regulations work? My boss seems to think that we can just borrow software from another department and use it for a project that we need to deploy.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 7:03 AM PST - 16 comments
We're looking to drive to St Anton from the UK, will more than likely take the ferry across from Dover to Calais. Any tips on how we should approach it, best stopover points etc?
posted by lloyder at 7:02 AM PST - 2 comments
Driving etiquette Filter: On a two-lane limited access road, when would the left lane be considered thru-traffic lane versus the passing lane?
[more inside]posted by jujube at 6:50 AM PST - 9 comments
Whilst in Malaysia a few years ago, I picked up some very high-quality, very cheap Ralph Lauren 'Oxford' dress shirts. I realise they were probably fake, but I don't care - they were comfortable, and cheap enough to not care about destroying them.
My mum's in Hong Kong at the moment, and I've asked her to get me some more. Does anyone know where she'll find them and, so she doesn't get ripped off, how much she should expect to pay?
posted by Zé Pequeno at 5:24 AM PST - 5 comments
Please give me tips on being a good team meeting chair. We have a rotating chair and it's my turn for the next 10 weeks in a team of 6 ICT business strategy staff. Meetings are usually around an hour and cover actions from last meeting, matters arising from meetings, several agenda items and any other business. Also looking for some ideas which have the capacity to really engage minds in these meetings which we all usually find quite dull.
posted by razzman at 5:08 AM PST - 10 comments
OpenOffice Impress (PowerPoint alternative) - an emergency time-sensitive basic NEWB question...
[more inside]posted by Meatbomb at 3:40 AM PST - 2 comments
What's the easiest way to use my Mac to mod an xbox and install XBMC? I don't have access to any of the old games, and don't really want to have to buy a USB to memory card convertor for this. Suggestions?
[more inside]posted by ranglin at 3:17 AM PST - 9 comments
October 23
Seoul Filter: Help me plan my weekend around Lotte World and Building 63 in Seoul.
Hello, my girlfriend and I will be travelling to Seoul from our countryside campus (Soonchunghyang University). Since we’ve just finished our midterms, and since we are both new to Korea, we’ll be spending this, hopefully unraining, weekend in Seoul to explore a bit.
[more inside]posted by Knigel at 11:44 PM PST - 4 comments
How can I convert VOB files to AVI or some other format, but with embedded subtitles?
[more inside]posted by pravit at 10:46 PM PST - 11 comments
Looking for interesting musicians and music groups in and around Fredonia NY for video project.
[more inside]posted by blapst at 9:55 PM PST - 3 comments
Starting to collect (somewhat cheap) art. Can anyone recommend online galleries capable of doing sales so I can see what else is out there?
[more inside]posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:40 PM PST - 9 comments
I'm looking for a t-shirt that I saw a guy on the street wearing today. It's gray with a lighter gray screen of an outline of the united states, and the state of new york in silver.
[more inside]posted by prior at 8:38 PM PST - 2 comments
Where can I buy a new Blackberry trackball (exactly like
this one in New York?
posted by boots at 8:27 PM PST - 1 comments
Youtube (or other flash video) will freeze up after exactly 2 seconds of play, in any browser.
[more inside]posted by moonbird at 8:09 PM PST - 9 comments
Best way to re-learn statistics? Enough that I wouldn't be lost in an advanced, fairly data-intensive psychology class. I took the course at Ga. Tech some years ago, but my old textbook is sooo boring and awful.
[more inside]posted by amtho at 7:26 PM PST - 17 comments
Please direct me towards some respectable, wholesome looking websites about medical marijuana usage, especially if they're intended for older folks and/or the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program.
[more inside]posted by redsparkler at 7:11 PM PST - 6 comments
Are there any good websites for external scholarships?
I recently joined fastweb, and except for getting spammy emails and emails about weird scholarships I couldn't possibly qualify for, I didn't find anything for me.
[more inside]posted by spacefire at 6:37 PM PST - 3 comments
How is paying attention to detail an extremely important skill in the military? I know "why", not doing so can get you or somone else killed, but I don't know "what" people are referring to.
[more inside]posted by sixcolors at 6:31 PM PST - 20 comments
CostumeFilter: I'm making my own henchman costume this Halloween, and I'll be driving past downtown LA tomorrow morning. Are there any specific stores I should check out if I'm looking for cheap generic clothes? I'm looking for solid color plain long-sleeve shirts, sweatpants, things of that nature. Bonus points if I can find gloves and cheap generic boots.
[more inside]posted by spiderskull at 6:25 PM PST - 6 comments
Can I temporarily swap out the controller board on my seagate hard drive without voiding the warranty?
[more inside]posted by grandsham at 5:49 PM PST - 5 comments
Small group vacation destination - all adults. Reasonable (less than 8 hours) driving distance from Western PA. Interested in relaxing and fantastic food. More details inside...
[more inside]posted by librarianamy at 5:17 PM PST - 16 comments
Should I put myself in the midst of big egos again?
About 10 years ago I made the decision to exclude persons with big egos from both my personal and professional lives. I have been fairly successful at doing this and the result is a happier, calmer life. My reasons for choosing this strategy were a sense that, it was all about them, that they were generally incapable of listening, that a true equal partnership was impossible, that they would always take credit and/or throw me to the wolves in order to advance their career.
Recently I've come into contact with some egotists and had the feeling that I could have richer fuller life if I let them into my life on a limited basis. Is this a good decision? How can I interact with this type of person without getting hurt or taken advantage of? How can I work effectively with egotists, is partnership possible?
posted by Xurando at 5:05 PM PST - 27 comments
I’m trying to statistically compare the body dimensions (height, weight, waist circumference, etc) of two groups of 200 people. I need help determining the correct statistical tests to use.
[more inside]posted by hithere at 4:40 PM PST - 14 comments
I'm looking for a rather specific kind of office chair--one that can recline & has a footrest, has a fabric covering, has a headrest, and can stand up to heavy home-office use. Anyone know of such a chair?
[more inside]posted by aerotive at 4:00 PM PST - 4 comments
How do I force Windows to boot into safe mode without access to the screen and limited functionality of the keyboard?
[more inside]posted by lemonwheel at 3:15 PM PST - 6 comments
The opening credits of the very fine show "The West Wing" include black and white still photos of cast members. There's something about them that makes you just go ... oooh! but I can't work out what it is. Does anyone out there know? Is it the contrast? The depth of field? The (over?) exposure? Have they been edited in some way to give them that quality? ... and bonus question - how could I do the same to my photos?...
posted by monster max at 2:39 PM PST - 12 comments
Giftfilter: I need Christmas gift ideas for three cousins. The eldest is an almost fourteen year old boy, the middle one is a ten year old girl and the youngest is a nearly nine year old boy.
[more inside]posted by peacheater at 2:21 PM PST - 9 comments
I am interested in adding to my experience as an event producer with wedding planning and have noticed there are many certification programs out there. Is there one in particular that stands out among the rest?
posted by harleyq at 2:19 PM PST - 1 comments
I'm using Firefox 3. I'm getting popup ads when I click on text (non ads), like at Salon.com.
For example, while reading:
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/23/campaign_myths/
If I click on the text, there'll be a popup ad. I have popups turned off in Firefox, but that isn't working for this particular case.
Any help?
posted by fe2dell at 2:01 PM PST - 5 comments
I have ear sinus pressure, muffled hearing, and general discomfort in one of my ears. Help me find some relief until my doctor's appointment.
[more inside]posted by rbf1138 at 1:51 PM PST - 32 comments
I'm putting together a tech wishlist to build the ultimate internet-enabled home (or at least to drool over building it). I'd like your recommendations on the best consumer electronics devices to carry out home-bound computer-related tasks outside the computer (in the same way the
Philips VOIP841 phone makes Skype calling simple without a computer). Suggested areas: internet radios, real live news tickers, world thermometers, internet TV boxes, but I'm also interested in whatever other fields you can suggest. Your ideas/experiences welcome, wireless or wired.
posted by scrm at 1:19 PM PST - 6 comments
If I want to be a lady lounge singer, in a restaurant/nightclub, draping myself across a piano in sequins and a smoky spotlight, what are the classic vamp songs I should learn, first?
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:18 PM PST - 51 comments
I'm not a very good writer, but I would like to change that. Can anyone recommend a writing course in NYC? A course in fiction or non-fiction creative writing or a general composition course would fit the bill. I'm definitely a beginner. Thanks!
posted by defreckled at 12:06 PM PST - 6 comments
Good painters imitate nature, bad ones spew(screw) it up. (Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist and poet. )
I suck at painting with a brush or pad. What is the best way to paint (Maybe with a sprayer) a large room?
[more inside]posted by emjay at 12:02 PM PST - 11 comments
This
Cnet article got me thinking. I work as a
Business Analyst, and as part of my job I do a lot of QA, requirements gathering and refining, user documentation, and other things. Is this a skill set that would be useful to any open source projects? When I've looked in the past, it's seemed like mainly people were looking for coders and testers. It seems like a great way to do some volunteer work and learn new technology and methodologies (different SDLC models, for instance), but I don't know if middle men like me have a place in the open source world.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 11:46 AM PST - 6 comments
Short Story Filter. I remember a short story that I read in a sci-fi story anthology back in the mid 90's that I haven't been able to find since.
There are a group of three boys, one of them substantially younger, who play out in a big field. One of the older boys tells the younger boy, as a joke, that if you look through the hole in the middle of a stone, you can see into another world of some kind. Mysterious circumstances then occur.
[more inside]posted by lockle at 11:37 AM PST - 2 comments
What kind of jobs might a person without much job experience actually be able to get straight out of college, given the current financial crisis and general economic BLARGH?
[more inside]posted by raygan at 11:35 AM PST - 17 comments
Where should I look to find good, low voltage electric motors for projects?
[more inside]posted by DMan at 11:29 AM PST - 18 comments
My boyfriend of six months has asked me to come home with him for Christmas to meet his (large) family. I'm looking forward to it, along with the standard first-time-meeting-the-parents jitters, but I'm not sure how Christmas plays into all this.
[more inside]posted by purplecurlygirl at 11:25 AM PST - 40 comments
Spanish and French help please -- quick translation for the following: "Alternatively, please email us at email@email.com."
[more inside]posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:16 AM PST - 17 comments
Recommend a pick-your-own apple orchard in Southern California, not too far afield from L.A., please.
[more inside]posted by mykescipark at 10:47 AM PST - 3 comments
My
fiancée has been experiencing severe upper back and neck pain for about the last two months. Our GP is finally going to refer her to a rheumatologist. How can we work best with the rheumatologist to diagnose and resolve this pain as quickly as possible? Way more details inside.
[more inside]posted by Nelsormensch at 10:05 AM PST - 10 comments
Looking for an infographic I once saw that showed the market share of the major players in the subprime market and the money they'd lost.
[more inside]posted by Askr at 10:04 AM PST - 2 comments
I'm looking at getting a new phone and a new service provider. After careful searching, almost all companies require a stringent credit check. I have horrible credit. Prepaid is not an option as any decent prepaid phone is ridiculously expensive and the service is generally sub par.
I narrowed it down to something from Virgin Mobile or Helio. I have heard some bad about both companies, but since neither require a credit check, these are my choices. I'd rather not go with Virgin Mobile as almost all of their phones feel like cheap plastic and some even feel like a cheap ceramic. This leaves Helio.
[more inside]posted by 29 at 10:04 AM PST - 17 comments
My Google-fu is failing me. I'm looking for the details of the type of Seve Ballesteros' tumor and its location within the brain.
[more inside]posted by toastedbeagle at 9:22 AM PST - 4 comments
What's the perfect netbook for me? I've searched all over the internet but I'd like some input from the hive mind.
[more inside]posted by bshort at 9:08 AM PST - 27 comments
In looking at online personal finance sites (i.e. Wesabe, Mint, Yodlee, Quicken Online etc), is there any appreciable difference between them?
[more inside]posted by TravellingCari at 9:03 AM PST - 16 comments
I moved to Germany and then moved back to the USA after three weeks. While I was there, I signed up for a two year T-Mobile iPhone contract, because at the time I thought I was staying in Germany. Now I am stuck with an expensive 2 year contract that I can't use.
[more inside]posted by Witherwings at 8:44 AM PST - 11 comments
How can we protect our (crushed stone) driveway at the end of a narrow street from damage from trucks using it as a turnaround?
[more inside]posted by JMOZ at 8:43 AM PST - 15 comments
Can someone help me remember this 80's cartoon that took place at a high school? (More details within as that's not very specific)
[more inside]posted by arniec at 8:38 AM PST - 4 comments
I have a super-complicated algebraic equation I (somehow) developed as the solution to developing appropriate grid-based web design that has me completely stumped...
[more inside]posted by fauxtoes at 6:56 AM PST - 20 comments
How do I get my landlord to deal with the mold in my bathroom without compromising my living situation?
[more inside]posted by arcticwoman at 6:22 AM PST - 15 comments
I'm looking for a good web based time sheet system for a non-profit (about 30 staff members).
I've found a number of software packages that are in the range of $3,000 - $4,000, looking for something with a lower cost. Needs to have timesheet approval and a detailed history of timesheet. I'm able to host it myself if needed.
posted by mac-way at 6:15 AM PST - 7 comments
Just bought a set of Calphalon hard-anodized cookware and I'm having a terrible time getting food not to stick to the pan when cooking. The problem is particularly bad when cooking eggs- strategies for getting food to not stick to these pans?
posted by mhaw at 5:45 AM PST - 14 comments
How bad a faux pas would it be to move
out of a (multi-person) shared house with a new but lovely boyfriend, and into my best friend's house instead?
[more inside]posted by Elysum at 12:08 AM PST - 28 comments
October 22
Short-the-market-filter:I have been adding to my QID position for 14 months. I've only "lost" (made less) when I got comfortable writing calls every month on half my position (Did not like getting relieved of shares at 59 at October expiration). Bought back at 65 and 75.
Anyway, Am I crazy to think that the VIX (or maybe VXN?) is the best indication that it's "safe" to stay in QID? I mean, the VIX is hovering miles above where it's never been before.
posted by Rafaelloello at 10:30 PM PST - 9 comments
Where can I find locations to buy wood or stone from foreign countries, things not naturally available in the US
[more inside]posted by Mesach at 9:40 PM PST - 10 comments
In Mac OS 10.5.4, I have a shared disk (on a Time Capsule) with a lot of files, and I would like to be able to search for files on it quickly. Spotlight will not do the job because it won't index network shares. Can anyone recommend third-party software (like Copernic on the PC) that will index a network share?
[more inside]posted by jewzilla at 9:32 PM PST - 10 comments
How would I get my Apple remote that came with my white MacBook to control my Bose Sounddock?
[more inside]posted by alitorbati at 9:26 PM PST - 6 comments
I'm putting together a large care package box for my boyfriend, located at an FPO AP address. My plan is to fill it a ton of random stuff to keep him surprised and delighted, from funny shirts to little plastic toys to letters and pictures to CDs. It's been ages since I sent anything that required a customs form, and I definitely want this package to survive all scrutiny - how specific do I need to get when I'm listing the box contents, especially if I'm sending such a variety of items?
[more inside]posted by Bakuun at 8:12 PM PST - 8 comments
(Law)BookListFilter: I would like recommendations for books accessible to a relatively well-informed (but not legally educated) American reader interested in learning about how legal systems function around the globe. Note that I am
not interested in reading about "international law," but rather about different types of legal traditions & procedures, and how law is integrated into and affects its particular society.
[more inside]posted by Keter at 7:44 PM PST - 9 comments
What would it take of an alternative energy to make a serious impact in current global energy consumption? What cost/benefits would it need to demonstrate over and above existing sources? Who would need to seriously start using it? Anybody have some good sources of information or discussion on this topic?
posted by zaebiz at 7:31 PM PST - 19 comments
In a tumultuous work environment, how can I work to be my own best boss, and position myself to be promoted down the line with no one "batting" for me?
[more inside]posted by Ham_On_Rye at 6:34 PM PST - 4 comments
Is it hypothetically possible for a human to walk one million miles over the course of their lifetime?
[more inside]posted by 40 Watt at 5:46 PM PST - 22 comments
CostumeFilter: Where can I find a long-sleeved bodysuit (aka leotard with snaps)...in red or orange?
[more inside]posted by radioamy at 5:27 PM PST - 9 comments
I can't believe it's so tough to find a simple black purse. I'm sick of my current bag – a thrift shop find which I've used for years – and having become acquainted with its shortcomings as well as its attributes during that time, I'm ready to invest in a new one, if y'all will help me find it!
[more inside]posted by snowleopard at 5:19 PM PST - 17 comments
I seem to have been volunteered to canvass for a political candidate. What do I need to know?
[more inside]posted by oostevo at 5:13 PM PST - 15 comments
I need web access to a directory of files, so a web based file manager or ftp client. But unix file permissions need to be followed, so file ownership needs to be retained and obeyed (login, password, move/copy/delete). Additionally, most of the files are jpgs and I'd like for there to be a thumbnail icons view as well as filenames. Anything?
[more inside]posted by dirtylittlemonkey at 4:48 PM PST - 4 comments
My husband, my 2 year old, and I are visiting eastern Connecticut and are trying to plan a somewhat central location for a group of friends to meet up that won't be a huge drive for any of us. We have people wanting to meet up from Lawrence, MA; West Hartford, CT; Danbury, CT; and Providence, RI. I am going to be in Norwich, CT.
[more inside]posted by cajo at 4:34 PM PST - 13 comments
Are there any other phrase-based message or video generators along the lines of the late
Sprint valentine greeting from the late Isaac Hayes or a more general purpose video generator like the one that inserts a name for president?
[more inside]posted by turbodog at 4:20 PM PST - 4 comments
There are plenty of great legal and practical arguments for child support payments out there, but what about an ethical argument?
[more inside]posted by christopherious at 4:19 PM PST - 28 comments
I can't make myself do anything. I've never been able to. I want to accomplish so much, I have goals, but for some reason, I just can't make myself do all the things I know I'm capable of. How can I turn this around? Is there a name for it? What should I do?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 3:53 PM PST - 36 comments
I would like to buy an "around town" truck or SUV that can also occasionally tow a small travel trailer for camping. Is there an economically- and environmentally responsible vehicle that can do both?
[more inside]posted by phoeniciansailor at 3:37 PM PST - 13 comments
What bag should I get to fit my (new) Macbook Pro + charger, Bose QC3s, big graphing calculator, Asus AspireOne + charger, and a binder or two?
[more inside]posted by speek at 3:24 PM PST - 7 comments
FileFormatFilter: Asking for a (not terribly computer-proficient) labmate in need. He uses flexible photomasks, printed on some kind of transparency. He has a company that will do this. He also has a layout, currently in CIF and GDSII format, with a very fine grid of dots. The company only accepts EPS or PDF. How can I accomplish this while A> maintaining a reasonable file size and B> maintaining the detail?
[more inside]posted by DoubleMark at 3:19 PM PST - 5 comments
Should my savings be in a tax-free ISA or in a normal savings account with higher balance and higher interest? (I'm terrible at accounting maths.)
[more inside]posted by snarfois at 3:08 PM PST - 10 comments
I need a good and fast tool to compare two folders side by side, with the ability of exclude .SVN and other useless files.
I've found some ones like
Compare Folders and
DeltaWalker but I haven't tried these yet. Do you recommend them?
posted by Leech at 3:06 PM PST - 11 comments
VistaFilter: Since installing Service Pack 1, I have had multiple crashes, many of which generate the message "Host process for Windows services has stopped working," cause a BlueScreen error, and reboot. When I attempted to uninstall SP1, Stage 1 got to 98% and then I got the message "Service Pack did not uninstall. Reverting changes. Do not turn off your computer." This stayed up for about 30 minutes; after it rebooted itself, things appear to be OK (for now, anyway). HP Pavilion desktop dual-core system (model a6120n), 2GB memory, Vista Home Premium.
[more inside]posted by catlet at 2:52 PM PST - 5 comments
Vista-filter: So I've got a Lenovo T61p that came with a Vista Home Basic 32... I have Lenovo's "Vista Business 64 recovery CDs" coming to me via UPS this week (don't ask why, it's complicated...) So my questions are:
[more inside]posted by Glendale at 2:47 PM PST - 1 comments
I have a bunch of rows in Excel. What's an easy way to string them all together into one row, in the order in which the rows appear (i.e. later rows' cells come later in my one-long-row)? I do not want to put all the cells into one cell, I want to keep all the cells separate, just in one row. Thanks!
posted by shivohum at 2:38 PM PST - 10 comments
I have
this tent. The rainfly according to the box is polyester and the plastic window for the solar panel is PVC and the seams where the two materials join are 'taped'. (They are also stitched, whatever.) This seal between the two materials is leaking. Given the type of materials how do I patch this leak? (I have sprayed all interior seams with Silicone tent spray as instructed).
posted by who else at 2:30 PM PST - 8 comments
As a new California voter, I'm somewhat baffled by the various propositions on the ballot. Can you help me sort them out?
[more inside]posted by foodmapper at 2:29 PM PST - 26 comments
I would like to buy Funkeys for two kids. Do I need two starter packs, or one starter pack?
posted by bright77blue at 2:24 PM PST - 2 comments
Anybody know of a place online (or in the Boston area) where I can buy prints of Sidney Paget's Sherlock Holmes illustrations? Don't really care if they're new or vintage but would ideally like to be able to get the whole series from a given story (all the illustrations for "The Red Headed League," for instance).
[more inside]posted by otio at 2:13 PM PST - 2 comments
Is there a website that tracks the average selling price of used items? I'm particularly interested in used iPod prices, but something more general would be nice too. The price they actually go for would be more helpful than the original asking price. All I've been able to find are paid services for eBay sellers, but they seem like overkill for my needs.
posted by teg at 1:43 PM PST - 9 comments
I am a food tourist, and I'll soon be in Seoul to bring my adoptive daughter home from Korea. I will have 1-3 days to kill and try not to be too nervous before I meet her, so I need immersive, fun, food-related things to take my mind off the upcoming excitement and give my nervous energy something to focus on.
[more inside]posted by luriete at 1:38 PM PST - 9 comments
My friends and I are planning to attend a Halloween party as starlets from Hollywood's Golden Age - Veronica Lake, Ava Gardner, Susan Hayward and Audrey Hepburn. Can anyone recommend a place in the New York metro area where we can rent or buy fabulous '50s-style dresses at a reasonable price?
posted by zembla3 at 1:05 PM PST - 4 comments
I want to get passes for my husband to go to Comic-Con next year for THIS year's Christmas. The pass price is very favorable right now ($75.00), and I can wait to get plane tickets if I need to, but I'm completely clueless about the hotel.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 12:53 PM PST - 5 comments
nychousingfilter: I signed a lease, moved into my new apartment on the 1st and now my landlord is demanding an extra security deposit. Can they do this?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 12:53 PM PST - 15 comments
I'd like to have my brother ship an item I bought in the US to me (I'm in the UK.) I'd also like not to have to hand over my first born child to UK Customs. Any suggestions?
[more inside]posted by -1 at 12:13 PM PST - 6 comments
So
this turned in to a trip to L.A. instead, but the premise is the same: A friend and I are coming over on holiday for two weeks (from this Sunday the 26th until Thursday the 6th of November) to catch the festivities surrounding the election of Obama for president.
[more inside]posted by bering at 12:07 PM PST - 3 comments
I'm looking for some good mythology books to read to my kids. I grew up reading greek mythology, and I would like some suggestions of good greek (and non-greek) mythology books that break the stories up into sections. I have a few books on my shelf, but I would consider them a bit higher level then what I am looking for.
[more inside]posted by Jonsnews at 11:52 AM PST - 30 comments
Recommendations for a cognitive behavioral therapist in the Houston area for my mother? He/she is going to have to deal with a
lot, especially because she is irrational and suspicious.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 11:30 AM PST - 6 comments
A friend of mine in the Northern Virginia area is in need of a psychiatrist for issues of depression, rage, and maybe some kind of bipolar issue. My friend is in treatment, but is looking for recommendations for psychiatrists. My friend's depression is debilitating enough that it's very hard for my friend to actually seek out recommendations among the local friends and community, so I figured I'd hit up the hive mind.
[more inside]posted by rmd1023 at 11:24 AM PST - 2 comments
Did the State of Oregon, the Federal Government, or any local agencies ever stock bullfrogs in ponds and lakes around Oregon? I swear I read a news article online in the last year that said such a thing happened (by ODFW? until the 1990's)?, but I cannot for the life of me find any reference to it or to get to the bottom of bullfrog stocking question.
[more inside]posted by pwb503 at 11:23 AM PST - 3 comments
Ok, so I am a creative worker. My job is to picks thoughts out of my head. I write, I teach, I prove theorems, I design software. I mean, all these things are the same... it's the harvesting of ideas. So, what do you do when it's dry season?
[more inside]posted by gmarceau at 11:20 AM PST - 11 comments
Plenty of little boys want to grow up to be just like Dad. But to what extent (and how) are boys' interests/activities/identities influenced by their mothers?
[more inside]posted by Bardolph at 11:04 AM PST - 24 comments
I'm considering a December trip to Greece: probably Athens and Crete. Any tips on the off-season in particular? How many days to spend in each place? Any other places I should be looking at?
[more inside]posted by TheophileEscargot at 10:54 AM PST - 11 comments
Laptop Battel! Help me decide which manufacturer deserves my hard-earned money. I've narrowed it down to Dell vs. Toshiba vs. Lenovo. Also, RAM: 2gb or 3?
[more inside]posted by gnutron at 10:32 AM PST - 26 comments
Asking for an advisee of mine who wants to pursue a career as an academic librarian. Where are the best PhD-level Library programs in the United States?
posted by media_itoku at 10:30 AM PST - 9 comments
Macedonia is all about a page I made and I'd love to know why. Translation request inside!
[more inside]posted by soma lkzx at 9:57 AM PST - 9 comments
I am the owner of a LeMond bike. It has been sitting in my living room for the better part of the last year.
[more inside]posted by digitaldraco at 9:42 AM PST - 20 comments
What was the most memorable Halloween treat you ever received when going door to door as a kid? Looking for creative or unique things to give out during Halloween.
[more inside]posted by ShootTheMoon at 9:35 AM PST - 59 comments
I want to watch the Knicks this season and beyond. The problem is that I live in the UK for most of the year so I'm looking for a way of getting to see more than just highlights.
[more inside]posted by i_cola at 9:31 AM PST - 6 comments
I'm looking for interesting places to shop in Tokyo. I'm specifically interested in any 'only in Japan' shopping experiences, but I'd also really love suggestions for great fabric stores. Suggestions for Nagoya, Hiroshima and Shizuoka are also welcome.
[more inside]posted by Alison at 9:29 AM PST - 11 comments
What interesting things have happened to paper airplanes in the last 20 years?
[more inside]posted by ericc at 9:00 AM PST - 5 comments
I need a hosted fax solution that will let the user add an identification # to their fax as they send it (preferably by typing it as part of the fax phone number), so that it can automatically be attached to their CRM record. What are my options? Is this even possible?
posted by SNACKeR at 8:48 AM PST - 2 comments
Where can I find books, tutorials, code samples, etc for learning real world professional GUI design?
[more inside]posted by clueless22 at 8:24 AM PST - 5 comments
What is the best thing to do with a box or two of old books? They're mostly paperback and mostly genre fiction (SciFi, Horror, Fantasy). The less work for me the better with the provision that I'd like the books to be read again if possible.
[more inside]posted by willnot at 7:54 AM PST - 34 comments
Two Macbook Pros, same model, same room, one gets a lot of bars and a strong connection via airport; the other gets just a couple of bars and a low connection.
[more inside]posted by grumblebee at 7:37 AM PST - 9 comments
I'm going to see the Night Marchers in Bristol this evening and my tickets say it starts at 7.30. I've been to two other shows in Bristol (at different venues) and they both said they'd start at 7.30 but the bands didn't start playing until around 9. Is this a standard thing for small rock shows? I don't want to show up at 7.30 and have to wait around for an hour and a half.
posted by Andy Harwood at 6:34 AM PST - 10 comments
Best options for a expatriate living in Paris who wants an iPhone? Lack of French language experience making it difficult. (French residents/speakers take a look please!)
[more inside]posted by swhitt at 5:32 AM PST - 9 comments
I've started getting pain on the top of my right foot after running. I've had it x-rayed but the doctor seems a bit stumped.
[more inside]posted by rsk at 4:22 AM PST - 12 comments
I'm heading into my first Northern European winter, and all of my Berlin friends are regaling me with stories of months spent in a state of unrelenting malaise while developing alcohol problems and watching people throw themselves on to the Bahn tracks. I had problems with depression even when I lived in California, so I'm trying to develop a strategy for a suicide-free season. My primary question: will the sunbeds at my local pool constitute "light therapy"?
[more inside]posted by foxy_hedgehog at 4:21 AM PST - 15 comments
I have just built my first WiFi Photo Frame, by converting an old laptop and adding a picture frame to it. I now want to find the best software to use with it to display photos, videos and newsfeeds. I am stuck with Windows XP (memory issues on lappie) and my specs are 1.6Ghz Processor, 256 MB Ram and intergrated graphics.
[more inside]posted by prupert at 3:44 AM PST - 10 comments
I am looking for poems, anectotes and short stories online which celebrate dogs and their friendship. This is to cheer my boyfriend, whose family's pet who is very ill.
[more inside]posted by Sijeka at 3:40 AM PST - 13 comments
I'm looking for a listing, preferably something with citations of the actual state laws, of when each state changed it's laws to allow for the direct election of electors in the electoral college.
posted by phrontist at 3:30 AM PST - 2 comments
How do lines work where you live? I recently came across an article in the Encyclopedia Britannica [quote inside] about the novel introduction of the concept of "standing in line" by McDonalds in 1970s Hong Kong. Do other cultures today deal with lines differently? Where are lines accepted/rejected? Is the alternative a free-for-all, or are there other ordering schemes?
posted by Jeff Howard at 12:41 AM PST - 78 comments
October 21
How can I access my WD MyBook World Network Storage Drive from my new (Ubuntu 8.04) computer now that my old (WinXP) box is dead dead dead?
[more inside]posted by carsonb at 11:48 PM PST - 18 comments
Dermatology question. Whenever I get stressed, I get zits breaking out on my face and on my head. Is this normal? I'm a 33 year old male, so it's not teenager acne.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 10:47 PM PST - 15 comments
Where can I find the version of "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll where, when listened to backwards, you can hear certain phrases by way of a self-fulfilling prophecy?
[more inside]posted by deansfurniture5 at 9:53 PM PST - 4 comments
I currently work as a “Writer” for a large Colossal News Network. While I enjoy writing enough, the extreme schedules, incessant acute deadlines, and sensational content (“watch this surveillance tape of someone getting beat up!”) are getting to me.
I’m not sure how I can parlay my strengths/ experience into a more fulfilling career. (i.e. out of television) Generally speaking, what kind of options do I have that would fit?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 9:42 PM PST - 8 comments
I would like to know who sang a song called "Don't Say Goodbye To A Goodbye Girl"?
[more inside]posted by vansly at 9:23 PM PST - 3 comments
What is the background music during the main Conor Knighton segments on
InfoMania?
posted by eschatfische at 9:19 PM PST - 0 comments
Fatigue and low-grade fever for three weeks but no other symptoms. Why is my doctor so freaked out, and what is he testing for?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 9:08 PM PST - 19 comments
I've decided to keep my cooch reasonably trimmed after a recent bikini wax, but I don't want to shave and I don't want to pay $30 every month. What can I do?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 9:07 PM PST - 26 comments
I'd like to set up a 'lifestream' on my website, logging all my online activities automatically and in real-time, similar to
Friendfeed but that doesn't require me to be part of someone's idea of the perfect social network. Is this possible and if so, how?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 7:20 PM PST - 7 comments
I am looking for a pocketable (ie. 7 inch or less) UMPC that runs XP that can do audio and video out (can be via a docking station) for around $300. Does one exist yet or should I keep waiting?
[more inside]posted by GleepGlop at 7:13 PM PST - 5 comments
I found my dream school, but everyone is telling me to apply to secondary choices. I need to find sociology PhD programs that value public sociology and have solid social psychology/organizational theory focuses.
[more inside]posted by elationfoundation at 7:07 PM PST - 2 comments
Our daycare costs for this year will be over $10,000 for one child, and I'm wondering if my wife's company can pay for the some of the costs as a business expense.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 6:44 PM PST - 3 comments
How can I plead my New York State traffic ticket online if the system does not recognize me? And: is this a smart idea in my circumstances? Yes, I realize that this is not legal advice.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 6:44 PM PST - 3 comments
Here we go again. It looks like we're getting separated. In North Carolina. Short-term marriage, no joint property, no kids.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 6:44 PM PST - 7 comments
How long after taking .25 Mg or .5 Mg of Xanax should I wait before drinking any alcohol? I've taken Xanax frequently over the years to treat anxiety, fear of flying, etc. and never had any problems.
[more inside]posted by Raichle at 6:38 PM PST - 13 comments
In a Wordpress-powered site, how can I create a list of categories that link to the first post in that category rather than the category archive?
[more inside]posted by msbrauer at 6:18 PM PST - 4 comments
How to search for anything (or find the answer to anything) on the internet when all else has failed?
[more inside]posted by schindyguy at 6:08 PM PST - 21 comments
When I was a kid I had a wonderful science book that had an aluminum cover and lots of "experiments" inside. Does anyone know this book? Many thanks in advance.
[more inside]posted by markcholden at 5:56 PM PST - 10 comments
The details are sketchy, but I remember playing a fantastic platformer in which the player controlled a rabbit. Before you say it, I'm pretty damned confident it wasn't from the Jazz Jackrabbit series, nor was it Toxic Bunny.
[more inside]posted by jhighmore at 4:58 PM PST - 9 comments
I'm looking for a good costume idea for my friend and I. She's a redhead who has been lots of famous redheads in the past (lucy, carrot top, Annie, pippi longstockings, pebble, etc) and I'm a blonde.
I'm looking for us to dress up as cartoon characters, relevent pop culture references, historical figures etc. that were blonde and redhead. No suggestion is too obscure! Please let me know what you think! (we've already nixed Lucy and Ethel)
[more inside]posted by wannaknow at 4:33 PM PST - 34 comments
Help make my new cordless Dremel my new career! Can you think of any ways to use a Dremel tool to provide paid services to people? (I promise I don't work for Dremel or whatever company makes the thing)
[more inside]posted by pallen123 at 4:11 PM PST - 17 comments
I bought a Value Pack of chicken thighs at Safeway, like the frugal shopper I am... and then promptly left them on the kitchen counter for 3 hours, like the absent-minded bumbler I am.
Scenario: cold chicken, fairly cold kitchen (maybe 65, as the heat hadn't been on all day), sealed package, November 2nd expiration date.
I am assuming I just screwed up and wasted $9 worth of chickeny goodness. Am I right?
posted by allen8219 at 4:03 PM PST - 24 comments
Prior to staying home with the kids, my wife was a recruiter. Over the last few years she has made a decent sideline helping people craft their resumes. Now that the kids are a little older, she is considering focusing more on resume writing and career coaching.
[more inside]posted by jbradley at 3:56 PM PST - 3 comments
Anyone know Sanskrit? Are you familiar with the phrase "Love Your Fate" (and this is the Western version of "You Art Thou")? I have a translation, now I need validation.
[more inside]posted by panoptican at 3:46 PM PST - 7 comments
So how do I adjust this cornbread recipe so I can use a bigger pan? What factors should I consider (fat content, type of starch, etc) in making this kind of adjustment in the future?
[more inside]posted by frecklefaerie at 3:36 PM PST - 10 comments
Slightly-random-but-interesting-filter: I've noticed that French books tend to be longer than English books, and German books tend to be longer than both. If given a normally written (so no really fancy words, just sort of... average) English book of 100 pages, which language of translation (using same font and size, as well as same sized pages) would make it the longest? the shortest? Bonus points for approximate page numbers! (thanks!)
posted by Planet F at 3:01 PM PST - 21 comments
how can i fit a 3-year old and an infant in one bedroom without them waking each other up during the night?
posted by RockyChrysler at 2:33 PM PST - 17 comments
Food that I can easily get into my election-night hotel party. Bonus-round: great games/amusements/cocktails for the party?
[more inside]posted by lunasol at 2:07 PM PST - 5 comments
What is this old computer game that was a top-down open space shooter?
Note: I am fairly confident it is not Escape Velocity.
[more inside]posted by stresstwig at 1:35 PM PST - 6 comments
Ladies in your early to mid 30s: How do you choose what to focus on next - family or career? A lot more inside.
[more inside]posted by delladlux at 1:10 PM PST - 19 comments
Did you ever install an application on your RAZR2 V8? If you did (or know how to), could you please tell me how?
[more inside]posted by Solomon at 1:06 PM PST - 4 comments
I'm on a 15" MacBook Pro (Intel) and I have 3 instances of DashboardClient showing up in my Activity Monitor; is this a bad thing? Is it sucking up resources? Running 10.5.5. Previously
here, but no help.
posted by pantsonsteven at 12:45 PM PST - 1 comments
I'm looking for the most comfortable, hassle-free approach to wearing contact lenses.
[more inside]posted by medpt at 12:29 PM PST - 22 comments
Looking for books explaining local customs re: romance/relationships in Southern Mexico (Oaxaca). Preferably reasonably modern.
[more inside]posted by jimmyjimjim at 12:18 PM PST - 3 comments
DatingFilter: Is it better to "date around" and get experience OR is it better to have higher standards and wait for the right situations?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 12:13 PM PST - 45 comments
I am looking for a piece of classical music that was featured as a teaching tool on a computer program about 15 or 20 years ago.
[more inside]posted by Foam Pants at 11:59 AM PST - 3 comments
Hallowe'en filter: Yes, another "help me come up with a costume" idea, only with added restrictions and existing costume pieces to help form it! I have a super lame idea for one but I'd like to kick it up to 11 if possible.
[more inside]posted by gwenlister at 11:58 AM PST - 14 comments
How can I tactfully tell my employer and coworkers that I'm leaving the organization? My timing sucks and leaves everyone I work with in a bit of a bind...
[more inside]posted by Slarty Bartfast at 11:54 AM PST - 20 comments
Help a beer drinker expand his horizons a little bit. What's a good place to get an absinthe cocktail in Manhattan (or anywhere else in New York)?
[more inside]posted by jason's_planet at 11:10 AM PST - 11 comments
MusicFilter: I'm looking for more French-language music I can enjoy while keeping up my (very poor) French. I like April March, Les Sans Culottes and Bonjour Brumaire. Who else can I listen to?
[more inside]posted by joannemerriam at 10:45 AM PST - 31 comments
What foods can I take with me to an all-day seminar? I have no access to a microwave or refrigerator. They have to comfortably fit in a backpack.
[more inside]posted by desjardins at 10:21 AM PST - 28 comments
Where can I set up an account with a US based bank that will allow me to transfer my Euros and keep them in Euros?
[more inside]posted by taschenrechner at 10:01 AM PST - 1 comments
What movie did I see that featured a small record store in an African American community within a big city's downtown area?
[more inside]posted by davebush at 10:00 AM PST - 5 comments
My parents just bought a MacBook to replace their ailing old PC laptops. They do their business management in Excel 2003 on those machines, but want to switch to 2008. This process is apparently an exercise in frustration.
[more inside]posted by wumpus at 9:52 AM PST - 8 comments
If I'm going to carry a bag, I might as well put stuff in it. Help me fill the thing with useful stuff...
[more inside]posted by twine42 at 9:36 AM PST - 33 comments
What would you do with 20 hours a week in Boston? I'm starting a part-time job next week which is enough to cover my living expenses, so I'm looking for suggestions on what I can do with the rest of my time: hobbies to take up, part time jobs, volunteer opportunities, etc.
[more inside]posted by losvedir at 8:48 AM PST - 8 comments
Looking for recipes and/or tips for baking with rose or lavender. In particular, I'm interested in making a chocolate cake with rose flavoring. Or lavender as a backup.
[more inside]posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 8:27 AM PST - 10 comments
I need a temporary/permanent sleeping situation to replace the maddening/depressing mattress carousel that I've had for the past 4 years. What have you done when you've had sleeping issues and know that you'll be moving around alot?
And is it possible for your body to start become much more aware of mattress irregularities, and would some exercises change that?
[more inside]posted by sandmanwv at 8:08 AM PST - 13 comments
What is the best website you've seen that provides a clear, simple, and (relatively) neutral explanation of each presidential candidate's positions on the issues?
[more inside]posted by elquien at 7:39 AM PST - 13 comments
A question about the RCA Lyra and the use of a Compact Flash storage card.
[more inside]posted by wg at 7:21 AM PST - 2 comments
What is the best way to have a baby seal as a pet? The only domesticated seal I have come across was this one from
Russia. I am not sure how else to spend a lot of time with one without owning a large unpolluted lake with other seals, or becoming a marine biologist. Any ideas?
[more inside]posted by johannahdeschanel at 7:09 AM PST - 17 comments
Whenever I type (R) in MS excel, it automatically makes the registered trademark sign ®. How do I turn this off?
[more inside]posted by spec80 at 7:03 AM PST - 4 comments
Kink day-by-day? Where can I read about the workings of a commercial dungeon? I'm very familiar with recreational kink (where no money is exchanged) -- what I want to learn about are the practical daily workings of a high-end dungeon where men are paying for sessions with female mistresses.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 6:56 AM PST - 4 comments
My father and mother recently named me as executor of their modest estates. However, as I have no experience with this, they believe it may be helpful for me to have a co-executor, and my father has set up a meeting with a lawyer in Boston. (My parents live in Virginia, and I live in New York). Can anyone offer insight into what questions I should ask the prospective co-executor, or what the possible pros and cons are for having a "professional" co-executor?
posted by anonymous at 6:56 AM PST - 7 comments
My home made banana pudding has received rave reviews from a tough crowd. As a cook's reputation is only as good as the last meal served, I'm now looking for other pudding recipes.
[more inside]posted by Mutant at 6:39 AM PST - 10 comments
Years ago I had one of those "greatest album covers" books, and there was one (a jazz LP, I believe) that featured a gorgeous black and white photo of a woman floating in a lake or river, wearing a white dress, with only her face above water (the photo was taken benearth the surface, so her face wasn't visible). There was no writing of any kind on the cover. Anyway, I've been trying to find out which album that is for years now (the book is long gone), to no avail. Does this ring any bells with anyone?
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:14 AM PST - 5 comments
My 11 year old male shepherd-mix is in congestive heart failure, but doing very well on medicine. He has a good outlook for many months of high quality living. The diuretic medicine causes him to pee in the house occasionally -- because I can't get him out the door fast enough. We live in a condo and he has to go out on leash. We can't leave the house for more than a couple hours or he will need to pee. I welcome any tips on managing incontinence for large male dogs.
[more inside]posted by valannc at 6:05 AM PST - 12 comments
HistoryBookFilter - a two-for-Tuesday question. Looking for book recommendations for two historical topics - pre-revolutionary New England, and the Great Patriotic War.
[more inside]posted by GhostintheMachine at 5:36 AM PST - 5 comments
Can anyone tell me the name of the song that starts playing 1 minute and two seconds into the movie trailer for The House of Sand (Casa na Areia). The trailer link is
here. The song sounds jewish, but I can't remember what it's called.
posted by leybman at 1:51 AM PST - 6 comments
I am going to a friend's baby shower this saturday and he's an old punk. I was going to get him a misfits onsie, but my dickweed friend stole my idea. So- I am looking for something better that I can get in the East Bay or shipped to me before saturday. Any ideas?
posted by Large Marge at 1:07 AM PST - 18 comments
My dad wants to volunteer for a consumer advocacy group in Canada. Anyone know of any good & legitimate ones I could refer him to?
posted by RockCorpse at 1:02 AM PST - 1 comments
October 20
Is there a web app that lets you diagram like you would in OmniGraffle or Visio?
posted by Hypocrites at 11:59 PM PST - 4 comments
What kind of filler should I use in the home-made microwaveable heat packs I'm making for holiday presents this year?
[more inside]posted by np312 at 11:34 PM PST - 17 comments
How can I tell whether I have adult ADHD or I'm just lazy and disorganized? (Do you think ADHD is real?)
[more inside]posted by Alligator at 11:09 PM PST - 21 comments
Where can I find a collection of some sort, preferable a list, of iambic words?
posted by meta.mark at 10:54 PM PST - 3 comments
How can I explain to the university staff that giving me two 10-hour TAs is a lot more work than a single 20-hour TA?
[more inside]posted by tasty at 9:47 PM PST - 18 comments
Driving in snowy conditions and getting tire chains on a 2003 Toyota Tacoma (5 speed manual, basic model), possible or not? Also, should I get snow tires as well as tire chains?
[more inside]posted by sir_rubixalot at 9:31 PM PST - 14 comments
I prefer products that don't require replacement parts (e.g. gadgets with rechargeable batteries, bagless vacuum cleaners, etc.). I'm currently in the market for an air filter, but they all require replacement filters, and I can't find one that operates on the same principle as a bong. Do such magical appliances exist? Is there a good reason why they shouldn't?
posted by marclar at 8:15 PM PST - 9 comments
I hate to cook. What are some delicious recipes you like that are simple to make, easily made in bulk and still taste good left over?
[more inside]posted by MaryDellamorte at 8:04 PM PST - 29 comments
Why do medical insurers treat obesity different than other vices? Not a GYOB (I've got one); I literally don't understand the facts of the situation.
[more inside]posted by WCityMike at 7:26 PM PST - 21 comments
I am in the middle of planning a trip to Belize for this February. From what I've read, the roads are bumpy, and you have to take little boats to the snorkeling spots. I get motion sick. Am I going to be miserable in Belize?
[more inside]posted by chowflap at 7:08 PM PST - 5 comments
So I'd like to make my hair temporarily white (or maybe gray, bright white would be odd, but whatever) for Halloween. I need tips, including whether or not it's a good idea. My hair is naturally dirty blond, and quite long. I don't mind if it's white for a few weeks, but I would like it to eventually wash out. What kind of color should I buy, or should I just go with a wig? Any tips are welcome.
posted by wierdo at 6:56 PM PST - 11 comments
I want my film listed on IMDb. I've tried and failed. The title gets lost in a dead letter office while I'm supposed to come up with "relevant information" without being told what information that could be.
[more inside]posted by davidriley at 6:53 PM PST - 5 comments
GoingBackToSchoolFilter: I'm going to be returning to university part time, while continuing to work full time. Should I start slow, just one course my first semester, or should I do two?
[more inside]posted by smitt at 6:46 PM PST - 16 comments
Suddenly I can't view any videos. I have a Dell Dimension 4100, running XP, with the latest IE. This includes YouTube and all other videos such as on MLB.com. This is new, since a few days ago.
[more inside]posted by JimN2TAW at 6:39 PM PST - 6 comments
Giant Roomba - I'm looking for any information concerning hacking the Roomba's brain into something... bigger.
[more inside]posted by loquacious at 6:28 PM PST - 3 comments
I would like to overlay my Google Calendar on my desktop wallpaper in Vista. I'd like it to be translucent so that I can still see my wallpaper, but visible enough that it is easy to read. Is there a (preferably free) program that will let me do this?
[more inside]posted by Aanidaani at 5:45 PM PST - 5 comments
We just moved and one of our cats is still in a state of frozen panic. His brother has adjusted to his new digs just fine, but the scared one is tense, shakey, and bolts under the bed whenever he can. Any advice on how to calm him down and get him used to the new place?
[more inside]posted by muscat at 5:14 PM PST - 25 comments
Why is it, when i get a comment on my WP self hosted blog, do I get an automatic post showing the text of the email notification I get when I get a comment?
[more inside]posted by By The Grace of God at 4:34 PM PST - 2 comments
I really have no logical basis for being so sad/mad at my boyfriend yet I am still upset. I don't want to be upset. I would call it a lie of omission, but I just wish that I never knew. Situation enclosed.
[more inside]posted by ibakecake at 4:31 PM PST - 34 comments
Has any member of the hivemind had any success using the many techniques and/or attitudes featured on shows like "The Pick up Artist" or books like Neil Strauss' "the Game" and "Rules of the Game"?
[more inside]posted by Oneirokritikos at 4:19 PM PST - 35 comments
Does the new year begin at midnight December 31, or midnight January 1st? (Assuming that 12-31 24:00 is the same instant as 01-01 00:00)
[more inside]posted by Ookseer at 3:56 PM PST - 30 comments
I've got a problematic cat. She's a stray. I've had her for 8 years now, and we estimate she was about 4 months old when she decided to join me. There are 4 main problems: the persistent washing (till she bleeds); the crapping on the floor; the moving of socks and other small items around the house; and the general neediness. The vet is out of ideas. I have this naive hope that there will be a solution (ah, your cat has "Needywashingcrappersock syndrome, ms handee"). But I'm running out of patience (and cash). So it is time to Ask Metafilter. Anyone got any ideas?
[more inside]posted by handee at 3:40 PM PST - 35 comments
How can I create a chart in Excel 2007 showing the number of times a certain value occurs in a column?
[more inside]posted by niles at 3:06 PM PST - 7 comments
I just noticed that my student loan lender posted $230 of reportable income (in 2007) to my account - something about a 1099-C form. I didn't report this on my 2007 taxes - should I be worried? Is there a way to correct it?
[more inside]posted by charlesroper at 2:46 PM PST - 8 comments
Looking for NY Herald archives from 4/21/12. Is there an online site where I can search/view them?
[more inside]posted by cherie72 at 2:42 PM PST - 8 comments
Can I seal the inside surface of an exterior brick wall in my house without trapping moisture in the brick or in the insulation?
[more inside]posted by malp at 2:23 PM PST - 4 comments
I'd like to dress less casually than I currently do. There's one problem, though: my laptop bag. I absolutely hate those suitcase style laptop bags so I use a backpack. I'm afraid of looking like a complete dork wearing nice semi-formal clothes and a fairly sporty-looking backpack. Are my concerns unfounded? Have you solved this problem yourself? If so, how? I'm a male in my early twenties, if that matters.
posted by A Kingdom for a Donkey at 2:22 PM PST - 34 comments
What should we be for Halloween? Looking for suggestions for a gory couple’s Halloween costume.
[more inside]posted by cestmoi15 at 1:44 PM PST - 10 comments
Help me devise the best way for four people to split and manage a couple of NBA (Hornets) season tickets.
[more inside]posted by ajr at 1:44 PM PST - 7 comments
I have been diagnosed with pregnancy-related carpal syndrome in both wrists. I also have recurring tendonitis in my left wrist (i'm left handed for what it's worth). I had some custom splints made at the doctors but they aren't helping. The midwife and obgyn both refuse to treat it because of the pregnancy. I'm not even allowed to take anti-inflammatories (i'm 8 months pregnant). But i'm in pain and my wrists are swollen. I have been taking vitamin b in addition to prenatals but it isnt helping. Any suggestions to keep the pain at bearable levels? I'm really miserable here. Thanks.
posted by ramix at 1:06 PM PST - 20 comments
I have re-organised my Vista PC to use searches instead of the usual folder hierachy in Explorer to navigate the file system. What I am looking for is a way to right click on a file and delete the containing folder, does anyone know of a registry hack or software which will let me do this?
posted by dazzle at 12:53 PM PST - 12 comments
My net connection has dropped like clockwork around midnight over the past few days. What's up?
[more inside]posted by Gyan at 12:39 PM PST - 5 comments
I need to get fitter, but I am notoriously bad at sticking to an exercise regimen. Help me think of fun, social things I could look into to get fit and meet people!
[more inside]posted by actionpact at 12:18 PM PST - 28 comments
North Dallas and/or McKinney area: Food Delivery Suggestions. Not looking for senior or meals on wheels.
[more inside]posted by doorsfan at 12:10 PM PST - 3 comments
Form plus function, please. Recommend some blogs that you like for their successful combination of design plus usability.
[more inside]posted by pineapple at 12:08 PM PST - 8 comments
I got my Absentee Ballot in the mail. It says to use the special writing implement. There isn't one. Help me get this un-fucked.
[more inside]posted by mr_book at 11:27 AM PST - 17 comments
Looking for a car company in Providence, RI that will rent out cars/vans to under-26-year-olds for four days for $150.
[more inside]posted by JamesJD at 11:16 AM PST - 9 comments
Carver amplifier identification help please! I found this Carver amp in the garbage. Need help identifying it and figuring out what it'll take to fix.
[more inside]posted by spicynuts at 11:01 AM PST - 8 comments
Is there a single question you can ask that tells you immediately (if not totally conclusively) whether someone is a good person?
[more inside]posted by rileyray3000 at 10:59 AM PST - 79 comments
i'm throwing together a trip to paris for the weekend to visit a friend. i live in garmisch, germany. should i fly or take an overnight train out of munich? and where should i stay in paris? i checked the hostels online but they seem to either be booked or badly located. i'm very interested in budget hotels, willing to pay up to 60 euros a night for 4 or so nights. any suggestions?
posted by badish at 10:47 AM PST - 4 comments
How do I get my 'professional' co-workers to stop leaving food in the refrigerator for months? And how, in general, prevent them from being so careless?
[more inside]posted by KogeLiz at 10:13 AM PST - 49 comments
I'm not a bad writer, but I'm really, really bad at writing online dating emails. Please give me some tips on how to write an excellent online dating email.
[more inside]posted by Sloop John B at 10:11 AM PST - 43 comments
I do not know if what I am imagining about how to solve my web server problem is realistic or not. Is there a better solution than the ones I have thought of? This concerns addings IIS to my machine that is currently running Apache only...
[more inside]posted by omair at 9:48 AM PST - 4 comments
What's the policy for opening absentee ballots? Are all ballots opened, or are they only opened when they are expected to be statistically significant?
[more inside]posted by mccarty.tim at 9:37 AM PST - 10 comments
Does anyone know the theme music for the Canadian Fashion TV show ? (you know , with Jeannie Becker). It was used thru the 90's, I'm sure it was taken from an exisitng tune. They didnt reply to my email about it.
posted by canoehead at 9:18 AM PST - 4 comments
Arabic web design and website usability: what should be taken into account?
[more inside]posted by tcp at 9:04 AM PST - 9 comments
Can someone help me identify this fungus/bug that's attacking my office's plants?
[more inside]posted by dozo at 8:41 AM PST - 11 comments
Talented people making high quality goods (belts, wooden objects, pens, misc leather items , clothes, manuscript books, etc) at reasonable prices.
[more inside]posted by dance at 8:36 AM PST - 11 comments
I take 100mg daily of Zoloft (Sertraline). It seems to manage my anxiety/panic disorder fairly well but I'm still depressed as shit. For those unlucky folks who happen to suffer the double edged sword of anxiety and depression in tandem: what drugs or methods have helped you the most?
[more inside]posted by ryaninoakland at 7:21 AM PST - 19 comments
How will a line of credit that my parents cosigned affect my ability to enter into a debt repayment plan through credit counseling?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 7:09 AM PST - 5 comments
The doctor says I have thrush. Five pessaries or so later, it hasn't gone away. What;s going on?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 7:09 AM PST - 9 comments
UK Credit Reports / Histories: I've seen loads of posts referring to the USA system of credit scores, credit histories, etc. but never seen anyone refer to an equivalent UK system. Presumably we have one, but how does it work?
[more inside]posted by metaBugs at 7:01 AM PST - 7 comments
I'll be arriving in HK tomorrow for a few days and will be in Shenzhen for one. Any recommendations on places to shop for home decor?
posted by phoenixc at 6:45 AM PST - 3 comments
I just learned that the Al Qaeda websites have been down since September 10; they deny cyber attack, but it sure looks like it. My question: where has this been reported? I'm obviously missing some important source in my daily news fix if I'm just learning about this. (link below)
[more inside]posted by kestralwing at 6:06 AM PST - 6 comments
What are some reliable ways to check the authenticity of companies that advertise for jobs on craigslist and other such websites?
posted by mannequito at 2:55 AM PST - 9 comments
Anyone have experience moving from PHP to Spring/JSP? What approach made the change easiest for you?
[more inside]posted by secret.osha at 12:05 AM PST - 1 comments
October 19
When I lived in LA a few years ago, I heard about a short-lived craze among status-seekers in the entertainment industry.
[more inside]posted by AngerBoy at 11:18 PM PST - 21 comments
Banana Diet: Ive recently read about the craze going through Japan called the "Morning Banana Diet"
(link). I dont know if its worth the paper its printed on but apparently its cleaned Japan out of all its imported bananas! Does anyone know of any dietians opinions or medical analysis as to the benefits of this diet?
posted by OzMoges at 10:47 PM PST - 11 comments
I got bumped from a US Air flight (involuntarily) after the gate agent made an error and let *all* the bump volunteers board. How can I get US Air to go above and beyond their default offer?
[more inside]posted by zippy at 8:48 PM PST - 13 comments
Late last year, I convinced a friend to run for public office in my hometown. He did! How can I help make sure he has a bright political future?
[more inside]posted by parmanparman at 8:07 PM PST - 6 comments
I've been undergoing some depressive stuff in my past three years. I've perhaps followed the typical male pattern of trying to gut it out. Over time I've come to the conclusion I need to seek out some assistance. While researching SSRI's I ran across a product that promised relief from ADD symptoms, as well as help with benzo dependence. Loads of testimonials from happy customers, you know the drill.
[more inside]posted by D-ten at 7:48 PM PST - 11 comments
I know a local dirt track racer who mainly races sprint cars, and is very, very popular. The racing team is looking to seel merchandise-- t-shirts, hats, posters, beanie-baby-type stuffies, and the lile, and they'd really like to do so in an eBay store.
[more inside]posted by ShawnStruck at 7:06 PM PST - 4 comments
Concrete-filter: I'd like to explore making some things with concrete - pots, birdbaths and such as. Classes don't interest me, but I want to know how you do it. And do it well.
[more inside]posted by TomSophieIvy at 6:54 PM PST - 9 comments
Is there a good remote control to scan through images in a windows image slideshow?
[more inside]posted by clearly at 6:25 PM PST - 4 comments
I am looking for drink coasters that are made of a certain polished stone. The stone is cut that it looks like a cross-section - and it is of a circular nature. It can have a red or blue color, possibly more. Can anyone name what kind of stone this is? And even better, where in NYC I can buy them?
posted by helios410 at 5:43 PM PST - 10 comments
Looking for scenes with dialogue in G-rated movies, shows or cartoons that have hidden references for adults.
[more inside]posted by iamkimiam at 5:39 PM PST - 43 comments
Maximum online ad revenue? -newspapers can not sell an infinite amount of ads in their print newspaper because of a realistic maximum page count and circulation.
are websites beholden to any such caveats?
[more inside]posted by Paleoindian at 4:30 PM PST - 13 comments
Please recommend a dentist in the Austin area for a general check-up. Also, how urgent is a toothache? Should I be worried?
[more inside]posted by suncoursing at 2:48 PM PST - 14 comments
Can anyone recommend a "smartphone" for me, or should I just give in and get the iPhone? I'm using GrandCentral and AT&T.
[more inside]posted by jesirose at 2:40 PM PST - 25 comments
This post reminded me of something I needed to ask. -> What are some good books to read to kids, for those of us who are not very good at (or comfortable with) being characters or using different voices? Surely there are some librarians on Ask Mefi that have experience with storytime?
[more inside]posted by nomnomnom at 1:59 PM PST - 12 comments
I'm moving and starting over just about from scratch. I'd like people's input on what I should do about setting up nifty integrated audio/visual/computing stuff in my new place.
[more inside]posted by Echidna882003 at 1:56 PM PST - 3 comments
I'm going to Europe in December/January. How do I make hostel reservations? I'll be traveling with one friend for about a week, and then by myself for another week and a half. My ideal hostel is warm, safe, and my stuff won't get stolen. We're not too afraid of roughing it, but we're going in the winter. So how (much) should we plan?
[more inside]posted by theiconoclast31 at 1:54 PM PST - 16 comments
What are the most memorable, awesome or useful handmade gifts you've received or given? I'm in search of some inspiration, as well as cautionary tales.
[more inside]posted by carbide at 1:52 PM PST - 38 comments
I'm trying to find a psychological/sociological study on men and women's views of the ideal female body type.
[more inside]posted by Jaltcoh at 1:30 PM PST - 6 comments
Do you know of any design journals that it would be feasible to submit student work to? I'm looking for either journals specifically targeted to students or journals that are not super high-end.
[more inside]posted by Maia at 1:15 PM PST - 2 comments
Kids are growing up. When I take the empty stroller to the supermarket I'm getting the "why is crazy lady shopping with empty stroller" looks. I'm looking for city-friendly, grocery-friendly shopping/laundry cart that has a little more pizazz than the old foldable standby (like
this one). What's the coolest shopping cart for non-SUV moms who still walk to the store? Bonus points for extra cargo storage (for things like tissues, wallet, keys) and cup holders!
posted by moof at 1:06 PM PST - 6 comments
Could you please identify
this font? I've already tried the online font identification doohickeys. Thanks!
posted by sciurus at 12:39 PM PST - 10 comments
I'm trying to come up with a generalized comic viewer using just JavaScript. I have a solution that works in nearly all browsers, but fails miserably in Internet Explorer (several versions). I don't have easy access to a Windows machine, and wonder if anyone could help me figure out what I'm doing wrong (specifically for IE).
[more inside]posted by jpburns at 12:28 PM PST - 7 comments
We are planning our second trip to Disneyland Paris in a couple of weeks and are trying to figure out the best way to get between the airport (CDG) and Disneyland.
[more inside]posted by Goofyy at 11:39 AM PST - 6 comments
I want my blog to aggregate links to video podcasts on a specific topic. I have the subscription information. Can anyone recommend a (free) WordPress plugin that will allow my blog to subscribe to a video podcast and provide my readers with the links to see the videos?
[more inside]posted by Wild_Eep at 11:20 AM PST - 1 comments
What movies take place on Halloween night? I'm especially looking for films where a key scene, climax, or entire film takes place on Halloween.
[more inside]posted by Unsomnambulist at 11:19 AM PST - 21 comments
Gas Central Heating. Is it cheaper/ more economical to run the central heating on for a) a long time at a lower heat temperature or b) a shorter time at a higher heat temperature?
I can't seem to get this out of Googling as all the words are so common.
Note: I know it's good to have a thermostat. We will look into that - our current thermostat just turns the heating off whatever we set it to. So I just need an answer to the a) or b) bit above at the moment.
Thank you! Help keep me and MrLyzzyBee both warm and solvent this winter!
posted by LyzzyBee at 10:23 AM PST - 13 comments
Searching for the name of an old guitar distortion/overdrive pedal.
Attributes:
* orange
* old
* distortion or overdrive
* had a feature that allowed holding for "sustain"
* used by my old hippy guitar teacher in 1992
* I was told it was difficult to find in 1992
I liked this pedal because I could hold my foot on the pedal and it would feedback. You would press once to turn it on, hold to get sustain, press to turn off. Not sure if it was custom or what.
I was too young at the time to note the brand.
posted by metajc at 10:08 AM PST - 4 comments
Is there any way I can get relatively current Washington, DC police/fire/EMT dispatch information onlineor on my desktop?
[more inside]posted by Inspector.Gadget at 10:06 AM PST - 3 comments
Help us find the perfect B&B! Agent86 and I are tying the knot and we'd like to celebrate by spending the weekend at a nice B&B not too far from NYC.
[more inside]posted by agent99 at 9:34 AM PST - 10 comments
I'm looking for examples of writings on national cultural identity by nationals of the country in question in any language.
[more inside]posted by lucia__is__dada at 9:09 AM PST - 10 comments
I want to diversify my asset portfolio to include Noble/Precious metals commodities (primarily Palladium). I've heard an effective method is via ETCs.
Can someone explain to me what a Exchange Traded Commodity actualy is.
[more inside]posted by complience at 9:01 AM PST - 7 comments
How can I fix my broken computer game? I'm playing the Sims 2, and it hangs during the character creation process. The website's forum advice was essentially that my graphics card was causing the problem and to return my laptop if I could, but I'm surprised. My four year old Toshiba laptop never had this trouble, for all it started giving me dreaded 'Low memory' messages near the end.
[more inside]posted by Phalene at 8:59 AM PST - 11 comments
We're looking for a house and thus spending some time on various estate agent and FSBO sites. I like to open each house's page in a new tab for easy comparison, but just about every FSBO site throws up a "Don't steal from us" nag box on right-click. It's obnoxious. Is there an extension or Greasemonkey script that can keep this from happening?
[more inside]posted by the christopher hundreds at 8:41 AM PST - 8 comments
I have broken up with my boyfriend and he is threatening all kinds of revenge against me, from contacting my employer with lies and half-truths about me to posting scans of my private diary on the internet with my name on them. What can I do to protect myself? This is in the UK.
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 8:29 AM PST - 25 comments
We have a dear friend who follows an unusually restrictive diet. So many socializing opportunities seem to revolve around eating, such as going to a restaurant or having a cookout, that it gets a little awkward because she can't get her special food. She seems determined to keep up this diet, so we need to find other ways to get together with the focus less on eating and more on... something else. Getting together to go to a movie worked well, since she just skipped the popcorn and had bottled water, but what else can we do as a group of 3 or 4 women that won't focus so much on food and eating?
posted by mmf at 8:26 AM PST - 15 comments
I have a blog on which I occasionally publish my photos. Someone from a small nonprofit publisher just emailed me and asked to use one of my photos on the cover of a book. They are offering $250.
I've never done anything like this, so I am hoping that any MeFites with experience selling/licensing their art can help me.
[more inside]posted by ROTFL at 6:18 AM PST - 25 comments
Can you name some modern instrumental bands/albums that are interesting, lively, and unpretentious with a bit of a dark edge?
[more inside]posted by bigtex at 3:01 AM PST - 40 comments
"In order to feasibly produce, say, transparent adhesive tape, integrated circuits or sugar-free soft drinks, you need such-and-such materials and such-and-such equipment, which in turn depend on other things, all the way down to ores and fuel and such. So if you want to build your very own set of night vision goggles from scratch, here's everything you need access to in order to get started" Has anyone compiled, for the public to see, anything resembling a real-life 'tech-tree', akin to what's found in computer games such as Civilization?
[more inside]posted by Anything at 2:54 AM PST - 6 comments
Looking for an adventurer and author who was noted for confronting specific fears and paying people to ensure he had no option but to follow through.
[more inside]posted by kaydo at 2:02 AM PST - 2 comments
This week a lot of things I own have worn out or have broke, and many of my other belongings will probably "expire" in the next year or so. No big deal, but what I'd like to do is purchase high quality durable goods that will last 5+ years. I'm also concerned of possible hyperinflation so I don't mind spending. What realiable durable goods would you buy?
[more inside]posted by lpctstr; at 1:54 AM PST - 22 comments
I just started taking Concerta this week on a trial basis and I'm experiencing a rather odd side-effect ... sleepiness. Just what kind of mutant am I?
[more inside]posted by echolalia67 at 1:15 AM PST - 5 comments
Vancouver Persianfilter: Where can I find Farsi language books, Iranian style clothing, preserved foodstuffs/snacks and authentic Afghan or Iranian (or any Central Asian style) style carpets and household accessories in Vancouver BC?
posted by thewalrus at 12:47 AM PST - 3 comments
October 18
I'm going to be a first-time volunteer poll worker on Election Day -- any tips, advice, or relevant anecdotes for me?
[more inside]posted by Asparagirl at 10:11 PM PST - 10 comments
I have two G4 PowerBooks that I've wiped, packed with RAM and installed Leopard on. Now how do I make them as parent-friendly as possible?
[more inside]posted by killjoy at 9:18 PM PST - 13 comments
I'm writing a story in which death and illness is a major theme, and I'd like to name my characters accordingly.
[more inside]posted by jschu at 8:10 PM PST - 20 comments
Beautiful hive mind, Please tell me the best way of making a map/calendar duo that I can embed into my blog.
[more inside]posted by omnigut at 8:07 PM PST - 5 comments
Is there a site out there that has simple, easy to read diagrams on hot to cut different vegetables properly?
posted by AzzaMcKazza at 6:40 PM PST - 4 comments
I am packing my entire house and moving to the UK, and I'm hoping to bring my TV, stereo, and a few smaller appliances with me. Please help me figure out my US to UK transformer and voltage requirements!
[more inside]posted by Kevin A at 6:27 PM PST - 24 comments
I'm looking for a software DTMF generator (no, not
that kind of DTMF) with certain capabilities...
[more inside]posted by Chairboy at 4:51 PM PST - 9 comments
I sometimes visit a network where port 22 is locked down. I'd like to be able to initiate ssh sessions from this site. Is there any tunneling or other magic I can invoke to reach this goal, or any other solution short of badgering the admins?
[more inside]posted by namespan at 4:05 PM PST - 10 comments
I am soon traveling for an job interview for the first time, and in general this is the first time i have traveled for "business", any tips? primarily looking for tips about traveling for an interview but if you have a good lesser known tip about interviews, let me have it.
[more inside]posted by humanawho at 3:47 PM PST - 12 comments
I need a music composition aide—what's the smallest and/or cheapest piano keyboard I can buy?
[more inside]posted by spamguy at 3:36 PM PST - 5 comments
Is there a standard to preparing a software specification for an outsourced UI designer and programmer?
[more inside]posted by thegmann at 3:17 PM PST - 4 comments
I'm having trouble deciding which of my zillion photos should I frame. So I've decided to frame a nice cartoon/comic that will make me and most people laugh. Do you have a memorable cartoon you would like to see framed?
posted by leigh1 at 2:50 PM PST - 17 comments
I am an idiot and I fail miserably at this dating/relationship stuff. Help me make sense of a girl's behavior when she was drunk...
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 2:15 PM PST - 46 comments
Are there any good products that help an elderly woman remember when to take her pills and which pills to take?
posted by bucksox at 1:53 PM PST - 11 comments
Is there a solution for producing highly formatted documents programmatically, that is an alternative to ReportLab?
[more inside]posted by Pontifex at 1:51 PM PST - 10 comments
Is there a way (on the USB drive side) to keep Windows from prompting the user to decide what to do with the files on a newly connected USB drive.
[more inside]posted by SAC at 1:24 PM PST - 11 comments
I have been learning to swing dance for almost a year now, and I have enjoyed it very much. However, I will soon be traveling for an extended period of time (over six months), and will not be able to continue with my classes or lessons during that time. What can I do to keep my skills from atrophying while I am away?
[more inside]posted by philosophygeek at 10:28 AM PST - 6 comments
Photo Software N00b Filter: Why do the pics I upload from my digital camera to my computer give me a hard time, sometimes?
[more inside]posted by bardic at 9:38 AM PST - 3 comments
Looking for suggestions to help keep all my travel materials organized while traveling so that I do, in fact, see/do/smell/hear all of the great things about a particular place.
[more inside]posted by webhund at 9:04 AM PST - 8 comments
My mom has asked me to help her add an email address to her contact list. She insists that part of the address is underlined; something like john
doe@msn.com. She asked the recipient and he confirms that this is correct. Is this actually possible? If it is possible, how can it be done? I've tried copy & pasting but that hasn't worked. (Using Safari on Mac OS X Leopard, with Yahoo! email)
posted by you zombitch at 9:03 AM PST - 12 comments
Is it illegal to host poker games in Illinois if the house does not collect any profit?
[more inside]posted by thebwit at 9:02 AM PST - 5 comments
What are innovative ideas for healthcare to save money, increase efficiency and improve outcomes?
[more inside]posted by mintchip at 8:06 AM PST - 15 comments
Is there a way to persuade google (or any other search engine) that
none of the characters in your search string is any sort of metacharacter?
[more inside]posted by jfuller at 7:46 AM PST - 4 comments
I'm currently running my Ipod classic on a windows xp desktop and (due to space problems) using my Ipod as a external hard drive.
I.E, adding music to Itunes, manually adding it to my Ipod and then deleting it from Itunes. However, I'm going to buy a new (vista) laptop and wondered how can I retrieve all the music off my Ipod and sync it with my new laptop.
Also, any idea how I can move all the Photos from my Ipod (which I have saved as full resolution pictures) to my laptop??
Any help or advice greatfully recieved.
posted by maxmix at 7:36 AM PST - 2 comments
I am receiving unsolicited magazine subscriptions along with billing statements. I have called the magazine offices to cancel the subscriptions. I am being told they have the subscription request card from me with my signature. I have requested copies of these cards from the magazine companies to see if I can discern who is responsible.
Sending them to me was ok but now they have added my wife to the game and I am no longer amused. If by chance I am able to identify the culprit, would anyone know if there is a legal recourse I could pursue to encourage them to stop?
posted by Shalerman at 7:23 AM PST - 6 comments
ShortStoryFilter: I'm writing a short story that involves travel between parallel universes, or dimensions, or
whatever. You know, kind of like that TV show,
Sliders. Unfortunately, my knowledge of science (and physics, in particular) is somewhat lacking. I'd like the superficial pseudo-science I employ to make this happen be at least mildly right minded. Help?
[more inside]posted by kbanas at 6:23 AM PST - 14 comments
Can I get some kind of license to be a motion picture theatrical exhibitor, which would allow me to dust off my VHS copy of "E.T." and show it to kids downtown for 25c each? ((For free??))
[more inside]posted by shipbreaker at 2:01 AM PST - 15 comments
Why is my iCal out of sync by one hour between my Macbook and my iPhone?
[more inside]posted by mjao at 12:19 AM PST - 2 comments
October 17
I've been tasked with obtaining a "lactic acid mask" in the context of a dermatological product for my wife. Please point me to a recommendation, or a reasonable place where obsessive people talk about such things so that I can leech their wisdom?
posted by Shutter at 11:48 PM PST - 7 comments
I prepaid for music lessons, no contract, but no longer want the lessons - can I get a full refund for the remaining lessons - Please read on, there is more. I want to know if I have a case for small claims.
[more inside]posted by KoobieKitten at 11:02 PM PST - 38 comments
Is there an easy way to rip a video DVD to MP3, so that each chapter on the disc is a separate MP3 file?
[more inside]posted by indyz at 10:52 PM PST - 5 comments
I'm currently staying at a friend's place in burnaby.
It's at corner Boundary and Hastings.
I'm trying to find a 24h cafe place nearby (or mcdonald's or something similar) with internet access to waste time in.
Hopefully it'll be free cause I have my laptop!
Thanks!
posted by PowerCat at 10:36 PM PST - 6 comments
Current MBA student , looking to work with a multinational company in Africa. Looking for an entry position in business development, marketing and sales and consultation. Fluent in French and English. I will appreciate any links, contacts or advice
Thanks
Dino
posted by Dino Nino at 10:00 PM PST - 2 comments
My Macbook has fried three hard drives in the two years. This seems unreasonable. Help me complain effectively!
[more inside]posted by aint broke at 9:25 PM PST - 19 comments
In need of some networking advice, how to terminate a cable on the switch side. As always more information after the jump.
[more inside]posted by hxc at 8:31 PM PST - 15 comments
Nosefilter: what might be causing the weird (bad) smell coming from my significant other's nose? I know you're not my doctor, but this funky mucus-y smell eminates from his nose every year starting around this time and gradually fades away in the spring/summer. Has anyone else encountered this? Any recommendations for home remedies or what specialist would be best suited to provide diagnosis (ENT)?
[more inside]posted by xiaolongbao at 8:25 PM PST - 17 comments
[StudentLoanRepaymentFilter] Should I transfer my Direct Loans to some private loan consolidation company?
[more inside]posted by All.star at 7:57 PM PST - 4 comments
Where on my Australian tax return do my earnings as a freelance web designer go, and is there any other paperwork I need to fill out because I had an ABN this year?
[more inside]posted by springbound at 7:30 PM PST - 3 comments
My dog isn't adjusting to her new food, and it's been over a month. We know she has a sensitive stomach, but we had hoped that she'd be adjusted by now. Aside from food vigilance, what else can we do to help her?
[more inside]posted by woot at 7:22 PM PST - 9 comments
I think my new friend broke my hooha. How do I recover from my most disastrous sexual experience?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 6:37 PM PST - 19 comments
With all the bickering over taxes in the election campaign, I'm trying to get a broader picture of US income tax history, theories behind past policies, and analysis of how they worked (in idiot friendly language).
[more inside]posted by p3t3 at 6:14 PM PST - 4 comments
Can you wonderful ladies (and awesome supporters of same) who have experienced gestational diabetes, even though you already ate pretty well, post as many meals as you remember eating/liking/working for you?
[more inside]posted by Sweetdefenestration at 5:50 PM PST - 10 comments
Does anyone out there know if you can you use Skype to check the voicemail on your landline? Not sure if you can input more numbers once the call has connected...
posted by dearleader at 5:39 PM PST - 8 comments
I've got a first-gen Dell Axim X5 PDA. I use Outlook 2000 with it. Will I hose this all up if I upgrade to Outlook 2007?
posted by TheManChild2000 at 5:29 PM PST - 4 comments
Is there a video of people laughing at Biden's story about his wife during the US Vice Presidential Debate?
[more inside]posted by ejoey at 5:04 PM PST - 7 comments
Can you help me remember this barely remembered cartoon from my childhood? A community of alien looking people live on a floating island and go out in flying boats to catch flying whales. Every so often one of them would turn blue and die, and they would throw him down a well. The well was actually a hole passing through the island and as the body fell it would turn into a new sky whale. Any ideas?
posted by Artw at 4:56 PM PST - 9 comments
My second pair of Shure SE210 in-ear headphones have just broken in the same way for the second time. Can anyone recommend some in-ear headphones that don't suck?
[more inside]posted by DecemberBoy at 4:13 PM PST - 21 comments
I'm not getting a much out of my cognitive-behavioral therapy. Do my therapists suck, or are my expectations just too high?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 2:30 PM PST - 16 comments
America -> American. China -> Chinese. Iraq -> Iraqi. Are there any rules about converting a country name to its citizen/adjective form?
[more inside]posted by rq at 2:04 PM PST - 32 comments
I'll be in Sao Paulo, Brazil for the weekend of November 6-7 on business, and I'd like to find something entertaining to do. Any suggestions? I'll probably be staying near the centre of the city, if it makes any difference.
posted by ChrisR at 2:01 PM PST - 7 comments
I just cobbled together a computer for the first time, and while it powers up OK (fans and drives awhirring) I get nothing on the screen. No signal input. What did I mess up? Did I kill my CPU?
[more inside]posted by saguaro at 1:55 PM PST - 12 comments
GMail apparently has had an outage. Supposedly it has been fixed, but I still cannot log into my account. I am going insane. Please help.
[more inside]posted by miltoncat at 1:09 PM PST - 7 comments
My grandmother wants to watch Obama and McCain in the Smith dinner again (and again!) She has dialup internet, and is about as net savvy as one would expect. Can the hivemind help?
[more inside]posted by pointystick at 12:37 PM PST - 8 comments
Are individuals selling used cars frequently willing to work with a purchaser with regard to a payment plan or are they really expecting the full asking price all at once?
[more inside]posted by BeerFilter at 12:06 PM PST - 17 comments
Do 3rd party PDF print drivers flatten layers? When printing a PDF from within Photoshop or Illustrator, do 3rd party PDF engines (PDFCreator or CutePDF or other) automatically flatten all the layers? If not, is there a setting in either 3rd party driver to do so?
posted by kartguy at 11:57 AM PST - 5 comments
I want to create a complete backup of my gmail account. Is there an easy way to do this?
[more inside]posted by googly at 11:51 AM PST - 14 comments
How to do a VBA version of the following array formula in Excel?
The following array formula (entered with ctrl,shift,enter) will produce the string 'Bank statement'!H842, which is the name of a cell I would like to be able to manipulate via VBA:
{="'Bank statement'!H"&MATCH(C1&D$39,'Bank statement'!A:A&'Bank statement'!C:C,0)}
[more inside]posted by Mokusatsu at 11:20 AM PST - 3 comments
I've had this unbearable pastoral fantasy for a few years now where all I want to do all day is make pretty things in the comfort of my own home, at my own pace, and have plenty of time and natural space to roam around in rather than work. How do I deal with this?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 11:11 AM PST - 19 comments
Can you identify this symbol (
http://h4xr.org/9rb2)? It's a diamond centered between two vertical lines with a dot in the middle. I've seen it on sidewalks and streets and presume it's used by electricians or other street/maintenance workers. What does it mean?
posted by deep_sea_diving_suit at 10:57 AM PST - 7 comments
So my washing machine doesn't spin during the spin cycle anymore, but all other cycles and functions work fine. What does that mean?
[more inside]posted by xbonesgt at 10:28 AM PST - 7 comments
Where the hell did all the nice people go? This is not chatfilter. This is a serious question about why there's so much negativity, how to cope with it and how I can find other nice people.
[more inside]posted by damnjezebel at 10:00 AM PST - 51 comments
NewBossFilter: How to do go about asking my new boss if its ok for me to keep coming in around 9:30am?
[more inside]posted by Elminster24 at 9:50 AM PST - 20 comments
I would like to start working as a speech or letter writer for a political/government office. What advice do you have for me on how to best go about this?
[more inside]posted by orange swan at 9:11 AM PST - 5 comments
So my wife is going as Chef to the Rock Star themed potluck I
previously asked about. Now we have to come up with a recipe for Chocolate Salty Balls. Anyone have a recipe for a sort of insanely good trufflely chocolate ball that we can lightly coat in some good salt? What would be a good salt to use?
[more inside]posted by Jupiter Jones at 9:10 AM PST - 12 comments
I know the URL of the ViewVC interface to a subversion repository, how do I go about checking out the files (i.e how do I get an svn url)
posted by zeoslap at 8:44 AM PST - 2 comments
Co-workers have been out of the office this week staying at a hotel on the other side of the country and I've kidnapped their toy for ransom. How to proceed using this third party?
[more inside]posted by KathyK at 7:50 AM PST - 11 comments
Reroofing: Should 15# felt used when doing a roofover on an existing asphalt/mineral 3-tab roof? The existing roof is is fair condition, so a tearoff isn't absolutely required.
[more inside]posted by toucano at 7:41 AM PST - 5 comments
Spanish Translation Filter: We are living in Southern Spain, please could somebody provide me with a few names of good meat for example, fillet steak, rib-eye, sirloin, tender meat for putting in a casserole etc.
Thanks in advance...
[more inside]posted by spinko at 6:40 AM PST - 7 comments
So this past May, Bruce Springsteen walks into a bar...
and joins Mike Ness onstage. They crank out a couple of tunes, but apparently there's
no decent audio/video of the event (that I can find, anyway). Curious if anyone out there has come across a recording of this event? Their version of "Ball and Chain" would be of most interest to me.
posted by brandman at 6:28 AM PST - 3 comments
Los Angeles Adventure Lunch? Coed coworkers seeking adventurous and / or interesting and / or secret neighborhood and /or back alley fun lunch today, Friday, October 17th, 2008. Starting in Burbank.
[more inside]posted by snowjoe at 6:14 AM PST - 2 comments
Keyspan, now National Grid (in Brooklyn), I think is completely ripping me off. Is there someone independent I can call to audit my bill and meter? I just got a bill for $240 for one month for a 1BR apartment! For the summertime!
[more inside]posted by Ollie at 6:10 AM PST - 23 comments
Is there a (pickup?) game of soccer in Philly I can play in between Wednesday 22nd October and Tuesday 28th?
[more inside]posted by tomw at 5:51 AM PST - 5 comments
Factcheck: Obama claims 99% or so of small businesses make less than $250,000 a year. Is this true?
posted by stbalbach at 5:47 AM PST - 9 comments
why are people freaking out and bemoaning the "removal of firewire" on the new macbooks and macbooks pros? they both still have a firewire 800 port. but nobody is specifically saying "they removed firewire 400!!". it's all "well now i'm never buying one of those since they totally killed firewire." and buying a firewire 400 to 800 cable or converter is under $20. am i missing something?
posted by dithmer at 4:39 AM PST - 12 comments
Can I cross the following borders on foot (both ways)?
Romania / Hungary, Hungary / Slovakia, Slovakia / Poland
[more inside]posted by Dee Xtrovert at 3:32 AM PST - 4 comments
My parents have asked me to set up their new Windows laptop. What software should I install on it?
[more inside]posted by jonesor at 3:11 AM PST - 12 comments
I'm a 3rd years college students and I'm really confuse as of what I want to do in life.
In my first two years I thought I wanted to become a computer engineer, since I was always like working with computer. The problems was I fail Calculus 2 times and Chemistry 2 times. Therefore I think I'm not cut out for the programs. The reason I fail, is just because I don't understand the subject and it bored me most of the time.
Anyhow after failing Calculus, I thought math is just not the thing for me, so I decided to go for Nursing, since the math requirement is not so much. During my summer break, I took BIO 156 (Introduction to Biology) and I failed the class. I'm currently taking the class again and I'm not doing so well either. The subject just doesn't interest me, and it's very hard to understand. I also attend the help session, but still I'm not doing so well.
My question is what major should I be going for? I think science and math is just not my strong area, so I'm trying to figure out a major that doesn't require much science and math. I'm really confuse right now, I hope someone can help.
posted by huyhoangbach at 2:30 AM PST - 18 comments
I'm going to be in Geneva, Switzerland on business in a couple of weeks, and am interested in picking up a watch there. Any recommendations of where to look for something not crazy expensive?
[more inside]posted by barc0001 at 1:41 AM PST - 3 comments
I'm looking for a multi-panel cartoon about two sharks. So far the only thing I've found via Google is frustration. Here's what I remember: the female shark is angry and the male shark keeps asking: "Is it something I did?" "Is it something I said?" etc... She always says "No" until he asks something complicated like "Is it something I said but that I should've said with more respect for your feelings?" to which she says: "Maybe." I kiss the Mefite who can find it!
posted by Ljubljana at 12:55 AM PST - 8 comments
October 16
Help! Where can I find a copy of the Disney Channel original movie You Lucky Dog (
wiki/
imdb)? I've looked
everywhere and can't find anything.
[more inside]posted by comwiz at 10:45 PM PST - 1 comments
I haven't bought a computer in 6 years (pre-multi-core). Help update me on what are "acceptable" specs for a computer or laptop.
[more inside]posted by TimeTravelSpeed at 10:22 PM PST - 10 comments
We need a drink in Princeton, NJ. It's an emergency, I promise you. If not a bar, a place we can buy booze to go.
[more inside]posted by killerinsideme at 10:19 PM PST - 7 comments
Alcoholics (of
course you aren't): Need drink ideas that fit the theme "rugged". Fewer ingredients is better, and if you've got several suggestions that all require the same base liquor, that's wonderful.
posted by Picklegnome at 8:06 PM PST - 52 comments
I will be applying to graduate school soon and I cannot visit all of the campuses that I am applying to. I have been contacting these schools so that they can put me in touch with current graduate students who I can ask about their campuses, and I wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything important in my list of questions below.
[more inside]posted by davidstandaford at 7:21 PM PST - 11 comments
Seeking a field that blends radical left-wing politics and sustainability with technology without diluting any of them.
[more inside]posted by youcancallmeal at 6:05 PM PST - 14 comments
Ok, WTF. I go to my home page (iGoogle) and suddenly everything has changed. I hate it, it literally hurts my eyes, I can't find anything. I am not kidding. How do I fix it or where can I protest?
[more inside]posted by DetonatedManiac at 5:48 PM PST - 24 comments
GrantFilter: Help my artist friend get a grant to pay for materials so he can donate art to hospitals and other public-benefit places.
[more inside]posted by ScarletPumpernickel at 5:03 PM PST - 1 comments
Question about yard signs (not of a political scope). The house across from mine went into foreclosure a while back. A few days ago a for sale sign went up. Now it is a billboard.
[more inside]posted by jeribus at 4:53 PM PST - 9 comments
I'm having great difficulty finding a supplier of boxes and packing materials in the Netherlands that doesn't require buying in bulk
[more inside]posted by MentokTheMindToker at 4:50 PM PST - 1 comments
I'm in a French class with a bunch of college (mainly) freshmen, and I've talked a bunch of them into meeting for a study session on Monday afternoon. How can we best study together? I always studied alone when I was an undergrad.
[more inside]posted by amtho at 4:33 PM PST - 7 comments
Would it be feasible to have a small electrode permanently implanted in my brain?
[more inside]posted by waxboy at 4:21 PM PST - 15 comments
I'm trying to find a picture of a car our family had in the late-ish '60's, early '70's. It was dark green, and had a black vinyl roof, and big triangular tail lights. I *thought* it was a Dodge something, but I can't find anything that looks like it when googling, so I could be mistaken. Chrysler maybe? It was definitely US made. I don't remember if it was a 2 or 4 door. Hope me?
posted by yoga at 4:00 PM PST - 3 comments
I got my oil changed Tuesday. When I picked up my car I noticed a bit of an oil smell, but chocked it up to them spilling a little. Yesterday I didn't drive the car. Today I had a lot of driving. In the morning there was still the oil smell, and by this evening it turned to a burning chemical smell. I opened my hood to see oil all over and no oil cap on. I need advice on the following:
[more inside]posted by a22lamia at 3:59 PM PST - 17 comments
Indeed, my wee beastlings love
the maple syrup on their pancakes, but that stuff's expensive and I don't have the facilities to be making my own. What's a daddy to do for a cheap alternative? We shall not, of course, speak of
high-fructose plonk.
posted by knockatize at 3:47 PM PST - 34 comments
Dull computer question: I just reinstalled Windows XP Professional onto my laptop computer. Two devices in the Device Manager display the dreaded yellow question mark. They do not appear to be on the driver support disc that came with the computer. These two items are: "Network Controller" and "PCI Device". Does anyone know where I could find suitable drivers?
posted by idiomatika at 3:34 PM PST - 15 comments
Are female officers and soldiers materially affected because they are not allowed to serve in certain combat roles? Concrete data appreciated.
[more inside]posted by muddgirl at 2:42 PM PST - 14 comments
Parents of many children: Help me find parents that chose to have many children for purely secular reasons.
[more inside]posted by starbaby at 2:40 PM PST - 21 comments
Windows XP PC crashes and burns when four identical sticks of RAM are installed but Memtest86 shows no errors.
[more inside]posted by shinybeast at 2:33 PM PST - 7 comments
How do you learn to choose others when you’ve always let others choose you?
[more inside]posted by elke at 2:11 PM PST - 14 comments
In gay porn anal scenes, roughly what percentage of the time is the "bottom" flaccid versus fully erect?
posted by Greg Nog at 1:44 PM PST - 15 comments
Took 21 500mg(i believe) Vicodin in a 24 hour period. this was on monday. threw up 3 times on tuesday. oh but wait there's more...
[more inside]posted by assasinatdbeauty at 1:41 PM PST - 44 comments
What can I do this Saturday during the day and evening in London? Any ideas welcome, but looking for fun, lighthearted activities, or tips on cool places to stroll, eat, drink and chat.
[more inside]posted by lukeo05 at 1:41 PM PST - 4 comments
Why do publishers slap on "A Novel" to the titles and/or covers of, well, novels?
[more inside]posted by CKmtl at 1:41 PM PST - 23 comments
In what year were official birth certificates required to be registered for people born in Louisiana?
[more inside]posted by verevi at 1:22 PM PST - 2 comments
I broke my shoulder and collarbone in an accident. I've had the surgery, now I need a good brace to just give me some additional support for my shoulder when I'm doing my crazy activities. Only problem, none of the ones I want seem to be designed for...ummm... a woman.
[more inside]posted by CAnneDC at 1:09 PM PST - 3 comments
Someone sneaks up behind you and wraps a rope or belt around your neck to choke you. What is the best way to survive? [Yes, I watch too many violent movies]
[more inside]posted by hihowareyou at 1:09 PM PST - 27 comments
Have you got any logistical or planning suggestions for leading an 8th grade earth science class through a pretend town meeting on an environmental topic?
[more inside]posted by anonymous at 12:41 PM PST - 6 comments
Jorges Luis Borges - just read everything and nothing and I quite liked it. Recommend some of his poetry and short stories? Im looking to pick up a couple books so multiple suggestions would be great.
[more inside]posted by Tryptophan-5ht at 12:37 PM PST - 17 comments
I broke my car driving to a location, for work. I just got the bill and it's nearly $900 to fix it. What sort of recourse can I take as far as company reimbursement is concerned? If so, how do I approach this discussion?
[more inside]posted by dearest at 12:07 PM PST - 13 comments
I am looking for recommendations for a simple radiology technician reference book or website. I volunteer at a health clinic for low-income patients and pre-med volunteers serve as radiology technicians - training is on-the-job. I'm looking for a reference for x-ray basics such as how to position patients for different x-rays. I'd like to use or revise the reference to be a quick guide to volunteers before they do the x-ray.
posted by esnyder at 11:24 AM PST - 1 comments
Where is the "Why haven't you
learned anything?!" sample used in
Dead Prez - The Schools and
Digital Mystikz - Learn originally from?
[more inside]posted by moift at 11:21 AM PST - 4 comments
Any chestnut trees for picking in/around Portland?
I can't bear to pay $5.99 a pound for these chestnuts! But neither can I bear not having some now that it's Fall.
Does anybody know of any places where I might pick them? I know some people keep those places secret, but I'm not interested in plundering the entire tree. Just want enough to roast over an open fire. :)
posted by loquat at 10:22 AM PST - 9 comments
We will be in the city of Chihuahua (or roundabouts) for Dias de los Muertos. We're wondering if the festivities will be better in the city, or if there is a smaller town within an hour or two's travel that would be better? Beyond that, are there any don't-miss sights, experiences, or eateries you'd care to recommend?
posted by bricoleur at 9:39 AM PST - 1 comments
Traveling to Singapore with lawfully prescribed prescription medication including antidepressant/antianxiety drugs (klonopin, wellbutrin, and paxil.) Is it sufficient to pack these in carry-on luggage in their original bottles? Is a doctor's letter necessary/recommended? (Nothing says overcautious like "mandatory death penalty.") Thanks.
posted by anonymous at 9:31 AM PST - 5 comments
My boyfriend and I are Australians living in Germany for the next 3 months and hankering for the new Macbook Pro. Help us negotiate our way around the VAT!
[more inside]posted by mooza at 9:26 AM PST - 3 comments
Do dried lentils go bad? I have a bag of red lentils in an airtight container and they have been there for a while. What's weird is that they are no longer red. Any ideas why?
posted by ilovermontmeta at 9:24 AM PST - 6 comments
Selling a Dell inspiron 1520 laptop in Canada - advice?
[mo
