Ask MetaFilter

iCal is all right for keeping track of events and appointments but stinks for tracking tasks. Any cool OS X tools for task management?
posted by tomharpel at 11:26 PM PST - 6 comments

Does anyone know of an alternative to Effexor (Venlafaxine)? It is not a tricyclic, MAO or a SSRI. (MI) [more inside]
posted by arse_hat at 10:27 PM PST - 17 comments

My girlfriend has a fond memory of TV commercial (from the 80s?) starring various tasty treats singing "Let's go out to the kitchen and fix ourselves a snack" in what I assume to be a spoof on the "Let's go out to the lobby" promos from the drive-in era. In particular, she is haunted by a cupcake with icing "hair" that flops back and forth as he moves. Does anyone know where I can find a copy of this? Or maybe even more details about the ad...was it for milk?
posted by boost ventilator at 9:19 PM PST - 9 comments

In a previous AskMe post, I solicited advice on switching to a Palm handheld from a laptop. As a graduate student, I couldn't afford more. I received some great advice with regard to applications and wireless keyboards, but now I'm looking to upgrade. The lack of wireless connectivity is something I really miss. I'm considering the Tungsten T5 and a wireless card, but have read mixed reviews. Would I be better off shopping for a used Sony UX 50? Some other model? [more inside]
posted by aladfar at 9:01 PM PST - 2 comments

I've saved some cute messages from my kids on my digital answering machine. I'd like to clear the machine, but save them on a CD or my hard drive without losing too much quality. What format would they be in, and how could I best make the transfer?
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:49 PM PST - 10 comments

Arts and crafts time: I have hundreds of Chinese fortunes. [more inside]
posted by ColdChef at 8:43 PM PST - 16 comments

I was watching MTV Europe sometime last month, and I saw some live festival performance by a hard rock/metal band that used the "bassline" (really guitar) from Seven Nation Army. The rest of the song was completely different; it wasn't just a cover. It might have been an Italian group. Any ideas?
posted by smackfu at 8:30 PM PST - 6 comments

Psychotropicdrugfilter:
I'm probably getting off Paxil after seven (!) years and I wonder:
(1) Anyone gone through the withdrawal syndromes and have any advice or heads up on what to expect? I'm terrified.
(2) I have had no "sexual" problems on Paxil. What anti-depressants should I stay away from if I really really want my libido intact?
I'm male and 29.
posted by anonymous at 8:02 PM PST - 13 comments

Does anything help to get 'un-high' off of legal medicinal marijuana and be more alertly functioning soon?
posted by anonymous at 8:02 PM PST - 19 comments

ChildNeglectFilter: The new neighbor children have started coming to our door every day, desperately needing attention. What should (or can) we do? [mi] [more inside]
posted by butternut at 7:47 PM PST - 27 comments

My roommate is going to Italy for six months, and refuses to let me buy her a going away present. So, instead of purchasing something, I'd like to maybe make her a few compilation cds of Italian music. Recommendations please! [more inside]
posted by evilbeck at 7:42 PM PST - 15 comments

Are their any hidden keystrokes in Microsoft Word? Specifically a key combination that would allow me to easily insert a footnote? Suggestions for both OSX and XP versions appreciated.
posted by mhaw at 7:41 PM PST - 3 comments

Looking for a good, free web hosting service.

Ideally, I'd love to have FTP capability (100 megs or so), but beggars can't be choosers. I have run across a few, namely: free prohosting, 50 megs.com, and maybe even geocities (although I'd like to stay away from that if possible). I own my own domain name, and basically, just want to have a REALLY basic presence on the net. 1-3 pages max.

any suggestions?
posted by getupandgo at 6:45 PM PST - 5 comments

My girlfriend has an interview for a job later this week. She is currently employed, but this new job offers much more than what she is currently receiving. She really wants to use her current job on her resume since it is directly related to the field and good experience, but the possibility of losing her current job if the prospective employer contacts them is a risk she does not want to take.

Anyone have some recommendations on how this situation should be handled? [more inside]
posted by purephase at 6:15 PM PST - 10 comments

I just started Seasonale about six weeks ago, and everything is going great, with one exception, the back pain. About ten years ago I ripped a disk in my lower back, which produced the inevitable sciatica. After working through it with physical therapy it pretty much went away, until recently it came back, about a week after I started the new pills. I have looked up the side effects, but back pain isn't mentioned. Has anyone else noticed a similar side effect with their b.c. pills?
posted by lilboo at 5:55 PM PST - 3 comments

I'm heading to NYC in a month or so and want to see Blue Man Group while I'm there. Can anyone who has seen their show tell me if they think the content of the show would be inappropriate for an eleven year old girl? Mild profanity isn't a big deal.

Thanks.
posted by docpops at 5:49 PM PST - 16 comments

Gluten-free viddles? [more inside]
posted by oflinkey at 5:43 PM PST - 20 comments

ArtMuseumResearchFilter: I need to know the year of death for illustrator Eric Godal (born Erich Goldmann). He was born in Germany in 1899 (and it appears he came over to the U.S. after Hitler came to power); I've seen one or two references to his death in 1958, and one in 1969, but nothing definitive.
posted by scody at 5:31 PM PST - 2 comments

Who's That Monk?!?!?! Any or all of these details might be wrong, but it's all I've got: oddball 17th century monk (maybe Jesuit) who developed the water system for Bernini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers, in Rome's Piazza Navona) and made strange mechanical devices like a mechanical Jesus that walked on water. I know I heard a story about him on an evening NPR show, I think there was a meme floating around the web around the same time. I want to say his name was Chirac, but I only remember hearing that, so I may be spelling it wrong, or even confusing it with a certain foreign president. Any takers?
posted by cosmonaught at 3:45 PM PST - 7 comments

For people living in areas where it snows each year: How many types of jackets do you use in a year? As in windcheaters, fall, light winter, heavy snow, etc. If you have more than one jacket that falls in the same class only list the most practical one, and please also give a brief description of each.
posted by riffola at 2:51 PM PST - 45 comments

I don't like the Memos app on my Palm Zire 31. Any suggestions for good -- preferably free -- Palm OS 5 MemoPad alternatives which also allow editing of synced notes in OS X? (I've already tried WikiPad but I the wiki format in the Palm environment just doesn't work for me, and I can't edit synced notes in OS X.)
posted by brownpau at 2:34 PM PST - 9 comments

What should a couple of tattoo-virgins hear before they try to have wedding bands tattooed on? [more inside]
posted by cortex at 1:20 PM PST - 32 comments

Best way to play the latest Windows Media movies under OS X? [more inside]
posted by inksyndicate at 12:51 PM PST - 12 comments

In light of tthis alarming story, I'm wondering how many times a day MeFites brush their teeth. How about flossing? [more inside]
posted by emelenjr at 12:04 PM PST - 53 comments

What's That Movie?!?!?! So my girlfriend is trying to remember the title of this movie that she's seen. It was released within the last few years, and essentially deals with people playing games that rely purely on luck, and if they succeed they win prizes, and if they don't, then they die, or lose limbs, or something like that.

The best clue we have to go on is that she remembers the final scene being set in the woods, and people are released to run blindfolded through the woods, and hope that they don't smack into trees, and the first one to make it out wins, or something along those lines. If anyone can tell us what it is, it's Metafilter!
posted by The Michael The at 11:58 AM PST - 15 comments

DigiCamFilter:
A follow up my last question about my Canon Elph S400 that, I thought, had a dying CF card. Now it appears that it just doesn't like large storage cards. With a 256 or 512 card I run a 50% chance (it seems) of encountering a memory card error. With a 128 card, I didn't have any trouble at all. [MI] [more inside]
posted by fenriq at 11:08 AM PST - 7 comments

Great Stores? Sometimes a brick and mortar store is worth a visit, even though I do most of my shopping online. I'm looking for great CHAIN stores -- stores with more than one location -- that offer wonderful merchandise with a fabulous retail interface. A friend was recommending Muji, a sort of Japanese Ikea, with stores in Japan, Europe and NYC. In California, we have this over-the-top Asian import food bonanza called Ranch 99, which I have to visit every now and then. Can you recommend other global or national stores that are worth a visit?
posted by kk at 10:21 AM PST - 33 comments

My theatre company is trying to pick our next play. We only produce "classics," but we have a broad definition of the term: basically, the play must be written prior to the 20th Century. [more inside]
posted by grumblebee at 10:18 AM PST - 25 comments

I work in the design department of a small weekly newspaper and we need some good royalty free photography. [MI] [more inside]
posted by maniactown at 10:18 AM PST - 11 comments

TravelFilter: My Partner's Grandmother passed away this morning. He is driving out (ME to OK) with his family today, but needs to fly home ahead of the rest of them to be back at work on Monday. Are there other online of super-cheap airfares besides "the big three"? Am I doomed to spending every spare moment for the next three days researching airfare prices?
posted by anastasiav at 10:08 AM PST - 16 comments

Digital satellite? Digital cable? [mi] [more inside]
posted by Juicylicious at 9:43 AM PST - 26 comments

DMOZ question. I co-run a hobby site (who doesn't, these days?), but it's become quite a valuable resource for said hobby. We submitted it to DMOZ.org (the open directory project) a few times, but we never get an answer, let alone get listed in the relevant category. Our request to be listed is perfectly reasonable, but what does it take to get accepted?
posted by NekulturnY at 9:22 AM PST - 8 comments

See a librarian’s brain asplode*! So my library is moving back into our building next summer. We have some 8,400 linear feet of bound serials* being moved into 15,500 linear feet of compact shelving*. We need to tell the mover what we want our fill rate* to be. Sounds easy, right? However, there are complications, horrible complications. [more inside]
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:03 AM PST - 16 comments

MusicianFilter: What should I do with my recordings? [MI]
posted by ludwig_van at 8:42 AM PST - 18 comments

Last month in Wired, David Weinberger mentioned a research project at Stanford that "compares photos with shots of known locations, automatically annotating snaps with information about where they were taken."

Anyone know what he's talking about? I can't seem to turn up any more information about the project.
posted by Jeff Howard at 8:31 AM PST - 4 comments

When I had a PC I was addicted to Fractal Explorer. Now I have Mac, what similiar Fractal generation software can I use?
posted by Mwongozi at 8:01 AM PST - 4 comments

How and why do spark plug pieces break car windows so easily? [more inside]
posted by Optimus Chyme at 6:56 AM PST - 32 comments

Bubblepac: DVD available or DVD not available? [more inside]
posted by Shane at 6:53 AM PST - 6 comments

Can any of you parents help out a clueless, childless aunt with some toy recommendations? [MI] [more inside]
posted by JoanArkham at 5:02 AM PST - 36 comments

Heating question. I have a new home. It has a forced air furnace. I generally keep the thermostat set at 69 degrees. My roommate keeps bumping it to 72. Will this make a dramatic increase in the cost of the heating bill? [more inside]
posted by benjh at 4:24 AM PST - 24 comments

The Beatles' early albums - should I convert my MP3s to mono, and if so - how? [more inside]
posted by influx at 3:02 AM PST - 16 comments

MicrosoftWordFilter. I'm having trouble with Word. During the span of a few weeks, I work on a document - nothing too fancy, a couple of fonts, a couple of tables, perhaps a graphic or two - and yet the 29 pages bloat to 44MB. What settings are mis-set? [more inside]
posted by seawallrunner at 10:20 PM PST - 12 comments

Bubble wrap: bubbles in or bubbles out? [more inside]
posted by TiredStarling at 8:39 PM PST - 12 comments

I'm right near the end of my first term in university for film studies. I'm totally stressed out and I'm not sure it's worth it. I'm taking this b*llshit class on Canadian Film and I can't think of a topic. Does anyone have a suggestion for an essay that someone could do? Note it only has to be about a Canadian film/films and doesn't have to say anything about Canadian films directly.

HELP!
posted by Napierzaza at 8:26 PM PST - 39 comments

After watching Tommy Douglas beat out Terry Fox and Pierre Trudeau on CBC's "Greatest Canadian" program tonight, I have a two-parter for you...who would get your vote as "Greatest American" and/or as "Greatest World Citizen" in similar contests? [more inside]
posted by Jaybo at 7:10 PM PST - 35 comments

I'd like my iTunes to look at a library stored on an external drive. Unfortunately, every time I think I've got it doing that, it turns out iTune's just copied the contents of that directory onto my computer. Is there any way/thing out there to solve this?
posted by me3dia at 7:05 PM PST - 10 comments

Hangovers and red wine. Have any of you regular red wine drinkers noticed that any particular wines (by region, varietal, maker, year, dryness, tannin levels, or whatever) give you worse hangovers?
posted by shoos at 7:05 PM PST - 29 comments

What's the consensus on non-stick cookware? I find that despite my best efforts the surface always gets a few scratches, and then I worry I'm eating the stuff. So I'd rather avoid it and go with stainless steel or cast iron wherever possible. Is it only worthwhile for particular items, such as omelette pans?
posted by schoolgirl report at 6:52 PM PST - 40 comments

Can I handwash my merino wool sweater? [mi] [more inside]
posted by Juicylicious at 6:07 PM PST - 18 comments

Secure networking question: I am hoping to set up a remotely accessible wiki running on my home computer, but I'm a networking doofus. [MI] [more inside]
posted by monju_bosatsu at 6:06 PM PST - 3 comments

What's an endearing, unique, but general and non-religion-specific holiday greeting to put on the front of a card going to lots of different people these days? "Seasons Greetings" and "Happy Holidays" need not apply.
posted by robbie01 at 4:45 PM PST - 37 comments

It's the 21st century and I'm tired of analog garlic preparation! I love to add fresh -- not pre-bottled -- garlic to almost everything. However, I hate having to deal with a crappy garlic press, which usually leaves my hands covered in garlic juice and big strings of pulp. Can anyone recommend some kind of fancy-pants machine to peel and press cloves for me?
posted by jess at 4:14 PM PST - 28 comments

Can you settle a discussion I was having in work today. He said that there had never been a political scandal which didn't find it's root cause in either sexual indiscression or money/business gains. I disagreed but couldn't come up with an example. Can anyone prove him wrong?
posted by feelinglistless at 3:52 PM PST - 23 comments

Do gyms deliberately set their scales to underweigh?
posted by Duck_Lips at 3:35 PM PST - 15 comments

I'm currently recovering from a pretty bad foot injury. Basically i was hit by a car while riding my motorcycle. My foot was smashed by the bumper and I suffered a talonavicular dislocation, which is a fancy way of saying my foot bones got disconected from the leg bones. The dislocation was reduced (owch) and now its immobilized. Someone sugested magnets would help me heal. Does anyone have experience with this? Does it work or is it nonsense? Does anyone know any other home remedies that work?
posted by clubfoote at 2:39 PM PST - 15 comments

Remember when AskMe was all about product recommendations? Everything old is new again. What's a good portable music player that supports ogg files and works, officially or not, with Linux? [more inside]
posted by kenko at 2:14 PM PST - 9 comments

How can one make the studs often found in the corners of jeans’ pockets? A denim rivet gun (or something) exists, right? Are these studs different than eyelets? I apologize for the ignorance; this is a gift. Thanks.
posted by glibhamdreck at 1:42 PM PST - 2 comments

If you live in the US, you've probably seen them. Those yellow and red,white and blue magnets that people stick on their cars that look like ribbons, usually saying "Support Our Troops" or something of the sort. I've got a question about them. [MI] [more inside]
posted by shawnj at 1:26 PM PST - 35 comments

TravelFilter: How has Barcelona, or even Spain in general, changed since 1997? I studied at UB for a term then and will be returning for the first time in 8 years next February.
posted by jewishbuddha at 1:11 PM PST - 6 comments

Universal wishlists were discussed in the blue about a year ago. I'd like to use one, but there's a lot of them out there. What are your recommendations? [Desired features inside] [more inside]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 12:44 PM PST - 5 comments

One month into a three month trial of Lexapro, which is supposedly the mildest of the SSRIs (WRT side effects) currently on the market, and I'm left with a burning question for other women who have been here, done this: do the orgasms really come back?
posted by anonymous at 12:12 PM PST - 33 comments

My cousin and his family were found dead yesterday. While he and I were not close in recent years because we'd lost touch, I feel deep sadness for what my aunt and uncle are going through. (I am still in touch with them.) This leaves me with two questions. What is the normal process of a homicide investigation? What is an appropriate/meaningful way to show support to my aunt and uncle even though I live out of state and am completely unable to attend any funeral arrangements which may be made?
posted by anonymous at 12:11 PM PST - 5 comments

NYC suburban parking help? [mi] [more inside]
posted by Vidiot at 10:57 AM PST - 10 comments

Toastfilter- I'm looking for the entirety of a toast mentioned in an O. Henry short story. "May the blessings of another year be upon this hearth. The guest and upon her who..." [MI] [more inside]
posted by The White Hat at 10:44 AM PST - 6 comments

It's time again for my family to engage in the dreaded tradition of the 20 Questions gift (you can find my post about it last year here). Last year my mother guessed her gift in about 5 turns, so this year I'm DETERMINED to destroy her. Anyone have any good suggestions?
posted by emptybowl at 10:41 AM PST - 33 comments

I shave about three times a week and have black hair, but occasionally I'll wake up to see a blond hair that's half an inch long or longer has sprouted out of my face overnight. The same thing has happened on my arms and legs, with much-longer-than-ordinary blond hairs appearing amidst my regular body hair. What's going on?
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 10:08 AM PST - 24 comments

Is there a way to expedite domain resolution? I finally get a big PR coup for a client and the magazine misprinted the site URL. Grrr. So I bought the erroneous URL but need it to resolve fast. [more] [more inside]
posted by madamjujujive at 10:01 AM PST - 20 comments

Lost Poem: This one is a toughie. Several years ago (12+) I saw a poem in a magazine, but it wasn't really "printed" in the magazine -- it appeared on a computer screenshot as a companion graphic to the main article. [more inside]
posted by robbie01 at 9:55 AM PST - 13 comments

Wire[d|less]NetworkingFilter: I have a snow Airport base station that I can happily configure via ethernet cable from a non-wireless-enabled Graphite iMac running 10.3.6 and configure and connect with (using the 56k modem) using a wireless-enabled computer. I want to connect using the ethernetted iMac. Is this possible? [mi] [more inside]
posted by caitlinb at 9:52 AM PST - 4 comments

Is there something I can do so that I do not have excruciating pain in my ears when landing during a commercial flight? [more inside]
posted by xmutex at 9:35 AM PST - 17 comments

I recall reading an article critizing some of today's popular writers (Clancy and King were two I recall) for being bland or suffering from too much Strunk and White. What then are some modern writers who gush with their own, unique style? [more inside]
posted by grefo at 9:15 AM PST - 37 comments

Is this claim made over in the blue actually accurate? ("When you recycle, you're working for Tony Soprano.") To what extent is the whole recycling process just makework?
posted by luser at 8:51 AM PST - 16 comments

I have an audio surround decoder that supports Dolby Pro Logic I and II. (In separate modes.) If it's in Pro Logic II mode, will a Pro Logic I encoded signal still be "correctly" decoded?
posted by Mwongozi at 8:15 AM PST - 2 comments

I am hosting a Monty Python and the Holy Grail dinner party for which I will be creating a printed menu. I need help naming the entres in a Monty Pythonish way. HELP!
posted by punkfloyd at 7:47 AM PST - 43 comments

Recommend some modern synthpop (aka. futurepop. aka. technopop. aka whatever else) [more inside]
posted by mkn at 7:39 AM PST - 42 comments

Is gay culture truly a culture (per 2nd and 5b definition)? Why or why not? I've always felt ambivalent about this question--mainly due to continuity of culture via education thoughts--but have never really discussed the matter with other people. [more inside]
posted by WolfDaddy at 7:29 AM PST - 18 comments

Would like to get my wife a cooking magazine subscription for Xmas. They all look the same to me! She is a serious cook, scoffs as kitchen gadgetry, and is only sort-of interested in wine. Help!
posted by Mid at 7:16 AM PST - 36 comments

Is there any way to make a european telephone work on the U.S. system? [more inside]
posted by omidius at 5:29 AM PST - 9 comments

Inspired by a number of people moving into my neighborhood and talking about the gorgeous oak floors revealed when they lifted up the carpet, we decided to jump on the bandwagon and ditch the carpet. Besides, with having two puppies this year, it was beginning to get funky. When we tried, we found that the padding was almost disintegrated, powder in some spots, in others stuck to the floor, and not with adhesive. No amount of mineral spirits and elbow grease was making that stuff budge. Also, there are black spots from when we must have missed a puppy accident. In other words, it looks like crap. Google gives me conflicting reports about the salvagability of the floor - some say a good sanding and maybe some bleach will take care of the dark spots, others say the boards will need to be replaced. Any first hand experience with this one? I know refinishing is a must, but will it be worth the effort?
posted by ferociouskitty at 5:16 AM PST - 12 comments

I'm in a long-term, gay relationship and looking to put together a will that puts me and my partner’s mind at ease before Civil Partnerships come into affect in the UK. The problem is, how does one go about putting together a will? What are people's experiences? Should I go to a lawyer specialising in gay relationships? And, if so, can anyone recommend a good one in the UK, London area?
posted by axon at 2:54 AM PST - 1 comment

AccentFilter: Any tips for faking New England? [mi] [more inside]
posted by monkey closet at 1:17 AM PST - 24 comments

What were the first few mainstream/indie biographical films that ended by transitioning from the actor to the real-life person that the actor was portraying?
[examples inside may be considered spoilers] [more inside]
posted by gluechunk at 12:36 AM PST - 17 comments

Ok, so we all saw the hilarity that ensued the last time someone posted a contemporary religion vs homosexuality thread on the blue. My question is strictly academic. Does christianity truly object or is that a more modern concern based on mistranslation?

Points of discussion say one thing and then the other . I, for one, do not have the linguistic background to isolate the wheat from the chaff, and so I ask metafilter. Queer - damnable sin, or something to cleanse yourself of before you go to temple if you're jewish.
posted by Sparx at 12:34 AM PST - 20 comments

TransformerFilter: I've just relocated to the US and have a rechargeable drill that uses a 17V DC transformer. I need to replace the transformer, since the one I have runs on 240V power (and has the UK prongs). The problem here is that I can't find a suitable replacement at the likely suspect places: hardware stores, Radio Shack...

I know that the voltage must match precisely and that the amperage must be at least as high as the noted amperage, and that the polarity must also match. So where can I go to find a good transformer? I'm in NYC, but I prefer to shop online.
posted by yellowcandy at 11:41 PM PST - 9 comments

I'm looking for a way for my class to send something to the troops overseas to show our support for them. Anyone here know how to go about this?
posted by jmd82 at 11:13 PM PST - 7 comments

I'm looking for a fiction anthology, and only vaguely remember the title or what the book looked like. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by FunkyHelix at 9:31 PM PST - 5 comments

Is it a good idea to pursue an academic career? [more inside]
posted by introcosm at 9:12 PM PST - 31 comments

I'm building a website that programatically sends users a confirmation email during signup, but the emails are being blocked by the recipients' mail server, I assume because my domain name is failing some anti-spam test. How can I make my domain and emails less suspicious? [MI] [more inside]
posted by gsteff at 8:04 PM PST - 9 comments

I live with two friends who are a couple -- wonderful people I've known for many years. They're great in every aspect, except for their incessant baby-talking and PDA. Now, I'm not so much of a prude that I object to cuddling and a light kiss in common areas, but these two are beginning to drive me nuts. They baby-talk, loudly, for hours in every room of the house and make out on the couch while the rest of us (I have several roommates) are watching TV, and generally just make a normally benign situation very uncomfortable. They're in their late 20s and have been together for five years, so this isn't some teenage gushfest thing. I don't want to put a damper on their happiness, but I'm finding myself gritting my teeth or having to leave the room every time I hear, "Iz my baby waby doing fwine! How is my baby-waby!" How should I keep my sanity? I'll be moving in June, so moving out isn't an option now, nor is the situation horrible enough to warrant something like that. I've also tried leaving the room very pointedly every time they begin, but that apparently hasn't gotten the idea across, either.
posted by anonymous at 7:46 PM PST - 24 comments

What would be the ethical issues surrounding dating one's optometrist? I realize that dating one's doctor would be against their professional practice codes but an optometrist seems like a less clear case. The O.D. Ethics guide does not address the question at all. I can't easily change optometrists as I live in a small city and she is the only one qualified to fit lenses for my rare corneal disease - I need new lenses every six months or so.
posted by anonymous at 7:46 PM PST - 8 comments

I'm looking for a song. Not a specific one, but that fits the following: Something a bit retro 70s/80s, but not dated; energetic, with lots of life, and a little rock-starish. Along the lines of Electric Light Orchestra's "Do Ya".

Any suggestions from music buffs? My personal collection doesn't match this style, so I don't even know where to begin.
posted by still at 7:29 PM PST - 17 comments

Is the site Link and Think dead? It hasn't been updated since last year.Are there alternatives out there for the blogging community?
posted by bearybipolar at 6:47 PM PST - 0 comments

Looking for an article that was published in the last three years that described how common certain "one in a million" events actually are. Prominent coincidences discussed in the article were whales jumping onto the decks of ships and people finding long lost wedding rings. I believe it may have been in the Guardian or another UK paper's website. [More Inside] [more inside]
posted by ontic at 6:47 PM PST - 7 comments

When I look at my digital photos on my laptop, they look great. When I connect the camera to the tv, they look dark and the color looks "off". The picture also looks off when we watch DVD's. Does anyone have a free color test pattern that can help me adjust my TV ? Any other links that can help me adjust this Panasonic 27" ( less than 1 year old ). Google just overwhelms me with info. It mostly comes back with software or videos that I have to purchase....
posted by kingb at 6:37 PM PST - 10 comments

ApartmentFunkFilter? I live in Seattle, in a 90+ year old apartment building. It's a great place except that, like most older buildings I've lived in, it's got kind of ... a funk. I don't really know how to describe it, other than the air smells kinda stale, especially when you first walk in. It's getting a little too cold to simply leave the windows open and box fans help to move the air around but don't really do that much to help with the staleness. Plus, the droning of box fans is kind of annoying. Also, we have two cats (and all that that implies...)

I'm curious if the ionic air purifiers thingies, which seem way overpriced, actually work. Of if there's another (preferably cheaper) way to get cleaner air in my apartment. Is something like the Hamilton Beach TrueAir what I want?
posted by jimray at 6:19 PM PST - 11 comments

All the hand-wringing about privatizing Social Security makes me realize I'm in the dark on this one. I don't have a finance/economics background, so could someone explain this concept to me as if I were a ten-year old?

Why is privatizing SS so bad? I'm 31--once the baby boomers cash out their stash, my generation and those younger ain't gonna have jack.....so what's the harm in privatizing it? Or is that scenario not accurate? What can we do to SS besides privatize? I'm not defending privatization, I'm just looking for information.
posted by zardoz at 6:17 PM PST - 17 comments

What set of wireless headphones should I buy? Bonus points if it's feasible to carry the transmitter in my pocket for use with my iPod. [more inside]
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 5:10 PM PST - 5 comments

I'm in the market for a new CRT monitor. The old Viewsonic A90's cable is wearing, causing some pretty bad artifacts. I'd like to just replace the cable, but it's attached to the back of the monitor.
[MI] [more inside]
posted by Evstar at 4:24 PM PST - 16 comments

Installing new Hard Drive. Trying to install a second, new 80GB hard drive under Windows 98. Will detect the drive, but won't boot... [mi] [more inside]
posted by sinical at 4:15 PM PST - 11 comments

I'm looking at different anti-spam systems, and one of these is a challenge-response system. Anybody know of an open-source, free, or relatively cheap challenge-response system that I could try? I run a couple of mail servers for a public school district, and we're always looking for ways to deal with spam.
posted by MiG at 3:51 PM PST - 10 comments

Is there something like Andromeda for video-oriented assets such as quicktime movies? Alternatively, does Andromeda support video formats, and I just can't find the info in the docs?
posted by mwhybark at 1:25 PM PST - 4 comments

After reading Sticherbeast's FPP on the Thomas Ligotti interview, I was very eager to read the Peter Zapffe essay Ligotti refers to--"The Last Messiah".

A look with Google and Amazon turned up no full texts in English, for free or otherwise. Do any MeFites have a translation of "The Last Messiah" they'd be willing to share or sell, or leads on where to find same?
posted by everichon at 11:09 AM PST - 5 comments

I've heard the following phrase in a few places (namely Family Guy) and after googling I can't figure out what it's a refrence to: "it rubs the lotion in its skin, else it gets the hose again." What IS this?
posted by phrontist at 9:47 AM PST - 30 comments

Are there any good websites or books for students that are interested in finding more about what different careers in public policy are available to them? I've been looking around for some friends of mine, but have had trouble finding anything...
posted by jare2003 at 9:46 AM PST - 3 comments

MoneyFilter.....

Any tips on finding a good personal accountant/advisor? I am in the IT field and money management is not my forte.
posted by keep it tight at 9:05 AM PST - 10 comments

SkypeOut. Just took a credit for 10 $, but the sound quality is markedly worse than the skype-to-skype calls, and also worse than the normal phone. Also, there seems to be a delay in the conversation, which makes it useless for, say, business calls. Any ideas how to remedy this? Or will we have to wait for Skype 0.2? [more inside]
posted by NekulturnY at 7:14 AM PST - 7 comments

I recently got an ibook, and I'm having a lot of fun with fink. But I'm wondering, what's the coolest or most interesting thing/hack you've done with OS X?
posted by angry modem at 1:19 AM PST - 16 comments

What would you like your epitaph to read? If you prefer not to be buried, what shall become of your mortal remains?
posted by baphomet at 11:51 PM PST - 56 comments

When do you/when did you give up on your dreams? I am almost thirty, and can move into a nice relationship, house, etc. abandoning dreams of variance. Or not.
posted by orange clock at 10:06 PM PST - 25 comments

Problems with metafilter.

For some reason, I can log into the ask metafilter section but cannot log into the standard metafilter site.

Even after clearing cookies, history, cache... when I login I just get the metafilter site presented to me as if I was not logged in... If I intentionally enter the wrong password I am told that I have errored, but cannot log into metafilter.

This happens using Firefox and IE6. I've even tried computers at friends houses and the same thing happens.

Is this because I close the browser without logging out?

I've never had this happen on another site.
posted by doctordendrite at 8:30 PM PST - 13 comments

A few years ago I kept a diary on 3.5 floppies in password- protected word files. I found the floppies at my parent's house this weekend, but of course I don't know the password now. Any way that I can recover the files? I checked google, can't really find anything that makes sense to me.
posted by cilantro at 5:04 PM PST - 7 comments

How do you tell a man that you don't like the way he kisses? Is it even possible to do without irrevocable damage to his ego?
posted by Juicylicious at 4:11 PM PST - 23 comments

Anyone else a fan of the TV adverts for Cartoon Network (by, I guess, Williams Street of Sealab 2021 and ATHF fame)? The new CG commercials are fun, and the old classics featured things like Shaggy doing a variation on the Whopper/Royale conversation from Pulp Fiction, and Johnny Bravo sitting around in Hopper's Nighthawks coffeeshop (having had his heart broken by Scooby Doo's Velma.) Hip stuff with obvious references aimed at adults. Can the adverts be found anywhere? Anyone want to sharez a link with me via e-mail? Thanks.
posted by Shane at 1:38 PM PST - 13 comments

Are there any decent freeware/shareware DVD burning programs for win XP or should I bite the bullet and buy Nero?
posted by 445supermag at 12:57 PM PST - 7 comments

I'm in an airport on an AT&T Wireless wifi connection. How safe is it to A) check POP email (that doesn't likely include too much sensitive info) B) shop online at trusted sites (e.g. Amazon, Banana Republic etc.) C) do online banking, check credit card statements, etc.? [more inside]
posted by rorycberger at 12:57 PM PST - 12 comments

I own a very small company, and I feel that my product is the best in its category. If I can just get my message to the masses, my company will be a success (otherwise I'll have to go back to work for "the man"). What's the best way to ge the message out? I realize that everyone is advertising-averse, and I don't want to consider anything that might irritate people.
posted by yaquina27 at 11:01 AM PST - 15 comments

Data recovery, OS X, on an accidentally initialized hard drive. The guy at the shop has informed my brother that files are basically unrecoverable under those circumstances - something to do with how OS X installs a new system or some such. Is this so? [more inside]
posted by furiousthought at 9:29 AM PST - 8 comments

The dead are rising. What do you do? [more inside]
posted by noisia at 9:19 AM PST - 48 comments

My partner got so drunk he peed the bed last night. We have a wonderful, comfortable, expensive mattress that we love dearly and we would be very sad to get rid of it. So what's the best way to get the pee stain/smell out of it?
posted by anonymous at 9:12 AM PST - 21 comments

Italian ISP: I'm trying to simplify communications within a professional organization. One member insists he must use three email addresses: one for each location where he might be checking email. Obviously inconvenient, I am trying to steer him to a web interface for his preferred address, which is with spinweb. Often, I can find these things without speaking the native language but I can find nothing on the spinweb site. Help?
posted by Dick Paris at 5:19 AM PST - 8 comments

Why is it that Internet Explorer is referred to as 'Mozilla/4.0'? And why is it that Safari, Opera et al. are referred to as 'Mozilla/5.0'?
posted by tenseone at 4:46 AM PST - 11 comments

Can anyone recommend a non scam calling card? I've tried online. I've tried buying them in 7-11s. In both cases I got told the rates were one thing and got charged 10-20 times more. What gives? [More Inside] [more inside]
posted by aspo at 2:13 AM PST - 14 comments

Please help me remember a song filter... (details within) [more inside]
posted by Meatbomb at 12:34 AM PST - 7 comments

Are any flavors of Linux currently more adept at exploiting the AMD64 chip than others? I know that Gentoo has a robust package available. Last I check with Debian, they had one version better suited for the Intel, but were working on AMD-specific one. To compound my problem, I hope to add VMWare once it's up and running (to run WindowsXP as a virtual 32-bit OS).
posted by RavinDave at 11:11 PM PST - 9 comments

If I post a message to a public internets forum, and then decide I would like to retract my statement, is the site owner/admin under any obligation to do so? Suppose there were no Terms of Service, and user editing/deleting is not supported. What about archived threads?
posted by Jack Karaoke at 9:37 PM PST - 10 comments

Ukraine vs. The Ukraine. Is the latter outdated now that Ukraine is an independent nation? Do Ukranians feel strongly about the difference? I hear people refer to it both ways.
posted by hal incandenza at 7:23 PM PST - 6 comments

I've caught my first cold of the season and the frequent nose blowing is irritating the skin near my nose. I seem to remember a suggestion to use vaseline on the irritated skin - does that sound like reasonable solution?
posted by jperkins at 6:01 PM PST - 25 comments

[comixfilter] I stumbled across some old Fantagraphics comics & books and want to get rid of them...[MI] [more inside]
posted by googly at 5:24 PM PST - 10 comments

Mobile phones in Syria. Anybody happen to know what band they use over there/what company one could get a sim card from if one was going to stay there for a year?
posted by Mossy at 5:13 PM PST - 2 comments

Please help me pick some dvds for my grandmother. [mi] [more inside]
posted by Juicylicious at 4:49 PM PST - 39 comments

What are the best sites for a beginning guitarist? Really basic stuff and where to go from there. More inside if I can figure it out... I'm a teacher and I have some links to offer... [more inside]
posted by Cryptical Envelopment at 2:59 PM PST - 7 comments

[trafficsnarlfilter] Seattle, as I'm sure a lot of you know, has a very serious traffic problem. There are two causes that get the majority of the press (geography and highways that don't support the population) but I'm curious if folks in other metro areas have this problem: you're driving along on the intersate/highway/freeway/whatever and suddenly you come to a standstill. After a while, you come to discover that someone has been pulled over by the police or there's a tow truck on the side of the road. At the head of the pack, some wonderful lookie-loo has slowed down to see if they know this person stuck on the side of the road and caused a chain reaction that forces everyone else to slow down as well.

This happened to me yesterday on my way to Thanksgiving dinner. It took me 45 minutes to go 3 miles. I was not a happy camper.

Somehow I'd feel better knowing it's not just drivers in Washington State that are this dumb. Then again...

:-)
posted by glyphlet at 1:58 PM PST - 21 comments

Everything from software to sports souvenirs to designer accessories now has “authentic” holographic stickers on it. How much does it cost to buy equipment to print holographic stickers? (MI) [more inside]
posted by arse_hat at 1:36 PM PST - 8 comments

Can I dock MSN Messenger on the side of my (Windows XP) screen? [mi] [more inside]
posted by sanitycheck at 1:11 PM PST - 5 comments

Vocally, I'm anti-racism, and will confront and argue with anyone who makes racist comments. On the other hand, while I'm nervous any time I come across a stranger while alone at night, I'm more nervous when it's a black stranger. When I think about my WASP friend who is annoyingly frugal, I think 'he's so bloody cheap.' but when think about my Jewish friend who is annoyingly frugal, I think 'how typical'. How can I fight off my own unwelcome racist thoughts?
posted by anonymous at 12:42 PM PST - 33 comments

I'm a late 20s woman who has only ever been in relationships with men. I'm fairly sure I'll only ever fall in love with a man, although I fantasize regularly about women. Should I act on my sexual attraction to women before I settle down into a monogamous sex life with a man? I'm not really into casual sex at this point in my life, but I can't picture myself in a serious relationship with a woman either.
posted by anonymous at 12:42 PM PST - 12 comments

How do you ensure consistent yet accesible font sizes across platforms using CSS?
I have a site where I set the SIZE attribute of the BODY tag to 80%, and then set all the other font sizes using ems, which in theory should give me consistent fonts while allowing people to change the font size (which is why I don't just use pixels for the whole thing).
Unfortunately, in IE 5, this results in way too large fonts.
What's your method?
posted by signal at 10:43 AM PST - 7 comments

Cat query: we are exploring getting a cat for our four year old for Hanukkah, but my wife is allergic. A few years ago we met someone that had a variety that had actual hair, not fur/dander, I suppose akin to a poodle. It's coat was sort of a brindle texture, with dark brown, black, and gold coloration. Anyone know what I'm thinking of?
posted by docpops at 10:19 AM PST - 17 comments

Should my fiancé and I elope? [more inside]
posted by kidhuevos at 9:57 AM PST - 45 comments

Does anyone know a good backup program? What I want to do is make a carbon copy of a folder on my laptop and have it on my external firewire drive in OS X.
It's a sample library that is pretty big and I don't want to drag copy to whole thing over every time. What I'd like is some sort of "sync" type backup program that would go in and note which files have been added/ changed. Everything app I've seen just wants to make a folder with the date on it periodically.
posted by Napierzaza at 9:30 AM PST - 10 comments

What are some good magazines for an elderly women with severe depression?

She loves dogs, speaks decent Polish, has limited mobility, and an incontinence problem.

It's hard for me to judge what her interests are, because she doesn't want to do anything. she sits around with her 90 year old boyfriend, who, in all honesty, is depressingly boring.
posted by getupandgo at 9:19 AM PST - 11 comments

All right nerds, here it is: What's the best Trek series?
posted by hughbot at 9:13 AM PST - 60 comments

Artisnal Bread. So I've been working on making some of that great artisnal bread that has become so popular in recent years, but I'm having a problem. It seems that all of my bread is much denser than my favorite bakery bread, no matter what kind of bread I'm making. Everything else is great, what am I doing wrong? [more inside]
posted by spaghetti at 9:06 AM PST - 21 comments

Busy, busy! Does anybody know of worthwhile (preferably free) PC games (online or downloadable) that resemble work? I sometimes use a spreadsheet version of Freecell, but wonder if there might be other ones that make me look industrious while having fun.
posted by fish tick at 9:05 AM PST - 8 comments

Algorithm help: C# uses a version of binary search wherein if the desired number is not found, instead of returning -1 it returns a number who's one's complement is the index of the next largest number in the collection.

I'm trying to recreate this in Java -- How do I modify a standard binary search to return the one's complement of the next highest number? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by krunk at 9:00 AM PST - 17 comments

I'm looking for a Christmas tree ornament for my wife to celebrate our first Christmas together as married folks. Something unique and special. We're not religious, but Christmas is important to us. Would anybody offer some suggestions?
posted by DakotaPaul at 8:52 AM PST - 10 comments

CSS, XML, XHTML: What are some good books to bone up on newer technologies for someone who already knows the basics of web design? [more inside]
posted by sid at 8:48 AM PST - 12 comments

Every year I put together a 'best of' comp' to hand out to holiday guests. This year I'm drawing a blank. Fiery Furnaces- sure, Wolf Eyes- Maybe. Mirah, again, this year? I'm having a hard time finding the anthems of 2004. Maybe today's songwriters got too swept up in the election to write a classic 'head-nodder'? Maybe I just got to caught up in the election to listen? Can you help? What's your best pick of the year?
posted by ifoughttheapemen at 8:38 AM PST - 26 comments

Derrida... What would you recommend for someone who likes philosophy when it's plain and simple (and analytic); who has an education in the mathematical sciences and views deconstuctionism as pretentious, useless crap; who is interested in the philosophy of language, the mind, science and, at times, ethics; who is willing to force themselves through 50 pages (it doesn't have to be his work - perhaps a commentary or introduction would be more suitable) before giving up in disgust?
What should I read that would make me read on?
posted by andrew cooke at 7:56 AM PST - 30 comments

It's a word I've know for years but don't know how to pronounce because I've never had to say it out loud. [mi] [more inside]
posted by TiredStarling at 7:27 AM PST - 34 comments

Maps and coordinates. I'm testing out the feasibility of using maps on my website. The website providing the maps asks for particular types of coordinates yet I can't seem to find a way of working out what my coordinates should be. This could be complicated to explain so... [more inside] [more inside]
posted by dodgygeezer at 6:49 AM PST - 7 comments

I want to take a DVD and compress it so that it fits onto a single CDR (for backup purposes - don't have a DVD burner). What's the best app for this one task?
posted by humuhumu at 6:44 AM PST - 11 comments

I'm interested in finding out about my father's side of my family, who is originally from Denmark. Unfortunately, I don't have much contact with that side of the family, so I have no one to ask. Can someone point me in the right direction of a resource that may help?
posted by jackofsaxons at 12:32 AM PST - 3 comments

I had a terrifying flight on a small 50-seater plane today. Heavy turbulence, people screaming, lights dimming... I am supposed to fly home on Sunday and although I know it's ridiculous, I just don't think I can step back on a plane so soon. I am planning to rent a car (to drive about 8 hours v. one-hour flight), but am finding this really embarassing (not to mention a waste of time and money). Can anyone offer any advice or online resources that may be of aid and reassurance? [mi] [more inside]
posted by amro at 8:59 PM PST - 38 comments

In conversation, how should I refer to my mom's boyfriend? (MI) [more inside]
posted by fricative at 7:53 PM PST - 29 comments

Is Weezer emo?
posted by Tlogmer at 7:38 PM PST - 33 comments

Consumer filter. Tomorrow is black friday. What killer deals are there tomorrow morning?
posted by filmgeek at 7:21 PM PST - 16 comments

I have, ever since I was a kid, entertained the idea of emigrating to a new country. What with the national troubles, now (or at least within the next couple of years) seems like as good a time as any. I'm mid-twenties, about a year away from a BA in English, single and planning to stay that way. Anyone else emigrated alone? What countries should I look into? (I'm thinking fairly politically stable, not horribly expensive, and of course I'd need some kind of job...)
posted by cilantro at 7:08 PM PST - 25 comments

We’ll be interstate with my family for Festivus, and so we thought we’d start a new tradition and hold Thanksgiving with my wife’s family as an almost-end-of-year get-together. (stuffing inside…) [more inside]
posted by obiwanwasabi at 6:44 PM PST - 5 comments

Right before our big Thanksgiving dinner, my doorbell rang, and the man I found on my front porch introduced himself as my brother. Since I didn't know him, I disbelieved him, even though he looked just like my father and knew everything about him, and our family.

I turned him away rather abruptly, rudely, in fact. I'm sure I hurt his feelings, probably badly. But then I asked my mother if she knew anything about this, and well, turns out that he is, in fact, my brother, the product of an affair my father had when I was 3 years old. My mother found out just about a month ago, but members of my father's family have known for decades, and never told us, even when my father died. (More than 20 years ago.)

I don't know the guy's (last) name or how to contact him. I'm not sure if I want to try to find out. Apparently members of my father's family could put me in touch with him, as one of my aunts is the one who gave him my address. But I'm not sure if I want to contact him. What on earth would I say?

What would you do?
posted by anonymous at 6:09 PM PST - 27 comments

I'm looking for recommendations for a personal lubricant that can safely be ingested, and most importantly, is tasteless and *truly* has no aftertaste. I've wasted all my money...
posted by anonymous at 5:17 PM PST - 14 comments

I recently acquired some Altec Lansing powered speakers that are loud enough that I don't have to keep my MP3 player and Windows volume settings at maximum in order to be able to hear anything. So what should I set them to? Should I mainly rely on the external speaker volume knob?
posted by grouse at 4:14 PM PST - 14 comments

Is there a way of copying message filters for one Thunderbird mail account to another? I have a ton set up, and want to apply them to another account without having to do them all over again manually. I imagine there must be some config file that I can cut and paste to do this? [more inside]
posted by Big Fat Tycoon at 3:25 PM PST - 5 comments

Thanksgiving Playlist? [+] [more inside]
posted by Grod at 2:22 PM PST - 8 comments

Chicago Hotels? We're looking for a modest, comfortable place downtown or on the near-northside to park ourselves between seeing the sights over a weekend. A gay-friendly B&B would be cool, too. Any recommendations? Bonus points for hipfunkycoolness.
posted by stonerose at 1:57 PM PST - 7 comments

Flash MX question, is there a way to load a page from blogger (or an xml page) into a dynamic text block with a scroll bar?
posted by drezdn at 1:00 PM PST - 3 comments

Given the deplorable state of our educational systems (at least in North America) and the terrifying news that half the population believes in absurdly anti-scientific/anti-logical crap, what books would you suggest an intelligent but woefully-uninformed person read in order to grasp the importance of scientific, logical thought and understand the nature of the world and universe? [more inside]
posted by five fresh fish at 12:39 PM PST - 37 comments

Ah ,the joys of the Holidays, and the joys of AskMe. Let's go. Who's the bigger parking lot asshole: The person who stalks pedestrians walking back to their cars, creeping ever slowly behind them, then honks at them for taking too long getting into their car and getting out of the space... Or the pedestrian who through a passive-aggressive protest, actually meanders around in their car just to piss off anybody waiting for their parking space? Have you ever done either of these? Do you have a personal Parking Lot etiquette, or is it everybody for themselves during the holidays? Personally, I get enjoyment out of purposely walking to the end of a lot about a mile past my car just for shits and giggles when I'm being lot stalked.
posted by Stan Chin at 12:09 PM PST - 43 comments

My younger brother is doing a Bacherlor's degree in journalism and is acing his course so far. But what he really wants to do is "gaming journalism" (yes, he's nuts.) Well, you could call him a "hardcore gamer". Just how lucrative is gaming journalism in USA anyway (figures?) [some more important health packs and armour inside...] [more inside]
posted by madman at 11:19 AM PST - 12 comments

How, specifically, do you work an exercise routine into your busy day? [mi] [more inside]
posted by Succa at 10:36 AM PST - 26 comments

MilitaryFilter: So I'm thinking about joining the Air Force. [MI] [more inside]
posted by MrAnonymous at 10:25 AM PST - 24 comments

I just saw an amazing short film/music video on the Arts network called "Stairway to Lenin," by director Zbig Rybczynski, and am considering buying one or more of his DVDs. Any Mefites familiar with his work?
posted by swift at 8:41 AM PST - 4 comments

WebCartoonSearchFilter: I'm trying to track down an old web cartoon from the height of the warchalking "craze", with a young couple standing with an estate agent (realtor) by an "Open Node" chalk and he's saying "So you want me to find you a home with...etc...within 100ft of this point?" [MI] [more inside]
posted by benzo8 at 8:26 AM PST - 5 comments

When we got satellite TV I was disappointed by the nearly non-existent international channels. Now with bittorrent and broadband it seems I could redress that problem, but I'm having difficulty finding sites that have trackers for television programs from countries other than the US. Someone here pointed me to the excellent uknova for British programs, but what about sources for languages other than english?
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 8:01 AM PST - 4 comments

SappyFilter: What are you thankful for? (MI) [more inside]
posted by crusiera at 5:48 AM PST - 47 comments

So I decided to be extremely corny and bring my American sister to Turkey for Thanksgiving (har har). We leave for Istanbul tonight and stay for about 3 days in Sultanahmet near the Blue Mosque. Any fantastic suggestions or must-sees? Thanks!
posted by lazywhinerkid at 12:26 AM PST - 14 comments

GmailFilter: Is it just me, or does Gmail's spam-filtering engine occasionally (and sometimes regularly) just give up the ghost? I have a legacy personal email account dating back from the dark ages which receives over 300 emails a day, 95% of which is spam. I used to pull this mail down into Outlook and use SpamNet to filter it, but I recently set the legacy account to redirect through my Gmail account, which normally catches all but about 5% of the spam - Result! However, I find that Gmail regularly (about once a week) decides to let another 5-10% of the spam through - and in the last couple of days it seems to have fallen over completely (i.e. I am getting new spam every minute or so). Anyone else notice anything funny going on?
posted by LondonYank at 12:03 AM PST - 12 comments

So say one's high-school age brother is playing way too many video games and completely neglecting school work. Is there a way to limit his Windows XP accounts to log-ons between certain times? What would you say would be the best way to mechanically limit acccess to his account, or offending games/programs? [more inside]
posted by The Michael The at 11:36 PM PST - 16 comments

Is anybody out there familiar with different brands and styles of combat boots? I'm looking for a pair of insulated boots (preferably with gortex) that either come in women's sizes or very small (5) men's sizes. Top of my list right now is the Matterhorn 1997 model, basically because it's the only boot I've been able to find that fits the above description. I also like the Corcoran Field Boot, but I'm worried it won't be warm. And I can't afford Danner.
posted by damn yankee at 11:10 PM PST - 7 comments

Lard: is it different in different places? In the store yesterday, I was looking for lard, which I have always understood to be odourless, flavourless (basically) rendered animal fat, essential for good pie crust. But when I got home with the box labelled "lard", I found it had a strong odour (and taste) of chicken fat. It didn't taste rancid, just totally different (and not what I was looking for). I'm from Toronto, but now live in Connecticut and shop at a store that caters to Hispanic cooking. Is it possible that lard is just something different here?
posted by jb at 11:05 PM PST - 9 comments

WisdomTeethFilter. My wife had two wisdom teeth removed - not the first she had taken out, but some differences this time. She's wondering if things are normal. [more is inside] [more inside]
posted by caution live frogs at 10:13 PM PST - 15 comments

Holiday cards featuring New York cityscapes? [I get even more specific inside...] [more inside]
posted by sueinnyc at 10:11 PM PST - 3 comments

real life superheroes? (lesser 'heroes' need not apply) [more inside]
posted by GleepGlop at 9:40 PM PST - 6 comments

Inspired by the lateness question: We all have flaws. Do you have characteristics (like analness or tardiness) that others consider flaws but you actally like about yourself? What does it take for you to decide that you ought to change?
posted by dame at 7:03 PM PST - 28 comments

DormRoomFilter: Does anyone have any suggestions for making a room the size of a jail cell look organized and/or snazzy?
posted by moooshy at 6:53 PM PST - 15 comments

I need help with turkey. Old fashioned help. [More Inside] [more inside]
posted by christin at 6:38 PM PST - 38 comments

So, I think I am going to subscribe to a DVD rental service. Now, I would like some advice on which service to use. I have narrowed the list down to Netflix and Blockbuster. Opinions on either of these two services? [more inside]
posted by chrish at 5:48 PM PST - 37 comments

Is it more difficult to learn two or more foreign languages at once than it is to learn one? Can the experience gained learning one foreign language be used to benefit the learning of the other? And on the subject of accents, those of you who can turn accents on and off at will, how did you achieve this talent?
posted by arimathea at 5:34 PM PST - 15 comments

Does anyone have a recommendation for a cheap, but great sounding electric guitar, say in the $300-600 range? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Tommy Gnosis at 4:16 PM PST - 15 comments

I'm looking for simple GIF animation freeware/cheapware. What are your faves/dogs?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 2:16 PM PST - 5 comments

I heard recently on NPR a story about the new Clinton Presidential Library and how all of the gifts of original artwork sent to the President were kept as it was illegal to throw or give away any of it. The story went on that all the artwork was at the library but that there was so much that only a slight minority of it would ever be displayed. My question is, does anyone know more about this law obligating the President to keep the drawing I send him/her? Would they have to keep it even if it stunk or was otherwise somehow unappealing? I imagine you know what I'm getting at with our friend W in office for another four years...
posted by pwb503 at 2:02 PM PST - 6 comments

I'm looking for a timer application to use on my computer. I'm cooking for Thanksgiving the day ahead, and while the food is in the oven, I'm doing other things in the house. At the moment, I'm using the microwave as a timer. But I was wondering if there's an application or Firefox extension like an egg timer for my computer. Poking around Google isn't turning up much, but I'm also not sure how to word it. Anyone hear of or lay eyes on what I'm looking for?
posted by FunkyHelix at 2:00 PM PST - 14 comments

I have, per my Jesuit education, received too many logic courses. Many times I recognize people making the simplest of logical fallacies. Most often the slippery slope (if gays marry, then people will want to marry animals next) or the straw-man argument. I guess my question is, how valid is the medieval logic in our world today? I notice logical fallacies all over the op-ed and in everyday conversation to justify causes. I was beat over the head with the importance of using correct logic, but does it still hold validity? I've never seen the TV debates ever call each other out using logic. I'm not trying to ask a far out philosophical question, so more inside. [more inside]
posted by geoff. at 1:26 PM PST - 47 comments

I know that I'll never win the lottery. But if I did should I take the "yearly payout" that grosses more or the smaller but all at once option? It's really not that clear with things like the interest or inflation etc. So which is best?
posted by Napierzaza at 1:01 PM PST - 10 comments

Somewhat related to grumblebee's question below but not really: I have an uncanny sense of time. I never wake up to an alarm because I spontaneously wake up a minute or two before it goes off and reach out and shut it off. Also, If asked to guess the time after not having looked at a clock for a day, I am usually within 10 minutes or so. Firstly, what exactly is the "internal clock" and how does it differ among people? Secondly, is my behavior typical or is it at an extreme?
posted by vacapinta at 12:50 PM PST - 18 comments

Which lens, filters, and accessories would you recommend for a Nikon D70 digital SLR camera? [more inside]
posted by cyniczny at 12:45 PM PST - 18 comments

In the spirit of many "best [mood] songs" questions that have been asked... I need suggestions for songs fit for making out and well, taking it further if required. What are the sexiest songs you've heard?
posted by anonymous at 12:40 PM PST - 64 comments

FireFox filter. This is driving me mad. My website has a little JavaScript (inside) to drag in a random image. Each image is 150 wide (varying heights). IE displays them fine. Firefox 1.0 resizes certain images. Anyone know why? [more inside]
posted by Pericles at 11:55 AM PST - 9 comments

Faxfilter: Our small office (10 people) has just unanimously agreed to take our Sharp UX-P200 fax machine out into the street, stomp on it and set it on fire. Does anyone have any recommendations for a replacement? It's pretty heavily used, probably 10 - 20 ingoing/outgoing faxes per day. One of the (many) issues with the Sharp was that while the machine was cheap, the carbon film cost was ridiculous. We're a small non-profit - so cost is very important. Thanks!
posted by mygothlaundry at 11:48 AM PST - 11 comments

What do you do with expired credit cards? I shred receipts and old statements, so it just seems wrong to toss them in the trash...
posted by dness2 at 11:41 AM PST - 21 comments

Holidays are coming. Gifts need to be bought, for friends, colleagues and family. Care to share good ideas in a long wishlist thread here? inspired by this metatalk [more inside]
posted by dabitch at 10:36 AM PST - 23 comments

I'm involved with a "currently in post-production" motion picture. I've got a MPEG of the film (although I can convert to any needed format), and need to overlay a text copyright notice over the entire film so that its visible at the top or bottom of the screen. Can anyone suggest tools for doing this under OS X? [more inside]
posted by mrbill at 10:07 AM PST - 14 comments

Why are some people chronically late? [more inside]
posted by grumblebee at 9:53 AM PST - 144 comments

It's the last straw, I'm officially tapping my toes to U2's Vertigo, courtesy of Morning Comes Eccectic on KCRW, this has got to stop. My seraches for streaming MP3's has been a bust. I listen to Flaresound and SomaFM, but really would like to find some more organic music for here at work. Bossa Nova would be great. I've completely given up on streaming jazz, I can't find anything that isn't either smooth (gak!) or includes Sun Ra into the mix (beating a trombone to death with a live chicken, while perhaps having artistic merit, isn't good office music.)

Latin jazz? Be-bop? Brazillian music?

Only qualifiers. Must be 128K stream, must be web based, (I don't want traffic reports from Helsinki interrupting my Metafiltering) Anyone got any tips?
posted by Keith Talent at 9:50 AM PST - 15 comments

I am looking for free stickers online. I am willing to fill out a survey, supply an email address, join street team or do just about anything other than exchange currency for the sticker. Sites with many free stickers or only one free sticker are equally welcome. Thank you.
posted by sciurus at 9:39 AM PST - 6 comments

What are the rights and responsibilities of belonging to a political party, specifically in the US? [More Inside] [more inside]
posted by Caviar at 9:11 AM PST - 17 comments

I'm looking for advice on a computer game that would allow me to put work aside, and give my brain a break.

A few things to note:

-I freelance illustrate. So the only boss I have to worry about is me
-I exclusively use a laptop that can only run 3d games at low settings (but it works!)
-FPS games give me motion sickness
-Sim games are fun, but sometimes the micromanagent and replay value is low.
-RTS games are great, but replay value is a must if I'm going to sink 50 dollars into it.
-MMPORGs: I love them, but i don't love the tedious time you have to sink into them to level up.
-Are gameboys a way to go instead?

Any suggestions?
posted by Hands of Manos at 8:05 AM PST - 47 comments

"I want my phonecall!" In movies and on TV shows, the protagonist/antagonist always asks his jailers for his "one phonecall" to a lawyer. Do you really only get one phonecall? Do regular people really have a lawyer's number on them? How's this all work? (I'm not in trouble, promise)
posted by kahboom at 7:45 AM PST - 13 comments

Everybody knows about music, warez, pr0n and movies. Everybody who reads AskMe now knows about comicz.
What else do you download from p2p networks? Not looking to get Matt in trouble here, so please no links to files / "sharing" sites, etc. I'm just curious as to what other sorts of media are being p2ped.
posted by signal at 7:23 AM PST - 21 comments

ArgentinaFilter: Are pre-paid GSM sims available in Argentina (Buenos Aires)? If so, where does one go to buy one, and how much should one expect to pay? T-Mobile US wants $2.00 a minute to roam there!
posted by reverendX at 6:51 AM PST - 4 comments

TokyoFilter: I'm spending three days in Tokyo just before Christmas. I've never been before and I doubt I'll ever get there again, so I want to see what's important and skip the tourist traps. Any tips (including pre-trip reading)? I'll be solo so I can do what I like.
posted by grahamwell at 6:35 AM PST - 19 comments

iTunes/Quicktime install problem: "No Disk, Please Insert Disk In Drive xx" [more inside] [more inside]
posted by luser at 6:19 AM PST - 9 comments

My iTunes is slowing down with 60 Gigs of music. Any tips that can help me browse my music at a faster pace? (naturally, MI...) [more inside]
posted by mds35 at 6:14 AM PST - 12 comments

Macroeconomics: The various economics-related threads have me curious, about the complex machinations that sustain the global economy. What good non-textbook-style literature is out there that introduces the various cogs and gears? I'm not math-averse, but for the sake of inclusion, both mathless & math-heavy recommendations are solicited. I've tried reading formal textbooks, but found them too 'textbooky' and seemingly bereft of discussion of real-world dynamics.
posted by Gyan at 4:40 AM PST - 5 comments

Now that I'm a Print Designer for the next few days, what sites should I go to for inspiration when I get stuck? As a web designer I would go to K10K or Design is Kinky, or check out the newest sites at MoLuv. I am looking for things like online mags in PDF or Flash, people's print portfolios, or just anything else that is similar to print in terms of layout or design.
posted by banished at 4:32 AM PST - 8 comments

FTP on TCP over IP: As far as i can see, ftp should transfer files perfectly. If you trace the responsibility for validation through the relevant RFCs everything should be handled by the TCP checksum. Yet "everyone" knows that ftp regularly transfers corrupt files. Why? More generally, where is a good forum for discussing this kind of thing (I'm also interested in, for example, multiple parallel ftps (eg gridftp) and the possibility of checking an "instantaneous" checksum value at various points during transfer to detect errors as soon as possible)?
posted by andrew cooke at 4:26 AM PST - 21 comments

What's the best pay-as-you-go mobile deal in the UK? [more inside]
posted by the cuban at 1:37 AM PST - 5 comments

Peaceful, atmospheric instrumental music...? I'm looking for music to listen to while I write. I prefer minimalist, repetitive stuff. Favorites include Stars of the Lid, The Dead Texan, Gas, Wim Mertens, and Philip Glass' soundtrack to The Hours. What do you recommend along these lines? (No Wyndam-Hill / Sounds of nature stuff, please.)
posted by dobbs at 1:32 AM PST - 58 comments

I'm looking for some fun kids games that don't rely on words to play. From one kid to fifty. Got any good ones? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by blueberry at 1:18 AM PST - 17 comments

CMS Filter: You would've thought we could have covered every possible CMS topic by now, but I've got what I think is a new twist. I need a CMS to act as documentation for a code library. [mi] [more inside]
posted by SpecialK at 12:15 AM PST - 8 comments

My wife and I are thinking of buying a sisal or seagrass rug from Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrell or one of those places. I like the way they look brand new, but am worried about how it would wear. Are they easy to clean? How do you clean it--you can't vacuum it, can you? Will the cat shred it within 24 hours?
posted by bevedog at 10:21 PM PST - 10 comments

Help! My CD-ROM device and (apparently) drivers have disappeared. Caveat: I'm running Red Hat 9. [more inside]
posted by IshmaelGraves at 8:17 PM PST - 11 comments

BachelorFilter: The outside of my once nice and pristine pots and pans have developed a "cloudy" film on the outsides, despite (or in spite of) repeated washings, sort of like soap scum. Is this happening because of the tap water I'm washing them in? The soap? How can I remove the film and return the pots to their normal black appearance? (the film seems to "disappear" temporarily during the wash, but reappears once dried.
posted by robbie01 at 8:13 PM PST - 9 comments

More clothing-related japery!
So I'm an English major and pretty queer for most things Victoriana, and have been desirous of obtaining some natty duds in the Dandy style for... years now. The problem is that I'm something of a failure at all this fashion stuff. I am just no good at it. I don't dress like a slob, but I have no idea how one would go about obtaining, you know, waistcoats. Especially at reasonable prices, since I really don't have all that much discretionary income.

So: enlighten me! Where do you find these sorts of things for real bargain-basement prices? If you have specific regional advice, I live in Madison, WI and have easy access to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Otherwise, specific ebay strategies might be helpful? I find browsing the listings tedious, and although I have bid on things occasionally, there's always someone willing to pay more than me. Are there other sites worth looking at for this sort of thing?

Thanks in advance!
posted by kavasa at 7:24 PM PST - 11 comments

Looking at this thread about fitted shirts, I figured I'd ask about my men's dress shirt predicament. I'm 6'5", have a 14.5" neck, 36" arms and a 37" waist. If you've ever shopped, well, anywhere for men's shirts, you'll know that such a size doesn't exist. My neck seems to throw everything off.

I've tried the Lands' End and JC Penney online custom shirt services and the shirts have come out very wrong -- they don't seem to rely on real measurements, just generalities about one's build which don't take my quirks into account, and I get the feeling they're just sewing long arms onto a small-necked shirt (which doesn't fit well around my torso). I've gone in for a few custom tailoring quotes and, well, I really don't want to have to pay $500 for a small set of shirts that I won't wear every day. Anyone else solve this one?
posted by eschatfische at 6:36 PM PST - 3 comments

If you had US$100,000 drop into your lap (I wish), and you were employed and debt-free, how would you put it to work to make a bigger nest egg or retirement fund? How would your strategy differ if you had high or low aversion to risk? [more inside]
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:26 PM PST - 28 comments

Are there any decent Mac "presentation software" programs for out there that are not PowerPoint or Keynote?
posted by stefnet at 6:25 PM PST - 7 comments

Have any of you seen or heard God directly?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 6:25 PM PST - 56 comments

Digital Comics: I'm looking to download .cbr and .cbx archives of comic books. Not so I can steal the latest X-Men book (though I know piracy is rampant in this sphere), but so I can read interesting and long out of print books on my computer. The Metal Men, for example, fascinate me.

The trouble is, I can't seem to find any repositories of old comics via Google, BitTorrent, etc. I know they're out there - any help?
posted by aladfar at 6:07 PM PST - 12 comments

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about Jonathan "Keith" Idema. The guy who was sentenced to 10 years in Afghanistan for running a prison and anti-terror group supposedly outside of US and Afghan control. I've read the BBC stuff that's out there. Does anyone have any other information about this guy? I heard he went to jail for fraud in the US. Also, he had a documentary filmmaker named Ed Carballlo with him. I'm interested in learning more about him as well... Anyone? [more inside]
posted by Shanachie at 5:36 PM PST - 5 comments

I started designing websites as a hobby, either for free or as a part of my job. Now I have some people interested in hire my services as a webdesigner but I don't know how to calculate a quote or what are the acceptable prices in the business.
How do you calculate a quote for designing a website?
posted by guictx at 5:21 PM PST - 4 comments

MLA Citation Filter: The information I'm citing was found on a website. However, the person who made the website did not create this information. The information I'm putting into my paper is all from articles cited on the website; it's either a direct quote from the journal article that I copied and pasted from the website, or it's factual information from the articles that is presented and cited by the website author.

In my paper's bibliography, how should I cite the copied portions of journal articles? How should I cite the facts from the journal articles that are presented by the website's author? Do I cite the journal article, or the website?
posted by punishinglemur at 5:11 PM PST - 5 comments

How difficult would it be for an American to fake their own death? How would it be done?
posted by cmonkey at 4:18 PM PST - 30 comments

I lack a college degree and I'm finding that full-time work and school is really wearing me down. I work for gratuity and I'm finding the tips are not making up for the cost of living and the monies needed to pay for college.

Does anyone have suggestions when it comes to good paying jobs that don't require a degree that can support me while I go to school?
posted by Vicarious at 3:48 PM PST - 19 comments

Last summer I went backpacking by myself in Europe. This summer I want to do something crazier, so I'm thinking of taking a bus from Las Vegas as far south as I possibly can. Does anyone have any tips? Is this feasible, or even sane? [More inside] [more inside]
posted by borkingchikapa at 3:20 PM PST - 9 comments

Looking for examples of interesting non jewel case or digipack packaging ideas for CDs. If you've seen something special, please share.

Links to photos will be much appreciated.
posted by davebush at 3:11 PM PST - 19 comments

Driving to Mexico. I read that when driving into Mexico as a tourist one must post a cash bond, or provide a credit card to ensure that the vehicle is not sold inside Mexico. Does anyone have experience doing this, and is there a way around it? How much will the deposit/credit charge be?
posted by NorthCoastCafe at 3:10 PM PST - 10 comments

What's the deal with men's fitted shirts? Why are they folded and pinned into packages that do not allow customers to try them on and make sure they, uh, fit?
posted by elwoodwiles at 3:01 PM PST - 19 comments

As a follow-up to the New Jersey/New York relationship question, in my ongoing attempt to grasp these complex regional dynamics, could someone explain to me how Long Island fits into the mix? I'm a Midwesterner, but have been to both NYC and Long Island and notice the general differences and similarities, but can't quite put my finger on what residents of each location think of each other.
posted by marcusb at 2:55 PM PST - 9 comments

Looking for an obscure audio file, wherein a Mac aficionado rambles on and on into some guy's voice mail about his (negative) opinions of Windows PCs. Can anyone help me find this? The "money shot" (so to speak) comes when he says: "Around here, we say PC stands for piece of crap!" Thanks in advance!!
posted by idontlikewords at 2:47 PM PST - 1 comment

I have 2 days to put together a full color printed book, consisting of up to 20 double-sided pages that has to look as sweet looking as possible, but I know nothing about printing technology or what can be done. [MI] [more inside]
posted by banished at 2:07 PM PST - 13 comments

Payment gateways ... A customer of mine is using Fast Transact as their merchant gateway. I would like to implement automatic payment processing through their gateway in PHP, but I can't find a code library that someone else has written that implements the Fast Transact gateway in PHP. Have you? [more inside]
posted by SpecialK at 1:45 PM PST - 7 comments

Tomorrow, we are returning to Ikea for the first time in nearly a decade. Though we were not pleased with the quality of items purchased on our last visit, cost was and is still the overriding factor. We intend to avoid particleboard items for anything that will bear a significant load. What places would you recommend as alternatives? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by sequential at 12:55 PM PST - 24 comments

If you've written a first draft of a novel (NaNoWriMo-influenced or not) , what were your best, most interesting, most effective methods for editing and polishing it? [MI] [more inside]
posted by deliriouscool at 12:53 PM PST - 8 comments

Is "location,location" crucial for a winter NYC tourist?(guess what) [more inside]
posted by johnny7 at 12:20 PM PST - 12 comments

Does anyone here feed romaine lettuce or frozen peas to their goldfish?
posted by jeremias at 11:53 AM PST - 9 comments

FinancialFilter: let's temporarily assume that Stephen Roach is correct, and the US economy is going to collapse. If I have zero debt, but significant dollar-denominated assets, what's my best strategy for handling my affairs? Should I be bulking up on foreign investments, or would they just be dragged down too? Ideas? I'm not a finance wizard, so when someone says "people with debt will be destroyed" it doesn't mean much to me, since I have no debt and don't understand how things ripple throughout the economy.
posted by aramaic at 11:27 AM PST - 24 comments

MicrosoftWordFilter: Page numbers are not being displayed properly. { MORE } [more inside]
posted by MrAnonymous at 11:23 AM PST - 4 comments

CMS recommendation please - I'm looking for a free (or an inexpensive one-time fee) CMS rig that will meet a certain list of requirements. [MI] [more inside]
posted by Necker at 11:21 AM PST - 10 comments

What are some good temp agencies in New York City? [MI] [more inside]
posted by Stynxno at 11:03 AM PST - 5 comments

My favourite pair of shorts is about to die. They're the best shorts I've ever owned and seem to be irreplaceable in this age of cargo-style saturation. How bizarre, difficult and pricey would it be to approach a tailor/seamstress and ask them to dissect the pattern and clone the shorts with new material?
posted by picea at 10:12 AM PST - 9 comments

I get red blotches on my chest/neck when I experience any sort of emotion. Does anyone know what this is and what I can do about it? I'm getting married soon and I don't want to look like a freak for the whole day.
posted by gusrondo at 10:06 AM PST - 10 comments

During the U.S. election, several sites (such as BBC) had cool interactive maps built in Flash. Does anyone know of any good sites that have interactive maps using Flash? Bonus for ones that deal with land-use or transportation planning.
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 10:05 AM PST - 2 comments

Movies, sitcoms, and people who talk to much all make big todo about Cuban cigars. I figure much of this comes from the US embargo/ taboo against them, but is there anything more to them? I'd don't smoke, so I'll never have any first hand experience, but I've always wondered if they were actually special. Then why?
posted by dirtylittlemonkey at 8:19 AM PST - 22 comments

When Muslims pray, why do they hold their hands out before their faces like a book?
posted by zadcat at 7:39 AM PST - 13 comments

I am looking for recommendations for telephonic conference calling services. [more] [more inside]
posted by madamjujujive at 6:57 AM PST - 5 comments

Electricity and computers. 3 questions about:
1] Mains frequency
2] Computer clock speed
3] Putting 1 and 2 together. [~240v inside] [more inside]
posted by twine42 at 6:57 AM PST - 10 comments

Okay, so the fan on my 4-year-old video card (GeForce 2 64mb) is starting to struggle, which means pretty soon it's probably going to just stop. I've looked around, and they don't seem to make replacement fans for cards that old anymore, which means I'm looking at getting a new card. I'm planning on replacing this computer hopefully sometime next year, so I don't need to go balls-to-the-wall when buying a new card, so can someone recommend a card that would be as good or better (64-128 mb) for less than $100 or so? [more inside]
posted by emptybowl at 5:16 AM PST - 23 comments

What does New Jersey mean to a New Yorker - and does it mean different things according to what borough you live in? [More inside.] [more inside]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 2:12 AM PST - 54 comments

I've got a 160GB hard disk capacity issue, plus a little bit of a chicken-and-the-egg dillema [come on in!] [more inside]
posted by scarabic at 10:27 PM PST - 37 comments

Is there an IM client that will allow voice chat from behind a firewall? I can change my settings but the person I'm trying to talk to is sitting behind a Linksys router with default firewall settings and is unwilling to let me change them.
posted by Krrrlson at 10:10 PM PST - 6 comments

ActivismHistoryFilter: I would like to know more about what techniques and tactics for political activism have worked best in what historical circumstances. Can anyone recommend good books that discuss the tactics of political movements? [MI] [more inside]
posted by mai at 10:10 PM PST - 12 comments

My SO's long-held family house looks like it will soon have a 6 lane highway built through it. Is there anything that can be done or said that could have a bearing on the route? (MI) [more inside]
posted by figment at 8:46 PM PST - 15 comments

DiscourseAnalysisFilter: That I know something you don't know sing-song voice... how universal is that? Is it specific to North America? Do non-North American English-speaking kids know the tune for that phrase or others like "Iiiiii'm better than yoooouuuuu are" or "nyah nyah nyah nyah boo boo"? If not, is there another sing-song phrase they use for teasing? And how would one go about publishing their findings on such a question?
posted by heatherann at 7:57 PM PST - 18 comments

How do I go about finding a stuffed toy from my childhood? (a.k.a. about 10-15 years ago) [more inside]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:24 PM PST - 14 comments

AthiestFilter: If you have kids, how do you explain the holiday season to them? Do you string them along for the season and pretend Santa exists, so they can have fun with the other kids, or what? Discuss.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 6:53 PM PST - 40 comments

The mother of a friend of the family was on NBC's Nightly News tonight in a short segment regarding soldiers away from tloved ones during the holidays. We missed the news broadcast today, and I can't find a clip of the video.

Looking around for torrents I TV shows, I found plenty of the usual suspects (sitcoms, cartoons, etc) but nothing on this newcast tonight. Heck no places that offer downloads of new programs period.

This would really mean a lot to my fiancee and brother in law. Can anyone help me out, please?

Thank you in advance. [more inside]
posted by ShawnStruck at 6:49 PM PST - 9 comments

Catalogue Filter: How many pages are archived in the google directory? Not the pages indexed for the keyword search, but the ones actually cataloged in the google directory. [more inside]
posted by joelf at 6:29 PM PST - 4 comments

[KeyboardFilter] I want to make music on my PC by plugging in a keyboard. What should I be looking for? [MI, of course] [more inside]
posted by bdave at 5:43 PM PST - 13 comments

Help! Running iCal from an iPod? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by LongDrive at 5:32 PM PST - 4 comments

If metafiction is dead, what is the current big literary trend? [more inside]
posted by swift at 3:33 PM PST - 45 comments

“Loi Krathong” (Festival of Light) is taking place right now across Thailand, during which balloon-like ‘Khom Loi’ lanterns including the ‘Khom Fai’ – a fire lantern are released into the night sky. They're "air bags of various shapes" made of "Tracing paper or Sa paper."

Has anyone ever successfully built one of these? Are there any sites on the net that give some direction on how to go about doing so?
posted by fourstar at 3:09 PM PST - 7 comments

HolidayRecipeFilter: I am tending bar for a couple of Holiday Parties and want to make some rocking eggnog. My only real criteria is that it is more or less "safe" with regards to raw eggs, although I'm not sure I know what that means exactly. Otherwise, I'm willing to work hard, prepare in advance, buy unusual ingredients etc. as necessary. Bonus points for recipes that don't rely too much on rum, which I tend to dislike. Any other fun/tasty/festive holiday cocktail recipes are also welcome!
posted by rorycberger at 3:03 PM PST - 18 comments

Any advice for learning how to play bass guitar?
I just one one as a present, and I've never really played a musical instrument (not counting the recorder in second grade). [more inside]
posted by kirkaracha at 2:36 PM PST - 17 comments

I need be somewhat familiar with JSLT for a job interview/test next week. Anyone know of any good tutorials or have any magic tips? I'm coming from a PHP background and have never worked on a JSP site before.
posted by 4easypayments at 2:25 PM PST - 7 comments

Whatever happened to Mapquest? It used to be that you could choose to see alternate routes -- not just the fastest, but the shortest, or one that minimized highway travel. That's feature's gone, and I can't find hide or hair of it -- which is a shame because it was a great way to find out how to get around known traffic congestion. Why did they scrap it? (I know that micro-level Mapquest stuff can be famously inaccurate, but for me it was a risk worth taking.) Where else can I get it?
posted by blueshammer at 1:58 PM PST - 14 comments

PocketPCfilter: I want to charge my iPaq 3955 and use an accessory simultaneously - unfortunately, the AC uses the same plug at the bottom of the unit. SO: Is there a way to split the plug, or am I going to have to splice the two things together somehow? I've asked this question on PocketPC boards to no avail. (I'm not a huge fan of PPC, but this is for a specific little project.)
posted by symbebekos at 1:58 PM PST - 3 comments

EuroCyclistFilter - I'm thinking of taking a trip to Belgium to see one (or perhaps a few) of the Spring Classics this year. Any MeFi cycling fans have advice? [MI] [more inside]
posted by monkeystronghold at 1:27 PM PST - 8 comments

FontFilter: Can anyone identify the Comedy Central Premium Blend script font?
posted by Dreama at 1:06 PM PST - 9 comments

File Management Filter - I'm looking for a piece of software (Windows XP / preferably free), that will:

1 - Create directories on a daily or weekly basis (i.e. 2211, 2311, 2411) to store downloaded files, and/or: 2 - Move the 'oldest' set of files to a subdirectory - or CD/DVD archive

Any ideas?
posted by mattr at 12:27 PM PST - 3 comments

Guitarists: What are some of your favorite scales and chords? How about guitar-related web resources? Finally, are there any other lefty guitarists in Metaland, or am I the only one?
posted by baphomet at 12:23 PM PST - 24 comments

Is there a way to use my G4 Powerbook (1.5Ghz model) as a monitor for my PC?
posted by ism at 11:49 AM PST - 9 comments

Quiz Resources. I've been roped into producing the annual works quiz night. Any Quiz setters here? What resources do you use?
posted by lloyder at 11:43 AM PST - 5 comments

I took Accutane a couple years ago and it left my scalp & hair very dry, and the hairs themselves very limp. This is especially true in the wintertime. Can anyone recommend a good, non-hair-damaging product out there that will moisturize and mold the hair without giving it that overly "wet" appearance?
posted by dhoyt at 11:30 AM PST - 10 comments

I like my bedroom to be absolutely dark at night. I'd like to find a clock that runs dark by default, but has a switch to display the time. Does anyone know if this exists, and where I could find it?
posted by Zed_Lopez at 11:06 AM PST - 21 comments

IE for Mac. Scrapbook equivalents in FireFox, etc?
I use the IE Scrapbook feature of IE for Mac to quickly search for info in a certain public data base (the search term is entered in the search field of a web page, the page is saved as a "scrap,", and then I need only call up the "scrap" and hit the return key to update the search)

Is it possible to create the same kind of "scrap" in other browsers? There doesn't even seem to be an equivalent in IE for Windows?
posted by ParisParamus at 10:57 AM PST - 6 comments

I don't believe in headphones. Does anyone make an mp3 player with speakers built in, like a small boombox perhaps? Seems like an obvious market (even people who DO use headphones sometimes want to share their music with others in the room), but I have yet to see one.
posted by rushmc at 10:01 AM PST - 28 comments

So, I've come to the decision that I need a laptop, and I need to get it sometime within the next month. It's not quite as simple as all that, though, because I'm trying to find a good deal... [more inside] [more inside]
posted by wanderingmind at 9:36 AM PST - 20 comments

[Grammar] Is there a preferred time to use "nobody" versus "no one?"
posted by davebug at 8:58 AM PST - 15 comments

NYCFilter: This should be a simple question, where can I get fairly decent, cheap, fast Chinese food in Soho or Chinatown? Details and Midtown analogies inside. [more inside]
posted by cyrusdogstar at 8:43 AM PST - 23 comments

I'm going to Paris this weekend. It will be cold and rainy. But hey, I'll be in Paris.

What do MeFites (aka, you) think my SO and I should do?
posted by taumeson at 7:59 AM PST - 41 comments

Translation help: How do you say "My grandmother has a blue chicken" in your native tongue? More inside... [more inside]
posted by mds35 at 7:58 AM PST - 62 comments

My Dell monitor died. Advice needed on its current condition or possible alternatives for next purchase (considering a flat-panel). --> [more inside]
posted by eas98 at 7:45 AM PST - 6 comments

Somewhere I saw advertised a metal rod that you stick into the cavity of a turkey to conduct heat into the stuffing to eliminate the bird/stuffing safe temperature conflict. Google fails me. Anyone know about this? Does it work? Where can I get one before Thursday? [more inside]
posted by bondcliff at 7:22 AM PST - 13 comments

Firefox Cache: is it weird, or what?
Surely I should be able to read "C:\Documents and Settings\dad\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\default.pt4\Cache" in, er, Firefox. Right? [more inside]
posted by dash_slot- at 6:54 AM PST - 5 comments

Insurance (in the UK)
Any recommendations for laptop insurance and whilst we're on the subject, a recommendation for a travel insurer for a business trip to the US?
posted by i_cola at 6:36 AM PST - 1 comment

ColdWeatherFilter: What's the best outerwear choice for low aerobic activity in very cold weather? [m.i.] [more inside]
posted by meeeeeep at 6:21 AM PST - 18 comments

Bike Rack Etiquette. Can anyone explain why certain asshats insist on parking their bikes horizontally against the front of bike racks, thereby taking up a dozen+ spaces? Am I missing something? Is there some reason beyond the obvious selfishness? Are they oblivious to the fact that pissed off people (like me) will gleefully let the air out of their tires ... or worse?
posted by RavinDave at 2:05 AM PST - 42 comments

Foot Trouble: I can't run anymore due to foot pain. Should I visit a podiatrist or orthopedic specialist or what? [symptoms and stuff within] [more inside]
posted by weston at 12:26 AM PST - 7 comments

It's time for us collegians to sign up for classes again. I am always faced at this time with a dizzying array of choices when looking in the course directory. What was the best college course you ever took and why?
posted by apathy0o0 at 11:28 PM PST - 51 comments

I've been wanting to get into "urban adventuring" recently, and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips (I live in Washington, DC, so specific places around here would be nice). I like to think of myself as exceptionally sane, so I understand all the risks and safety issues associated with this.
posted by borkingchikapa at 10:59 PM PST - 10 comments

How can I reliably record RealPlayer streams for later listening, on Mac OS X or Linux? [MI] [more inside]
posted by beniamino at 8:59 PM PST - 10 comments

I'm thinking of getting myself a new laptop to play with. Do I want to switch? [Intel More Inside] [more inside]
posted by coriolisdave at 8:37 PM PST - 10 comments

What's the deal with Azureus for OSX and opening .torrent files by default? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by scarabic at 7:27 PM PST - 9 comments

I'm getting the new iMac in the mail on Tuesday, and I want to watch DVDs on it. I'd like to buy a set of 5.1 Surround Sound speakers for it, but as far as I can tell, you can't really just buy a set of speakers and plug them into the headphone jack on your computer. Or can you? My main interest in 5.1 Surround Sound is mostly for using the enhanced "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" DVD, so this isn't really that big a deal, but I haven't found a simple setup for 5.1 speakers online.

If this is indeed not possible, what's a good set of Macintosh-usable speakers that cost around two hundred dollars?
posted by interrobang at 7:21 PM PST - 6 comments

I want to import the GunGrave series of DVDs. Can anyone tell if the series is finished or still ongoing? Also how many episodes and/or DVDs are there in total? [more inside]
posted by lucien at 7:04 PM PST - 6 comments

RefinishingFilter: I am refinishing a vintage maple piece by hand, and am considering using gel stain. Has anyone here tried this combination of wood and finish? What did you use as a sealant? (I've never refinished maple, nor do I have experience with gel stain.) Success stories, product recommendations and do's/don'ts are welcome.
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:27 PM PST - 14 comments

iMac G5 dual monitor hack -- Has anyone given this patch a try to enable dual monitor support on consumer Macs? I'm getting an iMac G5 if this is reliable enough to work in a production environment, if not I'll have to go higher-end.
posted by Space Coyote at 6:04 PM PST - 1 comment

I'm very likely going to be at interning at an organization/studying spanish at a language school in Ocatal, Nicaragua next summer for roughly three months. Can anyone recommend some solid books on Nicaragua and Nicaraguan culture? I'd really like to shy away from any sort of guidebooks, i'm looking for something that isn't for vistors or people looking for a vacation...that seems to be what the majority of guidebooks are tilted towards.
posted by jare2003 at 6:03 PM PST - 2 comments

I'm looking for a supplier to provide bracelets like the rubber-like LIVESTRONG wrist bands produced by Lance Armstrong's cancer foundation. Not having any luck. Any suggestions?
posted by lometogo at 5:17 PM PST - 3 comments

smokingfilter: Has anyone had experience using Zyban to quit smoking? More inside... [more inside]
posted by punkrockrat at 1:17 PM PST - 19 comments

I have some old LPs that I wish were available on CD but aren't. Is it possible to run my LP turntable through an amp & take the amp's output & feed that into a computer sound card & save it as a digital audio file that I can then burn onto a CD? Has anyone done this? What's required?
posted by Pressed Rat at 12:35 PM PST - 16 comments

Is there such a thing as a good compact stereo? Not a boombox, mind you. Just a small system that will neatly fit into the entertainment center beneath the TV. Something reliable that will play the radio and CDs. It would also be nice if I could route the TV audio through it. I am not an audiophile, and buying individual components scares me. But my budget is also only $200-$300ish. Any hope for me?
posted by piskycritter at 11:54 AM PST - 15 comments

LyricsFilter:
I've seen the lyrics to a UK band's song posted on a blog hosted in the US, without a copyright notice or a 'with permission' blurb. Is that legally OK in the US?
Previous search of ask.me questions reveal little.
posted by dash_slot- at 9:23 AM PST - 12 comments

Some months ago I dropped my Titanium PowerBook, and cracked the case on the lighter-coloured surround of lower case. The damage is only cosmetic, it has continued to work flawlessly since, with some sticky tape over the crack.

The tape is beginning to wear out, however, and instead of re-applying it, I thought of just glueing the crack together. What glue would work?
posted by Mwongozi at 5:41 AM PST - 11 comments

Portfolio Confidentiality

I'm applying for a job with an industrial design firm which requires a portfolio. Some of my best work is part of a project which is in the process of being patented (but has not been filed for yet), so I'm unsure how to handle it. It seems excessive and limiting (and maybe rude?) to ask for an NDA from a potential employer, but I don't feel completely comfortable sending this information out. Anyone have any suggestions or experience in this area?
posted by hugo at 5:02 AM PST - 9 comments

Any experiences with using the medication Doxepin in treating the itching associated with eczema? [more inside]
posted by chiababe at 11:28 PM PST - 7 comments

I am to design a site for a local murder mystery game and would like some links to interesting inspirational sites. I seem to remember some movie site with a great feel to it, but the title escapes me. Link me up please.
posted by FidelDonson at 11:25 PM PST - 5 comments

AussieHolidayFilter: My wife and I used to visit Port Douglas in Far North Queensland back in the early 1990s, when it had 4 great restaurants, 3 great hotels, and 2 great pubs. [M.I.] [more inside]
posted by TiredStarling at 11:22 PM PST - 8 comments

I want a window sticker with a particular design, and can't find it for sale anywhere. I want one of those clear static-cling stickers designed for the inside of the window, not the "bumper sticker" type that uses adhesive. Cafepress does not appear to offer this as an option. How might I go about getting such a sticker made?
posted by Mars Saxman at 7:10 PM PST - 7 comments

I recently replaced the battery in my old Dell Inspiron 4000. Today I noticed that the led on the power adapter goes off if the battery is in the machine and the machine says it is running on batteries. If I unplug the battery the computer turns off. I am able to boot on AC power but the moment I insert the battery the adapter stops working. I think this is new otherwise the battery would've drained days ago. Has anyone encountered this before? Any ideas? Also, if the computer is off and I plug the adapter into it while the battery is also present, the led on the adapter goes out. If I then remove the battery and attempt to boot the machine, nothing happens. This is very weird. [more inside]
posted by Grod at 6:07 PM PST - 3 comments

TV show trading has gotten quite brazen, compared to music or movies or warez. Have there been any legal rumblings at all? Who exactly would threaten or sue you?
posted by smackfu at 6:05 PM PST - 17 comments

Give Me X An IT guy at work told me I shouldn't be shutting down my computer every night because starting up the computer every morning wastes more power than I've saved. I find this hard to believe, but of course I want to use the most energy-efficient option, both at home and at work. So, assuming I've set up screensaver and standby options on my computer, what's the rule of thumb for shutting down? In the equation "X or more hours of non-use = better to shut down and start up later", what does X equal?
posted by orange swan at 6:00 PM PST - 23 comments

StuffingFilter: When it comes to Thanksgiving, I've seen huge variety in stuffing recipies. So spill it -- what's the best stuffing recipe you've got? [more inside]
posted by daver at 5:35 PM PST - 18 comments

WindowsXPSecurityFilter: How do I help my mother-in-law? [more inside]
posted by daver at 5:15 PM PST - 12 comments

NYCFilter: What is the best place in NYC to rent Japanese DVDs and videos? In particular, I'm scrabbling to find as many titles by Nobuhiko Obayashi as possible, but the normally gargantuan Kim's only has two of his films (including the jaw-dropping Hausu). Are there any good specialty rental places I should check out in my quest for more Obayashi?
posted by Sticherbeast at 5:07 PM PST - 2 comments

How do you remove a screw after totally raping its head?
posted by Evstar at 4:25 PM PST - 26 comments

web hosting filter --> i currently pay over $100 to NTT/verio, a little company you may have heard of, to host my e-commerce site. i've been told i'm getting a bum deal. so, dear experts, where can i get *seriously* reliable freeBSD hosting with support for php, mysql, maybe IMAP, without spending as much? thanks.
posted by subpixel at 4:23 PM PST - 7 comments

How do you do that thing whereby a person can go to your website and map their domain to a subdirectory of your own website? Do you need to have root on your server to do this or are there easier (read: cheaper) ways to do it?
posted by subverted at 1:19 PM PST - 11 comments

Leaning Tree Question: A large tree (silver maple...about 20 inch caliper) in my backyard has started to lean towards the house over the last few years. I am afraid that a thunderstorm with strong winds might topple the tree, but it would be a shame to completely cut it down. Anyone have suggestions to straighten it up, or at least make me comfortable that it won't fall?
posted by Benway at 12:56 PM PST - 5 comments

UK Credit Filter - We have bad credit, and now our bank have decided that they want to close my accounts. So in order to be paid, and pay bills...I have to find a new current account. My wife and I know that we can fix our problems with money (and have been doing well for 3 months) - but we cannot seem to find a bank that will open a current account for us.

So for UK askMe people - do you know of a current account that will AT LEAST give us the benefit of the doubt?
posted by anonymous at 11:22 AM PST - 4 comments

My friend thinks she has a weight problem. It's not quite anorexia, but I'm extremely worried about her. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by borkingchikapa at 11:01 AM PST - 21 comments

What are you favorite Christmas Songs? [MI] [more inside]
posted by keep it tight at 11:00 AM PST - 32 comments

What book of poetry, published in the last 25 years, has meant the most to you personally -- the book you have found yourself returning to again and again?
posted by rushmc at 10:01 AM PST - 48 comments

iTunes question: I am currently using old musicmatch to hold my music collection & playlists and synch with my iPod (I have an gen2.) If I load iTunes, I have some questions:
1. Can I still burn CD's from my music collection once iTunes is loaded?
2. If I download a tune from iTunes, can I burn that to a CD or just transfer it to my iPod?
3. Does it encode my music collection so I can't remove it from iTunes if I want to quit using it? (encrypt all my already existing music so I can't burn it/copy to cd, etc.)
4. Is there a way to transfer my playlists to iTunes from Musicmatch?
5. what do you all think of iTunes? Do you use it? Do you like something else better?
Thanks!
posted by aacheson at 9:50 AM PST - 17 comments

I enjoy mathematics, and I'd imagine that on these internets there are many others who are similarly inclined. Why then, am I unable to find a good "Problem of the Day" site? [mi] [more inside]
posted by phrontist at 9:45 AM PST - 9 comments

I'm on a foreign network (traveling for work) and more than half the websites I try to load (any browser) end up at a dodgy looking place called 'Med Network' (viagra, etc). [little MI] [more inside]
posted by erebora at 9:18 AM PST - 12 comments

My 256MB compact flash card that I've been using without any trouble for the last two years in my Canon s400 has decided that it has problems. I've reformatted it several times already in the camera and on my G4 Aluminum Powerbook but it still breaks down in a few days and won't record pics.

I've lost a bunch of really good pics already and don't want to lose anymore. Can someone give me some idea of what's going on? Do CF cards just go bad?
posted by fenriq at 8:06 AM PST - 7 comments

"The Fed chief also seemed to be practically guaranteeing higher interest rates, saying that investors who weren't hedged against a rise were "desirous of losing money."."

these questions have been asked before, but any further thoughts on a hedge for dollar positions and increasing interest rates?
posted by specialk420 at 8:05 AM PST - 5 comments

Questions about 1-Hour Photo quality inside... [MI] [more inside]
posted by mkultra at 7:39 AM PST - 11 comments

WannaBuyAScannerFilter: I'm thinking of getting a flat bed scanner to scan in art work, negs, and slides... [more inside]
posted by daver at 7:02 AM PST - 11 comments

I'm looking for recommendations for a good, relatively inexpensive (hopefully around $30) coffee grinder, and some top of the line gourmet coffee to go along with it for a gift for Mom. She usually drinks Folgers, but was quite impressed with Jamaican Blue Mountain. Forgive the cluelessness, I'm more of a tea girl.
posted by ferociouskitty at 6:26 AM PST - 28 comments

Monitorfilter: I have a rather vintage 17" Apple Studio monitor, whose anti-glare screen coating has been severely scratched. Does anyone know of a product out there I could use at home to recoat the screen? And if no product exists, are there anti-glare screens which could be recommended to fix the problem? My google-fu has failed me, miserably.
posted by Chrischris at 6:13 AM PST - 3 comments

Newbie Question: How the in the world do you quote someone - or at least how can you use italics in posting here? Thanx in advance...
posted by fairmettle at 5:59 AM PST - 6 comments

[EssentialBookFilter] If society were to implode for whatever reason, what few hundred essential books would you like to have stockpiled in your secret countryside compound?
posted by Meridian at 5:51 AM PST - 11 comments

Blogfilter: Does anyone know of any free utilities/websites that allows me to automatically email designated recipients my newest blog (specifically, LiveJournal) entry? (It doesn't have to be the complete entry - it could be an excerpt, but preferably not just a link.) [more inside]
posted by christin at 12:44 AM PST - 6 comments

On September 30th, 2004, my son, Jonah David, entered this world 10 weeks ahead of schedule. Tomorrow he's finally coming home, after a very weird 40ish days of commuting between the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unity), home and work. On December 10 I'm joining the growing ranks of stay-at-home dads.

Any personal experiences, either of raising preemies or being an at-home dad? Good online resources, other than slowlane.com, which I've already found? And, old chestnut as this one may be, bright ideas about potential incomes to be earned from home would be appreciated... We're willing to accept the lifestyle change for the sake of having a full-time parent on the job, but any little bit will sure help.
posted by nanojath at 10:36 PM PST - 18 comments

I'm looking for something, a poem, painting or photograph perhaps, to inspire a moment of reflection prior to the Thanksgiving festivities. Something to acknowledge how the traditions of Thanksgiving help cover a disturbing history. [more inside]
posted by stuart_s at 10:26 PM PST - 5 comments

OnlinePharmacyFilter: I am interested in buying a certain pharmaceutical for my own off-label use (which is known to be safe and effective). I would rather not deal with a doctor to obtain a prescription -- I don't at the moment have a primary care provider I trust -- and this drug appears to be readily available at any number of Web pharmacies, with few questions asked. Does anyone have experience with online drug sellers? Are these vendors reliable at all? I am skeptical, of course, and do wonder whether I'll end up with a bottle of sugar pills, or worse. (I saw a recent news report, on 60 Minutes, I think, about the global market in fake products, including brand name drugs, in which a fugazy Viagra pill made in China was shown to be indistinguishable from the real thing.) (On the other hand, CVS-bought, doctor-prescribed brand name drugs are not necessarily to be trusted either. And Vioxx is, I'm sure, just the tip of that industry iceberg. Nonetheless...) Am I crazy to buy drugs on the Web?

(Heck, it sue has been a long time since High School, when it never would have occurred to me to ask what was in the drugs I was taking, where they were from, or if they were "safe" or "pure"...)
posted by jellybuzz at 9:32 PM PST - 8 comments

I'm looking for schools with MFA painting and/or printmaking programs that would welcome a student with a BFA in illustration. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Hypharse at 7:15 PM PST - 4 comments

I just got a Neilsen ratings box two weeks ago. Just how much power am I weilding here? Can i prevent the cancellation of shows? [more inside]
posted by joelf at 5:40 PM PST - 9 comments

extremelyUnpleasantFingerBurnFilter So I made some caramel sauce and accidentally dipped the tip of my right index finger into a still molten fluid. I immediately ran it under cold water and peeled the tasty candy coating off my finger. I have a lot of work to do, like a 20 or so page report to type. I can't type without that finger and my other fingers on the same hand are also in pain. How can I make the oain gi away and protect my lovely new blister enough to be able to type fir the next ten hours or so? [more inside]
posted by Grod at 4:52 PM PST - 23 comments

Baseball/Hockey cards: Does anyone have any opinions about any of the software that purports to help with organization of sportscards? Does anyone still collect cards? I'm looking more for personal experience and recommendations. If it helps, I'm looking to categorize and sort older cards (say, pre-1990 but after 1970), and almost exclusively hockey and baseball singles and sets. Thanks!
posted by loquax at 4:41 PM PST - 2 comments

Let's say you had a wooden box you wanted to turn into a PC case. Where would you buy a metal 5.25" bay assembly? I'm talking about a U-shaped piece of flat metal that will screw onto the wood box wherein a couple of drives can be mounted. There's just way too much noise in Google on this one. Thanks!
posted by scarabic at 4:35 PM PST - 7 comments

1994 Toyota Pickup Automatic Transmission Problems - Your thoughts? (MI) [more inside]
posted by Pressed Rat at 3:25 PM PST - 5 comments

Survey software? Preferably free? Anyone have any experience with Zoomerang, Key Survey, or anyone else?
posted by occhiblu at 2:48 PM PST - 6 comments

Does anybody know what guitar tone is used in certain TMBG and U2 songs? The most prevalent example is in the TMBG song "Ana Ng." During the chorus of the song, the guitar goes into this tremolo rapid-fire tone that maintains an even volume and has this nice rhythmic effect. It occurs at around 0:36 in the song. Any help would be appreciated.
posted by dagnyscott at 2:43 PM PST - 12 comments

I'm working on a play during which a young woman gets an abortion. Can anyone give me the breakdown of what actually happens during an abortion... Are you sedated? Are your legs in stirrups? (Not looking for political rhetoric, just clinical details...) Thanks.
posted by adrober at 1:56 PM PST - 11 comments

ScaryCarNoiseFilter: I have a 99 Civic, 50K miles. I'm a new 2nd owner. Today it started making an odd noise as I was coming off the Interstate: a rattle from the front passenger wheel-area which increased in volume as I braked. And it increases in intensity when I brake while going around curves.

It is an intermittent sound; mostly when turning while braking, and or braking @ higher speeds (75+). Also, there is no steering vibration associated with the sound. Any suggestions? A friend suggested CV Boot or CV Joints.
Is that spendy to fix? (it seemed like a good buy at the time!)
posted by atlatl at 1:00 PM PST - 15 comments

I am looking for gross sales figures for a particular DVD. Any suggestions of free sources that would have this information?
posted by anathema at 12:25 PM PST - 15 comments

I'm thinking of getting a new laptop to replace my Sony Picturebook (the 800x480 screen is just too cramped). I would very, very much like this to not be a Windows system. And since I'm finding out more by accident than I am by searching, I thought I'd throw out some questions here. Looking for suggestions on the best way to proceed. [mi] [more inside]
posted by lodurr at 10:54 AM PST - 21 comments

So I just bombed my GRE: 700 verbal, 660 math. I don't know the exact percentile of each, but I know its low, especially the math. How do grad schools handle re-tests? Do they just look at the highest one, like most undergrad admissions offices do? Do they average the two, like I think I heard somewhere they did? Something else? Is it worth taking them again, or should I just kiss grad school goodbye and get on with life?
posted by anonymous at 10:45 AM PST - 29 comments

EuroFilter: I'm going to Ireland in February and am quite concerned about the US Dollar's free-fall against the Euro. What's the best way to buy some Euros now so that at least some of my cash (about half what I'll spend there) is pegged at the current rate? Should I buy cash? How hard is that to take with me? Is there a way I can open an Irish bank account (a little interest would be nice)?
I know that the whole currency futures thing is very risky and I *could* lose money, but I'm just sayin.
posted by dbmcd at 10:38 AM PST - 9 comments

WinterBreakFilter: If you were a 19-year old college student in California with a working car, a few hundred dollars, the period between December 9th and January 3rd, a sense of adventure, sidekicks as needed, some knowledge of the French language, and a general desire to do something memorable this year....

What would you do?
posted by rfordh at 10:28 AM PST - 29 comments

I can't figure out my accordion.
posted by ba at 9:50 AM PST - 19 comments

Is there somewhere online--maybe a government site--where you can check the credentials of U.S. doctors? (As in, have they been sued 20 times for malpractice, where did they go to med school, etc.) When I search for something like that, I get spambot hell and/or paid services. I need to go to a specialist and don't have the luxury of knowing enough people here to get a recommendation.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 9:38 AM PST - 12 comments

Several months ago, it was agreed that we would visit my family for Christmas. Now the SO has said he'd like to see his daughter. [MI] [more inside]
posted by Miss Bitchy Pants at 9:26 AM PST - 10 comments

CurseThePhoneCompanyFilter: My phone company won’t acknowledge that I’m a customer! How can I get them to let me transfer my number to another, non-crazy company? (More inside from a long-time AskMe lurker with a brand new account) [more inside]
posted by handful of rain at 8:59 AM PST - 6 comments

Remedies for opening up a congested ear canal? I've had a sinus/ear infection this week, and am currently taking both a decongestant and an antibiotic. My head seems to be clearing nicely, except my inner ear on one side which feels completely blocked. I'm trying hot compresses and steam. Are there any other suggested methods to clear this up at home?
posted by vers at 8:02 AM PST - 22 comments

What's it like being an architect? What are the fun tasks, the dull ones, and the tedious ones? As an architect in the US, is it hard to be artistically 'independent'; are most architects there doomed to designing cookie-cutter McMansions? Have you ever considered a different profession? If so, what? How does one go from an undergraduate to a full-fledged architect (i.e., what sort of schooling, certification and jobs do you need to become an architect in the US). Finally, what are some schools in the US for architectural training, or how do I go about finding them myself? Answers to any, some or all of these questions would be much appreciated.
posted by ar0n at 7:57 AM PST - 17 comments

So now that I've had to start looking for work and a new home, my five-year-old Dell laptop has decided to die on me. I'm probably going to order a Gateway at around the $1000 level (I don't do gaming or any of the stuff that would require something fancier), but what I want to know is what software I should make sure to get with it. I'm planning to do freelance work in editing and maybe translating; can anyone who does that tell me what I'll need besides MS Word (which I presume most files will be sent in)? Thanks.

I was going to preface this with "JobFilter" until I realized that looks like job 'work' rather than the intended Job 'guy to whom all that bad stuff happened in the Bible.' Damn ambiguous English language!
posted by languagehat at 7:40 AM PST - 27 comments

Question about TiVo: The company just announced that "banner ads" would pop up while you're fast-forwarding through commercials. How exactly would this work? (mi) [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:31 AM PST - 7 comments

The small town where I live is on the verge of annexing some farmland and zoning it to allow for construction of a strip mall. Even though common sense says that the sprawl will move business away from our succesful downtown (like, Starbucks will see our successful coffee shop and open a branch in the strip mall) and that adding a strip mall will increase traffic and require more construction down the line, are there any scholarly studies that show this pattern? And does anyone know of alternatives that would preserve the downtown, affect the surrounding farms less drastically, and still allow the land owner to sell for a good price?
posted by eustacescrubb at 5:48 AM PST - 21 comments

My sister-in-law is looking for a low-priced new or used car, probably a Toyota, but she's also looking at a Kia or a Hyundai. We're in the metro Atlanta area [MI]... [more inside]
posted by jpburns at 4:52 AM PST - 27 comments

I've only got a $1.25 in my pocket. It's 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I walk into my local Quick-E Mart convenience store. I'm looking for maximum stomach fufillment to tide me over until dinner.What's the best buy for my measly change?
posted by jeremias at 4:47 AM PST - 22 comments

Any free flowcharting/ decision-tree software recommendations? [more inside]
posted by Pericles at 4:23 AM PST - 6 comments

How do you write? Where do you get your ideas from? How do you ensure productivity and creativity in writing and avoiding the dreaded block? How do you further your writing, develop it, polish it, learn, and grow? (More inside) [more inside]
posted by loquacious at 4:08 AM PST - 22 comments

Fibroid tumours. I just went for a kidney scan, and while I was there the doctor told me he saw I have a fibroid tumour and need to have it checked out by a gynecologist. I have an appointment for a week from today, but in the meantime, if any of the ladies of metafilter have experience with this kind of tumour, it would be really comforting to me to get some first-hand accounts. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by hazyjane at 3:52 AM PST - 9 comments

When reading a book about Newton V's Leibniz recently, it occurred to me that great advances in Science often seem to occur in tandem, ie two unrelated persons or groups often arrive at a breakthrough at roughly the same time. Is this true? Can anyone think of some other examples? Can anyone explain why this may be the case?
posted by kev23f at 3:40 AM PST - 21 comments

If I lived in a country (mentioning no names, because I'm not sure if it is treason...) that had an unelected head of state, and whos position was based on the family they were born into, how would I go about getting rid of them, in any way other than the obvious one? I'm thinking some kind of political campaign, etc.
posted by Orange Goblin at 2:59 AM PST - 30 comments

Does anyone know of a website that lists songs and the tracks they stole samples from? My googlefu has failed me.
posted by twine42 at 2:44 AM PST - 4 comments

More FictionFilter: Nuclear warhead, meet Oz. Sound familiar? [more inside]
posted by melissa may at 2:19 AM PST - 9 comments

I recently saw a great soccer goal, the US team juggled the ball across three players (about) and then scored. Anyone know the particular match and where I can download a video of it? [more inside]
posted by tetsuo at 2:18 AM PST - 6 comments

Bass players- help me learn your instrument. (MI) [more inside]
posted by DuoJet at 1:54 AM PST - 14 comments

I've decided to take the Foreign Service Exam next time it is offered, and I was wondering if anyone has taken the test/worked in the foreign service. Any advice? (a little more inside) [more inside]
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 12:17 AM PST - 10 comments

What would be considered a reasonable 'going rate' for technical document translation from one language to another? Do these things tend to be per page, or time and materials, or what? [more inside]
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:43 PM PST - 8 comments

Can anyone recommend a cheap, reliable international phone card? (Google returns millions of results.) Specifically, I'm looking for inexpensive rates from the US to Samoa.
posted by Dr. Wu at 10:50 PM PST - 8 comments

I'm trying to read O'reilly's "AI for Game Developers," and it's a bit over my head. On page 17, there's an algorithm that moves a preditor towards a pray. There's a constant (or variable?) in the code called _TOL which isn't explained anywhere in the text. What is _TOL? Also, there's a variable (called v) that's defined buy never used. What gives? [more inside]
posted by grumblebee at 9:20 PM PST - 6 comments

DoNotMockMeGMailViaMozillaViaOS9.2MacQuestion: It's started freezing up on me, Is there any hope, other than getting a G5 IMac?
posted by ParisParamus at 9:07 PM PST - 13 comments

Powerbook Titanium Keyboard Question: Hitting certain keys on my laptop results in a string of weird symbols and line breaks. Any ideas on what the problem is and what I can do about it? (MI) [more inside]
posted by buddha9090 at 8:36 PM PST - 4 comments

who what when where why how, the documentary edition [more inside]
posted by GleepGlop at 8:35 PM PST - 5 comments

Pulling girls in bars: how do you do it? I don't think I know how. The two or three times I have they've kissed me first. I'm more used to getting into relationships - sometimes even just asking "can I kiss you? I think you're lovely" after a date - but want some of the late-night stranger-kissing that all the bar guys get. How do you turn cheery bar conversation into cheery bar smooching?
posted by anonymous at 7:55 PM PST - 21 comments

How do I restart Firefox with the default theme? The theme that's being used is corrupt and it blacks out all the menus. I tried to delete the current theme, but there doesn't seem to be any obvious theme folder.
posted by joelf at 7:47 PM PST - 5 comments

AppleFilter: I am now the proud owner of a Macintosh SE from 1987-ish. Now what the hell am I supposed to do with it? Complete details inside. [more inside]
posted by logovisual at 7:33 PM PST - 14 comments

Where might I find some decent, free "Secret Santa" software? (more in Santa's sack...) [more inside]
posted by obiwanwasabi at 7:31 PM PST - 5 comments

Gardening question:

I bought what I thought was a pretty good garden hose and it's already kinking up like there's no tomorrow. What's the best material/best brand?
posted by Kafkaesque at 5:58 PM PST - 6 comments

My current host is closing down, and since I bought my domain through them it will be transferred into my name before they finally close at the end of the year. However, my domain expires on December 12, and they are so far unresponsive to my emails and have not transferred the domain (it has been two weeks since my initial request). I am worried that if I'm not able to renew it, it will be snapped up by a domain-sitter and I will lose it. In case it isn't transferred in time, is there a way I can beat the domain-sitters to it and reserve my domain? What are the more affordable options for doing this? Will I be guaranteed to get it?
posted by teem at 5:44 PM PST - 6 comments

this is a multiple question:
a) images
b) bookmarks
c) social networking [more inside]
posted by GleepGlop at 5:27 PM PST - 7 comments

October Project's self-titled CD is among my favorites of all time. I also love Mary Fahl's "The Other Side of Time." Can anyone reccomend something that is similar to either OP or Mary Fahl? (MI) [more inside]
posted by bargle at 5:26 PM PST - 8 comments

What did people call paper airplanes in the gap between when paper was invented and when the airplane was invented? Paper birds?
posted by rushmc at 4:35 PM PST - 4 comments

My CRT monitor puts out a high-pitched whine that changes tone depending on certain conditions of which I'm not familiar with (in other words, the tone fluctuates). It's not overly loud but it's definitely noticeable - it's quite irritating. It used to do this about a year ago then stopped only to start again last week. Anybody know why it's happening and how to stop it?
posted by ashbury at 3:53 PM PST - 10 comments

Life-InsuranceFilter

Ok, I just noticed that I'm paying a fortune for my work sponsored life insurance. I need to figure out the best plan for a 35 year old divorced dad with one kid...any thoughts?
posted by keep it tight at 3:34 PM PST - 5 comments

How do I make media education for high schoolers interesting? [mi] [more inside]
posted by calistasm at 2:25 PM PST - 12 comments

I'm leaving for Amsterdam in less than two weeks. I've been to the museums, I know which coffeebars I like. Where fun is there to do? Winston? That hidden anarchist's bar I can never find? Stampot at Haesje Claes?
posted by Mean Mr. Bucket at 1:40 PM PST - 14 comments

Where is a good place to look to see what gigs are on in Dublin in the first quarter of next year?
posted by cantthinkofone at 1:28 PM PST - 4 comments

I've noticed that most newspaper comic pages are horrendous. What would it take to publish my favorite web / underground comics in a newspaper-like format, and distribute it across my metro area of choice?
posted by sandking at 1:03 PM PST - 7 comments

This question got me thinking... Why is it that there are video and game rental outlets (Blockbu$ter, Hollywood, etc) but not CD rental outlets here in the US? Anyone know anything about the license agreements video rental outlets sign and in turn what license agreements one accepts when they purchase a CD from a store? Why wouldn't I be able to rent out my CDs? You'd think in this day of iPods, CDRs and such large hard drives, this would be a killer busines to get into.
posted by pwb503 at 12:54 PM PST - 23 comments

Why don't television programs air at a consistent local time across the United States? [more inside]
posted by brad! at 12:43 PM PST - 17 comments

I'm looking for some good examples of non-USian women who have made major world-changing impacts in areas like medicine, law, AIDS policy, etc. in the last 30 years or so. Can anyone help me out?
posted by bshort at 12:23 PM PST - 17 comments

So this upper-GI endoscopy thing I keep hearing about. Uh, is there anyway you can request one of those new capsule endoscopies? Apparently the also don't knock you out. Personally I'd rather have to swallow a capsule then have them snaking a tube down my throat while I'm awake. Can I demand being knocked out? Am I the patient that doctor's roll their eyes at? [more inside]
posted by geoff. at 12:05 PM PST - 17 comments

What constitutes "mainstream" with regards to fetishes? [MI] [more inside]
posted by billybunny at 12:04 PM PST - 40 comments

How does one find a lawyer? I'm skeptical of the online directories I can find with Google, as well as lawyers who are aggressively advertising. There must be a better way than picking one at random from the phone book. A friend looking for legal help with disability stuff has asked for my advice on this matter, and I turn to you, O MeFites.
posted by eyebeam at 11:52 AM PST - 11 comments

Can you identify this science fiction story? My friend's been looking for a copy for years...[more inside]
posted by deliriouscool at 11:34 AM PST - 8 comments

I want to purchase several years of Billboard magazines, the late 1970s and all of the 1980s. Three years ago I located a company online that was selling microfiche but an extensive search of the web with google didn't turn them up. I plan on doing enough work with the material that I don't want to make a trip to the library or pay for Billboard's online service (which last time I checked into it didn't go back far enough). Any sources for microfiche or maybe CD-ROMs?
posted by inthe80s at 11:34 AM PST - 7 comments

I am a certified vintage British car nut living in the States. My question is for the Brits here. What is the general opinion of the modern MG automobiles currently sold in the UK? Do they do justice to MG's heritage...or is this brand engineering of the worst kind?
posted by punkfloyd at 10:41 AM PST - 7 comments

CanadianBanksFilter: This may seem like a bit of a dumb question, but can I deposit my money at ANY bank? I've got a CIBC account, but the closest CIBC is like an hour's walk away, and I don't have a car. Could I deposit stuff at, say, the Royal Bank?
posted by hughbot at 9:50 AM PST - 9 comments

Which basketball shoes are good for people with high arches? Information's easy to come by for running shoes, but I can't find anything for bball. I'd like to be able to put orthotics in them as well. (Yeah, I'm getting old.)
posted by callmejay at 9:27 AM PST - 3 comments

Mysonhatesmefilter: Very often, My 2.5 year old son wants nothing to do with me. [more inside, if you please, Matt]
posted by anonymous at 9:04 AM PST - 40 comments

Is there a way to save my Imagination at work sketch? Not that I don't trust GE to save my artwork for all time, but I don't. [mi]
posted by codger at 9:04 AM PST - 6 comments

Which Evil Dead DVD should I get? Over at Amazon, I can find four different versions. The biggest difference seems to be that some have a 1.33:1 aspect ratio and others have 1.85:1. And according to a review under this copy, the movie was in fact shot in 1.33:1 and Anchor Bay slapped bars over the top and bottom to make a "widescreen" version. Is that true? If so, I want a 1.33:1 copy. But which one should I get?
posted by punishinglemur at 8:31 AM PST - 18 comments

AirPort Express allows you to stream audio to your stereo from iTunes, and only from iTunes. I would love it if I could get it to stream audio from the DVD player as well, but this is probably a fool's errand. Unless... [more inside]
posted by o2b at 7:56 AM PST - 4 comments

I need to design a web-based complaints form for a government agency, and want it as user-friendly as possible. I'm considering a series of questions, with yes/ no buttons, which will lead the user easily through what is actually a massively complex flow-chart of options. Anyone got any links to web sites that achieve this type of thing well?
posted by Pericles at 7:36 AM PST - 5 comments

Text search tool: I'm looking for a word processor or text tool, that will allow me to search documents for phrases centred about particular words. I want to be able to specify a 'window,' say of 15 words; and the tool will then return *all* the text that occurs 15 words either side of the search target. Example: if I searched this AskMe page for "fanboy" as a target, and set my window as '6,' I would expect to get - "aren't trying to show off their fanboy Pitchfork-esque indie creds. The less politics" - from alidarbac's question below, as one of the returns. Free/share/commercial-ware all acceptable. Many thanks!
posted by carter at 7:23 AM PST - 7 comments

Another AskCookingFilter…

I’ve basically got to cook an absolutely sock-blowing meal for two. What’re your tips for really impressive starters and puddings? [mi] [more inside]
posted by Hartster at 6:55 AM PST - 29 comments

Los Angeles Geography: I need to figure out where to stay... [more inside]
posted by Dreama at 6:20 AM PST - 6 comments

What are some good pop culture blogs? I'm looking for some good writers who like to riff on anything and everything: music, movies, books, random pop-sociology articles, etc.; people who aren't breathlessly following the latest reality show but also who aren't trying to show off their fanboy Pitchfork-esque indie creds. The less politics, the better. Bonus points for people who do more original stuff and less meme-o'-the-day crap and for people with a wicked sense of humor.
posted by alidarbac at 4:37 AM PST - 20 comments

We got a weird letter from our VW dealership in the mail yesterday, and I need help deciphering it. [mi] [more inside]
posted by Irontom at 4:29 AM PST - 17 comments

You've nearly pulled an all-nighter. It's nearly 4am, and you can see yourself leaving the office about 4:30/5. What's the best way to get yourself into and through the next day? [more inside]
posted by namespan at 3:33 AM PST - 24 comments

Root Canals: How much do they really hurt? [more inside]
posted by Doug at 2:51 AM PST - 31 comments

I installed bitstream vera fonts on my PC and they look rubbish. [mi] [more inside]
posted by seanyboy at 2:13 AM PST - 8 comments

(Lost Data FIlter)
I attempted to partition my Maxtor 60 GB HDD earlier, while I had a 40 gb Maxtor external USB 2 drive plugged in. What I'm afraid happened is that when the computer rebooted, the drive letters change and Partition Magic 8 was going to work on the external drive.
[more inside] [more inside]
posted by Evstar at 8:50 PM PST - 7 comments

i just got my gmail account (yay-no, i have no invitations to give out) and want to use it to manage all my accounts.

1. any recommendations for good freeware to forward yahoo mail without the subscription?
2. will i be as happy as i think with gmail?
posted by elsar at 6:15 PM PST - 15 comments

I'm currently a junior in college majoring in computer science. Like most geeks I slacked off during high school and now find that I don't know a lot of very basic math (my geometry is horrible, my algebra skills could be much better). This is very embarrassing and I would like to get caught up with this material as quickly as possible. I have two questions:

1) Are there any math audio books? A google search didn't show any, but this would be the best for me.

2) Are there any books aimed at adults for personal study?

I'd like to understand the theory behind the math more than the math itself. Anyways, any help is appreciated.
posted by anonymous at 5:46 PM PST - 18 comments

MoldFilter: We noticed a bit of mold in our attic insulation. Testing revealed the presence of aspergillus/penicillin spores. We're trying to figure out how much of the attic contents we need to throw out. [MI] [more inside]
posted by sacre_bleu at 5:43 PM PST - 4 comments

If I am going to Toronto for a weekend, with three people, what is the best and cheapest option for parking for three days? If I'm correct, i can't park there overnight, even in a residential neighborhood. is there a train station i can park in overnight and take a train in? or would just shelling out for three nights ofparking be the best idea?
posted by jare2003 at 5:42 PM PST - 8 comments

From what I understand, the surest way to professional and financial freedom is through entrepreneurship. Whether you agree with this or not, if you decided to take the entrepreneurial plunge, what type of business would you create and why?
posted by jasondigitized at 4:42 PM PST - 29 comments

HouseClimateFilter: My (single zone for a small house) thermostat says the house should be warm but it's not, any ideas? [mi, oc] [more inside]
posted by billsaysthis at 4:25 PM PST - 13 comments

I need a CMS recommendation. I've been asked to find and set up a suitable content management system to be used by software and hardware developers for a project here at work. It needs to have good CVS and bug tracking modules. [mi] [more inside]
posted by sanitycheck at 4:09 PM PST - 6 comments

OS X Terminal problem: somehow, at some point, my Terminal application window became unusable. It's minimized to the point where I can't see ANY of the actual "terminal", and I can't maximize it. I can ONLY see the "red" close button, cannot drag scale the window anymore, and cannot doubleclick or otherwise use any of the keyboard shortcuts I know to restore it. [mi] [more inside]
posted by robbie01 at 4:01 PM PST - 19 comments

I think one of my close friends has developed a serious drug addiction. They used to be an active, hard-working, happy person, but in the last couple of months they are reluctant to socialize, ended all outside commitments, are barely sleeping, have seriously neglected their hygiene, and I just found out they have stolen thousands of dollars from their work, at which they are well paid, in the last month. I thought it was 'just' depression, but the money seems to point to something worse and there is a history of casually using hard drugs. They don't seem to want help, so will it do any good if I try? Does anyone have any experience with interventions, or is that just something people do on television?
posted by anonymous at 3:50 PM PST - 12 comments

I seem to remember a blue post to an online database of downloadable corporate logos, but I have not been able to find it again. Does this ring a bell with anyone?
posted by alball at 3:42 PM PST - 5 comments

For all of my music snob posturing, I absolutely, unabashedly love Christmas music. This year, I am looking to expand my collection, and was wondering: what are your essential "wouldn't be Christmas without them" Christmas albums?
posted by Quartermass at 3:42 PM PST - 65 comments

I need a new title! Currently, my title is Webmaster. Sure, I mostly do web stuff, but I also do videos occasionally, as well as general communications consulting for different folks within the company. Some key words might include: online, communications, manager (?), etc. I work in the communications department of an engineering firm.
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 2:55 PM PST - 12 comments

HTML Gurus and Browser Mechanics: Is this test too hard? Too much to expect an applicant to complete? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by weston at 2:19 PM PST - 32 comments

Horribly specific somewhat-old videogame question: Is SSX3 on the Playstn2 really that much better than SSX Tricky? Specifically, is SSX Tricky worth keeping for the courses or should I just chunk it in exchange for SSX3. I have come in late to owning a PS2 (just got the new model as a gift) and picked up SSX Tricky, looking for a 1080 fix. But then I find out I have the older version of the game, and that the current installment makes the version I have obsolete. Snowboarding nerds, please advise. I want SSX3 but basically don't know if I should trade in SSX Tricky for it, or keep the older version, too. Thanks! [more inside]
posted by Peter H at 2:15 PM PST - 26 comments

Language programs abroad. I'm a university student, I'm Canadian, and I'm wondering if anyone could recommend a good immersive program aboard for studying French or Chinese. I doubt I can be proficient in either in one summer, and I already have a very basic grasp of both. What I'm looking for instead is a chance to go aboard to develop my french or mandarin further. Any suggestions other than commercial programs geared for Business-persons?
posted by phyrewerx at 2:07 PM PST - 7 comments

Recently, metafilter style sites were all the rage (using freefilter or metaphilter.) It seems (sadly) most of these have withered from neglect. I'd like to get my own version of a *filter going but the freefilter instructions make my non-tech head feel like it is going to explode. Anyone out there who gets this stuff want to set it up for me? I'd need the whole setup (sans graphics) ie. layout, freefilter and ongoing support if there are any maintenance problems. Name your ballpark price inside this thread and I'll get in touch.
posted by limitedpie at 1:51 PM PST - 10 comments

Your favorite searchable free photo archive?
posted by mecran01 at 1:20 PM PST - 5 comments

Boilerplate legal documents for IT contractors? [more inside]
posted by cmonkey at 11:49 AM PST - 2 comments

Is there a firefox extension or an easy to use program that can block specific websites? While I don't normally have a problem, I've been noticing that I get on Mefi and basically don't get off. If I don't get on, that would probably solve the problem. The best and easiest way I can think of doing that, is a program. So: suggestions?
posted by stoneegg21 at 11:36 AM PST - 15 comments

Whatever happened to alien abductions and UFO sightings in the mainstream media? (MI) [more inside]
posted by crazy finger at 11:28 AM PST - 20 comments

If you could spend the Christmas holidays anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why? [mi] [more inside]
posted by Irontom at 11:11 AM PST - 22 comments

Google Ad Optimization [more inside]
posted by muckster at 10:30 AM PST - 3 comments

As per this question a couple of weeks ago, the insurance company paid up and I'm the owner of a brand new Canon 20D. Unfortunately, the new camera didn't come wiht any database software like my old D60 did. Now I need a new way to keep track of all the photos. (MI)... [more inside]
posted by trbrts at 10:03 AM PST - 5 comments

I find that I am somewhat addicted to AskMe and the web in general. How have you dealt with your Internet addiction? [mi] [more inside]
posted by grouse at 9:28 AM PST - 16 comments

Need a replacement for Quickbooks Pro 2004's Timer. [MI] [more inside]
posted by Sangre Azul at 9:21 AM PST - 3 comments

Does anyone else find that their head likes playing computer games, but their body doesn't? (MI) [more inside]
posted by ascullion at 9:05 AM PST - 17 comments

What are the best freeware PC tools for finding and removing duplicate mp3 files? I've tried using iTunes but it only deletes files if they are in your iTunes folder (mine are not). WMP seems to have no tools for this.
posted by srboisvert at 8:52 AM PST - 3 comments

We have had a torrent open for a few days now, Good for that! We are forlorn for it quite obviously has been abandoned: all Seeders have flown away before their Seedlings had been Sown. We are saddened by the fact that there is Not a chance of any One of these Miscreants returning. Please Miss, does there exist a hope for Salvage betwixt our missing Limbs? [more inside]
posted by tenseone at 7:48 AM PST - 22 comments

I want to get an XBox, mod it, stick a HD in it and then use XBMC, MAME, UAE and other various emulators and stuff. Honestly, how easy is this to do for a so-so technical person? What are good web resources? Or am I going to get myself into a whole world of pain? [more inside]
posted by ralawrence at 5:42 AM PST - 12 comments

My workplace (in the UK) has recently decided that every desk must have a laminated card with "Action To Be Taken In The Event Of A Bomb Threat". This strikes me as somewhat bizarre in that although I work for a communications company there is no infrastructure here to damage (barring remote switch access). Should the fact that these have been posted around the building out of the blue trigger a paranoia alert or is it just the company being a tad silly? Does anyone out there have any experience with this sort of thing?

Moderately Concerned of Yorkshire
posted by longbaugh at 3:57 AM PST - 22 comments

My friend from school claims that the average American only has about 10,000 words in his/her everyday vocabulary. As an example, he cites USAToday, saying if we were to count the number of distinct words used in that paper, there would only be a few thousand. I would like to check this out. Does anyone know of any software that will do a distinct word count?
posted by bluefly at 3:15 AM PST - 10 comments

My beloved fiancee is trying to improve her cooking, with a course and by diving into cooking books. As the guinea pig, it is in my interest to help her on her way. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Frasermoo at 2:14 AM PST - 19 comments

Suppose you were planning to stake your claim to Mac Geekery by camping outside the new London Apple Store the night before the Grand Opening.

What would you do to ensure your: (a) warmth; (b) safety; and (c) comfort? [more inside]
posted by chrismear at 12:50 AM PST - 9 comments

OSX: Is it possible to recover something that was deleted from the trash? Please.
posted by dobbs at 12:01 AM PST - 9 comments

As I mentioned in this thread, I drink rather a lot of caffeine. It doesn't actually do much any more and I don't want to increase my dosage since I get nasty headaches already when I don't have it. What I need is a more powerful (preferably legal) stimulant. Something that won't kill me or make me feel too weird but will give me the energy I need to keep my eyes open. Any suggestions? Does ginseng have any proven effect? Should I just start popping no-doz... I'm told the lethal dose of caffeine is 10 grams. I honestly think I could consume 10 grams without noticing it. I need better stimulants, damn it.
Thank you.
posted by Grod at 11:13 PM PST - 27 comments

I wish to heck that Babelfish did Latin. Why isn't there a good Latin translator on the Web?
posted by alumshubby at 7:53 PM PST - 10 comments

Love and Rockets question (the comic, not the band)...[mi] [more inside]
posted by drezdn at 7:48 PM PST - 7 comments

My very best friend lost her 6 month old baby girl to a freak accident last week. We're surrounding her and her family with love and understanding and whatever they need, but I'd love to hear the opinions of anyone who has been in this situation. What did you need or want in your time of loss? Suggestions for practical things (dinner, laundry, etc) or otherwise are all welcome.
posted by chiababe at 7:04 PM PST - 19 comments

Any advice on how to pick the proper moment to send a beloved cat to the great beyond? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by donovan at 6:45 PM PST - 15 comments

Any advice on the least dehumanizing way to fire someone? I'm not so much worried about the mechanics of when to do it as how. What would you want to hear from your boss if you were let go tomorrow that wasn't merely blowing smoke up your posterior?
posted by anonymous at 5:34 PM PST - 17 comments

Are you ready for another MUSIC THREAD? I want you to recommend me some creepy and unsettling music. [Enter my haunted abode, where I'll give some examples of what I mean.] [more inside]
posted by kenko at 5:30 PM PST - 51 comments

Christmas is coming up and I want to be a cool parent to my 10 year old. She wants to listen to, what I can best describe, hip-hop. Not really rap, but stuff that has a beat (she liked Black Eyed Peas "let's get it started in here"). Her current problem is I am uncool. I didn't let her watch Mean Girls—all the other kids got to. I don't let her listen to the local "cool" radio station—mainly because of the language and DJs. So any suggestions on what could keep a kid cool but let me feel like she's getting music of some quality? I don't have to like the music, but I don't want anything with questionable lyrics. Answers that accuse me of censorship will be ignored. When she wants to save her own money up and buy a CD she can, but I'm buying these.
posted by nramsey at 2:46 PM PST - 52 comments

A close family member is pregnant, and she is using marijuana to ease morning sickness. Well, actually, it's more like all-day sickness, ergo several-times-per-day smoking of small amounts. Meanwhile, I'm feeling the effects of my puritanical streak and freaking out. [mi]
posted by anonymous at 1:19 PM PST - 76 comments

So, Konfabulator's just been released for Windows. And I like it. But presumably, it'll eventually stop working if I don't pay (trial shareware whatever). Is there free software (free in the Beer sense) that does the same thing? [more inside]
posted by Tlogmer at 1:01 PM PST - 10 comments

Gift Ideas for New Niece?

I've got a new addition to the family that I'd like to get something cool and special for but am unsatisfied with the offerings of places like RedEnvelop.com. Does anyone have any neat sites for unique and practical baby gifts?
posted by fenriq at 12:57 PM PST - 14 comments

Inspired by a thread below, I have another Latin question..[plus] [more inside]
posted by oflinkey at 11:44 AM PST - 5 comments

What are some Republican good blogs, nothing too reactionary, that are worth adding to my feed reader? Thanks.
posted by djacobs at 11:32 AM PST - 13 comments

PillsFilter. You'd think that a woman my age could swallow pills, but you'd be wrong. As I chewed several children's Tylenols this morning, I told myself that there had to be a way to master this skill. I should add that the problem is not the size of the pill, but the actual swallowing-without-chewing bit--even with teensy-tiny pills, my throat closes up. Any suggestions, before I manage to contract some deadly illness that requires the daily ingestion of an entire pharmacy?
posted by thomas j wise at 11:15 AM PST - 33 comments

I'm off to NYC on Thursday and need advice on where to find the following.......... [more inside]
posted by Juicylicious at 10:59 AM PST - 17 comments

Does anyone make a breathable windbreaker? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by sixpack at 10:48 AM PST - 15 comments

PS 2 or X-box? Nothing more inside, I just want to know: should I buy a PS 2 or an X-box, and a few valid reasons to go along with it. Thanks.
posted by NekulturnY at 10:28 AM PST - 30 comments

When writing a research paper, how do you deal with bound volumes of newspaper clippings? Some of the clippings themselves have no information on them, while others have all of the identifying information (what newspaper it actually came from, date, etc. etc.). My problem is not with the info on the clippings themselves (god knows I've dealt with that before), but the fact that the bound nature of the clippings creates a new "source" in and of itself. I'm not sure when to reference the fact that they came from the bound volume. Help me librarians/researchers/fellow grad students! [more inside]
posted by stefnet at 9:51 AM PST - 5 comments

Looking for ideas for a day-trip to NYC (more inside) [more inside]
posted by dicaxpuella at 9:24 AM PST - 8 comments

Are there any queer mefites with military experience?

I'm thinking of enlisting in the U.S. army after I graduate from university this spring. As in, I really want to do this, depending on MOS restrictions my red/green colorblindness impose on me. One of the things I have to consider, though, is my penchant for sleeping with members of my own gender. I think I "pass" pretty well, but I'm curious if there's anyone out there with experience spending time in the military closet, or alternatively, you have associated with a soldier whom you knew was in the closet. If you have general military advice, feel free to lay it on me, but I have probably seen most of it one place or another. As in, some might be tempted to tell me to get a commission if I've got a bachelor's, something that doesn't interest me.

Thanks for your help!
posted by anonymous at 9:20 AM PST - 13 comments

My abdomen is pulsating significantly just to the left of my umbilicus. [More Inside]

I first noticed it happening every once in a while three years ago but now it's pretty much a constant thing and I think it's a stronger pulse. It's especially pronounced when I lie flat on my back. I don't have insurance in the country I'm currently living in and I don't want to dish out a hefty sum for a slew of diagnostic tests if perhaps there's nothing to worry about. Everything I've looked up online points to a possible aortic aneurysm but I'm a 20 year old girl with no family history of similar problems, so I'm figuring that's unlikely. I've never been hypertensive. Should I be worried or could it be normal?
posted by anonymous at 9:19 AM PST - 12 comments

My dog won't lift his leg when he urinates. Typically I wouldn't be too concerned about this, except for the fact that he has terrible skin (allergies) and I think that contact from him basically sitting in urine is not helping the problem.

For what it's worth, he is an english bulldog and coming up on his second birthday. Is it just too soon to expect him to raise that leg? Is there anything I can do to expedite the process?

I've always had female dogs before, so this has never been an issue...
posted by hummus at 8:52 AM PST - 11 comments

WindowsXP and shared folders. Every time I turn on my computer, it automatically finds new shared folders on the network. Help me make it stop. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by caution live frogs at 8:44 AM PST - 4 comments

What is the "circus clown" music called? It is usually played on a calliope, it goes:
doot-doot-doodle-oodle oot doot do do
Homer hallucinates Marge singing it in the episode where he goes to Krusty's Klown Kollege.
posted by Capn at 8:13 AM PST - 15 comments

I'm organzing an alternative spring break trip for some students from my college to the South Bronx to work on urban environmental issues. The students i have going on have a solid understanding of urban issues (most are from cities), but don't know much about the Bronx itself. Can anyone suggest some good resources, both online and off? I was thinking of Caro's Power Broker to discuss what happened with Robert Moses and the decline of the borough, but i was hoping for other resources from MeFiers.
posted by jare2003 at 8:04 AM PST - 3 comments

Firefox Question: Is it possible to print all open tabs within Firefox with one print command? Or alternatively, is there an extension that will allow me to create a clipboard with multiple snippets of text from various web sites, and print all those snippets at one time? [more inside]
posted by benjh at 7:35 AM PST - 1 comment

I bite my fingernails and gnaw at the ends of pens, all the more so if under stress, or after drinking more coffee than usual. Let's say I don't want to give up caffeine, and occasional stress is unavoidable: given this, how can I cut it out? Are there any former digit-nibblers here who have cured themselves of this unpleasant habit, & if so, how?
posted by misteraitch at 7:22 AM PST - 18 comments

I need a phrase in English translated into Latin, please. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by Melinika at 7:21 AM PST - 13 comments

What are the saddest songs ever? [more inside]
posted by moift at 6:34 AM PST - 99 comments

collecting for web design....

I've got a client that is sitting around after they've approved the design. I can't seem to make them get off their asses so I can finish this and more importantly collect the final payment. Any and all advice is welcome.
posted by damnitkage at 5:42 AM PST - 6 comments

Rejection Slips: How should they be worded? [More inside.] [more inside]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 1:38 AM PST - 16 comments

I'd like to buy a BMX bike. I'm willing to spend quite serious money. I don't know much about them. What's good?
posted by nthdegx at 1:20 AM PST - 3 comments

This link from the blue a couple of days ago made me want to learn more about coolhunting. Have you been interviewed by a coolhunter? Been one yourself? Other experiences with viral marketing (such as student parties that look natural but are set up by companies to hand out product samples)?
posted by Termite at 10:20 PM PST - 9 comments

So I got fired from work last week. What do I tell future employers when they ask why I left my previous job?
posted by anonymous at 9:13 PM PST - 16 comments

How do I keep my tall bookshelves from falling over during an earthquake? [More inside] [more inside]
posted by amery at 8:54 PM PST - 13 comments

In On the Waterfront, Edie's pop says to her, "See this arm? It's two inches longer'n the other one. That's years of workin' and sweatin', liftin' and swingin' a hook. And every time I heisted a box or a coffee bag I says to myself--this is for Edie, so she can be a teacher or somethin' decent." Can a lifetime of labor really do that to your arm?
posted by profwhat at 8:08 PM PST - 11 comments

For gamblers, what's the attraction? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by jonmc at 7:10 PM PST - 34 comments

Has anybody had experience with Tempurpedic matresses or the Prima matress sold by Design Within Reach? Any reccomendations?
posted by alball at 6:43 PM PST - 6 comments

Do zoos generally have cemeteries, or is there an accepted means of animal disposal? An elephant is very large.
posted by plexi at 5:58 PM PST - 6 comments

OdorFilter: I need to deodorize cigarette smell from a book. [MI] [more inside]
posted by MrAnonymous at 5:55 PM PST - 8 comments

OnlinePharmacyFilter: My doctor has prescribed a drug that my insurance will not cover. I can purchase a one-month supply of the drug for full-price from my local pharmacy for about $300. It seems I can purchase a generic version of the drug online for about $100 (without a prescription, even). [MI] [more inside]
posted by funkbrain at 5:23 PM PST - 14 comments

My partner has been offered a new position and we've decided to move to Florida. I'm looking for tips, tricks, and warnings from those who have uprooted and moved the whole family. What did you do to survive the move and thrive in your new community? [more inside]
posted by ?! at 4:41 PM PST - 12 comments

Let's say a mono-lingual (English) family has a newborn and a strong desire to educate their child to be bi-lingual (French and English). This family would like to take the opportuinty of teaching language to their child and expand it to themselves as well by learning and teaching a language new to themselves as well as the native tounge. It there a program/procedure/recommended reading for such an endeavor?
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 4:27 PM PST - 14 comments

Is an MBA worth getting? I've seen a lot of talk to the contrary lately, and most of the MBAs that I know don't seem to be doing work now that particularly requires an MBA, so I'm wondering if it's just a waste of time and money compared to just gaining more work experience? I was thinking of getting an MBA as a way to shift into less pure-IT related work, since I can't seem to get rehired as a developer after a long absence.
posted by Big Fat Tycoon at 4:12 PM PST - 7 comments

Six Feet Under's third-season episode "The Trap." What is the song Nate's singing out the car window along with the car radio as he and William Aaron Jaffe blast down the road? Ralph Covert and the Bad Examples' "Not Dead Yet"?

If not, does anyone know what it is?
posted by mojohand at 3:51 PM PST - 2 comments

Anyone have any experience with the massage therapy known as "manual lymph drainage" (MLD)? [more inside]
posted by scody at 3:47 PM PST - 5 comments

Is it worth buying an Apple 'lucky bag', or is it just a scam? The Apple Store in London opens on Saturday, and I might get try to get one if it's worthwhile. [more inside]
posted by ascullion at 3:30 PM PST - 9 comments

Can you recommend a flexible Win32 application for designing test plans? [more inside]
posted by Danelope at 3:10 PM PST - 4 comments

I used to be funny, and now I'm not. Not rip-roaringly, get-your-own-sitcom funny, but enough to get my girlfriend and friends to regularly smile and chuckle. How do I get funny again?
posted by anonymous at 2:52 PM PST - 39 comments

TrollFilter: I recently revisited an alt. newsgroup that I hadn't been using for about a year, only to discover that it has been taken over by this irritating troll character. The troll strikes me as someone who is lonely, paranoid, barely sane, lives in the middle of nowhere with lots of cats, and who obsessively posts to the group, off-topic, angrily and aggressively. Something like 4k posts in the past year.

I'm familiar with the conventional wisdom: get a good newsreader with a killfile, ignore the person, or start a moderated group (too much work) or find another forum, such as a web discussion.

I'm wondering--is there any other way to remove this person and restore what used to be a very useful, informative community, other than the above? And by "remove" I am not speaking euphemistically of "terminating with extreme prejudice."

Have you ever been able to spray for trolls successfully? [more inside]
posted by mecran01 at 2:34 PM PST - 14 comments

MySQL, Apache, and PHP:
I can pull a phpinfo and it says that both mysql and dbx functions are compiled in and enabled, but when I run mysql_connect or dbx_connect, it can't connect. Apache and PHP work together and I can get into MySQL and do stuff via client. How can I make them talk when everything else I have says that they should already be talking? [more inside]
posted by SpecialK at 2:34 PM PST - 17 comments

I've saved a little bit of money and have decided to invest it in the stock market. I don't have alot to invest but it is certainly something I can and plan on building on.The question now is what online trader to go with. Any reccomendations for online traders with low minimum starting balances and good learning tools for beginners would be greatly appreciated.
posted by ttrendel at 2:16 PM PST - 7 comments

Who makes sweet-ass PC cases? Note: I don't want anything neon green with gills and a tail, or an aquarium built-in. I am building a media center PC and can't find a slim, tasteful case that will look good in the living room. I prefer horizontally-oriented and absolutely require two 5.25" bays in front (behind a door is okay). Silent-running features are a plus. Any suggestions?
posted by scarabic at 1:50 PM PST - 15 comments

Are there any real advantages to running Windows XP on a partitioned hard drive, with a different partition each for Windows, programs, and files?
posted by tranquileye at 12:45 PM PST - 6 comments

Can I throttle the speed at which WMP plays streaming media? When I fire it up, it attempts to play at 128k, and kills our inbound bandwidth. We're in an industrial-boonies area of town and only have a pokey ISDN due to distance from the tellyphone whatsit. Despite the unused fiber hatch right in front of the building.

Yes, I am aware of non-MS products. This question is not about them.
posted by mwhybark at 12:19 PM PST - 3 comments

"I can't seem to meet a man that fits my life. I have three kids, a career and hobbies that I love. Pretty much a full plate. I still have needs though. Rather than jumping into unworkable relationships for all the wrong reasons, which I have done repetitively, I am considering looking for both plutonic friends to meet the companionship needs, and f--kbuddies for the other needs. I would love to know any experiences you may have and tips for making it work." [more inside]
posted by five fresh fish at 12:05 PM PST - 26 comments

PhobiaFilter: I'm an arachnophobic. How does one conquer an irrational fear? [more] [more inside]
posted by normy at 11:31 AM PST - 15 comments

This site (and the complementary paper) tackles the pervasive problem of annotating web documents with footnotes and citations. There are some smart ideas, but I'm still not satisfied (more inside)... [more inside]
posted by PrinceValium at 11:26 AM PST - 5 comments

How do I load a series of different URLs into different windows/tabs as fast as possible? The reason I ask is that a regular train ride I take stops for about 15 seconds at a station with wireless access. I'd like to load pages which I can then read for the rest of the trip but even opening new windows and launching bookmarks is manual and slow. Any ingenious ideas?
posted by vacapinta at 11:22 AM PST - 11 comments

Is there any extremely easy way to password protect a blog. The real goal is to have a blog-as-ecommerce. I need to figure out how to set up subscriptions to the blog, charge (via paypal) and give each user a unique password and login. Any software I can get/buy to do this? If I have to hire someone who can build this for me, where do I look and what should it cost? I won't have many subscribers, so I can handle some issues mannualy if need be, but the more automated the better.
posted by limitedpie at 11:18 AM PST - 8 comments

Europe has plenty of great towns where you can walk everywhere you need to go, and where cars are pushed to the margins. Are there any towns like this in the United States? (Towns, not cities.)
posted by smackfu at 10:41 AM PST - 19 comments

The Koran. I read it long ago. I found it confusing, odd, hard to understand, in dire need of unpacking. I'd like to try reading it again. Can anyone recommend a superlative translation, or perhaps even better, a great paraphrase. Or at the very least one with decent annotations. I'm not averse to a version that does intelligent re-arranging of the sequence, as I recall chapters on cows following stuff on love. There are a number of current translations so pointers to informed reviews of them would be welcomed too.
posted by kk at 9:58 AM PST - 11 comments

Why is it that almost nobody in the US knows who Ben Harper is? He's incredibly popular all over Europe (a special number of Les Inrocks all for him); he gets good reviews even in the American press; he made a record with the genius Blind Bloys of Alabama and is a very handsome young man, too. He even dates Laura Dern, for chrissakes. All the cool kids (and ex-kids) in France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, etc love him to bits and pieces. Americans don't. Why? [more inside]
posted by matteo at 9:47 AM PST - 43 comments

My boyfriend needs to go to the dentist. He recently chipped a tooth, and hasn't been in ages. The problem is two-fold: One, he's TERRIFIED of going, especially because of his long time away from the dentist, and because of deep-rooted fear of the dentist and two, he has no dental insurance. He's agreed to go if I can find a dentist that will accept him without insurance and I go with him to hold his hand. How do I find a dentist that will see him without insurance and will be accomodating to his fears? 1-800-dentist seems secretive at how they arrive at their recommendations.
posted by agregoli at 9:26 AM PST - 21 comments

I would like to play PC games on my Panasonic PT-50LC13 HDTV monitor. Since it has two RBG connections, I assume that's my best option. How important is the quality of the RGB cable and any recommendations on where I should buy it from?
posted by tuxster at 9:23 AM PST - 9 comments

My life is overflowing with stress. I have a wife and a 3 year old. We moved recently to a metropolitan area and we are having serious issues adjusting. I may have miscalculated the financial burden of where we are living, although we moved here to make more money, in addition my wife is starting two new jobs and is now having health problems (which she is blaming on the stress). Neither of us are the most organized people in the world and family won't be much help financially (in fact issues on my side of the family are adding to the stress). If you've been in this sort of situation, how the hell do I get out? What is the first step?
posted by anonymous at 9:20 AM PST - 7 comments

How can I make my stereo quieter? [MI] [more inside]
posted by bcwinters at 8:29 AM PST - 15 comments

We're having a houseguest for a few days. Said houseguest has a digestive problem that results in WAY-stinky bathroom visits, which embarrass her, so she relies on an aerosol air freshener after every visit. Is there a spray that we can provide that's especially effective?
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:57 AM PST - 28 comments

Is there any difference between a maze and a labarynth or are the two terms synonymous?
posted by Fupped Duck at 7:35 AM PST - 12 comments

You're stuck somewhere without food for two weeks. You only have fresh water .... and an unlimited supply of whisky. Let's say you have only a moderate tolerance for alcohol, gained by drinking three or four beers on Friday and Saturday nights. Let's say you're in average health with plenty of body fat. Do you drink the whisky for its sugar content, or will the cost to your body (for your liver and kidneys to process and remove the alcohol) outweigh the caloric benefit? [more inside]
posted by Shane at 6:51 AM PST - 17 comments

I'd like a wireless network adapter that's supported by Linux 2.4 or 2.6 kernels with a minimum of hassle. I'd prefer a USB network adapter; a USB key would be ideal, but I don't know what sort of reception they get. A PCI card is acceptable as well, though less preferable. Any suggestions?
posted by ar0n at 6:31 AM PST - 1 comment

I Need to Find a Hotel in NYC i so screwed up [mi] [more inside]
posted by Juicylicious at 6:30 AM PST - 19 comments

I have a machine running Outlook 97. Somehow, the SMTP server has become changed to 'net' (that's all it says - it should be nameofdomain.com). I am unable to change this back - every time I try, the next time Outlook goes to send and receive, it attempts to locate 'net' again. Any idea what's going on here? Google is little help on such generic keywords and the MS knowledge base doesn't seem able to help. Spyware check reveals nothing. XP Home.
posted by humuhumu at 6:15 AM PST - 8 comments

Should I leave my girlfriend? [more inside]

We've been together three and a half years. We've had lots of good times, but there's one big problem in the relationship. Sex. It's very important to me, but not at all to her. She's never managed to have an orgasm (with me or anyone else), which I guess could be either a symptom of, or the cause of, the problem. I've been supportive since day one, tried to get her to deal with it (candles, wine, self-help books, 'marital aids') without putting on pressure, but she's refused to. I love her it saddens me that I'm not needed sexually (I guess we have sex less than once a month), and find myself resenting her. I've talked to her about my feelings, but nothing changes, so I think the resentment is going to grow.

But she's warm, interesting, beautiful and funny, and one of the most caring people I know. She's very affectionate towards me, and I know if we stay together, she'd make a great partner in every other way.
posted by anonymous at 10:31 PM PST - 44 comments

Earlier today I had an accident and my permanent tooth got knocked out. Is there any temporary quick fix that I can buy at a drug store or the like, that will be able to mask the gap until my dentist can fashion a permanent solution? The tooth that I'm missing is my "fang" tooth, second from the right and I have to tend bar tomorrow night and do not feel like explaining the story to each and every customer
posted by JFunk2800 at 9:55 PM PST - 5 comments

What inspires you to create things? [more, inside] [more inside]
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 9:41 PM PST - 21 comments

The toilet seat at my place of work has a chart like this embossed on the underside. Clearly months and years, with a period of them checked off with little bumps. What could it possibly mean? The chart is about 5cm x 5cm in size.
posted by Jimbob at 8:53 PM PST - 11 comments

What/who are some good translations/translators of books into English?
posted by casarkos at 8:37 PM PST - 8 comments

Really Obscure Music Filter: Artist is "Hawaiiski Guitary." Song title is "Tse Vse Tvoya Bayduzhist." I ripped a bunch of stuff off of some mixCDs that I had laying around and came across this while randomly going though iTunes. It's a woman singing...a Russian (I think it's Russian....) Sheryl Crow sort of thing. I'd love to know more, but Google is of no use on this.
posted by amandaudoff at 8:05 PM PST - 3 comments

I'm looking for lip balm recommendations. Winter is approaching, and my old standby Burt's Bees is never quite moisturizing enough in cold weather. I think I need something less waxy, more creamy. Anyone have a favorite?
posted by boomchicka at 7:31 PM PST - 20 comments

At any given minute, is it always snowing somewhere on Earth, or are there times when there is no snow falling anywhere on the planet?

Does this answer differ with the time of year?
posted by Caviar at 7:16 PM PST - 4 comments

My parents recently started a drug-rehab-type non-profit, they're looking for money making ventures that could help them become self-sufficient. Things my father mentioned to me are things like pallet building, assembly line-repackaging, he's asked me to help him investigate options. The signal-to-noise ratio on Google for these types of things is very high.... can anyone help me, either by suggesting things they've done, or people they know have done, or helping me with google terms that could help me find these types of ventures.
posted by TuxHeDoh at 7:03 PM PST - 5 comments

My boss is driving me crazy. It's time to have a sit-down. Should I ask the head of HR to mediate, or go it alone?


BTW, part of the discussion will include the issue of mind games: as perceived by me, as practiced by the Boss. This is a huge risk, but life has gotten unbearable. (Thanks in advance.)
posted by anonymous at 6:50 PM PST - 17 comments

HeadphoneFilter: Let's put this to rest once and for all! Who here owns both the Shure E2c and Etymoric ER-6?!?!?! [more inside]
posted by josh at 6:48 PM PST - 13 comments

AppropriatedPhilosophyFilter: Does the SF Author David Zindell's concept of asarya have any factual historic basis? I assumed that like his usage of ahimsa, it was an actual school of thought. If it's not real, what do you think are its closest inspirations?
posted by elphTeq at 5:51 PM PST - 5 comments

Jacob ter Veldhuis' String Quartets, as far as I can tell, have been recorded only once. That label doesn't seem to have any current contact information. I'd like to get my hands on this, and tried a bunch of the local options here in San Francisco, including Amoeba. Is there a secret place on the internet like alibris.com for books where one can go find relatively obscure Dutch string quartets?
posted by judith at 3:41 PM PST - 9 comments

ScientificIlliterateFilter: If the sun's gravity is so strong as to keep whole planets circling it in orbit (even ones million of miles away), how come light and heat (incredibly fragile things compared to planets) can escape as rays (or whatever they are)?
posted by amberglow at 3:33 PM PST - 53 comments

I'm 24, live in California, drive approximately 11,250 miles a year, and since purchasing a new Saturn Ion in 2003, have had a perfect driving record (in fact, I've always had a perfect driving record). What should I be paying for car insurance? And what, in your experience, are the best car insurance companies?
posted by grrarrgh00 at 3:07 PM PST - 11 comments

Music software for OSX question: A band of which I am quite fond has posted bootlegs for one of their shows on their Web site, as avi videos. I want to be able to listen to the goodness on my iPod, but I can't find any software that will convert the audio from the avi files to mp3s. VersionTracker and download.com yield various shady, non-working shareware or freeware packages.
posted by jed at 2:45 PM PST - 7 comments

Pardon me if this is supremely obvious, but I've been googling all weekend since my cell phone died, and I can't find an answer: is there any way to buy a phone for a reasonable price sans plan? [more inside]
posted by melissa may at 2:32 PM PST - 10 comments

Recycling question - I'm currently trying to minimize my life, and I've been selling used books & music on amazon, and random stuff on ebay, donating things to goodwill, and giving away things to friends and family who would make much better use of them. Well, I have a bunch of used (blank/formatted) floppy & 100MB zip discs that I feel bad throwing away, as they're perfectly good, but I have no use for them anymore. I've looked around online to see if there's anywhere I could mail them for recycling, but I came up with nothing. Does anyone know of a program like this that exists? Or, does anyone need a bunch of floppy & zip discs?
posted by AlisonM at 2:12 PM PST - 8 comments

UK Mefiers - Need advice on how to procure tickets to a proper football match. [more inside]
posted by Wolfie at 2:04 PM PST - 12 comments

I've got a 21-hour plane ride this december. Where can I get lots of interesting non-music mp3s (preferably free ones, but I'm open to suggestions) to fill it up?
posted by Tlogmer at 10:14 AM PST - 20 comments

What's a good, simple lunch to make when hosting a few guests? I'm looking for something nicer than sandwiches, but not something that's going to seem like dinner fare. [mi]
posted by rorycberger at 9:10 PM PST - 12 comments

"Kill the president... or your daughter dies!"

Does the assassin have a legal leg to stand on? [more inside.... or your daughter dies!] [more inside]
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 9:04 PM PST - 14 comments

I am considering buying a new pair of boots just to wear around town, the ones I am looking at are Ecco brand, "Track High" is the name of the boot. First pair of Ecco brand that I have tried on and they felt unbelievable on my feet, but - are they worth $200.00? Other suggestions welcome. [more inside]
posted by bargle at 8:39 PM PST - 13 comments

Podcasting baffles me... [you know the drill] [more inside]
posted by cedar at 7:52 PM PST - 4 comments

BrazilianFilter: Any ladies ever gotten one? How very badly did it hurt? What is the actual procedure? Thought about asking this anonymously but figured that if I could ask Matt under my own name I might as well ask all y'all.
posted by answergrape at 4:32 PM PST - 21 comments

How do I synchronize bookmarks between Firefox on different computers? I use Firefox on several computers and would like to synchronize the bookmarks between them. If I add a bookmark to one computer (or perhaps 50 bookmarks all over the place) I want to be able to get those new bookmarks into the other computers and in the appropriate folders. When I use the import function it imports every bookmark and folder even if already present. Deletions are not that important, I rarely delete bookmarks.
posted by caddis at 3:29 PM PST - 8 comments

I have two versions of a largeish text file, one a slightly modified version of the other. Is there any app I can run in Xp that would report the differences between the two on a line-to-line basis? Could it also do the same for a whole mess of corresponding text files within a large directory structure?
posted by signal at 2:35 PM PST - 8 comments

From when and where does the idea of having a 'weekend' come? Who first decided that two days out of seven should be kept work-free (for most working people)?
posted by humuhumu at 12:26 PM PST - 16 comments

CMSfilter: I am setting up a site for a friend's performance group. The key dynamic features will be a gig schedule and a photo gallery; other than that, I expect it'll be mostly static content. I'm looking for a CMS where the appearance is easy to customize and where non-technical people will be able to update the content easily without bugging me. I'm already famililar with opensourcecms.com, etc--I'm wondering if anyone has any specific recommendations. Roll-my-own is not an option.
posted by adamrice at 12:11 PM PST - 3 comments

We've got an empty drive cradle for our Xserve, and we've also got an extra SATA drive. I'd like to use the SATA in one of the Xserve slots. Problem is, it seems that Apple uses some kind of proprietary bridge to connect drives to the Xserve bus. I've posted pictures of the bridge attached to our current drives on flickr. Is there a bridge or similar product, Apple or third party, that we can use to mount our extra drive in the Xserve?
posted by djacobs at 11:07 AM PST - 7 comments

Could anyone point me to an online resource that would let me look up the weather forecast for a date in the past? Failing that, could someone tell me what the weather was like in NYC yesterday?
posted by vers at 10:28 AM PST - 6 comments

Why is it that some restaurants don't take reservations? What purpose does this serve?
posted by jdroth at 9:09 AM PST - 30 comments

I'm considering teaching English in Asia. [more inside]
posted by ruddhist at 7:33 AM PST - 14 comments

Can anybody recommend a good chocolate brownie recipe? Preferably using milk chocolate.
posted by jedro at 12:21 AM PST - 6 comments

Any recommendations for non-fiction books with accounts of political in-fighting? [mi] [more inside]
posted by alidarbac at 10:12 PM PST - 11 comments

Fellow designers and typeface enthusiasts! I need help. Check out the unfortunately tiny picture of this Sandler & Young Christmas album cover. What typeface is that? The accuracy of a Christmas card hangs in the balance... [more inside]
posted by stefnet at 10:02 PM PST - 3 comments

People are rude. Really. Don't say thank you, run over your feet. Don't hold doors open. If you could live anywhere, particularly where people are friendly and civil, where would that be? [more inside]
posted by filmgeek at 8:58 PM PST - 70 comments

My wife recieved a gift-certificate for a massage as a baby shower present. I've searched google and found that it's common practice to tip your massage therapist, but how about in this situation? Should we assume the tip is included in the gift-certificate?
posted by TuxHeDoh at 7:55 PM PST - 5 comments

So: Delicious Library works pretty well, but out of my ~150 movies, it failed to grab disc information for a dozen of them. [more inside]
posted by blueshammer at 5:05 PM PST - 7 comments

My coworker's Apple Powerbook with Airport Extreme can't use the new D-Link DWL-2100AP. We can see the access point, can see that the access point sees and connects to him, but something about the apple's DHCP or networking config won't pull an IP and also won't work when we set everything manually. Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by SpecialK at 1:31 PM PST - 8 comments

I like the way Foxylicious copies my delicious bookmarks into my browser, but is there anything which will work the other way, copying my bookmarks into delicious, using perhaps the menu structure for the tags?
posted by feelinglistless at 1:20 PM PST - 8 comments

Following an earlier question I uncovered and had an old parquet floor refinished. Its beautiful, and I thank everyone that advised me.

Now I want to reinstall my surround sound speakers, and I cannot think of a neat (non-destructive) way to get the rear speakers installed. Rugs are out of the question - and I really don't want to run cables all the way round the room.

Are there any wireless speaker solutions that don't suck?
posted by mattr at 12:53 PM PST - 16 comments

I am curious, blue. Or rather, I'm curious about something on the Blue, Virtual Bartender. How are toys like that and Subservient Chicken implemented?
posted by tommasz at 12:33 PM PST - 6 comments

I am looking for a simple script (perl,php,whatever) or even binary utility that can programatically render graphical images in this manner: take XYZ font (true-type/postscript/whatever) and render an image with the text ABC.

Does such a thing exist?
posted by xmutex at 12:23 PM PST - 13 comments

Are some times of the day or week better for calling restaurants for reservations? I'm trying to get through to Babbo but am getting only busy signals. [more inside]
posted by kenko at 12:20 PM PST - 9 comments

Military Historians or Resident Librarians: lend me your ear!! Actually, I'm just looking for some pointers on digging up information. [MI] [more inside]
posted by smcniven at 11:32 AM PST - 3 comments

How do I get the hell out of corporate America? [more inside]
posted by Hackworth at 9:46 AM PST - 13 comments

I have a humongous pile of leaves in a corner of my back yard, that had been building up for about three years now. It is nearly four feet high and occupies about 15 square feet. I thought it would automatically turn into mulch, but this doesn't seem to be happening. None of the mulch or compost-related sites I've googled seem to deal with a leaf pile of this unwieldy size and bulk. How can I make this monster disappear into something that looks and acts like dirt?
posted by Faze at 9:45 AM PST - 16 comments

What's the best free Content Management System that I can use for a client who simply wants to periodically update one page of their website? I want this baby to be as simple to set up as possible.
posted by davebush at 9:19 AM PST - 13 comments

"Den ser så söt ut på dig använd kondom." I've tried every available transloation site on earth, to no avail, and I don't even know what language this is. Can someone translate?
posted by tristeza at 9:04 AM PST - 11 comments

I need a divorce lawyer. (Well, *I* don't, but a friend does.) A mean one. One who makes other lawyers cry. Preferably one who has dealt with abuse cases and very wealthy people. In South Carolina. Anybody have any recommendations?
posted by dejah420 at 8:51 AM PST - 8 comments

What are you doing for your vegetarian Thanksgiving?
posted by Espoo2 at 8:47 AM PST - 19 comments

How many religions say "amen" - or a similar sounding word - as a part of prayer/worship? [more inside]
posted by ruelle at 8:12 AM PST - 4 comments

I have an acquaintance who wants to put an wireless router in her mobile home (aluminum skinned trailer, just so there's no confusion) and access it from her Mother's trailer across the street. It's only about 50' but there's a narrow street in between so a long Cat5 won't work.

A mutual acquaintance is saying that this just won't work because the aluminum skins of the two trailers will suck up all those lovely radio waves.

Anyone have experience with WiFi in this type of situation (mobile home, RV, etc) and what kind of signal she's going to get. Are we going to need repeaters in the windows to get this to work at all or will a 802.11g router and a good card in the laptop going to get a decent signal.

Please, no trailer jokes. These are small-town folks, they have a good life but not a lot of money.
posted by m@ at 7:03 AM PST - 16 comments

Is there any easy command or application that will randomise lines in a text file? [more inside]
posted by humuhumu at 6:55 AM PST - 12 comments

A question for the ladies:
If a man does not try to kiss you on a first date, how would you be likely to interpret that [lack of] action?
posted by sciurus at 6:51 AM PST - 34 comments

Anyone ever hired a live-in nanny?
posted by adampsyche at 5:33 AM PST - 16 comments

New External Drive for OSX: So I bought a new external, as I've been threatening in other posts. It's a 200gb Maxtor. I plug it into my Powerbook which tells me it can't recognize the format. Do I want to Initialize? I say yes... and it identifies the drive as having a 128gb capacity. What gives? Where are the other 72gb? What format should I choose for this sucker? Help!
posted by dobbs at 11:12 PM PST - 18 comments

Does anyone know what happened to Taco the Wonder Dog that used to be hosted by Something Awful? Or if the artistic genius behind TTWD has moved onto bigger and better things?
posted by Satapher at 9:59 PM PST - 8 comments

Does nuclear annihilation hurt? [more inside]
posted by adrober at 9:01 PM PST - 17 comments

Why is the sound in embedded Flash movies always so goddamn loud? And how can I make them quieter in OS X? (I tried Detour, but it required APE, which had some incompatibilities with BBEdit.)
posted by kirkaracha at 8:53 PM PST - 1 comment

Now that I'm no longer on the corporate payroll, I've discovered for myself the horrors of the American health-care system: to continue my medical and dental coverage through COBRA costs me over $850 a month (for me and my wife). This is far more horrifying than mortgage, taxes, &c., and I don't see how I can continue it (I'm doing it now to avoid the dreaded lapse in coverage). Anybody have suggestions for cheaper health insurance available to the self-employed? (I'll almost certainly be living in western Massachusetts, for what that's worth.)
posted by languagehat at 7:10 PM PST - 17 comments

Okay, I turn to thee again. I'm bad at giving gifts to females. If it's a birthday or something similar I always screw it up. I try to get anyone something small, that they'll actually use and keep. Think along the lines of a Tiffany's keychain. They're silver, minimilistic, classic and a good price. Experience has shown that my girl friends tend to think I'm buying my way into their pants, which makes things awkward. Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by geoff. at 7:00 PM PST - 36 comments

I'm giving my MSc defence on Monday -- any tips on how to structure the presentation and answer an hour's worth of questions from the committee? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by krunk at 6:46 PM PST - 12 comments

Radiatorfilter: I've got steam radiators in my house. Recently, I took them all outside and repainted them, then put new inlet and exhaust valves on them. So far so good, but when I fired up the furnace, I got a godawful racket. I'm used to the occasional clank from years past (and I went to gradeschool in an old building, so clanking doesn't surprise me), but this clanking is persistent and hasn't stopped for 40 minutes. So: how to stop the clanking? (also: anyone know of a good online reference to how the system works, esp. the exhaust valves?)
posted by notsnot at 4:59 PM PST - 13 comments

I'm looking for flash-based mp3 player (256 or 512MB) with a voice recorder and FM radio. Also need it to work as a USB mass storage device. So far I'm considering the iRiver iFP-100 series or the Creative Muvo TX FM. Are there any other good quality options I should consider? And what do you think of these two options? If they both work fine, the prices are a lot better for the muvo. Thanks!
posted by jacobsee at 2:53 PM PST - 19 comments

For a web designer/developer, which conference would you recommend: SXSW Interactive or O'Reilly Emerging Technology? I have never been to either and have funding to go to one of them. My interests at work right now include corporate use of wikis blogs, and rss; content management,; and, of course, having a good time.
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 2:27 PM PST - 6 comments

Mattressfilter (again): I've read all the past mattress threads, but am hoping someone can help me out with a specific brand. We are leaning towards an "Original Mattress Factory" mattress as they seem to offer good value for the money. Does anyone have any experience with these? [mo inside] [more inside]
posted by Otis at 2:09 PM PST - 5 comments

Can a non-Apple and non-Mozilla partisan tell me if, and the degree to which, Firefox is better than Safari?
posted by blueshammer at 2:09 PM PST - 22 comments

CSS positioning is driving me crazy. I have a relatively simple layout -- a header and two fixed-width columns. I could do this easily enough with tables, but I'd love to give this CSS business a try. My current main problem involves Internet Explorer (shocked, SHOCKED!!) and wacky spaces. There's a heaping serving o' more inside. [more inside]
posted by grrarrgh00 at 1:59 PM PST - 4 comments

Is John Ashcroft's singing of "Let the Eagle Soar" a copyrighted recording, or does him (formerly) being a gov't official doing it at some strange gov't event in public make it public domain? [more inside]
posted by mathowie at 1:18 PM PST - 13 comments

Pursuant to Lumpenprole's Rule of NYC #4, where have you found reasonably priced, good quality furniture in NYC? [mi] [more inside]
posted by hsoltz at 1:00 PM PST - 9 comments

Has anyone here ever done small-scale plastic (specifically polycarbonate) casting/fabrication at home? What are some good resources for getting started?
posted by casarkos at 12:44 PM PST - 8 comments

FirefoxFilter: Is there any extension or option (even if it requires hand editing) that would allow me to have Bookmarks open in a new tab by default (instead of rightclicking and selecting this from the context menu)? I'm really surprised none of the tab extensions include this option.
posted by billsaysthis at 12:37 PM PST - 11 comments

Process for finding a wedding officiant? [more] [more inside]
posted by malphigian at 12:25 PM PST - 13 comments

What should I read next? The past few years, I've been reading some contemporary fiction and a lot of science fiction (mostly hard Sci-Fi). I tend to like strong character driven stuff with politics and religion (particularly as a method of social control) as major themes. So for instance, I LOVED books like Dune and Cyteen. I also like near future stuff with cool tech, so books like Diamond Age were also well received. Loved American Gods -- not a big fan of Neverwhere. Also, for some reason I didn't like Perdido Street Station very much -- I'm not sure why -- I just found it slow to read. I've read most of the well known science fiction writers, so I don't need recommendations for the luminaries in the genre. I'm looking for lesser known gems/works I might have missed, or for similar themes that cross out of the genres with which I am familiar.
posted by willnot at 11:41 AM PST - 23 comments

JacketFilter: I live in the UK where it rains all the time, but I like to hike and bike so I'd like to upgrade my jacket to one with features that let one stay cool while active (such as breathable fabric and pit/core zips), but still has many pockets. [mi] [more inside]
posted by grouse at 11:21 AM PST - 7 comments

Does anyone have a recommendation for a job posting/administration application that uses either ASP or ColdFusion? I'm looking to implement something that will allow users to search jobs and submit their resume and will allow the HR department to post, edit, and delete jobs.
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 11:19 AM PST - 1 comment

At some trade show recently, Whirlpool showed a prototype washer called BioLogic that ("if feasible") relies on hydroponic plants to purify and reuse the water [pdf, p17]. So, are there any users out there who go to Kitchen and Bath trade shows, and know more details about how this works? Alternate question for hydroponics enthusiasts: What kind of plants are those in the washer?
posted by Lirp at 11:08 AM PST - 1 comment

i'm running webdav on OS X and publishing my ical calendars - but all of a sudden the server seems to be down. is there a way to "relaunch" it?
posted by subpixel at 10:45 AM PST - 0 comments

I am nervously moving to Manhattan from an urban European center early next year. What salary is needed to live reasonably in New York? Every New Yorker I know talks endlessly about how much everything costs, but I never ask what they happen to make. [more inside]
posted by four panels at 10:08 AM PST - 21 comments

So my room-mates and I were having a discussion about Dogs. In particular, cross-breeds. Can all dog breeds mate with all other dog breeds, because they're the same species? Or are some types of dog just too different from each other? Where does my dream of a Great-Dane/Chihuahua cross stand?
posted by Newbornstranger at 9:28 AM PST - 17 comments

Cold weather running...how do you handle throat pain? Do lozenges/hard candy work? Simple hydration while running? I've got a leg in a relay marathon next month and need to get ready.
posted by Ufez Jones at 9:11 AM PST - 5 comments

Are there any photos of Yasser Arafat without his keffiyeh or any other head covering?
posted by brownpau at 8:56 AM PST - 4 comments

This entry from an EA Programmer's wife (via /.) details working for EA to complete exhaustion. I'm a young guy, maybe I don't know, but it seems to me that most of your 'dream jobs' like working on a video game, a magazine, advertising, etc. are completely exploited by management because it's seen as a cool job. Also, hundreds of people are waiting to take your 80-hour work week 'dream job.' Is this pretty much the sharp edge to doing what you love to do? Most jobs are pretty shitty, but it looks like anything remotely creative/cool sucks beyond measure as far as hours and stress goes. Do all of these 'cool' careers suck this bad? Is it just something that comes along with the industry, and you should just shut up about it?
posted by Stan Chin at 7:46 AM PST - 31 comments

Looking for book recommendations on cheese tasting… [mi] [more inside]
posted by Tallguy at 7:42 AM PST - 7 comments

Firefox Filter: HELP! I downloaded the new non-preview FF, and now some of the option boxes seem to be locked, AND when I try to scroll down on a page using the mouse wheel, the font size changes instead. How do I change these features? Or, are they bugs?
posted by ParisParamus at 7:41 AM PST - 9 comments

While I am working, every 10 mminutes or so, my Toshiba tablet computer keeps dropping my own home network and informs me that there are other networks available (the neighbors'). How can I tell it to ignore all networks except my own?
posted by alball at 6:35 AM PST - 13 comments

MacFilter: How do I get a mac to start up with a system CD from an external CD drive that won't recognise the C command on start up? (MI) [more inside]
posted by floanna at 5:02 AM PST - 13 comments

I am a frequent reader of Chowhound's message boards but the several-megabytes-long message index pages are a huge pain in the ass. I usually let the whole index load and then open threads into new windows/tabs, but that's not an entirely convenient situation. Does anyone know of a Firefox extension or other work-around that will let me load some specified fraction of a specific page whenever I go to it? Then I could always load only, say, the first (and newest) 100K worth of messages on Chowhound.
posted by rxrfrx at 3:00 AM PST - 2 comments

AustraliaFilter: I am heading down under to Melbourne for 6 weeks (including Xmas and New Year's). Any suggestions for places to go, things to do? (slightly more inside). [more inside]
posted by costas at 2:37 AM PST - 11 comments

CatFilter: overeating. we have two cats, sisters, just over one year old. One eats all the food that is put in front of her (and is developing a little paunch), the other moderates her intake. We have been taking an "eat-at-will" approach, but the one keeps eating all the food. How do we keep one less than fat, while not starving the other one? [more inside]
posted by lackutrol at 12:29 AM PST - 9 comments

First, a follow-up. I'm going back to school this spring! Thanks for the words of wisdom and encouragement, guys! I'm probably going to be studying either history (with the goal of teaching) or photojournalism, but I haven't decided for sure yet.

Secondly, I'm contemplating getting a laptop for my return to collegiate life. Are they as useful and omnipresent in college life as they seem to be? If so, what laptop do you recommend? I must admit, I have become iCurious. Will I have problems networking with my XP machine if I go the Mac route? If I don't, what manufacturer do you recommend? My budget is $1000 or below, but I could go up to $1500 if you give me a really compelling reason.
posted by keswick at 12:03 AM PST - 20 comments

Konya, Turkey and the Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi: a friend is travelling there in December, and is interested in the spiritual practices of the Dervishes. Any tips for independent travellers? Anyone also going there about then?
posted by dash_slot- at 10:44 PM PST - 4 comments

Hardware/Media Dreams: I'm an A/V and computer enthusiast, and one of my dreams (sad, I know) is to have a computer-based server connected to my television that contains all of my (legally store bought) DVDs, so I can basically have a local version of video-on-demand. [mi] [more inside]
posted by robbie01 at 10:06 PM PST - 21 comments

What is a good ratio for vermin sighting to vermin population? If I see one mouse running around in my apartment one evening, how many mice total should I assume I'm deailing with? How about cockroaches? Is there an authoritative source or agreed upon shorthand for this?
posted by finn at 9:17 PM PST - 11 comments

Anyone else have their Firefox bookmarks suddenly vanish? WTF?
posted by davebush at 8:43 PM PST - 7 comments

[MoreMusicFilter] Looking for some songs where the voice (male perferred, female also good) is a dusky/dusty/scratchy kind of timbre. "A catch in the throat" is how I put it in my mind.
posted by e^2 at 8:36 PM PST - 30 comments

What's next after bittorrent? [more inside]
posted by filmgeek at 7:47 PM PST - 17 comments

How should I repair my bad credit? I'm 26, my income ($53k) exceeds my expenses and I have only $1.5k debt, but I was awful about paying bills on time until the last year or so. Now I'm finding it difficult to secure a car loan. I haven't even gotten a credit report because I'm afraid to look at it. I will probably end up talking to a credit counselor, but I thought I'd ask for advice before I do. College kids, don't wait until the utility bill is yellow to pay it. Trust me.
posted by anonymous at 7:45 PM PST - 13 comments

Does anyone have any experience with acquiring computer hardware, support, for a small business? A friend of mine has asked me about this, and because I only deal with it from a helpdesk standpoint for a huge corporation, I really don't have any ideas what types of options exist for small businesses. [MI] [more inside]
posted by TuxHeDoh at 6:17 PM PST - 2 comments

How does one go about researching and purchasing properties being auctioned or tendered because of tax sales or sheriff's sales? What are the kinds of things I should look for and is this a viable means of buying property? I'm based in Canada, but I'm sure there's enough commonality between regions that general advice will apply.
posted by Big Fat Tycoon at 6:13 PM PST - 4 comments

Ok, I'm making the big switch from IE to Firefox (now that it has gone 1.0). What extensions can't I live without?
posted by darainwa at 6:09 PM PST - 20 comments

How would one set up a remote MySQL connection? [MI] [more inside]
posted by Scottk at 5:44 PM PST - 9 comments

Economics 101: Why is everything so expensive in the U.K.? Why is everything so cheap in Canada?
posted by srboisvert at 5:31 PM PST - 10 comments

I am looking at buying a professional one-stop digital video editing workstation sometime early next year. My ceiling is $10K, and so far the best I've been able to come up with is a nice G5 setup. I can do web searches just fine, thank you, so what I'm really looking for is for you experienced pros out there to tell me what mistakes not to make and if there is really an economic (or not) alternative to the apple suite for one stop production. MI [more inside]
posted by headless at 5:30 PM PST - 5 comments

In a variation on the first question I posted to AskMe, I'm looking for a resource that'd help me find local, actually-meet-and-talk-to-people writing groups. My searching skills are apparently flaccid and small. I mean, I live in a freaking college town, I should be innundated with such activities. And yet no luck. Any ideas on where I might find these elusive groups?
posted by billybunny at 3:23 PM PST - 6 comments

I've read on several sites that Gmail is offering POP access. I can find nothing on their site about it. Can someone tell me how this works?
posted by cedar at 2:36 PM PST - 6 comments

Does anyone have any good picture/file archiving software? Specifically, I'm looking for a Windows or linux program that will do the following:

1) Support full and differential or incremental backups of directories (i.e.: just the ones that have changed since the last backup or the first backup).

2) Burn both CDs and DVDs (not using other packet-writing software).

3) Create normally readable, uncompressed discs (not blob files that can only be read by the same program).

4) Preferably, include an html preview of the whole backup set on each disc.

Basically, I think I'm looking for the exact feature set of Archive Creator, but with incremental backups or "all files created since" features, which it does not seem to do.
posted by Caviar at 2:33 PM PST - 5 comments

According to numerous reports I've read in the last few days worth of the Business Section of the newspaper, Microsoft's "stock price can be expected to fall by the amount of the dividend." That's the one-time $3 dividend that is coming sometime soon for those of you who don't follow this sort of thing. Anyway... I don't get it? Why is the stock price expceted to drop about $3 the day after this dividend? I like to think of myself as knowledgeble about the markets, and I understand that this dividend will remove $3 per share out of the bank for M$, but aren't stock prices valued more in terms of the value of the company and its holdings rather than simply the value of the money in the bank?
posted by pwb503 at 2:14 PM PST - 12 comments

Magazine Filter: How does one get past issues of magazines without going through the publisher? I'm looking for the April 2004 issue of Esquire Magazine. The publisher takes 2-3 weeks to ship past issues... is there a better/faster way I'm missing?
posted by Lizc at 2:08 PM PST - 10 comments

is there any way to "sync" email between a mac and a treo or blackberry device? might it be as simple as configuring an IMAP account?

i don't want to manage my email remotely only to come into the office and have to do it all again. and if i send important email from the road, i want it in my "sent" folder on my desktop.

please say yes - i really want one of these babies.
posted by subpixel at 1:23 PM PST - 1 comment

I need a direct e-mail system which will take a list of (opt-in, I swear!) email addresses, send out html-email to them, and clean up the suscriber list for bounces. Any freeware apps to do this on a Mac?
posted by signal at 11:58 AM PST - 6 comments

GameFilter. What are your favorite two (or more) player games for X-Box or PS2? We want to go buy a bunch to play together on those long winter nights. Suggestions? We are game geeks and like just about anything.
posted by jopreacher at 11:38 AM PST - 30 comments

Stem Cells. I'm looking for a recent, thorough, non-partisan (read: scientific) book or long article about the subject in general. I'm more interested in the science than the ethical aspects, but I'd be happy to read about those issues as well.
posted by gwint at 11:26 AM PST - 5 comments

Has anyone used Costco's film lab to print black and white? I develop my own b&w film but don't have a darkroom. Was thinking of getting a scanner and, after scanning and editing the negs, having the prints done at Costco. [more inside]
posted by Tacodog at 10:48 AM PST - 14 comments

Best Baby Music?

I'm actually thinking along two lines here. There's Baby Awake Music and then there's Baby Go to Sleep Music.

What are people's favorites? [MI] [more inside]
posted by fenriq at 10:46 AM PST - 27 comments

Word games with predictive text [MI] [more inside]
posted by twine42 at 10:44 AM PST - 5 comments

Pregnancy timelines. MeFi Moms: I'd love if you could give me a detailed timeline of your first pregnancy: when/how you knew you were pregnant before a test told you you were; when you started to show; when your behaviour changed (eating habits, sleeping habits, sexual appetite, whatever); when morning sickness came; what things shocked you about being pregnant; what did you expect to happen that didn't; what were your fears and when did they arrive; what quelled them; anything whatsoever you can tell me about your mental and physical self during those nine months. The more detailed or specific the better. Caveat: this is research for a personal, fiction piece. If it's something embarrassing, feel free to email me. Googling, all I can find is timeline for phoetus growth/development.
posted by dobbs at 10:37 AM PST - 7 comments

Can anyone recommend a good program to password protect a flash drive? I see all sorts with encryption and folder hiding, etc., but all I really want is for a password input box to pop up when I plug in the USB drive, denying access to the files until it is entered. Needs to work on XP/98/2000 so that I can easily move between machines. Also, cheap is good. This shouldn't be as difficult to find as it seems to be!
posted by rushmc at 9:35 AM PST - 13 comments

Geneology/Census Question: Any way to find out how many humans of Nth generation live in a state. For example, how many 6th generation Arizonans are there?
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 9:17 AM PST - 1 comment

I recently purchased some loose gems and now I would like to make them into jewelry. How much does this kind of thing usually cost? Will just any jeweler do this or do I need to find a specific type of jeweler? Do I need to insure them before bringing them to the Jeweler? I'm not really into the bling, so this is all new to me.
posted by renyoj at 9:02 AM PST - 4 comments

Why are elephant and whale brains so large (much bigger than yours)? Their twice as big brains don't seem twice as smart as horses or dolphins, let alone humans. What is that extra gray matter doing? Pointers to scientific papers or experts appreciated.
posted by kk at 8:58 AM PST - 12 comments

Does anyone have any good techniques for beating writer's block? [more inside]
posted by COBRA! at 8:57 AM PST - 29 comments

I'm looking for some cookware, and need some help choosing. [mi] [more inside]
posted by benjh at 8:51 AM PST - 24 comments

What are some tricks and tips to get over food poisoning ? (disgusting details inside) [more inside]
posted by Stynxno at 8:50 AM PST - 12 comments

What is the term for a "female metrosexual"? Ladette?
posted by magullo at 8:32 AM PST - 23 comments

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's Web site has a really neat application - RideGuide - that enables you to enter the addresses of your start point and destination and times, and it will crank out the subway and bus connections you need to get where you want to go.

Is there a New York City equivalent?
posted by mojohand at 8:28 AM PST - 14 comments

If Valve's Steam means that games developers can do away with publisher, distributor and retailer overheads... um... why isn't everyone doing it, or similar things?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 7:46 AM PST - 13 comments

I'd like to get out of my cell phone contract without paying a $175 fee. After seeing this on craigslist, I'm wondering a) are these contracts even transferable? and b) if so, is there a place on the web where people buy/sell these contracts?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 6:31 AM PST - 3 comments

Why is a "cover song" called a "cover" song?
posted by Outlawyr at 6:20 AM PST - 10 comments

I'd like to show my appreciation to the gardien of my apartment building. He helped me carry a washing machine up 8 floors some months ago, and he's a real nice guy. However, he's a practicing Muslim, so a bottle of wine won't do. In France, people often give an end-of-year gift for Christmas to the postman, etc. Ramadan is ending soon and the Eid is coming up. He's a fairly young, single guy, and recently he's had back trouble. Any ideas, seasonal or no?

Tips and thank you gifts always feel a bit weird to me. They can feel feudal or mafia-like ("I owe you"). Maybe I shouldn't give anything and just keep being a friendly, appreciative neighbor.
posted by Turtle at 3:31 AM PST - 11 comments

Does anyone know which Greek philosopher introduced the idea that African men have overly large genitals, and in which work he wrote this? Also, can anyone point me to the renaissance work that attributed the supposed inferiority of black people to the curse of Cain? I've heard of (and I think read) both of these, but cannot remember the references. Any information abouts attempts to blame white racism on black folks themselves would be helpful, actually.
posted by eustacescrubb at 3:29 AM PST - 4 comments

Does anybody know where to get watchmaker's cases in Australia (preferably Melbourne)?
posted by jedro at 3:21 AM PST - 0 comments

I want to take my new-ish girlfriend out for a day on the town (Washington, DC) this Saturday or Sunday, but I have no idea what to do. We've both done the monument and museum thing to death, so I'm thinking about some kind of show or something, but I'm open to any suggestions. Ideally I'd like to spend $50 or less, not counting food. [more inside]
posted by Tacodog at 12:24 AM PST - 12 comments

After recently getting the opera and pop-era bug and finding that I can sound half-decent singing it, I really want to learn Italian so I don't have to phonetically remember the lyrcis of the likes of "O sole mio". Any resources to help me do this cheap (on the Web preferably)? $100 or less?
posted by madman at 10:08 PM PST - 9 comments

[GradSchoolFilter] Anyone know of any good progams in Media Studies out there? Similar to, for instance, MIT's Comparative Media Studies program? I've found this list at Vassar's website, but I was hoping some denizens of the Mefiverse might know of some more.
posted by ChasFile at 7:44 PM PST - 4 comments

I'm looking for a link to a specific website that debunks anti-gay arguments. [mi] [more inside]
posted by punishinglemur at 7:35 PM PST - 8 comments

Defrag this! What defragmentation program would people recommend for Windows XP? The one which came standard with the OS or a third party?
posted by phyrewerx at 6:41 PM PST - 22 comments

Does anyone know of any bars in Minneapolis that have wireless internet? Big plus if they're located downtown.
posted by Juicylicious at 5:41 PM PST - 9 comments

Is Gary Oldman's american accent better than Rene Zellwegger's british one?
posted by dash_slot- at 4:44 PM PST - 27 comments

I've tried to get myself organized many times but I'm still always staying up late and missing deadlines. I use a planner, but I think I need more structure (scheduling internet usage, etc.). Should I get a more detailed planner with daily schedules? A PDA? People must have dealt with this before planners and PDAs; are there any other strategies that don't involve buying something?
posted by stopgap at 4:44 PM PST - 9 comments

My husband is going to court in Atlanta/Fulton County next week for a speeding ticket. He has an unpaid speeding ticket in another state from two years back, but was able to renew his license here without any problems at all. The primary reason he's going to the court date is because we can't afford to pay the fine before then and they don't accept payments the day of the court date without you appearing in court. I'm scared the judge will somehow see the unpaid speeding ticket and my husband will immediately be thrown in jail. What is the likelihood of this happening? Am I being irrational?
posted by anonymous at 3:21 PM PST - 12 comments

I have a question about changing the default data source type used in mail merge documents in Word 2002. [more inside]
posted by DakotaPaul at 1:45 PM PST - 3 comments

If I am a US Citizen, and want to go to Canada for a few days, do i need a passport? I had one, but it was stolen, I'm a poor student right now, so i dont have the cash (or time to wait) for a new one to come. Is a driver's license or birth certificate considered official enough documentation?
posted by jare2003 at 1:36 PM PST - 16 comments

Where do you go when you want to buy used computer parts? I'm looking for a Socket 478 CPU and I've checked trading boards at FatWallet, Anandtech and of course ebay. What are some great places I'm overlooking?
posted by luser at 1:18 PM PST - 6 comments

Today the UPS guy dropped off some ground packages at my door. Problem is, they for the former occupant of the house, not me. I shouted after him that the packages weren't for me, but he couldn't be bothered to stop. (He HAD to have heard me.) I don't know how to contact the former occupant to tell her I have her packages, and I don't know the new address to tell UPS to send them to. I tried looking on the UPS webpage, and it isn't much help. They don't look like anything vital (a small package each from Target.com and Amazon). What should I do with these things? Hang on to them a few days and see if the former occupant comes knocking on the door? What if she never claims them?
posted by Shoeburyness at 12:47 PM PST - 20 comments

I have a rental property and am about to rent it out for the first time. The trouble is, my potential tenants seem shaky to me. Two single mothers with a total of three kids. One has a foreclosure in the past and they have a few credit glitches. My property manager says he is 80% good on them. I'd like to give them a chance, but I am afraid I will get screwed. This is the first bite we've had on the property after a month of listing. Advice/horror stories/divine inspiration?
posted by Kafkaesque at 12:44 PM PST - 21 comments

Do comatose patients dream? Do they remember those dreams when they wake up? [more inside]
posted by cmonkey at 11:41 AM PST - 34 comments

Copyright vs. Satire: How far can one extend the 'fair use' or satire legalities when it comes to using similar imagery in advertisement? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 11:38 AM PST - 8 comments

Question about Pixar's new film, The Incredibles (great movie, by the way): at one point, one of the characters holds a card on which a phone number is written. I couldn't catch the whole number, but I remember enough to know it's a toll-free (866) number that doesn't have a 555 prefix. Did anyone else catch the number, and if so, could you post it here? I tried Googling for it and couldn't find it. Thanks.
posted by EatenByAGrue at 11:01 AM PST - 24 comments

There've been lots of threads about internet dating, but my question is: the internet hook-up. It's something I've been considering recently (I ended a long-term relationship a few months ago and don't think I'd be able to sustain another one right now), but I'm completely inexperienced with it and would like to hear some "testimonials," as it were, before deciding one way or another (and no, I don't mean in a Dear Penthouse way). I'm a young gay guy in NYC who's been considering Craigslist, if that helps to focus your response, but I'd like to hear from people across the spectrum... what are the best and worst scenarios you know of or have been involved in? (And yeah, I know the basic safety tips -- somebody else should know where you're going, etc.) Does it generally work out, or is it more trouble than it's worth?
posted by anonymous at 10:02 AM PST - 10 comments

Trying to figure out this bumper sticker I've been seeing around here (Buffalo, NY). Almost square, sporting a thick yellow equals sign (?) on a royal blue background. (MI)
posted by sacre_bleu at 9:31 AM PST - 23 comments

U.S.-Canada money question: I want to turn a RRIF (U.S.) into an RRSP (Canadian). Can I do this without a massive early withdrawal penalty? (I want to do this so I can borrow from the RRSP to make a downpayment on a house, which one can do in Canada.) [more inside]
posted by stonerose at 9:13 AM PST - 2 comments

I am going ADSL later in the week. Apart from setting up XBox live, what free security should I install on my PC and also, what is the equivalent of Napster these days?
posted by Frasermoo at 8:57 AM PST - 12 comments

GMail issues. I can log in but once I click to read any entry it takes me right back to the login page.
posted by azul at 8:33 AM PST - 5 comments

For the last couple of weeks, I've tried a vitamin drink (Emergen-C) for the Vitamin C megadose (to kick a cold/flu) and happened to pick the flavor that also advertised "joint health" and contains Glucosamine and Chondroitin. I think a chronic shoulder problem I have has improved. I've done the requisite google search, but so much tends to be aimed towards either selling herbal supplements (it's a miracle cure, click here to buy our product) or debunking them (all non-traditional treatments are snake oil, you gullible fools, now go buy prescription drugs like a good little consumer), I'm having trouble wading through all the agendas for an accurate answer. [mi] [more inside]
posted by Karmakaze at 8:15 AM PST - 11 comments

I use a Windows XP box at work. I use a Powerbook G4 at home. I'd like to buy the bluetooth Apple Pro keyboard and use it both at home and at work. Is this possible? If so, any specific recommendations for a USB-bluetooth adapter for my work machine? Thanks in advance.
posted by BlueTrain at 7:28 AM PST - 1 comment

If I get a 27 inch TV, the measurement is corner to corner, right? How are widescreen tvs measured? What's the difference between a 30 inch regular tv and a 30 inch widescreen?
posted by mkn at 7:04 AM PST - 8 comments

Montessori schools? We're looking into sending our toddler to a Montessori pre-school next year. Anybody have any experience with them? Most of what we've read is pro-Montessori but I'm looking for personal experiences from people who have sent their own kids or who have gone themselves. I realize our pre-school choices probably won't affect him when he's thirty but I would like to start him off on the right foot. [There is nothing more inside but your many helpful comments.]
posted by bondcliff at 6:58 AM PST - 29 comments

Now the northern hemisphere is heading for another winter, do you suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder)? [mi] [more inside]
posted by SpaceCadet at 6:31 AM PST - 17 comments

Who is Karl Rove's historical counterpart? Is there any figure in history that can match his level of cunning intellect and political expertise?
posted by invisible ink at 1:32 AM PST - 26 comments

iBookFilter: I need a replacement hard drive for a G3 iBook. [more inside]
posted by Dreama at 10:51 PM PST - 9 comments

What's a good traditional gift to give a Jewish father upon the birth of his second child?
posted by falconred at 8:19 PM PST - 11 comments

After several gray, barely above freezing days I'm looking to spend a week or two in Hawaii this xmas. But SEO spammers have taken over and anything remotely rated to "hawaii hotel" or "kauai house rental" end up with hundreds of pages of crappy stuff. I can't find any hotel guides or designy boutique hotel stuff. Anyone ever have an amazing time on Kauai or the big island? Where should I look?
posted by mathowie at 7:40 PM PST - 13 comments

This is obviously politically inspired but hopefully it won't spawn political discussion: What are some good, scholarly social histories of marriage?
posted by kenko at 5:55 PM PST - 8 comments

I-Spilled-Some-Nasty-Shit-Filter: I was mounting a pipe to the ceiling in my loft, and being SO not a handyman was flying by the seat of my pants. I was super-gluing some stuff to the pipe in situ, and some of the glue dripped onto my (laminated?) hardwood floors. [mi] [more inside]
posted by robbie01 at 5:31 PM PST - 16 comments

KrimmixPresentFilter: My husband (who does not visit Metafilter) is a musician and I'd like to get him either a lap steel or pedal steel guitar for Christmas. Since it would be rather obvious if I just randomly asked him what brands are good, etc., I thought that maybe some of the MeFiMusicians could help. If you were going to be given a lap or pedal steel, which one would you want?
posted by stefnet at 5:08 PM PST - 10 comments

Does anyone know of an application (preferably mac) that will format bulk code (e.g. nested indenting for ease of reading) without trying to rewrite it into something different than it is?
posted by eljuanbobo at 5:01 PM PST - 16 comments

Best breakup music? Not to get over it and cheer one up, but to wallow in the misery and pain of loss. After all, there are only a few times in ones life when those love songs really hit home, so why not get something out of it. [more inside]
posted by bonaldi at 3:08 PM PST - 132 comments

Anyone have recommendations on good (but preferably easy) Spanish-language literature?
posted by swift at 2:54 PM PST - 10 comments

How do you apply self-adhesive covering to cupboards without getting air bubbles? Using the squeegee method doesn't seem to work for me.
posted by degnarra at 2:43 PM PST - 6 comments

How do you remove silicone based lube from clothing/sheets/cotton based material? Traditional stain removers have not helped. Ammonia was suggested, but I've no clue what that would entail doing and whether everything I owned was destined to smell like that forever.
posted by pieoverdone at 2:24 PM PST - 7 comments

I decided to try my hand at making a grant application, sent the 8 pages or so letter and forgot all about it. Then yesterday, I got a call indicating that I may actually have a chance of getting some if not all of the amount I requested ($40+ grand for video/photo equipment/NLE gear, stipend). Although I'm seriously excited, I have a few questions to ask you, fellow MeFites:

1. Will I owe taxes for this money?
2. What questions might their lawyer/trustee ask me if they ever call?
3. Do I get to keep the equipment after? (I know its stupid but this is my first time)
4. Can people actually earn a living doing this "grant" gig?
5. Is there some etiquette involved when receiving the moolah? (i.e. hugging the donor, kissing her feet, thank you letters)
6. Am I absolutely, legally bound to follow through with this project?
6. Any advice is welcome.

Thanks for your time and patience.
posted by anonymous at 1:12 PM PST - 10 comments

How do you ween yourself from fantasizing about an ex? I'm a twentysomething female who was in a long distance, long term (4+ years) relationship that recently went sour. Basically, the biggest problem had to do with sex (I still wanted my partner but he apparently lost interest in me physically). Now, I'm good when it comes to making a clean break in the manifested-social-interaction sense; I don't stalk or google exes or call them up randomly just to be "friends" or initiate contact ever after break ups. But in this case, I can't stop myself from wanting this person in my head. When I daydream/fantasize sexually, he is always my partner and everything is what I wished it had been but wasn't in the last month or so of our relationship. I would prefer it if people offered me constructive ways to stop doing this rather than telling me I should just accept it--it is painful for me and I just want to move on through and through, inside and out. Dating (rebounding to forget him) isn't really the answer either--I have made a well-thought-out decision to remain single for a while as I get myself together on my own terms. I'm hoping there's something besides just the whole "time heals all wounds" adage that can help me get through this.
posted by anonymous at 1:12 PM PST - 28 comments

I run a not-for-profit theatre company. It's a 501(c)(3) corporation. We would like to take our own ticket orders online via credit card. We're currently using Smarttix.com, but they take a big chunk out of each ticket sale -- plus they charge us a $75 "setup fee" per show.

I'm wondering if there are other services I could switch to that would be more cost-effective.
posted by grumblebee at 12:58 PM PST - 15 comments

iMac notebook + OS9 + OSX = no hard drive space. Even more helpful, installing/reinstalling anything doesn't seem to work. iMore inside... [more inside]
posted by caution live frogs at 12:45 PM PST - 5 comments

MTV series like the Real World use a huge amount of current popular music as background noise. How can this not be prohibitive in cost?
posted by smackfu at 12:42 PM PST - 21 comments

After watching "Dawn Of the Dead" the other night, I was reminded of a story I remember from my elementary school days. Naturally, I can't remember the title. Here's the catch - I can't remember if this was a novel we read in school, or some sort of PBS series we saw in school (After giving it a bit more thought, I suppose it could be both, eh?). All I remember is the following key plot point: all adults (I believe it was anyone over age 'n') die off. No zombies or anything. [A few more details inside] [more inside]
posted by adamkempa at 12:38 PM PST - 16 comments

PoliticsFilter: Were all 11 of the "defense of marriage" initiatives amendments to state constitutions, or were some just laws? (I know Oregon's was an amendment, but haven't been able to find out about all the others) If they are amendments, are state constitutions superceded by the U.S. Constitution?
posted by RylandDotNet at 12:25 PM PST - 3 comments

I'm having a Monday Night Football party, but I'm stumped for types of food that are traditional to the state of Indiana or Indianapolis. Please don't write 'indian food', ha ha.
posted by graventy at 12:18 PM PST - 7 comments

Any good books to suggest on the US-Mexico War of 1846-48? I've recently read (and found very interesting) To the Halls of the Montezumas and Eisenhower's son book. Any other suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.
posted by matteo at 12:05 PM PST - 4 comments

I've got a bunch of wavs. I've got a CUE file that references said wavs. Is there a program that will take that CUE sheet and normalize the volume across all tracks before I burn them to a cdr? Nero can supposedly do it as part of the burn process, but I'd rather not waste the disc if I don't like the results. I could use a rewriteable disc I suppose, but I'm curious about finding a better way.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 12:02 PM PST - 6 comments

Hard disk management. I have several hard drives, running from 20GB to 120GB. My primary C: drive is on the 20GB drive, and the other day I noticed it was taking quite a while to do things, the C: drive was down to about 20MB of disk space! What I'm looking for is a disk manager that would look at hard drive and tell me what folders are taking up what space on the hard drive, so I could prune the offending directories. I'm on Windows 2000, and would prefer freeware.
posted by patrickje at 11:39 AM PST - 11 comments

Anyone ever initiated and gone through a Paypal dispute? [more inside]
posted by kokogiak at 11:39 AM PST - 12 comments

Cellphones Ergonomics: I used to have Sprint. Part of the reason I dropped coverage was because I didn't like my phone, a Sanyo 4900. It had great battery life, good technical features, and terrible ergonomics: it never felt right against my ear/head, and it tended to heat up after a few minutes use, making it an uncomfortable and sweaty poor fit to my ear/head (as well as conjuring visions of RF zapped brains, no matter how my rational side told me it wasn't happening). Anyway, I'm considering going back to Sprint, and am looking for recommendations about phones that feel good. [more inside]
posted by weston at 11:38 AM PST - 7 comments

What's a good way to lower your blood pressure without medication?
posted by FunkyHelix at 10:44 AM PST - 23 comments

I'm writing some php functions to produce graphics of 3D pie charts. I don't remember enough trig to actually pull this off. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by y6y6y6 at 9:25 AM PST - 8 comments

"Men of Greece, this is the place for you to settle, for here there is a hole in the sky"' (Herodotus 4.150-8). [more inside]
posted by thatwhichfalls at 9:11 PM PST - 8 comments

My wallet was stolen -- how do I protect myself against ID theft? [more inside]
posted by melissa may at 7:48 PM PST - 8 comments

Looking for experiences/suggestions regarding light therapy boxes or any similar such technology. Thank you.
posted by mathis23 at 7:22 PM PST - 9 comments

My gf has an eye exam in a few days and is looking for extended wear contacts for a slight astigmatism. Does anyone have any reccomendations?
posted by ttrendel at 7:09 PM PST - 7 comments

This is a political question, so please remove if inappropriate or fatigued.
Is there any academic debate concerning the Bush administration's similarity to the doctrine of Führerprinzip, and how it may be creating a modern American cult of personality?
posted by plexi at 7:07 PM PST - 2 comments

How much money do you typically carry with you at any one time?
posted by Jaybo at 6:37 PM PST - 55 comments

Getting tired of the "Wish you were here!" phenomenon. I need some suggestions for keeping a long-distance relationship healthy, happy, and fun. [MI] [more inside]
posted by fionab at 6:23 PM PST - 19 comments

Gay-positive books (or other resources) to recommend to a young, gay male in the Deep South who's uncomfortable with his sexuality? [more inside]
posted by scody at 6:16 PM PST - 13 comments

HP deskjet 9650 uninstallation/installation catch 22. An upgrade to XP-SP2 rendered my printer unusable - couldn't print a test page or anything else. I figured reinstall and I'd be on my way.... [more inside]
posted by yoga at 6:16 PM PST - 6 comments

American traffic lights used to be simply red/green, with no yellow. Are there any countries that still have red/green traffic lights?
posted by gsteff at 1:06 PM PST - 10 comments

I am the "neighbourhood geek" where I live, and so end up giving away a lot of free tech support. I am perfectly happy to do so, and now plan to start up my own web site where I dispense knowledge I have recently been asked for to the world. Kinda like "SlashDot... for dummies".
If the site gets sufficiently popular I may place some Google ads on it, but first I need to get my site "out there" and so I need to advertise, which I am willing to spend a few currency units on. I was going to use Google AdWords, but I'm really useless at picking keywords.
Are there better places to advertise, based on the target audience (non-geeks and wannabe-geeks) of my site?
posted by Mwongozi at 11:30 AM PST - 3 comments

Ergonomics for non-computer users: I work all day, but I don't use a computer for any of it. What can I do, ergonomically speaking, to work smarter? [MI] [more inside]
posted by josh at 10:02 AM PST - 4 comments

I'm looking for a good computer science Ph.D. program to apply to, with strong research groups in both bioinformatics and AI. [more inside]
posted by azazello at 10:00 AM PST - 18 comments

EthicsFilter: Do you support making what you feel is an unjust law or policy more equitable? [MI] [more inside]
posted by IshmaelGraves at 9:24 AM PST - 11 comments

ChessFilter: A has only a king and a rook. B has only a king and a knight. If A plays perfectly, is he assured of victory? Or is it possible for B to force a draw, no matter how well A plays?
posted by bingo at 9:06 AM PST - 17 comments

What is the best way to paint a large section of a canvas a single color, without having any visible brushstrokes? [More inside] [more inside]
posted by profwhat at 7:42 AM PST - 14 comments

What's the cheapest way to call America? I have 1000 off peak minutes a month on an Orange contract to play with..
posted by Mossy at 5:32 AM PST - 7 comments

Internet Dating. Yes? No? What do you think?
posted by bob sarabia at 7:36 PM PST - 32 comments

"One is not amused..." Personal pronoun, or third person generalisation? [MI] [more inside]
posted by benzo8 at 6:00 PM PST - 10 comments

Can anyone recommend a good maid/house-cleaning service in San Francisco? I've looked online but I would rather go to one from a reference, just to make sure no one walks off with my stereo. How much should I expect to pay for a one-time cleaning of a 1-bedroom apartment? Is recurring service better, or do you just call when you don't have time to clean up yourself? How does security generally work if I'm not at home?
posted by robbie01 at 5:07 PM PST - 5 comments

Like a good progressive, I always assumed Reaganomics/Trickle-Down economics was just a load of nonsense. However, like a good intellectual, I realized I had nothing to really back my opinion up with and should research further. Any economists like to chime in or link me to a good site with a nice point/counterpoint debate on trickle-down economics?
posted by Slimemonster at 4:40 PM PST - 23 comments

GuitarAmeaturQuestion: I'm performing with my guitar tonight (I'm playing, someone else is singing). Now I can play the song alright, but this will be my first time playing in front of a large group since I started playing (about 6 months ago). During the auditions for this event I got nervous enough that my fingers trembled slightly making it hard for me to play (obviously).

Any tips on how to stay calm during the real thing and play okay (besides the cliched "picture them in their underwear" thing)? Advice from guitar players and non-guitar players alike is most welcome.
posted by Stauf at 2:21 PM PST - 25 comments

We're more polarized politically than at any time since the Vietnam war. So why can't I find beautiful, intellectual music that reflects our anger and hope? In other words, who are the Marvin Gaye, Phil Ochs, and Joan Baez of our generation?
posted by PrinceValium at 1:47 PM PST - 35 comments

I really want to understand: Why did you vote for Bush? Not snark at all -- a sincere question. I voted for Kerry. 51% of the people in this country think differently than I do and I'd like to try to get past my usual filters and biases and hear your point of view. If you voted for Bush/Cheney I'd appreciate you taking the time to explain to me what issues, beliefs, hopes, and fears motivated you voted the way you did, if you're willing.
posted by papercake at 12:33 PM PST - 62 comments

There's something long and hard inside my forearm, and it's not my radius or ulna! Tendonitis? Carpal tunnels? Repetitive Stress Injury? Keyboard allergy? Whatever you call it, I'm experiencing some pain and even a little numbness. I'm working on ergonomics, using ice and advil. A little massage. Rest. Any other suggestions? I will see a doctor but I welcome advice and anecdotes on computery injury / strain. Thanks!
posted by scarabic at 12:29 PM PST - 14 comments

I have a friend who stinks. He has horrible breath (he's a chain-smoker), and his clothes and body reek. I'm not sure what to do. It's so bad that many people have commented that it's hard to be around him. But other than the smell, he's a great guy. He's also lonely, and can't get a date. His life would be so much better if he had better hygiene. So what do I do about this? Tell him face-to-face? Send an anonymous email? Do nothing? If I do bring it up, how do I do it sensitively? Added to the problems, he's very poor. He can't even afford a phone. My guess is that part of the problem is that he's trying to save money on laundry. Still, soap is cheap. I'm trying to obey the Golden Rule, but it's hard. If I was the smelly one, I would want to be told, I guess. But I would be SO humiliated! He's in his early 40s. Really smart and literate.
posted by anonymous at 11:02 AM PST - 18 comments

Ethical question. The junk food vending machine in my department occasionally gets into a mode where the food is dispensed, but the money drops into the coin return bin. If you put in more than the required amount it will also give change, in addition to the food and original coins.

My question is, am I obligated to inform my colleagues?
posted by Wet Spot at 10:50 AM PST - 33 comments

How do I watch incoming S-video on my Windows PC? I have a GeForce 4 Ti4200 with Video-In/Video-Out and the nVidia WDM video capture driver. Is there a better app to view the video than dScaler? [more inside]
posted by Nelson at 10:45 AM PST - 8 comments

Harmonicas. What do I need to know about buying a harmonica? Would a chromatic harmonica be too difficult for a beginner, or am I going to have to buy a few diatonic harmonicas? I want to use it to just jam around in the style of alt-country and the like. [more inside]
posted by bitpart at 10:17 AM PST - 4 comments

MeFi for the straight guy? How do I go about changing my hair style? More. [more inside]
posted by tirade at 9:37 AM PST - 11 comments

So I accidentally got involved with a coworker/subordinate. We both decided it would be good to end the relationship. She is under the impression it is still okay to "hang out." How do I disway her from this notion?
posted by anonymous at 8:37 AM PST - 10 comments

My wife has a lot of "hang or line dry" only clothes. I use liquid faberic softener in the wash cycle and then use one of those faberic softener sheets in the dryer too on the rest. However, her line dry clothes always seem to not feel the effects of the liquid faberic softener. Any tips for making sure her jeans aren't so crinkly? {its clean inside} [more inside]
posted by thebwit at 7:17 AM PST - 7 comments

What is the name for the people who were allowed to sit outside the Roman Senate and shout their opposition to whatever was going on inside?
posted by swift at 6:17 AM PST - 2 comments

What are those red and green things pinned to the lapels of nearly everybody on the BBC these days?
posted by ar0n at 5:39 AM PST - 16 comments

Simple pleasures in life? [more inside]
posted by jeremias at 4:55 AM PST - 58 comments

Can books make a difference? What books have influenced you and how? >> [more inside]
posted by dame at 9:49 PM PST - 36 comments

Mozilla problem: weird tables (come inside, fellow coding geeks) [more inside]
posted by moonbird at 7:50 PM PST - 8 comments

What to do with a Receiver? Someone in my building left a decent Pioneer receiver near the dumpster, obviously hoping that someone would put it to good use. I believe I might be that person, but am not sure what to do with it. I've already got a reliable radio that I enjoy listening to, my record player has it's own pre-amp, and I don't feel a need to add surround sound to the TV (in part because it would mean buying a mess of speakers). But I'm betting someone out there in MeFi land has a clever and novel idea for how it might be employed. [more inside]
posted by aladfar at 5:12 PM PST - 12 comments

[ArtFilter] I remember a really famous old picture of a guy on a hill peering through a shell of stars surrounding the Earth and out into a mechanistic universe of gears. But I can't remember who painted it or when and am unable to formulate an effective google query to find any details. Can someone enlighten me?
posted by Meridian at 5:12 PM PST - 4 comments

Is it legal to have a groundhog as a pet in Massachusetts? Anyone out there ever have a pet groundhog? They're so cute.
posted by rxrfrx at 3:39 PM PST - 16 comments

Dude, we need to talk about this right here. According to Columbia University’s health Q&A Internet site, "When air is blown or forced directly into a vagina... an air embolism... could form, which can be fatal." WTF? Anyone know any more about this or have any first-hand knowledge?
posted by pwb503 at 2:38 PM PST - 23 comments

Repost: What sites are out there like Kuro5hin? By that, I mean sites where you can read articles about diverse topics such as How to brew beer, Steganography, Scoring Baseball Games, US Electoral College Changes, Strike Fighters, the Future of Money, Theory of Relativity and Low Carb diets. The reason I ask, is because k5 has been troll-infested for quite some time now, despite the occasionally interesting article. Of course, I'm looking primarily for community sites with discussion. [more inside]
posted by Gyan at 1:55 PM PST - 7 comments

Someone in my office organized a trip to the Ronald Reagen Presidential Library. My political disagreements with the man aside, should I go? [more inside]
posted by lbergstr at 1:26 PM PST - 26 comments

Bookmending tape. I'm looking for brands/recommendations for 1/2" - 1" wide bookmending tape, to fix broken hinges, and/or cracked spines from the inside, and with adhesive that will not damage the paper. Nothing super-fancy, and bonus points for something I could maybe find in local stores! Thanks!
posted by carter at 12:49 PM PST - 7 comments

How do you find a good printer (particularly in Brooklyn, NY)? [more inside]
posted by jeb at 12:14 PM PST - 5 comments

When should I use "presume" and when should I use "assume?" Or are they interchangable?
posted by davebug at 10:54 AM PST - 10 comments

I am a younger male who wants to be a better lover to my new girlfriend, specifically in regards to giving her oral sex. I sense she doesn't like to talk about these things explicitly, and I'm not entirely sure I know what I'm doing. What I'd like to know from MeFites is: what qualifies as good head for a woman? Fast, slow, teasing, aggressive? What feels best? And what things should be avoided as not to spoil the moment? (I'm a little skeptical some female MeFites will feel comfortable offering explicit advice, but I'm pretty sex-positive and I hope some of you are too!)
posted by anonymous at 10:52 AM PST - 21 comments

I need a better chair for my home workspace. Because my computer is a laptop I will never be able to achieve the ergonomically proper practices suggested in the diagrams here or here
(the way the keyboard is positioned here is absurd. but negative tilt is impossible with a laptop.)
To make matters worse: I love the touchpad mouse and the keyboard on the laptop to the point where I am unable to work efficiently with any other setup. However, while I can work well it costs me physically: my neck, shoulders, upper and lower back, and even thighs ache after short sessions of working.
I'm wondering, has anyone used a kneeling chair with a laptop? The other problem is that the computer is old and I can't go wireless because it eats batteries.
posted by Grod at 10:48 AM PST - 9 comments

My friend and I are actually purchasing a house. Good for me. The house itself is English Tudor from around 1900. We have no furniture except what we've retained from our childhood (think oak Americana). We've both have no idea what we're doing interior decorating wise. We've agreed that we like modern styling such as that featured in MocoLoco. The only furniture stores in our area feature suburban blah (think Nebraska Furniture Mart). Any suggestions on places that we can shop online and have them ship us furniture? More! MORE INSIDE! [more inside]
posted by geoff. at 10:25 AM PST - 8 comments

Dear Ask Mefi: How can two people who love each other get back together after a tragic breakup? She and I lived together for many years. The relationship ended because she cheated on me. Otherwise, she was the love of my life. Now, years later, I have discovered through mutual friends that she refers to it as one of the biggest mistakes of her life but doesn't even forgive herself. I might be able to forgive under the right circumstances and if she is sincere. But, I don't want to initiate contact because I still feel hurt. She won't initiate contact because she doesn't feel she deserves a second chance. Is there anyplace to go from here? Advice, experiences welcome...
posted by anonymous at 10:16 AM PST - 25 comments

I'm absolutely fascinated by Karl Rove. Where can I learn more about him?
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 9:54 AM PST - 9 comments

The "moral issues" explanation for the 2004 election is clearly based on exit polls. Are these the same exit polls that wrongly projected Kerry winning almost everywhere? Also, where can I find details re: the results of these polls and the actual questions for myself?
posted by probablysteve at 9:30 AM PST - 5 comments

I need a web application to help me with trafficking certain documents through my firm. Without speccing it in detail, it should involve contributors being able to upload documents along with metadata. Those documents and metadata should show up in a queue. Status emails should be sent at specific junctures that are triggered by date, time, or the actions of other users on the documents. Users would have varying permissions to view, change, delete, edit, etc. various docs.

First, is there anything open source or commercial that does this? If not, what would be the specific skill sets I should look for in finding someone to build it? What would be the expected hourly rate to accomplish it?
posted by luser at 8:33 AM PST - 8 comments

I have a DVD video recorder connected to my TV. What software can I use, on my Mac running OS X, to take the contents of these DVDs and do simple editing on them (for example, to cut out adverts), and then burn back to a new DVD? (The burning bit I can probably already do with Toast.)
Cheap is good. Free is better.
posted by Mwongozi at 7:36 AM PST - 9 comments

I'm looking to buy my girlfriend a sleeping bag, is there a substantial difference between men and women's sleeping bags (enough to justify the difference in price)? [more inside]
posted by mhaw at 6:27 AM PST - 11 comments

I was looking at a spoof map showing the 'United States of Canada' and 'Jesusland'. In it, the 'blue' states were now part of Canada, and the 'red' states were what's left of the US. With the increasing divide between the two sides, what would happen if those 'blue' states seceded somehow. Don't they represent most of the economic prosperity in this country? And what does that fact say about the this country?

(I know this is not possible, but it is interesting to look at the relationship between economics and political leaning.)
posted by eas98 at 6:26 AM PST - 27 comments

I'm giving away an old tray-loading iMac (256MB, either 266 or 333Mhz, I really can't recall right now) to a friend and have loaded it up with productivity-related stuff. Now I'm looking for games I can download. Freeware and shareware, preferably, as opposed to warez (although if you care to recommend a NES/SNES/etc. emulator ...). In particular, is there a decent FPS I can download for this machine? [more inside]
posted by blueshammer at 6:22 AM PST - 6 comments

How do I go about setting up a political party and achieving federal recognition?
posted by Apoch at 5:56 AM PST - 4 comments

Joe subcontracts Jim to design a website for Sally. Jim submits design to Joe, who then pitches it to Sally. Sally rejects design. Even though the design is now worthless to Joe, doesn't Jim deserve payment for his services? What's a fair solution to this problem?
posted by davebush at 5:51 AM PST - 7 comments

if one wanted to move a portion of ones liquid assets from dollars to euros ... what is the easiest way with minimal overhead?
posted by anonymous at 11:58 PM PST - 6 comments

My SO and I are moving to Seattle from Minneapolis sometime mid next summer. We’re currently visiting Seattle for the first time on a pre-rental house/apartment hunting trip. We’re just looking to get a "feel" for different neighborhoods and I am looking for suggestions to help us narrow the search down from all of Seattle to something more manageable [mi]. [more inside]
posted by freshgroundpepper at 10:01 PM PST - 26 comments

Candy! I've looked all over for a bar of chocolate that I bought in Switzerland, but I can't find anywhere on the internets or the local gourmet shops. It's called Cailler Cremant, and looks like this. I'll be eternally indebted to whoever can find a retailer, online or off, for the U.S. market.
posted by letitrain at 9:13 PM PST - 7 comments

I'm looking for recommendations for comfortable-to-write-with pens. (MI!) [more inside]
posted by jennyb at 8:42 PM PST - 17 comments

My Powerbook's processor is almost always at 100%. Is this normal? If I have just my email open and a web browser, it hovers between 80 and 95% pretty much constantly.
posted by dobbs at 7:38 PM PST - 36 comments

Can anyone recommend some good, sad violin music? Vocals optional, preferably female.
posted by ScarletSpectrum at 7:00 PM PST - 24 comments

I need a package to facilitate collaboration among a group of people spread across the Internet/globe. Ideally it would track staff, projects, to-do lists and contacts. Open source (PHP/mySQL) would be ideal. Any suggestions?
posted by Leonard at 4:18 PM PST - 11 comments

I'm looking for non-US alternatives to a range of popular websites. Real, developed and hosted somewhere else type sites, not just a regional re-branding on the same US server.

I'm mostly after tech news sites, but also a search engine would be nice. Does anyone have a pointer to any indexes of websites that display lists based on country? Preferably in English. Feel free to just dump your bookmark list if you've got a nice collection.
posted by krisjohn at 3:50 PM PST - 3 comments

Fiberglass refinishing: pleasure or pain? [more inside]
posted by five fresh fish at 3:34 PM PST - 5 comments

I think I should enlarge my reservoir of wisecracks. Can you provide me with any?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 3:03 PM PST - 37 comments

Help me, independent Film Lovers (especially you Brits)! I can't remember the title, the actors, or the plot.... [more inside]
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 1:45 PM PST - 7 comments

I'm looking at a new TVs, but the one I'm looking at now (here) doesn't have an HDMl port -- should this be a deal breaker? [more inside]
posted by o2b at 1:18 PM PST - 13 comments

Emacs is my new replacement for BBEdit, which could not handle large XML files (>10MB) on my system. I've applied the Reitter configs to make it more Mac-like, but I need examples of good line-wrapping, auto-arranging multiple frames, and line numbering. Can I see your OS X Emacs config file? (If it's on the Net, I've already seen it, including everything at DotEmacs.de.)
posted by Mo Nickels at 1:13 PM PST - 6 comments

Portable careers?

There was a comment the other day in one of the threads about portable careers and I'm very interested in breaking out of the corporate structure and becoming more mobile again.

What are the best resources for making the jump? What are the best career paths to follow to make the move? Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.
posted by fenriq at 1:05 PM PST - 8 comments

Wacky commercials (car hood whacking pigeon). Altered commercials (trunk monkey). Weird video clips (dog on skateboard, star wars boy). Cute mashups. Is there a single site that catalogs and warehouses these short masterpieces of folk video art? Sort of a "Best of" all the stuff that is being forwarded? Surely someone is collecting these!
posted by kk at 12:25 PM PST - 8 comments

What's a good online visual explanation of architectural acoustics, especially as refers to auditoria and practice hall design?
posted by signal at 12:09 PM PST - 2 comments

HollywoodFilter: Who are the Most Overrated Stars in ShowBiz?
Full Disclosure: This is research for a paid writing assignment on the subject. (And I'll be sad but accepting if Matt chooses to delete) I usually rely on my own opinion and depth of knowledge, and have been Google-fishing this like crazy, but this topic is so general that I want as many outside suggestions as I can collect.
NOTE: I am not looking for the latest teen queen lip-syncher or reality show discovery, I'm looking for candidates with a longer, more successful showbiz career than their obvious level of talent deserves. Actors, singers, comics, 'personalities', maybe even writer/creators. William Shatner (IMHO) is my poster boy. (And no dead people, please)
posted by wendell at 12:08 PM PST - 112 comments

What interest rate does the U.S. pay on the national debt, and is that number likely to change as the debt increases?
posted by gsteff at 12:02 PM PST - 3 comments

myPHPadmin : I'm trying to get it to run an line of MySQL and it's complaining. Anyone got any thoughts? [MI] [more inside]
posted by twine42 at 11:25 AM PST - 9 comments

Looking for a reasonably quick introduction to Perl Unix scripting, preferably online.
posted by Krrrlson at 11:13 AM PST - 7 comments

What are the primary gases produced by propane combustion? I was just told a story about a nearby warehouse, very high ceilings, 2600 sq ft, which is being heated by umbrella-style outdoor propane heaters (think of outdoor restaurants in LA, for you left coasters). Visions of dead people litter my mind, consequently. Am I right, or confused with regard to the exhaust? Please provide authoritative links so I can pass this along without being confrontational.
posted by mwhybark at 11:11 AM PST - 6 comments

Cashing a French cheque in Canada, or possibly in France... [more inside] [more inside]
posted by louigi at 11:01 AM PST - 1 comment

Which countries in the world have the most libertarian governments (or come closest to it)?
posted by madman at 10:49 AM PST - 27 comments

JavaScript: is it possible to detect a Windows XP user's chrome settings? For some perverse reason, chromed-out Windows XP scrollbars are a pixel wider than their "Classic" counterparts and it's breaking an interface.
posted by yerfatma at 10:36 AM PST - 6 comments

Why is faith a virtue? [more inside]
posted by biffa at 10:27 AM PST - 26 comments

I just accidentily swallowed a small piece of plastic from the plastic wrap around a plastic spoon.

Am I going to die?
posted by agregoli at 10:03 AM PST - 10 comments

Got any last minute (dating) anniversary gifts? She's not into flowers, jewelry, spas, or much girly stuff, and I don't trust myself to get her clothes.
posted by anonymous at 9:13 AM PST - 20 comments

Is the text of John Edwards' concession speech posted anywhere online? (Not Kerry, but Edwards?)
posted by gimonca at 8:51 AM PST - 1 comment

Is there a (free and easy) way to convert Word Perfect files into Word documents on my Mac? [MI]
posted by faustessa at 8:40 AM PST - 11 comments

It's November, and for many of us that means "Open Benefit Enrollment" time! It turns out that I'm paying about 200 bucks a MONTH for my benefits...the company I'm working for is paying the other 1200. This is the current setup at many companies..the company pays the bulk, and the employee pays just a little (on top of the deductible). But seriously, I don't use 2400 in services in a year. At full prices the various doctor and pediatrician visits are something like 400 bucks a year. That means I'm just burning 2000 in cash a year. At what point is it smarter to just drop it all together?
posted by taumeson at 6:09 AM PST - 31 comments

What's the best car you've owned in terms of reliability, longevity and generally fun to drive? I'm in the market for a used car and I'm leaning towards a luxury sedan. I'm curious to learn what cars everyone loved.
posted by renyoj at 6:00 AM PST - 25 comments

I'm researching architecturally designed garden workspaces which don't usually require planning permission along similar lines to this. I know I've seen some really nicely designed examples on the web in the past but I can't seem track them down. Preferably based in the UK, but international examples would be useful for reference as well. Do you know of any good examples, or had experience of putting one up?
posted by gravelshoes at 5:43 AM PST - 1 comment

Firefox won't let resize the search bar. I've followed these instructions, and nothing. Any ideas? I'm on XP using 1.0 Preview.
posted by luser at 2:25 AM PST - 4 comments

BrokenDigitalCameraFilter: My 18-month old Casio Exilim Z3 stopped working a few weeks ago (will not turn on). More Inside. [more inside]
posted by costas at 2:22 AM PST - 6 comments

Due to a few recent events in my life, as well as a number of incredibly stupid and hurtful things I now realize I've done, I've decided to seek counseling. My problem is I have no idea where to start, i.e., what kind of psychiatrists and psychologists there are, what types of questions to ask when looking to find someone to meet with, what the generally accepted approaches to counseling are, etc. I've spent a lot of time talking to friends about this, but am still feeling quite lost about the entire process.

There are a lot of sites with counseling information and advice, of course, and I've read many of them, but I keep getting the feeling I'm just dealing with professional organizations that are trying to feed their members or somewhat suspicious groups that aren't all that qualified to be doing what they say they are. So, what advice do any of you have for finding a good counselor? What good or bad experiences have you had in finding help, and what do you think are the best approaches to finding counselors?

Thanks!
posted by anonymous at 11:53 PM PST - 11 comments

I need help reverse-engineering a dessert recipe. It was a pear calzone, with white chocolate inside with the pears. I can do the calzone dough no problem, but what do I do to soften up the pears (and do they need sugar like an apple pie?) and how do I bake it so the chocolate inside doesn't go all horrid?
posted by krunk at 8:50 PM PST - 18 comments

Is there a euro-based alternative to PayPal? I'd like to get back into the on-line auction scene, but I don't want to have to deal in US$ because they're too all over the place.
posted by krisjohn at 8:16 PM PST - 9 comments

SenateFilter: Who will replace Tom Daschle as minority leader?
posted by MrAnonymous at 7:04 PM PST - 12 comments

How do I get my old, defunct Mozilla Mail address book (as in, I don't have mozilla installed due to a drive failure, but have a backup of my files on my backup USB drive) into Thunderbird?
posted by SpecialK at 6:09 PM PST - 1 comment

How do I convince my mom I'm not an alcoholic? Due to two close relatives (whom I have seen perhaps twice in my life) she is convinced that all males in the family are alcoholic. Now that I am college, I occasionally receive calls at my house number, asking to meet them at the bar -- or pick up some beer for a party. I then get a phone call and get yelled at for an hour. I enjoy beer and wine, but I do not enjoy drink in excess. Even as a college-goer I usually average perhaps two or three beers max, way below the average of my peers. I also have never been in trouble with alcohol. "Ignore her" is becoming more difficult. I realize I've been avoiding family functions and generally seeing her because I dread the "Yeah I went out with some friends..." with another cousin or someone mentioning fondly the fun parties they had which leads to her carping. She's given me a pretty strict edict of "no drinking, or you're dead to me", and "all it takes is one drink, and you're a loser." Honestly, besides that she is sane and level-headed.
posted by anonymous at 5:36 PM PST - 25 comments

Currency hedging for the (very) small investor. The re-elected Bush admin's economic and fiscal policies have me thinking the dollar will be headed down. What are people's experiences/recommendations on moving assets to non-US currencies? Should I use a traditional bank, or are there mutual fund houses that offer several different denominations of money market funds I can allocate between?
posted by bradhill at 5:07 PM PST - 7 comments

It's obscure-songs-from-French-movies time! The film "Cléo de 5 à 7" has a haunting tune sung by Cleo about halfway through called "Without You", which I cannot elaborate on much further except that some of the lyrics are about an empty house and (I think) the wind blowing through it. Since the soundtrack does not seem to exist any longer, is there any way I can get my hands on it anymore? Has someone in subsequent years covered it?
posted by Monster_Zero at 4:36 PM PST - 4 comments

Suggestions for getting a vintage electric guitar appraised (and possibly sold) in Los Angeles? (solo inside.) [more inside]
posted by scody at 4:05 PM PST - 8 comments

What's the best place on the net to find high-quality adult content? thinking about taking the plunge and subscribing to a pay site, anybody have any (positive or negative) recommendations? Things I like: Videos (quicktime highly preferred), beautiful models, high quality pics, trusted site, reasonable price, free preview would be nice. Things I don't really care about: erotic stories, live chats with models, "name brand"/fame (e.g. Penthouse, Jenna Jameson). Things I don't like: fetishes, pop-ups, virii, credit card/identity theft, windows only interfaces. Are there any (impartial) websites that reviews adult pay sites?
posted by anonymous at 3:54 PM PST - 20 comments