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April 2008 Archives (all archives)
April 30
What is the maximum amount of time a US citizen can spend in Canada at one time, with just a passport? What about over the course of a year? These would be personal and/or business visits.
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posted by zerolives at 10:55 PM PST - 21 comments
I'm applying for a scholarship. Scholarship requires academic references. Uh oh...
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posted by veol at 10:32 PM PST - 14 comments 
I've been putting off this post for fear of not getting everything across, I almost completely lack confidence and a sense of identity.
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posted by anonymous at 8:52 PM PST - 21 comments
This question has to do with number 1 and number 2. So if you're not interested in reading about bathroom things skip this question.
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posted by anonymous at 8:51 PM PST - 16 comments
Can anyone give me any background info on
this picture/painting?
posted by mand0 at 8:23 PM PST - 3 comments
My brother is graduating from law school soon and my sister and I are looking for a gift or gifts. We usually spend around $50/person for things like this, although we'd be wiling to go a little higher.
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posted by chndrcks at 7:47 PM PST - 10 comments
I have resumed jogging. However, already after 5 minutes of running, I will have unbearable pain in my lower legs. I might be experiencing "shin splints", and I wonder what are some good ways to prevent/lessen/delay these.
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posted by randomDirtPattern at 7:14 PM PST - 22 comments
What are the alternatives to
pandoc? I'm looking for tools that will allow me to maintain a large document in a simple plain text format such as markdown and compile it to PDF and HTML.
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posted by caek at 6:55 PM PST - 6 comments
Help me figure out what to do with some travel money! Specifically interested in arts / electronics / performance festivals, but any suggestions are welcome.
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posted by hapticactionnetwork at 6:04 PM PST - 16 comments
Coffee gurus: I'm looking for a good burr grinder with control over quantity as well as grind, if possible. Usage will be for a small french press. Recommendations?
posted by sonofslim at 5:58 PM PST - 22 comments
I'm looking for great websites that focus on the misconceptions that modern cultures have about one another. A (hopefully) better explanation, as well as a super-deluxe bonus question inside. (Including some begging!)
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posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 5:52 PM PST - 17 comments
H1B question: Can I go on leave without pay and remain in continual employment, for the purposes of transferring the H1B to a new employer?
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posted by anonymous at 5:51 PM PST - 6 comments
I have two hard drives out of a Western Digital Worldbook (WD10000D033) that both show up as a Linux RAID partition in cfdisk. How can I mount these drives to pull the data off?
posted by jackofsaxons at 5:00 PM PST - 4 comments
Let's say I wanted to run across Canada next year, what would I need to start doing to be able to?
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posted by 913 at 4:54 PM PST - 29 comments
Please recommend me some day/weekend trip destinations from NYC, especially if they involve trains and don't require renting a car.
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posted by doift at 4:39 PM PST - 20 comments
My mom wants a book on French Indochina, and I'd like to find a good one for her. Preferably non-fiction, but good fiction with some insight into history and culture would work, too. The exact historical time range is flexible, but she's mostly interested in the area pre-Vietnam War.
posted by bookish at 4:36 PM PST - 9 comments
We're a small research lab, that uses a series of servers. A smart person would have these machines backed up regularly. But we're not that smart ...
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posted by outlier at 3:53 PM PST - 22 comments
I have come into some Amazon.com credit, and I want to spend it on the Fry/Laurie Jeeves series; although I have never seen it, I adore the Wodehouse books and the two stars so I don't see how I could go wrong! I can't afford all the episodes, though. Which season would you recommend to me, and why?
posted by misha at 3:36 PM PST - 14 comments
The state DMV won'?t let me renew my registration on my current car because I owe property taxes on the old car. Is that legal? Can the state refuse to help me comply with one law if I am potentially violating another one?
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posted by anonymous at 3:04 PM PST - 8 comments
About a month ago I saw an exhibit at Le Palais de Tokyo in Paris that included tree-like sculptures set around big, white, globe-shaped lights. Does anyone know the artist's name?
posted by anonymous78 at 2:48 PM PST - 3 comments
Are We Done Yet? was the sequel to an original film, but was weirdly also a remake of the classic Cary Grant comedy Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. Along the same lines, Ocean's Twelve was based on an unrelated script first intended as a John Woo project. Can we think of any other examples of a sequel to an original movie starting life as an unconnected film?
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posted by Ian A.T. at 2:39 PM PST - 18 comments
Does anybody know of someplace online I can purchase hot chocolate with extra caffeine in it? Looking online all I can find are a bunch of posts on how much normal hot chocolate has (not much). I'd like a warm caffeinated pick me up without having to drink coffee or tea.
posted by gilsonal at 2:28 PM PST - 16 comments
Just converted a Typepad blog to Wordpress 2.5, now users get a 404 when they try to view single posts (or categories) if they're not logged on as admin... The posts on the homepage show up, but no where else...
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posted by Glendale at 2:13 PM PST - 4 comments
Are the Comcast DVR woes over? Would anyone, today, say that the Comcast DVR with Tivo service works well? I'm moving house and want to set up a new TV and internet package with a Tivo-based DVR. Should I keep what I have or go with something new? Boston area in case it matters to the service.
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posted by galaksit at 1:56 PM PST - 13 comments
When undergoing an ministerial ordination ceremony, is it customary or common for the about-to-be-ordained person to gift the minister who is conveying the ordination?
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posted by anonymous at 1:54 PM PST - 5 comments
I need an XPath expression that will allow me (in XSLT) to compare the value of an XML element in one node with the value of another element in a preceding node.
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posted by dw at 1:47 PM PST - 5 comments
I'd like to make a Windows installer customizable via external parameters (e.g. from an installer.ini file).
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posted by danblaker at 1:34 PM PST - 11 comments
Streaming radio production cost: what is the cost to a local radio station for internet streaming of one program to one listener? Not just the cost of paying the royalty cost of a national program (like Prairie Home Companion}, but the local costs incurred by the station, e.g. servers, software, staff time devoted to webcasting. Bonus question: is it more or less expensive than the cost of downloading a single podcast to a single listener?
posted by bbranden1 at 1:16 PM PST - 6 comments
Tanzania travel. How is the visa validity defined for a UK citizen on a tourist visa?
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posted by Jakey at 12:56 PM PST - 5 comments
Travelling +strangers is better than travelling alone right? Well, that's a dilemma my friend (I swear, it's a friend!) is in this summer as he has time off but none of his friends do. He would like to go to Europe but be a bit social about it. Everyone mentions
Contiki but I want to know if they might have any competitors that people feel are better. Do they?
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posted by skepticallypleased at 12:54 PM PST - 15 comments
Help me find a book about a Chinese businessman mentioned on NPR for my Dad!
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posted by rmless at 12:37 PM PST - 3 comments
Been converting VHS videotapes to digital and now I have boxes of VHS tapes. Is their next destination the landfill? Is there any merit to breaking them up first and finding some recyclability?
posted by mouthnoize at 12:23 PM PST - 5 comments
Help me figure out which satellite provider has the best parental controls, specifically restrictions on time of day.
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posted by drstein at 12:16 PM PST - 6 comments
My bro is graduating from college this month and is asking a lot of financial questions regarding investment/savings/etc. As the first college graduate in the "real world" he's asking me for some advice. I am looking to get him some books that I liked ( by
Dave Ramsey and
Suze Orman ) that have helped me out. I was seeing if there are other tomes of financial wisdom that I should get him for graduation (there are other gifts.. don't worry I'm not that lame;)
posted by aggienfo at 12:10 PM PST - 24 comments
Broken car window, stolen iPod. Yep, I'm a careless idiot. Looking for info on renter's insurance (too little, too late?), potential new generations of iPods, dealing with emotional anxiety after being robbed.
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posted by booknerd at 11:59 AM PST - 23 comments
My HP1200 Laserjet has begun producing very unsatisfactory output - the text is repeated (faded) down the page and there are black marks at regular intervals at the side of the page and at the top.
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posted by dance at 11:43 AM PST - 11 comments
How many times would I have to roll a standard 6-sided die to get a statistically representative view of whether it was truly random or not?
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posted by bugbread at 11:41 AM PST - 9 comments
I have never filed my taxes in Ontario, Canada before. Are there any benefits to doing so even if I have no income to declare?
posted by alse at 11:27 AM PST - 8 comments
An email from one of my wifes co-workers -
"Last night when I picked up [Child], he was playing outside. I mentioned to one of the PT older caregivers that I was going to get him a tricycle and asked if he rode them there. She said no and pointed to the older kids’ side and indicated that they were all over there (these are kids ages 3 on up) and said that the funny thing about the boys is that they sit on the tricycle and try to push it with their feet…and don’t use the pedals. She said EVERY single one of them do that…"
Why? My son does the same thing. He won't use the pedals.
posted by ducktape at 11:17 AM PST - 20 comments
Please recommend a bar in lower Manhattan that is not loud and not crowded.
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posted by Mavri at 10:38 AM PST - 9 comments
Is there any existing software that'll let you view two or more digital video files locked in sync, say for comparing the content/quality against each other?
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posted by estherbester at 10:07 AM PST - 4 comments
Mmmm... cheese. I went to a tapas restaurant the other day and one of the things we ordered was roasted chèvre — essentially a sticky warm blob of goat's milk cheese in a dish. The edges were brown, perhaps caramelized, and it tasted deliciously sweet. How do I make it? And do I need a butane torch to do it?
posted by gentle at 9:44 AM PST - 14 comments
I'm using Microsoft Excel 2003 at work and I need to make a chart where the category (x) axis is the y axis; is there any way of doing this?
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posted by Rustbeard at 9:29 AM PST - 5 comments
My whole next week is basically a big long car ride (band's playin' out!). What kinda manual, car-friendly, non-electric things can I do to keep from losing my sanity? We're talkin' sitting for 5–15 hours at a time, with a few breaks (hah!) when it's my turn to drive.
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posted by Plug Dub In at 9:27 AM PST - 29 comments
Has anyone ever heard of a Windows Server process called "daupbsvc.exe"? This was using a significant amount of processor time on a VMWare Windows 2003 server. Google and Microsoft return no results, as do all of the relevant support forums for the applications that server runs.
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posted by Burhanistan at 9:22 AM PST - 8 comments
So, on Monday I went to move my car, after 4 days of being parked in the same place, only to discover that my front windshield is
all cracked up and I have a lot of questions.
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posted by nooneyouknow at 9:14 AM PST - 21 comments
My mortgage payments are overdue and I have filed paperwork for a loan modification. I just accepted an offer on the condo, and it is due to close on June 26. What is the best way to get clear with the mortgage company before closing?
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posted by hamster at 9:01 AM PST - 5 comments
I can't stop peeing in the middle of the night and its preventing my girlfriend from sleeping well. Is this normal? How do I stop this?
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posted by Elminster24 at 7:34 AM PST - 50 comments
What are some good appreciation gift ideas for a thesis advisor who was kind when the project took far longer than originally planned?
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posted by anonymous at 7:29 AM PST - 10 comments
How do I limit an application to one screen of a dual-screen setup in Mac OS X (Leopard)?
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posted by explosion at 7:02 AM PST - 7 comments
Is there a word that describes a limited world view that originates from North America
and Western Europe?
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posted by roofus at 6:26 AM PST - 21 comments
Looking for particularly good prices online for running shoes, if such exist. Also, general advice on the subject, maybe.
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posted by 2or3whiskeysodas at 6:22 AM PST - 12 comments
At work, we have an extensive amount of applications that are just dumped, seemingly randomly, into various folders on a network share. Is there an application that can scan or index these folders in some way, and present the results in a way that can be sorted by name, date, etc.?
posted by Shakes the Clown at 6:12 AM PST - 7 comments
I have the day to study for AP exams and prepare a presentation. How can I spend it most effectively?
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posted by LSK at 5:24 AM PST - 13 comments
Where should I look for relatively inexpensive short-term accommodation in either Adelaide or Sydney?
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posted by PuGZ at 3:31 AM PST - 2 comments
Seems like I cannot figure out what to do with the 24 hours I'm given. Help me make use of every minute I have by doing positive and fun things, and at the same time, move on from my failed relationship.
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posted by cyanide at 3:26 AM PST - 20 comments
Best way to get reasonably priced flights from Sydney to Scotland and back with a stop off in Bali on the way back?
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posted by singingfish at 3:21 AM PST - 2 comments
How do I automatically create a series of images of sequential numbers?
( 01.jpg shows the number '1', 02.jpg the number '2', etc)
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posted by Grensgeval at 2:22 AM PST - 5 comments
I am using
Belkin N1 Vision wireless router to get access to the internet. I need to expand my wireless network coverage but I am confuse what to buy? Another Router, Switch, or access point?
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posted by omaralarifi at 2:19 AM PST - 5 comments
April 29
I remember reading about a subculture of vhs tapes in a northern African country (Ethiopia?), linked to its traditionally oral culture, a resistance movement, and (possibly) Haile Selassie. But it's all jumbled memories, now. Any helpful pointers?
posted by progosk at 11:52 PM PST - 5 comments
Is the Wendigo purely a Northeast American (and Canadian) myth? If so is there a Northwest equivalent?
posted by Artw at 10:36 PM PST - 15 comments
What's another word for the feeling you get after an all-nighter? It's not euphoria, giddiness, silliness, or simply high..
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posted by hobbes at 10:16 PM PST - 26 comments
How do you get rid of unwanted email address that appear when sending a message in Apple Mail?
This is a picture of what I want to delete. As far as I can tell, there is no way to get rid of the addresses.
posted by alitorbati at 9:24 PM PST - 5 comments
Can anyone show me some articles or books that explain or theorize why gasoline prices are so much more expensive than a decade, two decades ago? I'm a bit dense, so concise is ideal.
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posted by zardoz at 7:24 PM PST - 20 comments
I'm thinking about a career change, and I think my long time interest in anything electrical needs to be acted on. Any electricians out there want to tell me about your day to day duties?
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posted by Jimmeh at 7:19 PM PST - 5 comments
Help me understand quit claim deeds, why they are so prevalent in this particular heavily-foreclosed-upon Washington state neighborhood I am researching, and some other fishy data I have uncovered.
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posted by croutonsupafreak at 6:32 PM PST - 9 comments
[RFID filter] When you add money to an RFID metro card, does the information get stored in the card's chip or in a central database?
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posted by shoesandships at 6:11 PM PST - 4 comments
Question about obscure science fiction short story, "Allegory," by William T. Powers, which was reprinted in Groff Conklin's 13 GREAT STORIES OF SCIENCE FICTION. The question is: what is this story an allegory of? To put it another way, is there some real-world or historical event that this story is a comment on?
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posted by Mr. Justice at 5:56 PM PST - 8 comments
How do those overhead signs on expressways know how fast traffic is moving in order to calculate a travel time estimate? And when the traffic is light, do the estimated times on those signs reflect the legal speed limit or the current speed of the traffic?
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posted by SuperSquirrel at 5:42 PM PST - 15 comments
What are dentures like? What effects do they have on your day to day living? I'm talking full ones here, top and bottom.
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posted by beautifulcheese at 5:31 PM PST - 20 comments
With the internet making it much easier to sell things remotely, how is Ticketmaster still able to virtually monopolize event ticket sales?
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posted by gauchodaspampas at 5:28 PM PST - 16 comments
PB (Pacific Beach) Filter....
I lived in San Diego back in the early 90's and have been told that PB has changed quite a bit. I am wondering how much of this is true. What is PB like these days? When I was there it was full of college students and aging hipsters (a lot of men in their sixties with gray ponytails, etc.). Now, I understand it has become a fashionable place to live and you find a lot of couples, families and it's really changed. Because of the change, supposedly rents have skyrocketed on and on.
How much of this is true? Has it changed all that much?
Bottom line: What is it like living in PB these days?
As always, thanks in advance!
posted by Gerard Sorme at 5:15 PM PST - 7 comments
I ran a creative contest. 17 people submitted. 8 judges each chose their top three, in order of preference. What is the fairest way to rank each entry?
posted by stokast at 5:13 PM PST - 15 comments
[laptopquestionoftheday filter] $750 to buy (my first laptop + shipping) with my boyfriend's paypal or bank account. Your thoughts?
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posted by damnjezebel at 4:57 PM PST - 10 comments
In the Art of Fiction interview in the current
Paris Review, Kazuo Ishiguro says of his father: "He had a Chinese characteristic, which was that he smiled when something bad happened." Is that really considered a Chinese characteristic? Are there other cultures it's commonly associated with?
posted by Cucurbit at 4:06 PM PST - 15 comments
Mail.app question. Two email addresses. I want to reply from address X, whether the original email came to address X or Y. I want this to be automatic.
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posted by provocateur at 3:52 PM PST - 6 comments
Any tips on how to up my chances of getting into a top law school? I'm shooting for UCLA or UC Berkeley.
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posted by tinatiga at 3:39 PM PST - 20 comments
Should I wait for Microsoft to get back to me in regards to my Xbox Community Developer Program (XCDP) application?
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posted by elavender at 3:20 PM PST - 2 comments
My employer is searching for an end-user friendly, drag-n-drop, WYSIWYG webpage editor that is neither a CMS or a web hosting panel. Does something like this exist?
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posted by jmnugent at 2:48 PM PST - 27 comments
Started a new job a week ago, heading to an industry informational panel tomorrow that will provide a huge opportunity for networking. How do I avoid looking like a shmuck when I'm asked a question about my new company and I don't know the answer?
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posted by undercoverhuwaaah at 2:45 PM PST - 8 comments
I'm a university student in search of a grand project to occupy my next year and a bit. Any suggestions?
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posted by snoogles at 2:43 PM PST - 10 comments
Is there such thing as a PCI-X video card that will work in a Mac G5 tower?
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posted by dmd at 2:06 PM PST - 5 comments
How to create a dual-use DVD. Typical menu-driven dvd content for a dvd player, as well as easily-navigate computer accessible file structured content.
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posted by samuel1613 at 2:03 PM PST - 6 comments
My father-in-law asked for an "ipod radio thing that I can listen to at my desk" for his birthday this Friday. So, what's the best iPod desktop dock we can get him for $100 or less?
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posted by (bb|[^b]{2}) at 12:56 PM PST - 11 comments
Who sets how much old and collectible video games are worth? How do they know? (examples with Monkey Island inside)
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posted by lou at 12:45 PM PST - 11 comments
can a typical major retailer tell if you are returning the same exact item that you purchased?
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posted by alkupe at 12:36 PM PST - 19 comments
How to "audit" a linux/oracle system that is administered through a web front end from a windows platform ..
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posted by cantthinkofone at 12:33 PM PST - 6 comments
Friends are canceling a long-awaited vacation because one of them is ill again. She's been sick, on and off, for several years and both were looking forward to a respite in Hawaii, where until 2005 they traveled 2x a year. What can I do to show my love and support?
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posted by stewiethegreat at 12:21 PM PST - 11 comments
I'm constructing an argument in favor of giving the U.S. Civil War a greater emphasis in secondary (High School) education. I'm interested in those events and conditions during and following the Civil War that had profound impacts on U.S. and world history. Obviously, abolition of slavery, the 13-15th Amendments, and restoration of the Union are important. However, I'm sure there are other important and far-reaching effects that many people don't know about...please, enlighten me!
posted by EKStickland at 12:17 PM PST - 25 comments
A dear friend's mother is dying of lung cancer. It's Stage IV metastatic lung cancer that has spread to her brain, bones and lymph nodes. She very much wants her remains to be donated specifically for cancer research and we're having trouble finding out how to do that.
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posted by judith at 11:46 AM PST - 13 comments
I'm looking for websites which document people just getting together and doing weird, quasi-scientific experiments for fun.
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posted by showbiz_liz at 11:42 AM PST - 11 comments
On buying a nice watch: if I go with a local jeweler, the watch I'm after will run me about $900. If I go with an online retailer (or trust someone on the forums at
timezone.com) I can get it for $400 - $600. Aside from the cost difference, what are the pros and cons of each?
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posted by aladfar at 11:36 AM PST - 8 comments
My new boss has allotted me US$3000 and US$1500 for a new desktop and laptop machine, respectively. I'd appreciate some suggestions about what to buy.
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posted by Coventry at 10:44 AM PST - 22 comments
The phrase "high on life" is usually a sarcastic punchline, but a recently I've been wondering: how high exactly
can one get on life? More specifically: if you put your mind to it, how would you take 5 or 6 willing participants and over the course of a few hours, engineer a state of transcendental euphoria? An ecstasy party without MDMA?
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posted by the jam at 10:44 AM PST - 37 comments
What's the best 1-2 yr old 4WD-capable car? Best for us means: fuel economy, reliability, non-behemoth-SUV-ness, aesthetic and reasonable cost (<$25k). Also: any knowledge about Subaru Outbacks and SoCal 4WD dealers.
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posted by lalochezia at 10:36 AM PST - 26 comments
QUICK - I'm voting early in the NC primary, along with the rest of my family. ASIDE FROM THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE, who are the most environmentally friendly NC Democratic Primary candidates?
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posted by DetonatedManiac at 10:30 AM PST - 6 comments
An avid amateur camera bug has a short stay in Oakland CA, including Sunday as a non-work day. Where can I go to take pictures of commercial boats, ships and related operations? Do you have any suggestions for other photo subjects in the Oakland/Berkeley area?
posted by X4ster at 10:29 AM PST - 7 comments
OK. Hiring questions. Is it legal to ask whether an employee can stand for long periods of time if the job demands it?
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posted by bdizzy at 10:23 AM PST - 30 comments
[Austin TX] I'd like to get a pedicure gift certificate for my wife for Mothers' Day. Where in Austin is a good place for a pedicure? I'm looking to spend between $100 and $200 (including tip). Asking anonymously in case my wife checks my activity.
posted by anonymous at 10:10 AM PST - 5 comments
I have a few basic business questions about a trademark and changing the business address when I move. Any advice would be great!
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posted by grablife365 at 10:04 AM PST - 3 comments
One of those "Suicide Girls" has decorated her wall with the antique map of an island. Ignore the tattoos for a moment: which island is shown here?
NSFW Link.
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posted by The Toad at 9:55 AM PST - 5 comments
Should I get an XBox 360 or Playstation 3 to play Grand Theft Auto IV?
posted by plexi at 9:52 AM PST - 19 comments
What are the sales (and other) tax implications of moving an advertising agency / creative services company from Delaware to Pennsylvania?
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posted by visual mechanic at 9:45 AM PST - 1 comments
Sometime in the last year I read an article in a print magazine about Detroit becoming the model sustainable city of the future. Help me find it.
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posted by blapst at 9:09 AM PST - 7 comments
My nephew will soon turn two. What are the awesomest birthday gifts for a two-year-old munchkin? I have a maximum budget of about $50, and I wouldn't mind spending less than that. I would rather get him something thoughtful than something expensive.
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posted by craichead at 9:08 AM PST - 23 comments
My younger brother is starting to look into colleges. He has a knack for (and interest in) math and engineering. However, he is also a
skilled musician(QT) and
photographer. What universities or educational paths would best combine these two interests?
posted by fake at 8:58 AM PST - 22 comments
Is it rare, or just infrequent, to find a river branch whose confluence with a creek or other waterway, causes it to reverse direction?
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posted by skyper at 8:49 AM PST - 8 comments
Help me read people better. What are some ways that you can locate certain personality types or backgrounds based on body language and interaction with the environment?
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posted by sixcolors at 8:47 AM PST - 31 comments
Simple tricks to improve MPG?
For instance, I've thought about removing the rear seats/internal molding to lighten my car. I've also thought about aero-improvements, such as moon-disc wheel covers, or even somehow making a cover over my rear wheel wells. I'll be removing my rear wing this weekend, but what other tweaks could I do?
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posted by raikkohamilonso at 8:21 AM PST - 39 comments
Why are my Firefox privacy settings getting changed every time I exit and restart Firefox?
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posted by lucyleaf at 7:34 AM PST - 4 comments
May, 1968 - Paris
I've scoured the
Wikipedia entry (very helpful), gone over a
few articles and
collections of varying quality
(not bad), and I've seen
"The Dreamers" (a fiction film that touches on it)... Now,
what non-fiction media (book, article, film, photographic collection, etc.) should I consume to have a better understanding of the Parisian Students'/General strike of May, 1968? I'd like to start with the most general, canonical retellings, and then work towards the specific.
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posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 7:34 AM PST - 16 comments
In simplest possible terms, how do I pronounce the Khmer term 'Tonle Sap'
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posted by Fuka at 7:12 AM PST - 5 comments
In "The Happy Isles Of Oceania" Paul Theroux mentions the (alleged) location of the block of flats in Sydney appearing as the home of Jenny Agutter in the film Walkabout. What is that location, and is he right?
posted by Joeforking at 6:36 AM PST - 0 comments
Help me think of how to deal with increasingly severe anxiety problems until the next time I talk to my therapist.
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posted by kldickson at 6:32 AM PST - 21 comments
Help me plan my 30th birthday
Unlike previous ask MeFi's I don't want to go away. I have travelled so much lately that I'm considering staying at home. My birthday is also a holiday (day after Christmas) so it's near impossible to get people together for a party. How can I celebrate this milestone in a low key way, and make it a day to remember?
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posted by wingless_angel at 6:21 AM PST - 6 comments
Can I put a slingbox on a television in Michigan and watch the video in Cincinnati?
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posted by dpx.mfx at 6:12 AM PST - 7 comments
Where can I find accurate, concise information on short-to-medium term technical problems in the data-center/server/colo markets?
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posted by gadha at 5:17 AM PST - 1 comments
The title of the novel also appears in the book as a chapter title. Apparently, there's a name for it. What's it called?
posted by mordecai at 4:49 AM PST - 4 comments
Ok, so I'm traveling to the States from the UK for the first time and I realise that you guys tip pretty much everyone. So I need to know when to tip, who to tip and how much to tip?
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posted by stackhaus23 at 4:37 AM PST - 34 comments
I want to explain clearly and simply why a joke I was told is racist. Embarrasingly, all I can come up with right away is: If the joke needs to perpetuate racial stereotypes in order to be funny, then it's not funny.
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posted by reflecked at 2:43 AM PST - 69 comments
Where can a 21 year old girl go in the Dallas area for free or low cost psychiatric help besides JPS and Parkland?
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posted by holdkris99 at 2:34 AM PST - 5 comments
We are going to Vienna, Salzburg and then Munich for our holidays in the summer. How should we spend our 5th Anniversary in Munich and tips for the other places?
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posted by trashcan at 1:22 AM PST - 9 comments
Recommendations for a good, verbose online thesaurus for wandering through words? thesaurus.com seems to have changed how they serve search results and my working style is screwed.
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posted by Gucky at 12:03 AM PST - 12 comments
April 28
I seem to have a very particular social skills deficit. Can you suggest software that might serve as a kind of brain prosthetic for me?
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posted by Naberius at 11:38 PM PST - 14 comments
How can I reconcile two different and conflicting plans for my future? (long-ish explanation)
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posted by brynna at 10:49 PM PST - 11 comments
There has to be some reputable service that accepts MMS messages from my cell phone and will post my photos to its Web site for free. Right?
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posted by teracloth at 10:23 PM PST - 8 comments
Do you suppose a bottle of vodka is a sufficient thank you for someone who puts together a new computer for you, goes and buys it, loads xp, Office, and whole bunch of other software, then brings it into work with the promise that if I bring in my hd he'll transfer all files over whilst at work? A bottle of vodka?
posted by mattoxic at 9:04 PM PST - 41 comments
I'm about to embark on a PhD in cognitive neuroscience (imaging genetics, to be specific). It's going to be a long 4 years, is keeping a lab notebook going to ease the discomfort?
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posted by doctor.dan at 8:56 PM PST - 18 comments
What is the term for the sentence construction used in this quotation: "time and her aunt moved slowly"?
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posted by sciapod at 8:38 PM PST - 8 comments
Ok, well, it turns out Dollar Rent A Car wants to take me to court for the $1000. (see:
this question) I plan to file in small claims court before they can take me to court because I think that will give me a better chance of winning. However, I only want to discuss who is responsible for the $1000 and not whether or not I was insured at the time. Help!
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posted by hulahulagirl at 8:17 PM PST - 26 comments
Oxygen. In a can. At a convenience store.
Would you try it?
Why or why not?
Is it safe, does it do any real good?
Bonus points: Would it help migraine headaches?
posted by mmf at 8:02 PM PST - 23 comments
I'm going to be doing some pretty extensive travelling next year, and I want to keep my family and friends up to date on my experiences. However, I want to do this in a way that doesn't inform general randoms about my movements... in other words, do password-protected blogs exist?
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posted by Planet F at 7:41 PM PST - 21 comments
I have Photoshop CS3 on a fairly new Macbook and for the last few days it's been running unbearably slowly (it takes around 3 minutes just to save a file). Everything else on the Mac seems to be working fine including Illustrator and Indesign so it must be a problem with Photoshop specifically. I tried reinstalling it but it had no effect, now I'm out of ideas.
posted by Andy Harwood at 6:22 PM PST - 14 comments
I'm asking this one on behalf of my wife:
"How can I get a custom pattern developed/made for a sweater that I want someone to knit for me?"
posted by braveterry at 5:47 PM PST - 7 comments
My friend asked me to be the photographer for his wedding (which pleased me a lot!). As an enthusiastic amateur, what should I know about wedding photography? What photos shouldn't I miss?
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posted by tomble at 5:45 PM PST - 31 comments
How does the caterpillar become the butterfly (why does one part of the chrysalis know to become a leg, and another a wing)? Is it as simple/complicated as the cell division of a human fetus? Does the transformation of this jelly into a butterfly occur from the head down, or all at once? Anyone?
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posted by omnigut at 5:18 PM PST - 13 comments
Looking to find clients who need help with technology in the publishing industry (especially in academic reference and journals).
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posted by nev at 4:52 PM PST - 6 comments
I'm looking for a folding bicycle trailer. That's a trailer that folds up and connects to a bicycle (though it coincidentally will be connected to a folding bicycle, so I guess it's a folding bicycle folding trailer). Anyway, the main thing is that it needs to fold up
really small. Please point me to the smallest, when folded, bicycle trailer you know about. Thanks.
posted by krisjohn at 4:32 PM PST - 6 comments
Aged 65, still working, have 401K, worried about it, can I move the funds to a self directed IRA money market fund?
posted by Freedomboy at 3:33 PM PST - 5 comments
REINCARNATION. Is there any compelling evidence that wouldn't be immediately dismissed by a skeptic?
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posted by Chasuk at 3:26 PM PST - 49 comments
Cairo Filter: I'm working in Egypt this summer for three months and have a few questions.
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posted by ecab at 3:25 PM PST - 7 comments
How can I clean the plastic of a cellphone that has become matte again without ruining it?
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posted by ooklala at 3:21 PM PST - 4 comments
What do pornographers know that we don't? Namely, how to convince people to have sex on camera for not much money?
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posted by penciltopper at 3:05 PM PST - 39 comments
Need a metric/rule-of-thumb for IT staffing. Like, X people on helpdesk for every Y users, X admins per Y servers, etc.
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posted by bartleby at 2:42 PM PST - 8 comments
How can I make Firefox open a link in a background tab, when I press and hold Ctrl, and then click on the link?
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posted by Solomon at 2:33 PM PST - 3 comments
Flash? After effects? Maya? Toon Boom? Something else? I want to make some very simple abstract animation videos. The simplest would be just full screens of solid colors fading slowly into each other. Slightly more complex would be the same full screens of colors fading into each other, but not all at once. That is, maybe start the fade in the center or corner, and slowly leak in the new color. Or another slightly more complex: The screen divided into multiple blocks of different color that slowly fade into other colors. Real simple, slow, mellow stuff. So, what's the right software for that? Thanks!
posted by The Dutchman at 2:19 PM PST - 11 comments
I'm going to Key West for the weekend on Thursday. What do I need to make sure I bring with me? Also looking for some good warm-weather clothing suggestions.
posted by PFL at 1:07 PM PST - 11 comments
I'd like to travel to the US in october and november. Where can I best experience election day?
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posted by lodev at 12:47 PM PST - 17 comments
How can I automate the news searches that I'm performing on the same subjects day after day after day?
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posted by abkadefgee at 12:28 PM PST - 9 comments
My boss and I are both going crazy because I can't sync with her Outlook calendar on my own computer and her Blackberry won't sync with her Outlook. If she tries to download her new schedule to the Blackberry, it will erase her schedule on the hand-held instead! Help!!
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posted by parmanparman at 12:17 PM PST - 4 comments
Has anyone had any success using Saferentals.com? I came across their list for NYC and their listings seems too good to be true. I'd love to hear what the hive mind have to say and your experiences with this site. Thanks.
posted by flxyp at 12:16 PM PST - 7 comments
I want a
rotary clothesline for my back yard. But the area in which I want to put it has concrete laid down already, so I'd like the clothesline to be freestanding rather than slotted into concrete as such clothesline usually are. Where can I find a freestanding rotary clothesline? I need to be able to either buy it in Toronto or have it shipped there.
posted by orange swan at 12:09 PM PST - 11 comments
I keep losing the same buckle filling again and again. Should I just suck it up and tell my dentist to give me a cap instead?
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posted by Unicorn on the cob at 12:09 PM PST - 7 comments
Grand Rapids DoctorFilter: I need to find a (cheap) psychiatrist/doctor in or near Grand Rapids, Michigan. Have you or someone you know been to one that you could recommend?
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posted by silkygreenbelly at 12:09 PM PST - 1 comments
I love
Chili's salsa, it isn't full of chunks of veggies like the salsas I've tried in the store (and I think I've tried them all). Last night I went to
On The Border and found out I liked their salsa even better. A similar consistency, but spicier and with some cilantro.
What kind of salsa am I looking for (ordering online is fine, or brick and mortar in metro NY) that is most similar to these two?
posted by Brian Puccio at 11:40 AM PST - 15 comments
Dental-insurance-filter: I'm a grad student who has the option of paying for better insurance starting next fall. If I opt for full coverage, will my insurance refuse to pay for procedures already suggested on my chart?
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posted by electric_counterpoint at 11:35 AM PST - 3 comments
When two or more parties split the check at a restaurant, is there some kind of etiquette about matching the tips? (USA)
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posted by HarryS at 11:02 AM PST - 26 comments
DVR watching in a different room. Our DirectTV DVR is in the basement family room, but I would like to watch shows that I've recorded late at night while I'm laying in bed on the second floor.
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posted by worker_bee at 10:59 AM PST - 4 comments
Give me your best guess for what 3rd year associates make in small (1-10 person) for-profit firms in DC?
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posted by n'muakolo at 10:43 AM PST - 6 comments
I’ve just finished reading The Now Habit, an incredibly useful and inspiring book on overcoming procrastination. What’s the best approach to implementing and then retaining the strategies presented in this, or any other, book?
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posted by mizrachi at 9:42 AM PST - 9 comments
What are the specifics of "Cash Gifting"? All I can figure out is that it is a rip-off Ponzi scheme, but I can't find any specifics.
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posted by bensherman at 9:42 AM PST - 12 comments
Recommendation for professional 35mm slide scanning services, either through the mail or in the Washington D.C. metro area. Best recommendation for extremely long term archival storage of slides. About 400-500 slides.
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posted by Pastabagel at 9:41 AM PST - 7 comments
I live in the Southeastern US and I want to travel to New Zealand for a while (or permanently). The catch is that I'm pretty phobic of flying. I've done it many times around the US, but never for such a long flight. Is there a way to travel by boat (or mostly by boat) from the US to New Zealand? I have heard people say one can get temporary jobs or stay on freighters delivering cargo, but my google-fu is clearly not good enough.
posted by grahamux at 9:28 AM PST - 8 comments
Is there a word or a phrase, other than the too-broad "understand," for when a listener understands what someone else is trying to convey even when the speaker doesn't express it clearly and/or correctly?
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posted by amyms at 9:23 AM PST - 31 comments
Need recommendations for portable hard drives. The reviews on newegg and amazon are too rah rah or doomsday.
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posted by spicynuts at 9:08 AM PST - 29 comments
What is the first question people ask when you tell them what you do? Are there common misconceptions or generalizations that people make? How do you tactfully and/or humorously correct them?
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posted by iamkimiam at 9:02 AM PST - 156 comments
Within the RSS feedreader Bloglines, is there a simple method to keep track of which feeds have been most valuable?
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posted by chase at 8:46 AM PST - 2 comments
Do American institutions of higher education collectively grant more doctorates annually in the arts and humanities than in the "hard" sciences (that is, biology, chemistry, physics, and for this discussion, mathematics)?
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posted by Prospero at 8:19 AM PST - 6 comments
Questions about character and fitness standards for bar admission. Are they going to let me be a lawyer?
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posted by anonymous at 8:18 AM PST - 36 comments
Please help me become more genuinely modest and less arrogant... without being too self deprecating.
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posted by anonymous at 8:18 AM PST - 28 comments
I'm a graduate student. My advisor asked me to do a favor for a researcher and clean his data for him and put it into SPSS from Excel. Upon looking at the data, I realized that it was totally screwed up. What can I do now?
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posted by anonymous at 8:18 AM PST - 13 comments
Pair of mid-20s friends looking for a place to stay in Barcelona in early June. I've read up a bit on the neighborhoods and it sounds like the popular, touristy area is near Las Ramblas. However, many of the modern tourist attractions are farther to the northeast. Help!
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posted by junesix at 8:14 AM PST - 11 comments
trying to remember a book about an urban teenager with acting/dramatic talent who moves to rural Oregon. He invents a gangster past history for himself to impress the local kids, who then take it upon themselves to become 'gangsta'. The title is something like 'And The Shadows Overtook Him', but Google does nothing.
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posted by flowerofhighrank at 8:12 AM PST - 2 comments
Is there a way to open a German bank account while I'm still in the US, in anticipation of a several-month period abroad?
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posted by foxy_hedgehog at 8:02 AM PST - 12 comments
I have a 2003 BMW 325i. There is a sticker on my windshield warning me that aftermarket electronics (and cell phones) may interfere with the car's electronic system.
For real? The dealer says they cannot install the factory iPod interface (it's only for 2004 and later). My fiance has a 2006 BMW X3 with the factory-installed iPod interface and I am insanely jealous. DO WANT.
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posted by desjardins at 7:39 AM PST - 8 comments
CompilerFilter: I've got an old project that was written with Borland C++ 5.0 for Windows. I've been tasked with porting this project to Visual Studio 2005. Easy way to do this?
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posted by jozxyqk at 7:35 AM PST - 2 comments
My sister and I would like to take our mom out for dinner on Mother's Day. My sister is moving to Des Moines that day, and doesn't know anything about the area yet. My parents will be coming out to help with the moving, and I'll be making the trip as well, but the morning is going to be filled with driving a moving truck, so we'd like to do dinner. Any suggestions on a nice, interesting place to take her? We're open on cuisines.
posted by chriswarren at 6:36 AM PST - 8 comments
I have this money-making idea in mind, and I wanted to test its potential viability and profitability with some of you who may know more about banking and credit cards...
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posted by Christ, what an asshole at 6:27 AM PST - 15 comments
Friends and I saw
Darkon this weekend. Given that many of us (not me) are historians, the question was, "What happened next?" (spoilers)
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posted by kalessin at 5:57 AM PST - 6 comments
This question is only for people who went to public school in the United States. Did you receive any financial education there, and if so, what?
posted by Laugh_track at 5:18 AM PST - 87 comments
Diesel generator question: What is the typical fuel consumption rate of a 5kW, 10kW or 20kW unit at various load factors? How much does this vary (in litres per hour, or per day) between the same sizes of unit from different manufacturers?
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posted by thewalrus at 4:51 AM PST - 2 comments
Help me find music about music! What are some songs about music, it's culture, etc.? Songs like The VU's Rock & Roll, Joni Mitchell's Woodstock, Billy Joel's It's Still Rock and Roll to Me, etc...
posted by zenja72 at 4:43 AM PST - 71 comments
How can I create lighting in my room that simulates the patterns made when the sunlight shines through a tree?
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posted by bchaplin at 3:50 AM PST - 20 comments
Can you guys please translate these sentences into Thai for me?
They're (paraphrased) excerpts from
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
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posted by Taksi Putra at 1:15 AM PST - 1 comments
April 27
Why was NASA made to destroy all copies of the Saturn 5 rocket plans before funding of the space shuttle was approved?
posted by micklaw at 11:31 PM PST - 7 comments
I haven't done any work yet, but I swear I will soon - (how) do I tell my thesis advisor?
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posted by jacalata at 10:24 PM PST - 20 comments
Highly technical hard drive filter: My hard drive failed. Came home, and PC was sitting at the "where's my hard drive" BIOS screen, to my great horror.
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posted by gjc at 10:15 PM PST - 9 comments
I've decided to give away my economic stimulus check to a variety of charities and foundations. I'm trying to locate a particular charity which provided financial support to blues musicians in need of assistance with food, medical bills, home repairs, burial expenses, etc. I've located the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and it seems wonderful, but I do not think this is the organization I am looking for. I don't know much more except that I believe the org I am looking for was founded by one person and more recently than the R&B Foundation.
I have lots of ideas for general donations but I'm looking to do something in this niche, so suggestions of any groups providing assistance to out of luck musicians would be great as well...
posted by rollbiz at 8:49 PM PST - 16 comments
I'm looking for advertisements from both sides of the Gun Control issue that use current events to push their agendas.
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posted by cyphill at 8:34 PM PST - 1 comments
Can I park my motorcycle on a sidewalk (not obstructing pedestrian passage) in Oakland, California?
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posted by arnicae at 8:21 PM PST - 24 comments
Help me remember this painting! The subject is three people in a cafe or club. One (a soldier I think) is checking out a woman across the room. She in turn is checking out another man who happens to be checking out the first. If I recall correctly, a green light is shining down on at least one of the subjects, the gay man. This was possibly painted in Weimar Germany, but I could be wrong. The style certainly fits into that time period. Thank you metafilter.
posted by munchingzombie at 7:56 PM PST - 5 comments
I have this white/cream dress made out of a viscose lace. I just discovered a faint stain of what I think is coffee or tea or something.
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posted by mooza at 7:16 PM PST - 7 comments
Spoiler inside for "Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay". Who was that one actor?
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posted by amtho at 7:11 PM PST - 12 comments
I have a particular propriety database application that has a great feature for users to document notes and changes to the db. Annotated screenshot
here.
Basically, you click on the little yellow sticky note and the documentation window pops up and users can enter notes about changes, etc. Its so useful I would like to use it all the time.
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posted by buttercup at 6:58 PM PST - 3 comments
Holiday Ideas - Hopefully about a week for 1 - 2 grand (Australian dollars) for 12 people. Can't do cruise.
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posted by thelloydshow at 6:48 PM PST - 4 comments
I think that the online tax service I used has messed up the New York State taxes for *anyone* who filed from New York City or Yonkers. Now what do I do? (sorry, long)
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posted by unknowncommand at 6:38 PM PST - 8 comments
Can you think of any comedy sketches or scenes where a single character uses repeated backhanded compliments directed towards others for comedic effect? That is, scenes where the comedy comes from the secondary character not being sure whether they were just insulted or praised and not knowing how to respond. I'm thinking of something along the lines of SNL, Kids in the Hall or Monty Python sketches, but I am open to any such examples.
posted by iamisaid at 6:36 PM PST - 11 comments
I have lately been hooked on
Glengarry Glen Ross and
The Big Kahuna, small casts with stellar scripts and casting. What other dialogue-heavy films in this vein should I be watching?
posted by porn in the woods at 6:26 PM PST - 60 comments
Low-tech repair help needed. I have acquired a Royal Quiet De Luxe manual typewriter (The World's First Truly Modern Portable Typewriter!). The booklet has a 1948 copyright date. The cord that pulls the carriage is broken, though, and I'm not sure exactly how to thread a replacement one. Does anybody have one of these typewriters who could take a photo of the back, or otherwise instruct me?
posted by fish tick at 6:21 PM PST - 2 comments
I am desperate to find the title of a song I know little about. Could someone please take a minute of their day/evening to help me identify this song? It would be greatly appreciated.
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posted by repoman at 6:01 PM PST - 7 comments
I'm starting a new job as a telephone concierge at a Brand-new upscale retail/housing establishment in Glendale, CA next week—can you help me get my ear to the ground?
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posted by carsonb at 6:00 PM PST - 7 comments
How may one obtain access to a web site, or ownership of the domain, of someone who had recently died?
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posted by brandnew at 5:39 PM PST - 4 comments
My dog loves dried sweet potato chews. They go for $20 a bag in the pet store even though the only ingredients are potatoes. It must be that I can make them at home for the cost of a potato. Do I need a fancy food dehydrator or can I just cut the potatoes up into thick pieces and put my oven on 200F for a many hours? Anyone have a specific recipe or experience making them?
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posted by about_time at 5:28 PM PST - 16 comments
I'm looking for software or a service that allows me to plan balanced meals that are free of acid reflux triggers.
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posted by komilnefopa at 5:06 PM PST - 0 comments
I am interested in taking an extended (6 months-ish) period off work, unpaid, with the intention of resuming my current job after that time, and am looking for advice in successfully broaching the subject with my employer, a smallish firm in Canada. Have you done this? Has an employee of yours done this? Any tips?
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posted by anonymous at 4:48 PM PST - 8 comments
How do I tweak the Call of Cthulhu RPG such that my players do not go splat like bugs on the windshield while the Great Old Ones play Hogs of the Road along the chilly reaches of the Milky Way with some kind of fantastical, black-glittering Durango 95?
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posted by adipocere at 3:42 PM PST - 17 comments
I am researching the growing occurence of pay-what-you-can, or pay-what-you-think-the-meal-was-worth restaurants. There are several operating both domestically and internationally, as explained
here. In light of the
Radiohead giveaway, the concept has been getting increasing, positive press.
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posted by CollectiveMind at 3:13 PM PST - 12 comments
I'm having problems being unable to cry and produce tears, and it's really getting annoying. Help me
turn on the water.
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posted by StrikeTheViol at 3:09 PM PST - 9 comments
While I know there can only ever be a woolly answer to this question, can anyone point to state-of-the-web information detailing how many blogs are actively maintained, and what percentage of blogs that is?
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posted by davemee at 1:34 PM PST - 1 comments
Going to Disneyland in 20 days with a friend. Any advice on how to make the most of my trip?
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posted by JamesJD at 1:09 PM PST - 32 comments
Instead of getting a DJ for our wedding, I'm thinking of hiring an iTunes operator -- someone with some knowledge of music and iTunes who can fire up pre-created playlists at the right time, adjust sound levels, troubleshoot problems etc. Has anyone tried this? Any tips? (And does anyone know anyone in the Wilmington NC area who might be interested in such a gig?)
posted by davidfg at 12:38 PM PST - 26 comments
What is the original origin and exact wording of the quote that goes to the effect: "If you have to eat a bullfrog, don't look at it for too long. If you have to eat two bullfrogs, eat the biggest/ugliest one first"?
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posted by internet!Hannah at 12:28 PM PST - 3 comments
I have trouble keeping up with the big political news on television. So I use the clips on
crooksandliars.com as a way of staying on top of what the current political stories are and how they are being discussed. What I don't like is the editorializing. It's not that I disagree with all their takes, I just find that the way they push their agenda distracts from what I am trying to get from the site. Is there another blog that can keep me up to date with the current television news cycle that is a bit more unbiased? Specifically one that includes video clips of the pundit discussions?
posted by aburd at 11:20 AM PST - 14 comments
We've got a tiny patch of dirt in our back yard and want to grow edible stuff. We're not that serious, just mostly goofing off. What could we grow out there using existing foodstuffs? By that, I mean, we want to grow green onions, for example. Can we just grab a few green onions from the fridge, cut off the bottom, and plant those?
Are there any other simple-to-grow foodstuffs we should consider?
We're in Southern California, but the patch of dirt only gets direct sunlight maybe 1-2 hours a day.
posted by edjusted at 10:57 AM PST - 22 comments
Have you seen blog threads where commenters seem not to have read the initial post, and are way off topic? I'm seeking more examples of this for my dissertation research. Looking for blogs which have garnered comments similar to those mentioned on the earlier MeFi threads
Tuesdays with Maury,
Jeremy Jordan Loves
Demon Dogs, and
How Hawkish. Basically, commenters show up and start commenting as if they haven't read the original post at all, and they don't seem to have any idea what the discussion is about. In many cases they seem to think they're talking to a celebrity, or they are just seeking information in the wrong place.
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posted by gusandrews at 10:49 AM PST - 24 comments
I am looking for a large volume external hard drive. 1tb or more. I hear that drives of that size are not yet reliable. I will be digitizing my music collection and want to store it on a reliable drive. Any recommendations or experiences? Also how can I take care of this drive so it will last forever or almost forever?
posted by citybuddha at 10:43 AM PST - 14 comments
Shopping for a heart rate monitor
which includes an interval timer -
this is the cheapest Timex ($78),
this is cheapest Suunto ($115) and
this is the cheapest Polar ($140). Does anyone have experience of any of these, or have other recommendations to offer?
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posted by forallmankind at 10:42 AM PST - 4 comments
I backordered an expiring domain name with its current registrar, but someone else got it. Does/should its registrar (& thus by extension, me) have had first dibs on it, if its owner let it expire?
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posted by niloticus at 10:30 AM PST - 3 comments
First-time bird owner, wants something that is relatively easy to maintain, and has a pleasant song.
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posted by aleahey at 10:14 AM PST - 10 comments
Teen daughter wants to go to California for 16th birthday. It will be a Mother/Daughter getaway. Of course I don't want to break the bank or use the college fund for a trip (not that she would mind). She likes shopping, site-seeking and staying in nice hotel rooms. We''ll probably do 4 days or so.
I'm thinking San Francisco. Any hotel and/or activities recommendations?
posted by sandra194 at 9:45 AM PST - 20 comments
Problem: OSX to Windows direct-wired ethernet connection works, but the Mac can't see the shared PC drives.
The PC and the Mac are both normally on wifi but the Mac's Airport is turned off now. Both machines have manual addresses set on their ethernet NICs, with direct CAT5 cable between the two; PC = 10.0.0.1/255.255.255.0; Mac=10.0.0.2/255.255.255.0. (The cable isn't a crossover, because OSX now manages that.)
Ping works in both directions (i.e. from either machine to the other.)
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posted by airplain at 9:45 AM PST - 18 comments
What is the best/cheapest way to get shots / spay and neuter 4 kittens and a mother cat in Toronto? No father to worry about... he left shortly after the young ones were born.
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posted by ndicecco at 9:34 AM PST - 4 comments
I'm a 35 yr old female, 5'6", 120lbs, in good general shape (walk loads, work out) who has never been able to achieve a single-push up. It's a key move to many of the workouts I want to do, but most strength-building programs assume that even the weakest can do at least one. What should I do?
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posted by geekgirl397 at 8:25 AM PST - 32 comments
QUESTION: The DMV form wants me to indentify injured persons - should I report the other party as injured because the insurance company has told me about their injury claim?
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posted by anonymous at 8:23 AM PST - 6 comments
Who are some famous athletes who are Scientologists? There are plenty of actors who I hear about being Scientologists but rarely an athlete.
posted by josher71 at 6:28 AM PST - 6 comments
Final half-marathon preparations: I'm signed up for the
Sydney Half-Marathon (my first ever!) on May 18th, and I've just got a couple questions as I enter these last few weeks of preparations. Do I need to start investigating energy gels or GUs or something? And is this a *really* bad time to get new shoes? I'm getting a bit jittery so I'd be grateful for any wisdom and advice from the MeFi running contingent...
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posted by web-goddess at 5:31 AM PST - 18 comments
What is the literary or legal term for a second will that suddenly appears after someone has died, in addition to one that had been taken to be the real one?
posted by cogneuro at 4:31 AM PST - 8 comments
Help me identify the classical musical piece used as an introduction to a wildlife series shown on French TV (more inside)
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posted by Auden at 4:05 AM PST - 2 comments
UK Based question
A company have offered me a job, want references to prove I used to be self employed.
They have asked to speak to my accountant.
This is a problem, because my accountant is a family relative who does them as a favour and has only been working on the accounts for the last 6 months.
I used to be a sole trader ship, but when the IT contracting laws changed in 2007 I had to create an LTD. Before then I used a Managed service company for my contracts instead, so its a little complicated.
Does anyone know what sort of questions or evidence a Companies HR department is likely to ask of my accountant?
posted by complience at 2:31 AM PST - 5 comments
I am in the market for some new anti-virus software and possibly a new router. Any recommendations?
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posted by Brandon1600 at 12:56 AM PST - 14 comments
April 26
This is a 3rd party question and as such I am looking more for general information than specific help. It has to do with the military's policy on being gay while serving.
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posted by edgeways at 10:53 PM PST - 13 comments
Inspired by
this thread; has anyone every hired an architect? How do you do it? What sorts of things should I be looking for? How do I go about finding one that specializes in "weird". (By weird I mean, not your standard mcmansion floor plan.) What do architects charge to design a building. And do they oversee the building process as a rule, or no?
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posted by dejah420 at 10:52 PM PST - 16 comments
I'm starting to lift weights, and my goal is simply to look as good as possible with my clothes on. What kind of exercises should I focus on?
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posted by lunchbox at 10:29 PM PST - 10 comments
I heard this great soul/funk song that was slightly psychedelic on Baltimore radio the other day. All I can remember is that the song featured lyrics about coming home at 5 A.M. I must track down this jam.
The DJ kept talking about the Persuasions before the song, but after listening to that band I've realized the DJ was borderline full of shit.
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posted by quelindo at 10:10 PM PST - 4 comments
I'm a single 25 year old male staying in Singapore for a couple of days in June I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for cheap places to stay?
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posted by dohmer at 9:29 PM PST - 6 comments
What is the FireFox add-on Media Agent plugin? It is taking a lot of memory, and I don't recall installing it. What do I need this for?
posted by waywardgirl at 9:21 PM PST - 2 comments
I read an article in a women's magazine quite a few years ago where the singer kd Lang was being interviewed. In the article she mentions a state of mind where you embrace change (in general) and look for new experiences ... or something close to that. Not sure I have it completely right. I have searched the entire Internet, it seems, and can't find any reference.
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posted by robinrs at 9:13 PM PST - 7 comments
I often eat at a couple of few different pakistani restaurant and have noticed they both play pretty much the same songs in the restaurant. Rather than ask the restaurant staff, I'm asking metafilter: Is there a common list of songs popularly played at these establishments? What are the songs that would be in such a list?
posted by mulligan at 8:37 PM PST - 6 comments
{Hipster,Scenester}filter: What's up with all of the kids on fixed gear bikes these days? And why don't they wear helmets?
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posted by virga at 7:58 PM PST - 60 comments
I am going to a wedding in Lahore, Pakistan this August (I am an American) and staying with the groom's family. I will probably be in Islamabad as well, and will be staying with another friend's family. What places are safe to visit while I am there? I know Baluchistan, Waziristan and the territories are right out, but are places like Karachi unsafe? I would like to see the northern areas of Pakistan, like Gilgit and Hunza, but I am having a hard time getting real advice on whether I should be worried for my safety there.
posted by Falconetti at 7:12 PM PST - 8 comments
My Dell XPS M1710 required a complete windows re-install (XP SP2 Media Centre). All went swimmingly (if not labouriously) until I went to re-install other programs. My 110Gb hard disk now only has 2 Gb free. Where are the the other 95Gb and how do I get access to it?
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posted by dangerousdan at 6:59 PM PST - 12 comments
What can I do to prevent a toilet falling through my ceiling and crushing me, and how do I finagle the end of this (literal) mess?
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posted by Madamina at 6:51 PM PST - 22 comments
I am looking for alarmclock that would let me record a note for a certain day/time with options for repeating at same time next week or a freeware program that does the same. If anyone has seen something similar let me know google has failed me for the first time :( i would prefer it not cost a ton of money
posted by quseio at 6:39 PM PST - 9 comments
The AC Adapter for my laptop (Dell Inspiron B120) just crapped out. Where in Houston can I find a replacement for a decent price?
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posted by nimsey lou at 6:32 PM PST - 9 comments
I am thinking of installing a metal roof. I am in central New England. My present shingled roof has a 3½" to 12 pitch and is rated for up to 30 pounds per square foot. This winter The roof had to be shoveled on a regular basis. I am both worried that with heavy repeated snows my home is at risk for structural damage and I suspect that this 30 PSF rating is not a real world figure. I also have a problem with heavy snow blocking the combustion air for my furnace which is built into the furnace stack. Would a dark colored metal roof with such a shallow pitch be self clearing under heavy snow?
posted by Raybun at 5:55 PM PST - 5 comments
Can you recommend a tax attorney in Washington State? Business taxes (Department of Revenue), specifically - but any tax attorney you've had good experience with would be appreciated!
posted by whitelight at 5:52 PM PST - 0 comments
Alternative to T61p? I'm looking for a laptop that is highly reliable, has a good graphics card and lots of storage.
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posted by Popcorn at 5:42 PM PST - 19 comments
I'll be in downtown Toronto early next week with some free time - what are the best bookstores downtown for browsing?
posted by storybored at 5:38 PM PST - 15 comments
Google Earth 4.3 added a new feature called
Sunlight where one can simulate the lightning on different parts of the world depending on the local time. As you know, the amount of lightning depends a lot on the date (sun is "higher" during Summer and much "lower" during Winter). The thing is I can't find any way to change the date in the Google Earth interface.
As a workaround I can change my computer clock date, and this does have an effect, but I was wondering if anybody managed to get this done directly within Google Earth.
posted by V-Turn at 4:58 PM PST - 3 comments
I am a little out of sorts sorting out my life as it is.
Please give me some advice
on how I should go about life in my thirties.
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posted by rawwell at 4:35 PM PST - 23 comments
(Electronics) Is Static Electricity frying my garage door opener, and can a partial Faraday Cage protect it?
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posted by coffeefilter at 4:22 PM PST - 3 comments
Arrrgh Filter: How do I deal with isolation and the fear that I'll be trapped in a situation I don't like?
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posted by Phalene at 4:01 PM PST - 27 comments
India first-timer seeking general suggestions and recomendations for first few night's lodging in Delhi.
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posted by Rash at 3:29 PM PST - 12 comments
I have just bought a Flip Ultra but the included compression software to make large video files email or YouTube ready is unbelievably slow. I'm on a PC, running XP. Can you recommend any third party compression software?
posted by lometogo at 1:54 PM PST - 7 comments
I'm looking for a particular magazine article. It was about how chef's use uncommon ingredients to separate their food from what home cooks are generally capable of. Not ingredients that are prominently featured on the menu. The little dash of this or that which the diner can't identify. The article seemed to suggest that the ingredients were a crutch or a cheat at least in some instances. Finally, one secret ingredient was something that the chef drizzles over (raw?) fish.
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posted by stuart_s at 1:14 PM PST - 14 comments
Yet another jobfilter question: any advice for a 22 year old with a graduate degree looking for one year of 'productive' employment?
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posted by farishta at 1:05 PM PST - 12 comments
Can you get big muscularly by lifting lower weight with high reps?
I have been working out on and off in my life as a way to gain weight. I'm a guy with a fast metabolism, very lean and muscular. In college I was able to put on some decent weight and bulk by eating lots and also lifting very heavy weights for low reps. Usually about 4-8 reps max. This is the conventional wisdom amongst weightlifters. However, I met a guy recently who was reallly bulked up and told me he managed to get that way by actually doing the reverse. He said he would do lower weight and aim for 3 sets of 30 reps and thats what got him that way. He was also very lean when he started. This is completley against what is taught by so many. Does anyone have any feedback on this? Can this work?
posted by postergeist at 12:45 PM PST - 14 comments
I've had tremendous luck polling all tens of thousands of you MeFites about literature, so here goes again.
The Catcher in the Rye: Can anyone recommend any short stories, poems, or essays that would complement the themes of alienation, coming of age, general phoniness of us adults, etc.? Thanks!
posted by John of Michigan at 12:21 PM PST - 28 comments
What is an appropriate birthday gift to give to someone you've only just started dating?
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posted by blithely at 10:59 AM PST - 29 comments
My parents haven't filed income tax returns for many years. I'm worried that the CCRA is going to come knocking. What's the best approach to getting them "legal" again?
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posted by anonymous at 10:40 AM PST - 17 comments
Accountant Filter: I'm a taxation student, working on a theoretical 1065 Return of Partnership Income (real tax return, theoretical situation). I've got a gain on the sale of a building that is a related-party transaction...
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posted by Incognita at 10:22 AM PST - 1 comments
High-efficiency gas furnace installed where previously there was mid-efficiency. So it vents straight out the wall while the old furnace used the chimney. The vent is right next to the sandbox. How bad is this?
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posted by winston at 9:50 AM PST - 6 comments
I want to take an Excel spreadsheet and just make it a dynamically sortable table I can put in a webpage or blog. I want people to be able to click a column, and have the table be sorted by that column. Best solutions? Also, if the table included locations, is it possible to make them selectable, and have the selected locations display on Google maps? Thanks.
posted by Malad at 9:01 AM PST - 5 comments
Is it worth the time and effort to attempt to get a third-party collect call removed from my phone bill?
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posted by dr_dank at 8:52 AM PST - 6 comments
Can you identify the painting (or artist) that hangs over the mantle in Cate Blanchett's character's house in Notes On a Scandal?
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posted by lndl at 8:26 AM PST - 2 comments
What's the French-language equivalent, dialogue-wise, of
The West Wing? Witty, erudite, and fun dialogue is the only requirement. The series/movie being any good would also be nice. Either TV or movies would be fine.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 7:45 AM PST - 6 comments
So I am considering venturing away from Windows for a second (and cheap) computer. I don't need anything hefty...just something to run Firefox, play music, hold pictures...basics. I am thinking about testing the waters with either a
Zonbu system or the
Everex gPC2 TC2512. Any advice on this or experience with either? Other ideas? Thanks.
posted by pazoozoo at 5:49 AM PST - 10 comments
Is it the fog from getting older, or is it something else?
As I've gone through the years (late 30s), I can clearly feel myself getting less brainy... by that, I mean that I'm not putting together things as quickly as I once did. I'm also less creative, and overall, I feel less verbose and articulate.
I've had some really stressful years, both workwise and otherwise. I don't *think* I'm depressed or overly anxious (in our 30s, we all have a bit of the anxiety, right?).
So, is this normal? Do others have the same "brain fog?" If you do, shout it out. If you did, and you fixed it, I'd love to hear your secrets.
posted by anonymous at 5:47 AM PST - 36 comments
A friend of mine's just bought a wizard-shaped bong, and it needs a name. Ideally the name would include some grandoise title, like "Archmage". Suggestions? Bonus points for Dungeons and Dragons references.
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 3:51 AM PST - 40 comments
How do I bypass Windows XP's digital camera photo download tool? Or to be more precise, how do I treat my Canon IXUS 75 as a card reader?
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posted by aqueousdan at 3:11 AM PST - 6 comments
April 25
Did I totally mess up by meticulously preparing our yard with a tracter/box blade, spending days removing rocks and debres, planting 50 pounds of Fescue seed, thereafter covering it with 23 bails of straw, and watering it almost daily, but completely skipping the part about raking the seed into the soil? 7 days and counting.
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posted by passtehbrainz at 9:15 PM PST - 15 comments
Are there any materials I could use to make a book that would chemically react to the reader's touch in a way that changes the appearance of the page or cover?
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posted by moift at 7:21 PM PST - 15 comments
What are the best things to do/see in Ottawa and Montreal from June 26th to June 30th (I do realize that I am just missing the amazing Canada Day activities in Ottawa but can't help it).
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posted by saradarlin at 7:11 PM PST - 6 comments
Our home builder installed cat6 network cable for me as a favor, but now that we've moved in, a cable tester now reports it as shorting out. Wires 5&6 are shorting. I guess they treated the cable too roughly. Does anyone have any advice for me on using the old cable to pull new cable through the walls to the second floor? If I was to install a messenger cable for future pulls at the same time, what should I use for that?
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posted by Jupiter Jones at 7:02 PM PST - 11 comments
Do any fast food places have wide bendy straws? Where can I find them outside a hospital ASAP?
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 6:43 PM PST - 16 comments
help me find carnivals in San Diego - not just right now, but in general.
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posted by gcat at 6:40 PM PST - 1 comments
Seeking hard stats on how much of the wealthy population is genuinely rich (owns outright solid assets, stocks, cash, gold, real estate) as opposed to living rich (owns much of above but with borrowed money). I'm curious as to how many people living on, say, Fifth Avenue or in Atherton or Greenwich can actually afford it and how many are simply spinning plates on borrowed time, borrowed money, and a (for now) high income. (Time will tell, of course, and perhaps sooner rather than later, but I'm curious
now.) Many thanks.
posted by IndigoJones at 6:20 PM PST - 18 comments
What are your experiences in taking Chinese as a language in college? How difficult is it really and did you learn enough for it to be useful?
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posted by hazyspring at 6:07 PM PST - 19 comments
I landed a great job in the San Francisco bay area, sweet! But I'm only 22, and all the roommate-wanted listings on craigslist seem to feature people in their late 20s to 30s. Am I wasting their/my time applying to them?
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posted by patr1ck at 5:52 PM PST - 17 comments
Is there a (free) application/widget/method to automate the process of retrieving academic articles from university's online access to journals?
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posted by norabarnacl3 at 5:51 PM PST - 8 comments
Brooklyn urgent: I'm at Peter Luger and they lost my 3 week old reservation. If i decide not to wait for 1 hour, where do i go for a good eat around here?
posted by AnyGuelmann at 5:48 PM PST - 8 comments
MajorDomesticDebateFilter : What is up? She says jig. I say gig. Google is undecided.
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posted by vizsla at 5:39 PM PST - 39 comments
I'm preparing an exposition (a talk) for a class about blogs in general and their use in education. What should I include on it? Resources and research about the topic would be very helpful.
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posted by Memo at 5:26 PM PST - 4 comments
We are building a low-cost video confernecing system in out conference room, and I am looking for recommendations for iChat/Skype webcams and microphones.
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posted by baggers at 3:20 PM PST - 2 comments
OK, so it's getting warmer and acne is making its annual reappearance. On my butt. How do I get rid of it??
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posted by anonymous at 2:48 PM PST - 14 comments
Please help me find an guide to dealing with Americans that deals with how Americans take criticism.
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posted by lore at 2:08 PM PST - 10 comments
VideoFilter: I have a ton of .mpg video files out of my camcorder. I would like to join them together as one file. It doesn't work using the copy command, I'm assuming because of embedded file data that messes up the indexes within the video footage.
Is there a program that will take them and join them together quickly? I don't want to edit them, just join them. So far the only options I've found is to import them all to Avid or Vegas and let it re-render it as a whole which takes forever. The second option was some cheesy software I found that did it but it also took 30 minutes for 10 minutes of footage to join, which seems ridiculous. Does anyone in out there have a blackbelt in video-fu and can help me?
posted by damiano99 at 2:03 PM PST - 18 comments
i'm about to embark on a document-imaging and archiving project. i have dozens of handwritten notebooks, a 7 megapixel camera, tripod, macbook, and large external drive. is iphoto going to be useful for this? (or sketchy i may use a separate iphoto library on an external drive?). are alternative software/strategies preferred for managing all these document images? (in case it matters, i'm
not interested in putting them online at this point).
posted by garfy3 at 1:49 PM PST - 12 comments
My employer showed up half cut yesterday morning and proceeded to botch up 2 phone calls with clients. This isn't the first time and he doesn't hide his drinking and has been sober and "tried" AA. His performance and attendance are compromised when he drinks, one client called back and asked if he had been drinking.
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posted by anonymous at 1:29 PM PST - 19 comments
How do I make my language settings for "input language" (keyboard layout) which I set via the language bar stay set program to program?
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posted by jesirose at 1:15 PM PST - 5 comments
I'd like to know the best ways to mothproof oriental rugs short of taking them to a pro for treatment. Moths are sneaky and damage is found on hidden parts of rugs. mothballs are out, they smell too bad. Currently I use an ant/roach spray containing a synthetic pyrethrin compound. Does this seem a good idea, and if so at what frequency per year? Any one have a better method?
posted by fkeese at 12:53 PM PST - 4 comments
How can I transport a sixty page document while keeping it in relatively pristine condition?
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posted by phaded at 12:22 PM PST - 15 comments
I would like to plant some native plants/shrubs to adorn the front of our Chicago Bungalow. Problem is I don't know which plants are native to the area and i dont knwo where to get them.
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posted by blackjack514 at 12:11 PM PST - 13 comments
Should my wife buy a Macbook Air now, or is there a compelling reason to wait a month or two?
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posted by LarryC at 11:32 AM PST - 25 comments
What's the best home-repair / fixit manual for someone with little-to-no experience in such matters? Also, web sites and / or blogs in the same vein?
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posted by dersins at 11:22 AM PST - 19 comments
Passed on a challenging job offer for the sake of an easy life, how do I stop kicking myself? Lengthy explanation follows...
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posted by anonymous at 10:27 AM PST - 26 comments
SimpsonsFilter: help me find this five-second clip of Homer singing a patriotic song.
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posted by cebailey at 10:26 AM PST - 4 comments
I'm a grad student who was promised some funding this year that has yet to materialize. What can I do?
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posted by anonymous at 10:26 AM PST - 15 comments
Can you help me find a tutorial (or book) on the design and programming of a fantasy sports site? (My google-fu is failing me on this one)
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posted by vega at 10:18 AM PST - 5 comments
When do you ask the person you are dating if they are seeing anyone else, and how or when do you talk about or bring up the subject of being exclusive?
posted by likeapen at 9:51 AM PST - 13 comments
Using X11 forwarding to bring my Ubuntu server desktop to my MacBook Pro. Everything works fine if I run a specific program (e.g., Firefox) but goes to hell if I try 'startx' - I keep getting an AIGLX display error message. Any help appreciated.
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posted by caution live frogs at 9:35 AM PST - 11 comments
I'm a guy 5-6 years over the legal drinking age, I have been sober all this time.
Recently I started been a
social drinker. I don't want to get drunk or stoned. Just wanted to socialize with others.
Due to the fact that I have been sober for this long I'm clueless on what to order at a bar.
My current choices are
- Beer (Stuck with Budweiser)
- Fish Bowl=vodka+cranberry juice (Introduced by a friend. It's ok but taste is not that great)
- Sparkling Wine (I like the taste)
Please suggest me some good cocktail
- That you like the taste
- Will not get me stoned
- Not girly (Is martini a girls drink?)
- Cost less than $6-$7 per drink (with relative to prices of small college town bars, not in NYC type of bars. I can understand that $5 drink in a college town will be $10 in NYC)
p.s.: Open to suggestions of good beers too.
posted by WizKid at 9:23 AM PST - 114 comments
What should I do come the beginning of September regarding college (Worcester Polytech)?
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posted by speek at 9:15 AM PST - 6 comments
Is the organic movement (and its related environmentally-friendly pals) putting pressure on low-income consumers?
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posted by soma lkzx at 9:13 AM PST - 18 comments
How can I seek out licensing and other royalty-generating opportunities for the titles in my new music publishing company's catalog?
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posted by saulgoodman at 8:56 AM PST - 1 comments
Macbook- DVI question: How to avoid "hum" sound interference on stereo cable with DVI/HDMI cable hooked in?
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posted by tonci at 8:43 AM PST - 4 comments
I'm having a chocolate party (tonight!). I've got the chocolate all set, but I'm looking for activities, games, or entertainment. I've got some giveaways but need a unique way of awarding them.
posted by mgarnhum at 8:38 AM PST - 9 comments
I drink a lot of diet soda. I tend to buy it in one of two formats: 12-packs of aluminum cans (which come in paperboard cartons), and individual two-liter bottles. If I were to buy one format exclusively and recycle the packaging, which would be the greener choice?
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posted by wheat at 7:59 AM PST - 34 comments
What's the deal with
Flash My Brain? I was all set to shell out $40 for the flash card program, which looks great, and all of their contact email addresses bounce. Bad company? Temporary glitch? And what flash card software is a better option?
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posted by AthenaPolias at 7:11 AM PST - 9 comments
I have a new IRA. Limited experience with them. How do you choose between the various mutual funds?
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posted by downstairs at 7:01 AM PST - 13 comments
May have bought an iMac a week too early, can I upgrade or at least get a refund of the price difference?
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posted by corpse at 6:08 AM PST - 6 comments
So, we're in a recession. At what point should we pull our investments out of the stock market?
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posted by raddevon at 5:28 AM PST - 30 comments
I'm trying to design an invitation to a combined housewarming/40th birthday party (two separate people) and I want some pictures on the invitation which are in the style of 'sophisticated' but also kind of naiive late 50's/early 60's illustrations/cartoons but I'll be damned if I can google search what I'm looking for. Can you help?
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posted by h00py at 5:04 AM PST - 7 comments
A rap education for an picky atheist feminist weaned on indie, punk and new wave - primarily music but books/essays would be good too.
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posted by carbide at 3:45 AM PST - 76 comments
April 24
Do any of you have any knowledge/experience with public-files.com? I have been using publicdata.com but public-files.com is a lot cheaper and seems to offer more information. I googled public-files.com but didn't get anything more than links advertising it but no opinions or users of their service.
posted by GlowWyrm at 11:13 PM PST - 2 comments
I remember coming across a book a few years ago that detailed life in (I think) California mining camps (it may have been less specific, but the general theme was frontier/wild west). The book's focus was on customs and social mores and it had a kind of "mythbusting" approach and was fairly academic and rigorous. I've tried searching, but I can't seem to find it. Any ideas?
posted by entropicamericana at 11:09 PM PST - 4 comments
I have booked room on a freighter from Pusan to Long Beach. I'm now looking for some tips advice on what to pack and or things I need to prepare myself for during my ten days at sea. Anyone taken the slow boat home before?
posted by vagabond at 10:52 PM PST - 12 comments
I reformatted my computer today, and I just finished reinstalling all of the programs i can't live without (Media Monkey, VLC, Firefox, uTorrent, you get the idea.) For some reason I think I remember that I had found an alternative to installing Adobe Flash Player. I really dislike Adobe Flash, though I'm sure its for stupid and mostly superficial reasons. Does anyone have any idea of an alternative? (not the one microsoft just came out with either.)
posted by Kraki at 10:19 PM PST - 5 comments
If I buy an oversized item at Target (i.e. a box of Milkbones or a pack of toilet paper), the cashier will slap on a very strong, heavy-duty strap with the red Target logo on it. It's almost like duct tape, except stronger and the sticky portion is only on each opposite end. What is this stuff called, and where can I buy a generic equivalent?
posted by invisible ink at 9:25 PM PST - 5 comments
Is there a means of fitting curves to several independent series of points with the property that, if all the points at any given
x in the original data have a constant sum, all of the interpolated points at any given
x have a constant sum? Is there a means of doing so which generates a set of cubic or quadratic Bezier curves which I can use in SVG rather than a series of points or a function?
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posted by enn at 8:32 PM PST - 18 comments
Does anyone remember the video of the college weatherman who was super nervous and stumbled and stuttered through his entire segment? I can't find it online anymore and wanted to see it again.
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posted by rainygrl716 at 8:30 PM PST - 5 comments
Are there alternatives to the lotus position for classic meditation that don't leave the back unsupported? I've found that sitting in an unsupported position, or in a chair that doesn't have a seat back, ends up making my back ache rather strongly. I've thought about investigating meditation (and looking into the more classical, early practices), but have wondered if there's a "kosher" (accepted in the discipline) way of doing the more classical meditations while having your back completely supported (by lying on the ground, or doing it in a chair, or what have you).
posted by WCityMike at 8:16 PM PST - 17 comments
Im a Freshman Computer Engin. Major and I want to learn more programming/logic by myself. Any books/Resources/Sample Projects you might recommend?
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posted by Javed_Ahamed at 7:34 PM PST - 22 comments
All day since 2:00 AM this morning, I've been getting phone calls on my cell phone who didn't dial my number. Please help.
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posted by Trinkers at 7:29 PM PST - 8 comments
I am looking for a good place to go camping for a long weekend in August on Cape Cod. It could also be a rental cottage but by tradition we go camping so a campground is preferable. It's a memorial of sorts and there is a high chance of drinking and toasting till the wee hours... There are about 6 of us and we're looking for something that allows for a little privacy. I would prefer to be near Provincetown, if possible. Any suggestions?
posted by Shanachie at 7:14 PM PST - 4 comments
I'd like to soak in Bagby hot springs this weekend (Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon). Never been there before so I'm looking for advice concerning when it opens and how hard it would be to get there this time of year. Also, where to camp?
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posted by charlesroper at 6:30 PM PST - 11 comments
Is there a precursor to
Moore's Law for internal combustion engines?
If so, can you provide details, please?
posted by Exchequer at 5:44 PM PST - 7 comments
Does anyone else get this error message randomly when trying to play YouTube videos embedded on remote Web sites? The video is very much available if you go to the actual page on YouTube.com
posted by LC at 5:18 PM PST - 10 comments
Can you recommend good books and/or movies about New Orleans? I'm about to move there and want to learn about the city before we arrive!
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posted by luazinha at 4:56 PM PST - 18 comments
Is anyone aware of an "anonym.os, livecd" installation on a USB drive that runs on OS X (equivalent to DemocraKey for Windows)?
posted by ranebo at 3:50 PM PST - 3 comments
Scooting Mefites: What do I need to know before and after buying a scooter? How do I keep it safe in my neighborhood where cars are relatively unsafe (Hyde Park, KC)?
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posted by piedmont at 3:07 PM PST - 15 comments
I often find myself with an open weekend and an urge to fly to no place in particular, just to go exploring. Whether it's Sioux City, Billings, or Biloxi, I figure I can entertain myself anywhere for a weekend. Are there websites that allow you to search for cheap, last minute flights from a given origin, irrespective of destination? Most sites require you to enter a destination, which makes the whole process a lot more difficult.
posted by decoherence at 2:01 PM PST - 16 comments
I recently came across an article about the lack of opportunities for teenagers in rapidly developed suburban/exurban communities. Can you help me find it again?
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posted by glibhamdreck at 1:20 PM PST - 4 comments
We'd like to be able to share calendars in a mixed Windows/Mac shop. Difficulties: delegating calendars to be writable by multiple individuals, offline access, avoiding upgrading Exchange and Entourage.
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posted by I EAT TAPAS at 1:08 PM PST - 8 comments
Arrr. There may be Quizzo booty to divide, but I want to do it fairly. This is more math than I can handle.
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posted by shiu mai baby at 12:58 PM PST - 11 comments
I sloppily upgraded my 1.1.4 iPhone to 1.2 (2.0 Beta). The phone is locked and I cannot restore through iTunes. I only have a Windows machine at the moment. Can I get it back without going to the AT&T/Apple Store?
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posted by geoff. at 12:44 PM PST - 6 comments
Webdeveloper Mefites, I come hat in hand. I enjoy design and created a site for my medical practice in iWeb. Now I realize it stinks in Explorer. Is there an easy way to remedy the situation? If not, what's a reasonable amount to pay someone to save me from myself?
[more inside]
posted by pammo at 12:38 PM PST - 16 comments
Quiet inn, trees, a lake, maybe some hiking - where can I find these things within an hour or so of Toronto?
[more inside]
posted by minervous at 12:06 PM PST - 8 comments
Will I be able to take a pocketknife/Leatherman-style pocket tool on an Amtrak train, or will it be considered a weapon?
posted by box at 11:44 AM PST - 11 comments
Wordsmiths, Help! -- Do you capitalize the word "left" in the phrase "the political left"?
[more inside]
posted by jak68 at 11:01 AM PST - 26 comments
I need to plan my best friend's stagette, in Halifax. I'm in Vancouver, which makes things a tad more difficult. Any ideas?
[more inside]
posted by cgg at 10:46 AM PST - 6 comments
Two parts: 1. Is it appropriate to give a gift to someone to thank them for donated services? 2. If so, what kind of gift?
[more inside]
posted by Ruby Doomsday at 10:09 AM PST - 17 comments
According to
this chart, there have been 2,422 nuclear explosions since 1945, including above ground, under ground, and in the sea. I'm somewhat amazed that this isn't having more of permanent negative effect. Does spreading out all the nuclear activity allow our ecosystem to absorb the radiation in reasonable intervals? Chernobyl has been a wasteland since the reactor meltdown. Was it simply that much more radioactive than actually testing bombs?
posted by SpacemanStix at 9:51 AM PST - 52 comments
I need help to come up with an idea (or a few) for a viral marketing video for my online backyard store.
[more inside]
posted by adriana at 9:48 AM PST - 8 comments
What are some "non-cramp" foods? I want some 'snack' foods that I can eat all day and not cramp on when I work out almost immediately after eating.
This summer I'll be part of a college gym which is around 5 miles from my apartment. I want to be able to go to the gym without regard to if I'm starving or not.
I know about bananas, but what other foods can I try?
posted by sandmanwv at 9:32 AM PST - 11 comments
Quantitative finance experts: What methods are available for calculating the odds the S&P will close up or down X number of points during a given day?
[more inside]
posted by yoyoceramic at 9:06 AM PST - 18 comments
What's the best way to prepare for the PMI.org Program Management Professional cert?
[more inside]
posted by daver at 8:44 AM PST - 6 comments
What should I bring my lunch to work in? I'm looking for non-plastic, non-potentially-toxic, reusable alternatives to the zip-locs and gladware I usually bring my lunch & snacks to work in.
[more inside]
posted by tastybrains at 8:43 AM PST - 38 comments
At what point do you give up on trying to learn a musical instrument? Are some seemingly "normal" skills impossible for some people to learn even with time and instruction? Can lack of skill trump desire?
[more inside]
posted by pixlboi at 8:09 AM PST - 51 comments
Can someone help me remember a recipe from Mark Bittman's
How to Cook Everything Vegetarian?
[more inside]
posted by milestogo at 7:53 AM PST - 5 comments
Going to be moving into a new office space, where will will get to redesign some of the space for our needs. We will need to set of a 10TB server rack-- need to figure out how much space should we set aside for a server room. If you were starting to set up one from scratch, what would you start considering?
[more inside]
posted by ShawnStruck at 7:40 AM PST - 12 comments
are there any private health insurance options available in canada? im australian and i want to have a baby there. also, is it possible to have a baby without involving a hospital, ie through midwives?
[more inside]
posted by beccyjoe at 7:25 AM PST - 20 comments
Do debt collectors have to pay a fee if they call you after you have had an attorney contact them?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous at 6:58 AM PST - 5 comments
I would like advice on how to deal with a dog who barks every time I enter or leave my apartment. Should I talk to him? Ignore him?
[more inside]
posted by sandraregina at 6:56 AM PST - 9 comments
Help me set up a walk-in closet. What are your experiences with the various lines of closet systems (Elfa, Ikea, FreedomRail, Closetmaid) or DIY?
[more inside]
posted by bondcliff at 6:38 AM PST - 7 comments
My boyfriend has a job offer in Chicago. We're taking a trip out there in a few weeks, and I'll have two days to walk around alone. What neighborhoods should I visit to get myself excited about the idea of moving there?
[more inside]
posted by wyzewoman at 6:19 AM PST - 19 comments
I'm wondering how to send a check in dollars to someone in the States from a bank account in Indian rupees (for a low sum like $200). Essentially I'd like the equivalent of what, out there, would be mailing a money order.
[more inside]
posted by Non Prosequitur at 3:45 AM PST - 11 comments
My friend had an album - mainly spoken word pieces with electronic noise. It was a story about a man who went out hunting with his friends, who laughed at him. Help my friend find it, please.
[more inside]
posted by scruss at 3:05 AM PST - 3 comments
I want software which will allow me to capture text thoughts at work, to a remote web location - quickly, discreetly and privately.
[more inside]
posted by therubettes at 2:34 AM PST - 41 comments
Want to buy a manual (not electric) typewriter in the UK. What brand and where from? Not interested in vintage -- should be working and practical.
posted by long haired lover from liverpool at 1:36 AM PST - 11 comments
April 23
I just ordered a cellphone over the internet. On a contract. It didn't seem like there was a credit check at any point. How does that work?
[more inside]
posted by heavenstobetsy at 11:20 PM PST - 6 comments
I've recorded a Skype call via Audio Hijack, and my plan is to podcast it. Now I'm editing in Audacity. What effects/compression settings should I use to improve sound quality?
[more inside]
posted by diastematic at 9:29 PM PST - 12 comments
Help me get excited about going to Williams College this fall. I would really appreciate any anecdotes about the college, the town, the area, anything. Bonus points if you went there or know someone who has, but I'm looking for anything.
[more inside]
posted by MadamM at 9:07 PM PST - 19 comments
My friend was served by a collection agency. She owes the money but doesn't have it. What's she do now?
[more inside]
posted by b_thinky at 8:21 PM PST - 3 comments
I'm looking for websites that analyse the work of successful or well known photographers in the art genre (as opposed to documentary or portraiture styles).
[more inside]
posted by b33j at 6:55 PM PST - 5 comments
I am the CEO of a smallish non-profit (150 employees)
I noticed recently that my CFO and my executive assistant were taking vacations and days off at the same time over the past 18 months (9 of 11 vacations)
For reasons i wont go into, i doubt seriously they are having an affair.
other than an affair, and this being a strange coincidence, any possible explanations you can think of? perhaps it is just my anxiety but somehow this is strange...
posted by dougiedd at 6:03 PM PST - 54 comments
Ontario Mechanic Filter: I'm safety'ing a car tomorrow (1997 Sunfire) and I'm wondering exactly what is the guy going to be checking?
[more inside]
posted by br4k3r at 4:01 PM PST - 3 comments
I work on the production team for a long-running public radio program. We have a massive archive of shows in digital format (MP3 and AIFF) which we need to collate into a powerful and highly flexible database - something like iTunes, but much more advanced. Does a program exist to do this?
[more inside]
posted by mykescipark at 3:36 PM PST - 5 comments
My stepdad is a tornadic houseguest whose behavior has inspired me to ban him from my abode forever and ever. How do I have this talk with my Mom?
[more inside]
posted by December at 3:25 PM PST - 37 comments
Somebody recently developed a write-once, post-many piece of software that will take the same blog copy and post to blogger, wordpress, twitter, facebook, etc. all at once. But who? And what's the url?? Thanks, hivemind...
posted by jouster at 3:04 PM PST - 3 comments
Help an American traveling in Germany get around for a month this summer - car or train?
[more inside]
posted by FlyByDay at 2:47 PM PST - 15 comments
Help me coach a high school softball (or tennis) team when I have no real team sport experience.
[more inside]
posted by absalom at 2:19 PM PST - 15 comments
GTD Filter: How do I best decide what my next action should be? I.e, how do I map out the Cost vs. Benefit?
[more inside]
posted by markovich at 2:13 PM PST - 4 comments
LogosFilter: Could a blog entry that contains two words and their definitions be consistent with the definition of a dictionary?
[more inside]
posted by vanoakenfold at 1:59 PM PST - 8 comments
How do I get this scabby dry skin to heal? Anon because it's in my groin and itches like hell...
[more inside]
posted by anonymous at 1:48 PM PST - 13 comments
How on earth do I get pretty URLs to work in BBpress, when in a subdirectory of a Wordpress install?
[more inside]
posted by generichuman at 1:24 PM PST - 4 comments
What are some great places for drop-off child care in Manhattan? We need to be able to bring a 3-year-old and leave her in safe hands for a few hours. Any places that are open till late at night (midnight or 1 am)? Thanks.
posted by shivohum at 12:25 PM PST - 1 comments
One of my dearest friends just got engaged (yay!) and I want to get her a little gift to mark the occasion. What can I get for the newly-engaged girl who hasn't started planning anything yet?
[more inside]
posted by pised at 11:16 AM PST - 19 comments
I have a bachelor's in architecture but after a few years of work experience I have begun to feel that it may not be my bag. At work I find myself spending more time tweaking my computer and finding new tricks than actually drafting.
[more inside]
posted by mockdeep at 11:00 AM PST - 19 comments
I've been commissioned to take photos of a 70 year old nutritionist and her husband, showing them "as fit and healthy as possible." Can you offer advice on how to do it and what to charge?
[more inside]
posted by andihazelwood at 10:48 AM PST - 20 comments
What's the best/easiest design to build a sandbox? I'd like to build a sandbox for my boys -- who are currently ages 4, 2 and 2 months, though hopefuly they (and any more kids we happen to have) would use it for a long time. A google search yielded many, many results, but I'd like to know if anybody out there has done it and can point me to a relatively easy design (my skills exist but are limited). I'm thinking 4 feet square would be enough, though if you also have advice for size, I'd like to hear that, too.
posted by odragul at 10:37 AM PST - 24 comments
I'm curious about vacation timeshares. What has your experience been? Do you have any recommendations? What are the drawbacks? Where are the best packages?
posted by InstantSanitizer at 10:20 AM PST - 24 comments
My scalp seems to react badly to most shampoos. I've only been able to use one brand (Pantene) for a while now. Help me figure out why/what to do?
[more inside]
posted by disaster77 at 10:17 AM PST - 25 comments
Who first came up with the concept of lots of small (though not necessarily nanoscale) robots performing useful tasks collectively?
[more inside]
posted by Krrrlson at 10:16 AM PST - 12 comments
I am taking the Praxix II - Elementary Education (0014) this Saturday. Needless to say, I'm a bit behind in studying. The good news is that I am on vacation this week and have some time to dedicate to the cause. Also, I took my Praxis I in November and scored very well, I am looking for guidance on how to study for the inevitable history, science and theory questions that I have not thought about in the 13 years since I graduated college. I did purchase the
REA book, have completed 2 practice tests and am copying the answers I got wrong onto notecards. Does it sound like I am on the right track?
posted by sisflit at 10:05 AM PST - 5 comments
Need help finding a good park for a high school reunion family BBQ in the Berkeley/Albany CA area.
[more inside]
posted by luriete at 9:59 AM PST - 8 comments
Incorporating still frame captures in a TV commentary blog: is it possible/affordable/practical to get general permission from the studio to do this?
[more inside]
posted by cortex at 9:54 AM PST - 9 comments
Dreamweaver filter - I have just set up a site using Dreamweaver and i am getting one piece of the code in the finished site. HELP!!! I'm a total noob at coding. Clearly.
[more inside]
posted by Sophie1 at 9:26 AM PST - 7 comments
Is the 9th Circuit really overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court more often than the other circuits?
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posted by goatdog at 8:59 AM PST - 12 comments
Career-filter:
I have gotten myself mired in the temp/admin world, and I want to get out! What kind of positions should I be applying for to gain experience, set myself up for grad school and get started on a meaningful career? Please help me take the next step in moving my life forward!
[more inside]
posted by allen8219 at 8:54 AM PST - 13 comments
Has anyone tried one of the electronic quick-finder dog nail trimmers (like
this)? Are they worth the extra $10 or so?
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posted by Ufez Jones at 8:22 AM PST - 6 comments
Water filterFilter: I'm looking at purchasing a Berkey Light Water filter. This would be intended for both daily use and also to have on hand in case a hurricane or some other disaster knocks out the municipal water supply and we need to scoop drinking water out of a stream. Does anyone have experience with the Berkey filters? How is the taste compared to mainstream filters like Pur or Brita? Do they look odd in your kitchen or are they an attractive fixture? Any other thoughts or brand suggestions, random or otherwise, on this are welcome.
posted by Burhanistan at 8:01 AM PST - 7 comments
How do I transfer a normal Mac account to an Active Directory Mac account on my new Mac?
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posted by Gungho at 7:46 AM PST - 2 comments
YANAL filter: Quick question about United States trademark law and fair use of logos on a website.
[more inside]
posted by fvox13 at 7:13 AM PST - 3 comments
How effective is Shovelglove, and will it help me in what I'm trying to accomplish?
[more inside]
posted by 4ster at 7:12 AM PST - 9 comments
I want to make next career move in Italy (experience in marketing/sales/media - but open to any industry) -- and currently live in NYC. Best strategies?
I was thinking maybe an international recruitment agency based here in the States (does this exist?) or American companies with offices in Tuscany (still cannot find a list like this).
I do speak Italian at level B2, but I think a better bet would be for a job that wants me to primarily communicate in English and liaise with folks back home. Any ideas or tips?
posted by jazzybelle at 6:50 AM PST - 4 comments
The missus and I are planning on spending a week in Puerto Rico for our first anniversary. What must-see-or-do things should we consider?
[more inside]
posted by jammer at 6:33 AM PST - 7 comments
Can you identify this challah-like pastry from my childhood? I've had no luck googling or randomly searching at bakeries.
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posted by magicbus at 6:20 AM PST - 7 comments
About 16 years ago there was a children's program on TV in which a woman named Xuxia(spelling?) from maybe Central or South America led children through games and contests. She had teen girl helpers who wore outfits similar to something a drum major would wear. This program aired in the US, and Xuxia spoke English as a second language. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
posted by rockhopper at 5:42 AM PST - 12 comments
I just got a video camera, and the first project I would like to do is a family history. I'm going to see my parents this weekend (76 and 80 y.o.). What are some creative and interesting questions to ask to get them started talking?
[more inside]
posted by extrabox at 4:43 AM PST - 15 comments
I've just been offered a $20,000 scholarship to New York Law School, which is renewable each year so long as I maintain a certain GPA. To be perfectly honest, I had originally applied to NYLS as a "safety school," but this certainly sweetens the pot. I have applied to other New York City law schools, but I have not heard back from them yet - all I know is that I would like to pursue intellectual property law, public interest law, or administrative law in NYC. So I ask you, what is NYLS like, with regard to being a full-time student in his mid-twenties?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous at 4:09 AM PST - 16 comments
How do I get rid of lots of extra white space before a table (in Internet Explorer).
[more inside]
posted by Joleta at 4:08 AM PST - 5 comments
I am looking for online magazines to submit art/literature/experimental/fun articles to. I think '
The Believer' magazine is a good example of the type I crave. UK based would be best, but not completely necessary.
[more inside]
posted by 0bvious at 3:16 AM PST - 9 comments
CareerAdvice: How can my wife and I get back to the Gold Coast, and what job changes might I need to make to get there?
[more inside]
posted by ranglin at 3:15 AM PST - 6 comments
April 22
How do I age someone for a film? Looking for something relatively cheap/easy. We don't have any proper makeup experience.
[more inside]
posted by es_de_bah at 11:34 PM PST - 11 comments
What is the next step in my search for a job as an editor/ copy writer? I’ve been searching Craig’s List, Monster, etc. and I’ve submitted applications through some network contacts. I’ve yet to hear back from anyone and I’m wondering what to do next.
[more inside]
posted by shesbookish at 11:05 PM PST - 11 comments
Newly single (after 10-yr relationship). How do I get from Point A to Point B, with Point A being meeting a potentially interesting person, and Point B being the point where I can smoothly ask them to do something with me. All, you understand, in service to just getting to know this other person better. The possibility of a hook-up is secondary (although not completely disregarded.)
[more inside]
posted by hapax_legomenon at 10:45 PM PST - 11 comments
I'm trying to figure out what percentage of people born in 1890 were still alive in 1920 and then 1950 and so on, until we can say for certain that every person born in 1890 is 100 percent definitely dead. I've looked at the 1890 and 1920 census, but they don't have mortality tables.
[more inside]
posted by melodykramer at 9:40 PM PST - 12 comments
Please help me identify this bird from Oregon with rather vague information [more inside]
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posted by Shutter at 8:55 PM PST - 6 comments
Practicing & Playing Music in Washington DC: Learning the banjo without getting murdered
[more inside]
posted by tmcw at 8:39 PM PST - 10 comments
If you look up my user history, you see a fair amount of stuff around trying to come to grips in a new job that has me sacrificing some technical skills for management skills. It's a struggle, especially with my personal demons, but I am making progress. I ran into a situation that finally clarified some things for me and allows me to ask this question.
[more inside]
posted by tcv at 8:37 PM PST - 16 comments
Why do I shake when I wake?
When I go to bed, I typically fall asleep very quickly. If I am woken within a few seconds, such as by my wife getting into bed, or trying to talk to me, which happens a lot, I wake with a fine but really annoying and persistent tremor right through my whole body, and the skin on my face feels like it's crawling around. The tremor prevents me sleeping until it subsides perhaps an hour later.
What gives?
[more inside]
posted by blue_wardrobe at 7:59 PM PST - 5 comments
Looking for your experiences with open-source accounting software. I am helping co-found a non-profit organization and need software that is free (if possible), easy to use for non-accountants, and preferably open-source. Someone recommended
OSAS (Open Systems Accounting Software) and
gnucash. Has anyone used these or any other programs they would recommend or not recommend?
posted by franklen at 7:57 PM PST - 3 comments
Has anyone had any experience, first- or second-hand, with the
Communication and Culture MA program jointly offered by York and Ryerson Universities? I'm also interested in graduate study experiences at both schools in general.
[more inside]
posted by scribbler at 7:36 PM PST - 6 comments
Has anyone else had weight and/or emotional problems that they attribute to hormonal birth control, specifically the Mirena IUD?
I know there have been several IUD threads – one of them helped convince me to get one. But most of them dealt with questions about getting one, and now, I'm wondering if removing mine would be a good idea. (more inside)
[more inside]
posted by anonymous at 5:17 PM PST - 20 comments
Does anyone have experience with self-treatment as an adult with dyscalculia? I think I may have it, and that I've had it all my life. Whether or not that's so, are there any tricks to "rewiring" yourself?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous at 5:17 PM PST - 7 comments
AcademicTravelFilter: Thanks to my habit of writing about obscure books, I need to detour to Austin TX this summer in order to read a bad Victorian triple-decker at the Harry Ransom Center, UT-Austin. As I will not have a rental car and would prefer not to die of heat stroke, I'm in search of recommendations for adequate hotels either within walking distance (I know there's a Days Inn or something similar about 1/2 mile away) or on one of the bus/shuttle lines. (
This thread was illuminating about the aforementioned bus/shuttle lines, but not quite what I'm looking for.)
posted by thomas j wise at 4:40 PM PST - 9 comments
I need to install some fireblocks (aka fire stops AND fire block[ing]) in my basement. What can I use to make these? Can I use regular sheetrock to make these or do they have to be some special type of sheetrock? If I can't use sheetrock, what type and thickness of wood do they need to be?
posted by tickettrader at 4:33 PM PST - 9 comments
What are some good items to keep in my purse? The current set of things I keep in there seem to serve me well but I'm looking for ideas that would help me be even more prepared for whatever comes up.
[more inside]
posted by marble at 3:44 PM PST - 62 comments
How can I get my iMac running Leopard to
show the current wallpaper in Finder? I'm using Leopard's built-in wallpaper-switching function to randomly display a wallpaper from my collection of over 1,000, but when I get one I don't like, it gives me no way to easily find the file and delete it.
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posted by XSteveMurphy at 3:35 PM PST - 14 comments
Planning a trip to Tokyo/Kyoto towards the end of May and I'm looking for suggestions for great places to stay for two nights in Kyoto (inexpensive to moderately priced) as well as don't miss sights/restaurants in Tokyo and Kyoto. We will be there for about two weeks.
posted by mhaw at 3:29 PM PST - 21 comments
Can anyone recommend business class VOIP termination that is not a fully hosted solution by the terminating company?
[more inside]
posted by clarkie666 at 3:24 PM PST - 6 comments
I am trying to compile a list of medical school dropouts who later went on to do great things in other fields. The term "med school" here is used loosely to allow some flexibility. So anyone who abandoned his medical training and accomplished something notable in some other field would work.
So far I've found five persons. I've listed them below to show what I am looking for. I hope to find five more to fill out a Top Ten list.
[more inside]
posted by Pantalaimon at 3:11 PM PST - 23 comments
My (soon to be former) employer wants me to repay a portion of my continuing education budget. What are my options?
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posted by sharkweek at 2:39 PM PST - 31 comments
I broke my humerus and now have a great big cast. I am concerned about the fact that I can feel some movement at times. Specifically, if I try to rotate my elbow (not the curl/uncurl motion, but side-to-side), I feel like the arm moves but in reality it doesn't (observably move). That makes me worry that the bones may be moving ... in which case how can they heal together? Also, do the cast covers for showering work?
[more inside]
posted by bsdfish at 1:59 PM PST - 4 comments
What can the colour, smell, composition of your urine in the mornings tell you about yourself?
[more inside]
posted by zaebiz at 1:48 PM PST - 29 comments
Looking for the best portable players for DRM audiobooks and other large MP3 files
[more inside]
posted by reenum at 12:42 PM PST - 9 comments
I'm going to be building a modest split-level home this spring – 1900 sqft – in Madison, WI. Should I expect the cost of materials to be lower or higher than it was to build the exact same house 6 months ago?
[more inside]
posted by BirdD0g at 12:03 PM PST - 10 comments
I'm planning on buying a bike for road rides, but I am also planning on training for my first sprint tri. Is a regular road bike alright for a beginner tri-athlete? Can I use a tri style bike for long road rides? Does it even make a difference?
[more inside]
posted by jeffe at 11:53 AM PST - 14 comments
What's a good way to get a good deal from AT&T retention folks if I'm off-contract but planning to get an iPhone?
[more inside]
posted by gramcracker at 11:53 AM PST - 11 comments
A novel about a computer that attempts to create art? Help me identify this sci-fi book.
[more inside]
posted by bradth27 at 11:40 AM PST - 5 comments
I have a Wacom graphics tablet. Is there a (preferably free or at least cheap) kanji handwriting recognition program for WinXP that would let me write kanji by hand without knowing the correct stroke order, and produce a translation and/or Unicode characters that I can cut and paste?
[more inside]
posted by martinrebas at 11:39 AM PST - 5 comments
where can i find an image of the fuzzy laser background that was used in school pictures in the 80's and early 90's?
[more inside]
posted by binocularfight at 11:04 AM PST - 5 comments
RelationshipFilter: I told my boyfriend I was fine with him traveling in Europe for a couple of weeks with his ex-girlfriend. Now I'm having second thoughts. Help me figure out how best to handle this and get my confidence back?
[more inside]
posted by booknerd at 11:03 AM PST - 68 comments
Help me find longer lectures on Youtube. Is there a browsable index of what's on posted on Youtube (something more detailed and descriptive than the left sidebar on the homepage, the channels page, or the few video links that show up on any given page)? I'd like to find something to watch on my ipod at the gym, something to hold my interest for fifteen to sixty minutes, but not videos of laughing babies, music videos or teenagers beating up each other. Doing a search for "university lectures" leads me to the several UC Berkeley lecture series and the inspiring lecture from the fellow with pancreatic cancer. Is it possible to move beyond that into other college lectures or even multipart courses (arts or science), discussions, longer films, the unexpected? How do I find them?
posted by bbranden1 at 10:46 AM PST - 22 comments
We're in the middle of a big kitchen remodel and have been stymied by (of all things!) the kitchen faucet decision. We've been looking at models with integrated sprayer heads that pull out from the faucet but just received a warning about that style of faucet. As a result, I find myself querying the hive mind looking for people who have this style faucet.
[more inside]
posted by Lame_username at 9:49 AM PST - 27 comments
We actually want to spend 15-20 days this summer driving around America, buying gas and seeing stuff. The questions are, how to get to the stuff from the east coast, and what stuff?
[more inside]
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 9:42 AM PST - 21 comments
NetworkFilter: I have a bizarre and arcane-seeming problem with my home network, the Internet, and my ISP's DNS. Invalid URLs are being redirected to the ISP's search page—in some cases.
[more inside]
posted by adamrice at 9:37 AM PST - 22 comments
Looking for advice and strategies from experienced business networkers (or schmoozers, for lack of a better word.)
[more inside]
posted by justonegirl at 9:28 AM PST - 4 comments
I'm hungry, but nothing sounds good. Actually, most things sound gross and vaguely nausea-inducing. This has been going on for at least a month. What's wrong?
[more inside]
posted by mccxxiii at 9:12 AM PST - 28 comments
My body has an irrational prejudice against jogging, though not most other exercise - can anyone explain why? More inside...
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posted by TheOtherWay at 9:08 AM PST - 21 comments
What am I doing wrong in my HTML that the description in Google's organic search just says "Untitled Document?"
[more inside]
posted by mamessner at 8:48 AM PST - 7 comments
Looking for examples of fiction where: a.) someone uncovers an unsettling/surprising/shocking truth about a major "historical" (for that setting) figure or event, b.) the story itself is in the form of a journal or diary that gives the unsettling/surprising/shocking perspective.
[more inside]
posted by adamdschneider at 8:39 AM PST - 29 comments
Should I have our small business switch to a third party green energy provider? We had a salesman for
Accent Energy come to our door and he was a bit shady so I told him that I wanted to look into this on my own time. But from what I'm reading online it could be a great way to convert to a more environmentally responsible energy solution. And its Earth Day today too. Our company wants to do what we can to be "green" and we would even pay slightly more to do so, but if a switch to a third party will cost three times as much then we just cant do it.
[more inside]
posted by minicloud at 8:30 AM PST - 2 comments
Gifts for a stock picker: I'm looking for a thoughtful gift for my secretary. She loves to play the market, so I thought that I could buy her a Vanguard gift certificate or something and let her speculate with the money, but that doesn't seem to be possible. Any suggestions? I'd like to spend around $100. Thanks!
posted by gd779 at 7:31 AM PST - 12 comments
Is there any way to find out the percentage of Boston Marathon runners that qualified for the race vs. the percentage that gained entry through other means (charities and such)?
posted by csimpkins at 6:07 AM PST - 8 comments
Jill Bolte Taylor uses a very clear cut dichotomy when explaining the respective roles of the left and right hemisphere: one is oriented towards parrallel processing of sense data, the other towards serial, conscious, target-oriented processing.
Is this reflective of the modern state of the art neurological schientific knowledge? It's an intuitively attractive explanation. But is it true? It sounds simplistic.
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posted by jouke at 5:50 AM PST - 13 comments
How do I look up current global commodity supplies? Even better, is there somewhere I can compare global commodity prices versus their supply and consumption rates over an extended period?
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posted by onalark at 5:19 AM PST - 5 comments
We've had a sudden attack of fleas on our pets. That's been dealt with (with liberal doses of Frontline), but it's left me with a huge number of flea bites on my legs. Any suggestions for calming and healing them?
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posted by anonymous at 5:04 AM PST - 16 comments
When playing games with my friends, I tend to get very competitive and bitter. In that moment of frustration, what are some things I can tell myself so I calm down?
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posted by anonymous at 5:03 AM PST - 26 comments
My job is just not working out, and it's my first job in six years. Should I mention this job when applying for others? Also, I have to clock in five minutes before my start time, is this legal?
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posted by Melsky at 5:02 AM PST - 5 comments
Looking to learn more about Wicca in general, and about a particular ritual specifically.
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posted by TrueVox at 5:02 AM PST - 22 comments
An image that my friend has created has been seen before by other people. How has this happened?
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posted by djstig at 1:49 AM PST - 21 comments
April 21
I'm really, really bad at remembering the names of new people that I meet. How can I get better at remembering new names?
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posted by Effigy2000 at 10:53 PM PST - 23 comments
My broker is trying to charge another fee to put someone new on the lease for the NYC apt. we've been living in for 3 years. Is this legal? Do I have any recourse?
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posted by theseampsgoto11 at 10:15 PM PST - 4 comments
I want to buy some quality mens sunglasses. I want them to be polarized, comfortable, and stylish. What are your recommendations?
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posted by clearly at 10:14 PM PST - 16 comments
Writers like John McPhee, writing in Spanish, French, German, Italian, or Russian?
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posted by kristi at 9:31 PM PST - 5 comments
Can I get my second monitor to emulate a higher resolution?
I have an ATI Radeon video card using two monitors. The second monitor only goes up to 800X600 (an old LCD). However, Microsoft Flight Simulator X only allows the resolution of a display to be set to as low as 1024X768. I'd like the second monitor to think it is at that resolution and display a portion of the 1024X768 on its available area of 800X600. i don't care if the rest is not visible.
Any ideas?
Thanks!
posted by spacefire at 7:21 PM PST - 4 comments
Does anyone know where to rent a high quality student cello short term in NYC? Ideally, I'd like something hand crafted and valued at 10 - 20 k, but if need be I'll go lower end. Looking for a bow, too. Thanks!
posted by paul_smatatoes at 7:13 PM PST - 2 comments
We (early-30's couple, no kids) are headed to Seattle May 7-10 and are trying to figure out which neighborhood to stay in. We have a number of hotel recommendations, many of which sound very good, but we'd also like to find a location that is in close proximity to great restaurants, non-cheesy nightlife, live music and other interesting attractions which might be a little bit off the beaten path. Not having a sense of what the neighborhoods are like is making it challenging to choose a hotel...do you have any suggestions? Thanks!
posted by underdetermined at 7:11 PM PST - 9 comments
Point me to some books and/or websites that give advice or recount experiences of dealing with awkward situations that most sources usually avoid.
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posted by gregb1007 at 6:54 PM PST - 4 comments
First-hand surfing advice. My 29 year old son lives in Hong Kong and is looking for a place in Asia to spend two weeks learning to surf preferably within the next few months. He's reasonably athletic, but a complete beginner. He's thinking Bali, but is open to any location. He's searched Google and found lots of possibilities, but he's looking for first-hand recommendations from someone who has done something similar. He's ready to spend what it takes, so low cost is not a requirement.
posted by Jackson at 6:18 PM PST - 6 comments
How the heck can I get money back after I was an idiot and a victim of fraud?
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posted by jpcody at 5:57 PM PST - 8 comments
I need a printable blueprint with the usual blue-colored blueprint font. Nothing huge, just an 8-1/2 by 11 printed sheet will be all I need.
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posted by wafaa at 5:50 PM PST - 6 comments
My car was just totaled by an unlicensed, uninsured 16-year-old driver in Chicago. I'm insured, but I have no collision coverage, so any/all expenses are strictly out-of-pocket. The teen responsible was found to be 100% liable on the police report. Can/should I take the family to small claims court? Related: Can anyone suggest a salvage guy that pays a fair price for junked cars and a decent lawyer to represent me in small claims court? Do I even need a lawyer in small claims court? Sorry - I'm new to this.
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posted by hypocritical ross at 5:38 PM PST - 33 comments
I have a friend who is having a uterine prolapse. It's not an emergency, she WILL be visiting her doctor. As her friend and major part of her support team, I'm hoping you might be able to provide some insightful stories about what to expect from surgery and stuff like that.
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posted by snsranch at 5:27 PM PST - 4 comments
Seattle tourism recommendations please. I'm going to spend a weekend in Seattle soon and would like to hear some tourist options both typical and off-the-beaten-path. Thanks.
posted by damn dirty ape at 5:18 PM PST - 15 comments
All this talk on flickr lately of "long photos" reminded me of a VERY "long photo" I saw in SFMOMA probably around a year ago... it was a scene at a cafe, with someone at a piano, a man and woman talking, one holding a cigarette, and a couple of other people, all frozen for at least five minutes... the most noticeable movement was cigarette smoke trailing up into the air. Does anyone know who that was by, what it was called, and whether I can find it online?
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 5:03 PM PST - 6 comments
Where did the idea of faster than light (or near light speed) travel come from, and how is it described in different science fiction/fact works?
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posted by Saxon Kane at 4:57 PM PST - 25 comments
Small company IT administrators, how do you handle users with a wide disparity of technical ability? Users who hate
computers? Who don't want to even restart before calling you? Who treat you like your a nerd from a bad teen comedy?
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posted by anonymous at 4:41 PM PST - 19 comments
Where can I find out if the Boston Red Sox won/lost on Marathon Monday on the years the game was played?
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posted by brent at 4:04 PM PST - 9 comments
I need to spread the ashes of a deceased relative in San Diego. Does anyone have any suggestions on how this might happen?
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posted by diode at 2:44 PM PST - 17 comments
Help me identify this Post Modern cultural theory. Prime example: cops on the TV show COPS act differently than they normally would, since they're being filmed for TV. Kids watch COPS thinking that's what cops actually are like. Kids eventually grow up and be cops themselves, emulating cops-on-TV, not "true" cops.
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posted by nemoorange at 2:44 PM PST - 19 comments
Road trip from Raleigh, NC to San Deigo California. Long schedule inside, please provide any insights you have!
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posted by ZackTM at 2:18 PM PST - 5 comments
How can I convince my wife that living in a Yurt would be fun while I'm in medical school?
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posted by stuboo at 2:17 PM PST - 39 comments
Has anyone ever flown Zoom Airlines for a transatlantic (or other long) flight? I had never heard of them until recently, and the reviews online aren't very good. This is probably due to the fact that disgruntled people take it to the Internet, so I'd like to know of your experiences, good or bad.
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posted by bluefly at 2:12 PM PST - 14 comments
My 50 year old uncle is visiting San Fran this Thursday for the first time. I am picking him up at SFO at 11 and we want to be back to Novato by about 330 to beat (most of) the traffic. On the way out we will certainly go up to the Marin Headlands, and he is a big seafood guy so I am guessing we will catch lunch down near the Wharf or maybe at the Cliff House.
Obviously we don't have much time, so what recommendations do you all have for a few cool things to see in the city on the way out? I think we'll do Lombard, but otherwise I'm not terribly interested in super-touristy stuff. Maybe some historic spots?
posted by Chuck Cheeze at 1:04 PM PST - 13 comments
Copy editors or grammar natzi's: I am pre-copy editing a manuscript for my friend. Is it acceptable to start a sentence with the word "but"? I am leaning towards no but I can't remember. Also what are the rules about mentioning name brands in novels? such as "Hilton" or "Boston Red Sox" or "Boston Globe"?
Thank you so much!
posted by meeshell at 12:33 PM PST - 28 comments
Shopping in Austin recs: cute, unique clothes for girls and cute, unique housewares with middle range prices.
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posted by dame at 12:25 PM PST - 8 comments
Gift Filter: Really awesome Kentucky Derby/Horse Races themed gift for my dad's 50th birthday?
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posted by saucy at 12:10 PM PST - 8 comments
Help me find a couple pairs of shoes for the summer. I'm a guy who's not a big fan of sandals or loafers/boat shoes.
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posted by PFL at 11:50 AM PST - 15 comments
VPNFilter: I like my home network, but I want to access it outside of my home. How do I set up my WRT54GL running DD-WRT v23 SP2 to do that?
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posted by billtron at 11:40 AM PST - 11 comments
After a long time in a lesbian relationship, I'm coming to the realization that I think I'm straight. I don't want to leave my wife (I really love her), but I can't stop thinking about men. Please help me figure this out. Sexually explicit details inside. NSFW
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posted by anonymous at 11:33 AM PST - 23 comments
We made a powerpoint presentation on a Mac and sent it to a number of people both in the US and abroad. Most people are reporting difficulties with the formatting - text spilling over onto pictures, etc. What gives?
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posted by anonymous78 at 11:28 AM PST - 8 comments
Completely-random-question-filter: What's up with that glass bulb-shaped carafe some restaurants use to serve coffee and tea? Am I missing something?
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posted by peachfuzz at 11:22 AM PST - 19 comments
How does one delicately go about bringing up a huge discrepancy in the listed square footage vs. the actual square footage of an apartment in a unit that is for sale by owner?
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posted by TryTheTilapia at 11:13 AM PST - 22 comments
I have a LG Trax phone, which uses java for games and apps. I downloaded some java games made specifically for this phone from a website, then transferred them to the phone with bluetooth. The phone will not recognize these .jar or .jad files as files it can use. Will unlocking my phone fix this problem?
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posted by schyler523 at 11:07 AM PST - 1 comments
hi there. A friend of mine like to have a website created for his business. As someone more technical than he, he's asked me to help him find someone.
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posted by reddot at 10:49 AM PST - 5 comments
What does the navel look like from the inside?
posted by uandt at 10:42 AM PST - 5 comments
How can I set up my computer's 2.1 speakers so as to limit the inevitable amount of hate my neighbors will feel for my house music obsession?
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posted by elizardbits at 10:31 AM PST - 12 comments
leather laptop bag. where could I have one custom made? or can you recommend one to fit my needs?
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posted by nihlton at 10:27 AM PST - 2 comments
Are the Grado SR60's the best headphones that I can buy for under $100? I plan on using them, or whatever headphones I get, mainly with my iPod.
posted by waltzing astronomers at 10:04 AM PST - 28 comments
How long should various home or personal records be retained? I know this topic may sound tiresome as the answer comes up frequently in newspapers and magazines, but I think in many cases people are re-hashing the old dogma. Also, in the internet age, perhaps the answers have changed.
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posted by Rad_Boy at 9:25 AM PST - 5 comments
Doggy folk, your best guess about this breed/mix, please? Photos:
1,
2,
3. She is two years old, weighs around 27 pounds, and is about 17 inches tall. I don't know much more than that. I haven't met the young lady yet, so I can't tell you much about temperament, etc., except she's supposed to be very sweet, loves the loving, not barky.
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posted by taz at 7:23 AM PST - 29 comments
What epic fantasy/sci-fi series (think Wheel of Time, Song of Ice and Fire) are only just starting out?
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posted by TheOtherGuy at 7:22 AM PST - 15 comments
Are my bHcg levels rising too quickly and when my clinic says they'll do whatever I want, what should I ask for? Be warned, gynaecological things are inside. (Sorry, couldn't resist that one.)
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posted by taff at 4:30 AM PST - 7 comments
I'm looking for a small, comfortable couch futon that converts into a small fold out bed. I live in a small basement studio and space is at a premium. I'd like one no wider than 45 inches, that can unfold to a small bed, and that sits at a high level (no ground level ikea futons)
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posted by waylaid at 4:29 AM PST - 10 comments
I have a particular furniture company in mind, but forgot the name and can't find it.
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posted by jon1270 at 3:21 AM PST - 2 comments
I am applying for a small travel grant to fund a trip to a semi-local conference. The problem is that I have no idea how to write one!
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posted by tickingclock at 2:34 AM PST - 7 comments
Telecom nerd filter (again): Documented instances of 802.16-2004 or 802.16e-2005 WiMax installations interfering with C-band satellite systems? 3.40 GHz to 6.425 GHz frequency range.
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posted by thewalrus at 1:04 AM PST - 1 comments
Recommend to me books with romantic relationships (not necessarily romance or chick lit) that I can sigh happily, wistfully over?
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posted by Xere at 12:56 AM PST - 59 comments
does any going through menopause have aching teeth and if so have you found any remedy
posted by johnmarg at 12:28 AM PST - 5 comments
How do i remain physically present but emotionally detached from my family and relatives?
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posted by prudie at 12:25 AM PST - 28 comments
This page (a website for public domain scores) tells me that my daily allotment of download page visits (2 per day per IP, I imagine) has been exceeded the first time I go to one of those pages.
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posted by invitapriore at 12:05 AM PST - 3 comments
April 20
I want to eat healthy, but have an almost uncontrollable sweet-tooth. What can I do to control myself?
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posted by rybreadmed at 11:08 PM PST - 28 comments
BackpackingFilter: Travelling around Europe from mid October to mid Janruary - help me pick the right gear to take.
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posted by atmosphere at 11:03 PM PST - 16 comments
My buddies and I just finished recording a cd that we'd like to sell on iTunes and in stores but don't want our names attached to it in any way. How can we handle getting the profits in the cheapest way possible?
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posted by stewiethegreat at 10:53 PM PST - 14 comments
Looking for the name of the Comedian who did a "Dad! Look at my hands! Look at my hands! Look at my haaaands!" joke.
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posted by Bakuun at 10:53 PM PST - 1 comments
I'm going to be working in a hotel in Killarney, Ireland for two weeks in May. I'll have a few hours off here and there, but not much. Any advice on non-touristy food and drink in and around town?
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posted by kdern at 10:13 PM PST - 5 comments
I have about 6 or 7 Tiny Showcase prints that I would like to display. Does anyone have a clever way to display this collection? I'd like to display them all together.
posted by Farleece at 10:08 PM PST - 2 comments
Recently relocated to US, trying to build credit - already got a secured credit card, should I get a store credit card or try for a real one?
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posted by shimon at 10:06 PM PST - 7 comments
Is there a way to report dangerous driving that you see on the road? e.g. speeding, weaving in and out of lanes.. or just wait and hope the police catch up with them eventually? If I have a reason to believe this bad driver is going to cause an accident - is there a way to report them? I live in the Chicago suburbs.
posted by Workingtill85 at 8:40 PM PST - 16 comments
Book-filter: Nabokov commented on
Lolita that there were only three taboos in American publishing: incest, interracial marriage and "the total atheist who lives a happy and useful life, and dies in his sleep at the age of 106."
Did Nabokov(or anyone else for that matter), ever write a notable book about this latter taboo?
posted by archae at 7:56 PM PST - 10 comments
If you have been car-less for your entire adult life in New York City and just rented a car for a work-free week, where would you go?
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posted by redhotchips at 7:32 PM PST - 7 comments
I graduated in 2004 from a fairly good university, and since then, I've held a few jobs in the retail/merchandising field. Right now, I'm an associate buyer/merchandiser for a specialty retailer. There isn't any room for advancement right now, I'm bored, and the job is totally unstimulating at this point. I live in the Boston area, where there are very few fashion retail buyer jobs. Can you help me with a career change?
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posted by anonymous at 7:08 PM PST - 4 comments
What's your best advice for reading multi-column and other large-minimum-width websites on a 480x800 screen?
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posted by mindsound at 6:57 PM PST - 3 comments
80s tv question. When i was a young man i remember this show that was semi fanasty with a plot around swordsmen who had a sword but also a dirk would come out of the hilt of the sword. This is all i remember if anyone could guide me more would apprecaite it. Show would have been before 85.
posted by Rolandkorn at 6:33 PM PST - 9 comments
Does anyone know if they make a Tupperware or Tupperware-like food storage container system that has one interchangeable lid size for all the different bins?
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posted by killerinsideme at 6:29 PM PST - 11 comments
I just bought a used car. Do I need to get it smog checked before transferring ownership over to myself in California?
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posted by LoopyG at 6:28 PM PST - 5 comments
My friend just started coaching his work's softball team. It's a pretty competitive league, and they are not very good. They have 2 games a week, but not much of a chance to practice in between, so obviously that's a big part of the problem. Even when they do practice, though, he doesn't know how to help them improve. What can they do to get better (drills, guided meditation, amphetamines, anything)?
posted by unknowncommand at 6:24 PM PST - 12 comments
I'm looking for dialog-heavy scenes (in books, movies, TV shows, etc) where a group of people solve a problem or make a plan in the course of one long conversation.
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posted by nebulawindphone at 6:18 PM PST - 33 comments
It's getting warm out, and the top floor of the house we live in is heating up a lot. My infant son sleeps upstairs and the heat from the day is moving up to the top floor and lingering for hours and hours. The catch is he sleeps best in complete darkness, so opening windows means screwing up his sleep for the night.
Anyone have any suggestions on how to cool down the top floor while creating a minimal disturbance for my kid?
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posted by theNonsuch at 5:41 PM PST - 15 comments
So - um, Brasilia - what to do, where to go over the next 10 days?
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posted by jkaczor at 4:58 PM PST - 
