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June 2005 Archives (all archives)
June 30
"When someone shows you who they really are, believe them the first time". Is this right? Here's why I'm Asking:
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posted by anonymous at 10:53 PM PST - 20 comments
Will an upright piano with wheels damage a hardwood floor? Should I have the movers do anything special when bringing it in? If I want to move it later, do I have to do anything special?
posted by jojopizza at 10:07 PM PST - 9 comments 
Today was supposed to be the day the ACLU got the redacted torture Photos mentioned
here
I wonder if anyone knows if the Gov made good on the order? I just assumed we would never see them, so I am quite curious how things played out.
posted by Jezztek at 8:34 PM PST - 1 comments
I need help with modern Asian Decorating. I am moving into my new apartment tomorrow (1 roommate who already lives there) and I want to decorate my bedroom in an asian theme on a VERY strick budget.
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posted by crewshell at 8:04 PM PST - 14 comments
I've decided to buy a digital Nikon SLR (lots of old lenses that will fit the digital body even though they won't work with the digital body's meter). I looked at the D100, D70, D70s and D50. I think I've decided on the D70s. Which "modern" Nikon lens should I buy to go with it? There is a 24-85mm with a 2.8 - 4.0 fstop that looks good. Any suggestions regarding the best "all-around" lens or any reasons I should look at a model other than the D70s?
posted by Carbolic at 7:16 PM PST - 14 comments
KaraokeFilter: I have the .mp3's and the associated .cdg's. How to turn this into a functional Karaoke-CD?
posted by geekyguy at 6:26 PM PST - 2 comments
What interesting things did people do with "big iron" computers in the late '70s and early '80s that is not generally well known, but could be useful to modern computer users?
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posted by b1tr0t at 6:04 PM PST - 26 comments
I have an old unlocked 6710 Blackberry with 8meg RAM and a BES server 4.0. The Berry works as a cell phone, and I even get gprs in lowercase on the display, but it does not send and receive emails. Apparently it needs to belong to some service provider company (e.g. Cell phone company) and the PIN needs to be in their system for it to work. (OS version 3.6) Any ideas?
And - can I upgrade to handheld version 4.0?
posted by bright77blue at 5:57 PM PST - 3 comments
Windows Synchronization Catastrophe! Due to office policy, a former colleague was using an office server as the location for the "My Documents" folder of her personal laptop, then using the synchronize folders feature to provide her with a crude backup. It worked too well. The server was decommissioned a year or two ago and no one ever told her. She just continued to work using the offiline cache. Today, not knowing what she was doing, she went into the "synchronize files" menu and unchecked the box. Suddenly her "My Documents" folder is very, very empty. Those files have to be stored somewhere on that machine, don't they? Can they be restored? Easily, even? Thanks in advance.
posted by Sinner at 5:45 PM PST - 5 comments
Hail Damage to Roof, roof companies everywhere! How do I know the right way to get a fair deal with all of these roof companies?
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posted by huy_le at 4:08 PM PST - 10 comments
80sMusicFilter: I'm looking for a list of popular 80s artists whose band names are somehow related to automobiles. I'm trying to rediscover the name of a particular band I have forgotten.
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posted by Ziggy Zaga at 4:05 PM PST - 31 comments
Is there any reason why standard HTTP requests can't work the same as the BitTorrent protocol? It seems like this would allow websites to avoid the "slashdot/metafilter" effect when traffic surges to an individual site and overwhelms the servers. Seems like this could happen on the client side, with enabled web browsers passing requested data the same as a torrent client. I don't know enough about the underlying technologies to determine if this is a stupid question or not, so please be gentle as you take me down a notch.
posted by hulette at 3:58 PM PST - 13 comments
Dummy alert: I have just been offered a new position, and the company requires a drug test. I knew this, and ate a poppyseed bagel anyway. When will the possibility of a poppy-induced positive be minimal?
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posted by ferociouskitty at 3:57 PM PST - 19 comments
Inspired by Metafilter, I'm thinking of getting a fixed gear bike. Are there any specific things to look for when picking one out? Is it possible to get a decent one for between $100-200?
posted by drezdn at 3:54 PM PST - 8 comments
I'm building a home library with the walls covered with floor to ceiling bookshelves. Instead of a door, I want to have a bookcase that slides (or hinges) to reveal a five foot opening. Any brainstorms?
posted by vega5960 at 2:32 PM PST - 27 comments
My google skillz are failing me. I'm looking for a photoshop pic of 'Tiny Dancer' - specifically, the one where Elton John is holding Tony Danza close...
posted by widdershins at 2:00 PM PST - 5 comments
My wife and I are planning to fly into Seattle and drive down the coast of Oregon and California to San Francisco. We want to rent a car one-way, but the prices seem horrific. Are there any tips or alternatives?
posted by malaprohibita at 1:11 PM PST - 19 comments
How would I, as an individual investor, take advantage of the revaluation of the Chinese Renminbi?
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posted by rkent at 11:32 AM PST - 12 comments
Lack of Privacy Filter: I just discovered an unapproved stranger has been "eavesdropping" on a private yahoogroups list. What. The. Fuck?
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posted by youarejustalittleant at 11:28 AM PST - 18 comments
My friend's band needs a rehearsal space in or around Jacksonville FL, for about a week, starting the week of July 7th. Does anyone know of or have a place?
Four guys and equipment, nothing fancy. Their other place cancelled on them at the last minute.
posted by jsavimbi at 11:15 AM PST - 2 comments
SampleFilter: I'm trying to figure out where a snippet of a sample in an ambient track comes from...
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posted by Rothko at 11:05 AM PST - 6 comments
What are some common and useful things I can memorize? I carry a Hipster PDA around, and I'd like to fill an index card or two with poetry, facts, or anything useful to memorize in my spare moments (standing in line, stuck somewhere without a book). I am not interested in scripture or conversion rates.
posted by NickDouglas at 10:21 AM PST - 48 comments
How do you force a German company to pay a bill? I.e., what is the German equivalent of a civil suit and how hard is it to bring one? (Details inside, if you want the full scoop.)
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posted by harrietwrath at 10:15 AM PST - 2 comments
This weekend I intend to construct a
Custom Corrugated Vapor Colloid Applicator to smoke some fish. Now I've seen Alton Brown do this on my DVD of the show a dozen times, but I'm still a bit iffy about 1) not burning the house down 2) creating something non-food poisonalicious and 3) getting it done in time for a BBQ on Sunday. Any MeFi homemade smoker veterans have any tips for a beginner?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:55 AM PST - 9 comments
FaxServer Filter: Need a recommendation for a Fax Server device that can handle 16 incoming POTS lines simultaneously, plays nicely with windows networks and isn't made/supported by Castelle.
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posted by de void at 9:07 AM PST - 3 comments
Artists: Do you use pose books (or CDs) for reference or practice? Until recently I never knew there
were
so m
any. Which are best? Is one the be-all/end-all? Do you find "pose-dolls" helpful, and if so, are there better ones than the stiff wooden mannequins at the local crafts store?
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posted by Shane at 9:04 AM PST - 6 comments
Can I proceed through a red light when it is clearly
not possible for traffic to be coming from the opposing direction?
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posted by mike9322 at 8:34 AM PST - 25 comments
Lead-GlazeFilter: I just bought a nice bowl at a Japanese market. It was made in Japan. Is there lead in the glaze? Is it safe to eat from? If it had been made in China, what then? Is this an issue of individual bowls or of country regulations? I know in the US there are laws against lead leaching glazes.
posted by OmieWise at 8:20 AM PST - 8 comments
When the time for reading is limited does the dedicated reader read only when she is in the mood, or does he read regardless of mood?
I'm a family man with an 7 to 4 job. My favorite time for reading is the morning when I'm at my most mentally alert. At night I tend to be too tired to concentrate. I'd like to know how you MeFi guys fit reading into your schedules. Where and when do you read? Do you need silence, or do you like background sound? General comments and specific tips all welcome.
posted by TheManticore at 6:59 AM PST - 36 comments
I'd like to purchase custom mousepads for a promotional effort at my company. We need the type that has a window to let us slide in some custom information. A quick search yields, oh, I don't know, about 228,000 matches.
Can anyone recommend a producer based on their own experience?
posted by dhacker at 6:45 AM PST - 3 comments
I need ideas for a "job" for my wife to help pay the bills while she is building her business. Her degree is in illustration, but while creative work would be nice, it is not required. We are already working the temp agencies and other obvious avenues. I was wondering if other artistic MeFites had novel or unique ideas.
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posted by BeerGrin at 6:27 AM PST - 7 comments
Twice in the last few years I have experienced a very painful pressure in my upper chest while eating curry with cola. It feels like I have swallowed wrong but the pressure builds and builds. It is a lot more pressure than when I need to belch after drinking a carbonated beverage yet I can't actually belch to release it. It actually feels like something is going to rupture. I am not sure what I did to make it go away either time. What is this and how can I make it go away and/or avoid it?
posted by srboisvert at 6:27 AM PST - 24 comments
A friend of mine works in an entry-levelish position in a small firm in a certain industry. The job she has is really very good for her professionally -- the company deals in exactly the niche market she wants to work with, and they're giving her more to do, so she's getting excellent experience. The only problem is that our research indicates that they're underpaying her.
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posted by Medieval Maven at 6:01 AM PST - 15 comments
June 29
Help me locate software to transfer images from my Samsung picture phone to my laptop.
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posted by jenovus at 8:08 PM PST - 5 comments
I'm looking for information about the legality (copyright etc) of republishing public government documents...
Specifically election results and voter registration data.
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posted by tozturk at 7:54 PM PST - 7 comments
What do I need for enterprise VoIP, and do you think the technology's mature enough?
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posted by SpecialK at 7:07 PM PST - 2 comments
I'm looking for ways, preferably quick and online, to find out what bestselling books for the past few years have been. Searchable by genre is a plus.
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posted by jeffmshaw at 5:11 PM PST - 2 comments
Dog behavior question: My friend recently adopted a 3-year-old dog from a shelter. It doesn't seem to "get" the whole idea of fetch and retrieve.
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posted by Brian James at 4:20 PM PST - 23 comments
Why do they make so many pencil erasers that don't erase? Isn't that the point? Some do, but lots don't. It doesn't make any sense. This has bugged me for years.
posted by judybxxx at 3:51 PM PST - 11 comments
I was eating a bacon butty this evening and I was wondering why beef isn't traditionally cut that thinly and cooked in the same way.
posted by feelinglistless at 3:03 PM PST - 30 comments
When did the practice of refusing to comment on a given issue due to
pending litigation become an acceptable response? Is this a fairly recent development -- a result of living in a sue-happy nation? Is it just the vogue rhetoric of avoiding even a minimal amount of accountability? Or is it something else? For the lawyers out there, what are the ramifications of commenting? ... especially with cases like those
involving the government?
posted by fourstar at 2:47 PM PST - 4 comments
Where can I compare rates for land loans? Failing that, any recommendations for good lenders to use for land loans?
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posted by letitrain at 2:44 PM PST - 1 comments
Advice on cool neighborhoods to explore in Chicago? (And a few other Chicago questions)
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posted by kdern at 2:08 PM PST - 23 comments
For some research I'm doing (in order to help actors), I'd like to know what science exists about moving data from (human) temporary memory to (human) permanent memory.
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posted by grumblebee at 1:44 PM PST - 13 comments
Fax Utilities for Mac OS X--recommendations? The utility that comes with Tiger is only for the occasional fax.
posted by ParisParamus at 12:20 PM PST - 3 comments
Every time I attempt to use my stovetop cast iron grill, I can't seem to thoroughly cook meats without producing an intolerable amount of smoke. And i'm not talking about the usual smoke inherent in any stovetop cooking, but huge billowing clouds of smoke setting off smoke alarms and hazing up the apartment.
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posted by FearTormento at 12:01 PM PST - 21 comments
I wish the Find Duplicate Songs feature in iTunes was a little fuzzier in its matching capabilities. The way it works now is that the artist and the song title have to match
exactly for it to count it as a match, which works well enough, but over the years I've had some files sneak in with (or without) a 'the' at the beginning of the song title. iTunes will not match those.
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posted by DandyRandy at 11:47 AM PST - 8 comments
BaseFi: I'm a lifelong baseball fan and, hey, I can use this here intarwebbie thing. These two great tastes should taste great together, so where are the best baseball sites?
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posted by unixrat at 11:39 AM PST - 20 comments
Windows-E. Windows-R, Windows-M, Windows-L, they're all great. But, how do I start creating my own shortcuts?
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posted by kuperman at 10:19 AM PST - 14 comments
Have you used a stand-alone storage device for downloading pictures from your digital camera? I'm looking for recommendations.
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posted by bshort at 10:12 AM PST - 15 comments
I'm in a shoe buying state of mind. Any personal favorites? I'd like to avoid the bigger brands and maybe find something different.
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posted by shotsy at 10:10 AM PST - 26 comments
Any suggestions on how to attach acoustic tiles to a regular plastered and painted wall — that will allow for easy removal of the tiles in the future?
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posted by silusGROK at 9:44 AM PST - 5 comments
A question for a friend: "What can you tell me regarding cell phone coverage in Salem, Oregon? Specifically, I'm looking for recommendations as to which company has the best coverage in the area. (I'll be moving to a new house a few miles south of town, toward Independence.) I don't want to get a new phone and then never use it because the coverage sucks. The three companies I'm thinking about are Cingular, Verizon, and T-Mobile." We realize this is a long-shot, but it cannot hurt to ask.
posted by jdroth at 8:20 AM PST - 9 comments
Bay Area Wedding Filter: I'm getting married next year, and we're looking for a site near our home in San Francisco. Ideas?
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posted by hwickline at 8:03 AM PST - 13 comments
Looking for High School Forensic competition pieces - it's a speech tournament, not science, and The Husband has coached the team for two years already. Maybe somebody has some familiarity with this and can give some suggestions of winning pieces? Categories inside.
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posted by rainbaby at 7:35 AM PST - 11 comments
I'm looking for songs by female artists that would be considered risque and/or daring and explicit. There is a focus on the 80's, with a maybe a little overlap in the 70's and 90's being okay. Example: The Divinyls I Touch Myself, Marianne Faithful's Why d'Ya Do It? and Rough Trade's High School Confidential.
posted by ashbury at 7:23 AM PST - 54 comments
Adding hardware without full privileges to a PC with Win XP. My wife has laptop provided by her unwieldy megacorp employer which really restricts what changes can be made to it. We want to add to the computer wireless networking capability.
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posted by shoos at 6:54 AM PST - 19 comments
Trying to make a 4th of July themed playlist. Any suggestions on indie melodic pop songs about fireworks, bottle rockets, parades, or 4th of July? It doesn't have to be *that* indie either.
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posted by Yukon at 5:34 AM PST - 35 comments
I hadn't intended to use my question for this, but I just can't get it out of my head right now ...
what skin ailment would cause this? (Warning: semi-icky, but not disasterously awful, picture.) And is she wearing some sort of leather slacks, or are those her legs?
posted by WCityMike at 4:59 AM PST - 14 comments
My computer (Windows 98) no longer network connects to my girlfriend's computer (Win2000). Is there some setting I'm not getting? I'm googled out on this....
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posted by zaelic at 4:31 AM PST - 3 comments
I recently put
Adbrite on my blog. But no advertisers have signed up in one month.
I reduced the price every week for a text ad from $30 to $10 per week now for a good location in the sidebar. For 2000+ pageviews per day, is it too much to ask for?
Many sites with lesser page views and higher rates are full of Adrite advertisers.
What is the secret of making money with Adbrite?
posted by webmeta at 2:52 AM PST - 6 comments
June 28
Explain Chapter 19 to me. I'm reading Stendhal's "The Red and the Black" and this chapter leaves me puzzled. Could someone who knows French history tell me what's going on?
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posted by Termite at 11:38 PM PST - 6 comments
How do undersea (and trans-ocean) fiber optics communication cables and trunks terminate? Do they rise out of the beach like a giant mass and snake into some building or does it branch out under sea and connect underground? Question kind of prompted by curiosity about
this outage.
posted by phyrewerx at 10:41 PM PST - 8 comments
We had response cards printed for our wedding invitations. They are the fold-over kind. Only one of the four sides has print: "please rsvp...". The cards are flat and ready to be folder by us for stuffing into the envelope...Which way are the cards folded over? So that the guest can write a reply on the blank inside? Or so that they open the card up to the printed rsvp "M______" text?
posted by about_time at 9:54 PM PST - 9 comments
Why, from a psychological perspective (evolutionary or otherwise) are first impressions of other people so strong and lasting?
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posted by vacapinta at 8:46 PM PST - 14 comments
I'm moving to Silicon Valley in the next month, but I have no idea where I should live! Also, how much is it going to cost for me to live out there on a day-to-day basis?
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posted by superboy422 at 8:28 PM PST - 5 comments
For the past few months, Diaryland, the site where I host my online journal, has been having some strange errors. Requests for technical help have gone unanswered. I'm getting worried that the site has been abandoned. What is going on?
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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:15 PM PST - 4 comments
CaliforniaCarInsuranceFilter: My friend (I swear) backed out of a spot at her bank and into the side of an idling car. There's a mess of details I'd like help with...
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posted by AgentRocket at 6:34 PM PST - 10 comments
After popping off our (hideous) ceramic floor tiles, how do I get the cement mortar down to the level of our concrete floor?
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posted by pomegranate at 5:25 PM PST - 7 comments
The time to upgrade my desktop from Win98se to Win XP Home has come.
I have XP on a Dell disk that came with a laptop. Can it be used? Or, do I buy new software?
Can I do it myself? How much trouble am I going to have if I do it myself.
Will I have less trouble if I take the computer somewhere and have it done?
Personal experiences appreciated.
posted by NorthCoastCafe at 4:55 PM PST - 7 comments
I am moving to New York City this summer, and I have no idea how to start looking for an apartment.
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posted by AlisonM at 4:14 PM PST - 19 comments
So my little blog has gotten some attention lately and that's all good. BUT there's something I didn't expect, at least not this quickly or blatantly.
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posted by azul at 4:01 PM PST - 19 comments
OldTVShowFilter: A group of real-life young kids are playing in a garage band when they get sucked into their televison and become cartoons. They spend their time in cartoon land trying to get back out.
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posted by nyterrant at 2:44 PM PST - 10 comments
My boss is looking for a good travel keyboard and mouse, so's to avoid the hassles of laptop typing. (He even mentioned a folding one, or maybe a wireless one?) Any suggestions?
posted by Specklet at 2:24 PM PST - 6 comments
What is the best (and free'est) hit counter?
I would like to be able to make it invisible to the surfer and have it collect statistics.
Sitemeter used to be great but they are not around anymore it seems. They had statistics available so you could see who was at your site and which pages they were at, etc.
Don't know how to do coding so I have no backend database or cgi, etc. experience...unless it is super easy to figure out or a stand alone java applet.
posted by SparkyPine at 2:00 PM PST - 13 comments
Have any of you experienced (or noticed in your male partner) an extremely low libido for long periods of time? How did you and your partner get through it? What did you do to combat it?
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posted by rhapsodie at 1:59 PM PST - 53 comments
Is there a VOIP service like Vonage that lets you choose your own phone number (not just the area code?) Vonage does not currently support such "vanity numbers." Note I am not trying to move a current phone number over but create a new one from scratch if it is available.
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posted by neustile at 1:54 PM PST - 2 comments
I have been offered a new job, with a nice pay rise in another end of the country. Unfortunately, the money I was counting on to finance the move has fallen through. I have an atrocious credit record and can't get a loan, and I am not eligible for any relocation help in my new workplace as I'm not going to be working in a senior enough position.
I've googled, I've used the yellow pages, I've asked friends, work colleagues and tried everything I know. I've been to the jobcentre to ask about the Social Fund, and I've run out of ideas.
Does anyone know if there are any grants/aid/special loans out there that might be able to help me? I'll be able to pay it back, as I'll be on a higher salary, but I just have no money at all to finance the move. If I can't find a solution by Thursday, I'll have to turn down the offer of the job, and I really don't want to do that.
Can anyone point me in the direction of some hope?? (I'm in the uk)
posted by lemonpillows at 1:46 PM PST - 19 comments
I'm starting a blog. I don't want a "whatever.blogspot.com", I want a www.whatever.com blog.
Can I do this using such services as Blogger? Should I buy Movable Type? Does anyone wanna help??? HELP!!!
posted by bamassippi at 1:44 PM PST - 22 comments
I'm looking into applying to law school, and trying to think of ways to strengthen my application. Anyone know whether passing the Bar before applying would be seen as a good thing, in terms of getting into a slightly better school than I would otherwise?
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posted by kafziel at 1:07 PM PST - 14 comments
Is there a way to have two cell phone accounts on one phone? To make things more complicated, I'm talking specifically about combining a Nextel account and a Cingular account -- which I believe operate on seperate protocols. Is there hardware that supports this? I'd want to be able to have both accounts active at the same time, and if I were on a call using one, and received a call on the other, the other would get pushed to voicemail.
posted by jruckman at 12:49 PM PST - 10 comments
I have an undergrad degree in philosophy and a masters in education. Been doing Online courses for six years and I'm interested in going back to school. In the past few years I've been working on music, film, some psychogeography stuff, conceptual art development/pranks, making posters and on and on. Is anyone out there familiar with grad programs for folks who are all over the place with interests but lean toward the art/activist side?
posted by PHINC at 12:09 PM PST - 4 comments
CSS with dynamic content. I'm trying to create a web page using CSS and text pulled from a database, so that it looks like this:
http://www.blogfucker.com/junk/css_help.gif. "Image 2" is simply floated left. Very simple to do with static content. But this is for a client who will only be able to edit the text, which will be entered as a single block of text. How do I throw a floated image in there so it shows up roughly in the middle of the page? I've considered writing a script to count the number of paragraphs (or even characters) and dividing by two, and throwing it in that way. But I feel there must be a simpler way.
posted by jpoulos at 11:28 AM PST - 2 comments
Can anyone advise a non techy person of an open source OS that I can use?
I want it to be reliable, easy to use and intuitive.
I know I am asking a lot but it needs to suit all the family.
I currently use XP.
posted by ClanvidHorse at 11:24 AM PST - 10 comments
In setting up access to my cable internet the cable company's set-up CD installed Internet Explorer by "so-and-so." I hate this. I know (assume, I guess) it was created with Microsoft's
Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK). I also know you can't really uninstall IE, but is it possible to uninstall these IEAK customizations? A free "IE-cleaner" download or step by step clean-up instructions would be great!
posted by clgregor at 11:13 AM PST - 7 comments
Help me find a new author in the style of Patricia Cornwell, Iain Banks, Christopher Brookmyre, Ian Rankin etc.
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posted by Leud at 11:03 AM PST - 13 comments
I am in the market for a new car. Does anyone have some remarks on Pro’s and Con’s of buying new vs. used? I am looking to replace my 95 Subaru wagon which was totaled last weekend. I am considering buying a used Subaru outback (99-04) range or a new 05 outback. Some Pro’s I see for buying used are price obviously, Con’s being unknown history, no warranty, won’t last as long etc. Pro’s of buying new would be Warranty, one owner etc. Anyone else have some insight on these pro’s and con’s and maybe what else should be taken into consideration?
Also, I read a thread a while back about tricks to prevent overpaying at the dealer for a car, anyone know where that is?
Thanks,
posted by retro88 at 11:00 AM PST - 23 comments
I'm looking for a sci-fi cartoon made in the mid to late 80s, I think. It's in the vein of Heavy Metal, but I'm pretty sure it was PG and not R.
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posted by taumeson at 10:20 AM PST - 3 comments
PhilosophyPhilter. This is kind of obscure, but I'm hoping that someone has some ideas. Did the Greeks have equivalent concepts for what we call 'tacit knowledge,' that is between knowledge that is familiar, habitual, everyday and usually unspoken? If so, did they juxtapose it with 'explicit knowledge'? Thanks!
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posted by carter at 9:40 AM PST - 13 comments
My well-trained dog is going to have to start wearing a muzzle.
He's a 7 year old American Staffordshire Terrier--medium size (70+ lbs)--see pic.
Who makes the most humane muzzle on the market and how should I introduce him to it?
Also, anyone in Ontario have a link to the "rules" of the legislation?
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posted by dobbs at 9:32 AM PST - 31 comments
Is anyone out there familiar with "sheltered workshops"? If so I would be curious if you could point me in the direction of any research citations or PDFs you know about.
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posted by gagglezoomer at 7:47 AM PST - 2 comments
Advice for short term living in a rural area: Should I rent a single family house? If so, how do I go about doing that and what are the benefits and pitfalls?
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posted by Saucy Intruder at 7:29 AM PST - 7 comments
I don't understand the painter Mark Rothko's abstract works. What is it that makes the art have any significance?
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posted by wackybrit at 7:11 AM PST - 50 comments
I'm concocting a list of (musical) artists whose songs have inspired band names. For example: Muddy Waters (Rolling Stones), Brian Eno (A Certain Ratio, Burning Airlines). Preferably the song title is the band name, but I'll also consider things like: Beatles (Yeah Yeah Yeahs). All contributions welcome!
posted by TiredStarling at 6:52 AM PST - 48 comments
Does anyone have any experience opening a bank account in a country in which they are not resident? I live in Britain and would like an account in France.
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posted by altolinguistic at 4:40 AM PST - 4 comments
For those of you in relationships, how often do you engage in sexual activity? Do you find yourselves doing it less as you and your partner age together (the honeymoon stage ending, etc.)? I'm looking for answers mainly from people who have been in relationships for a few years or longer. Honest answers about this are appreciated!
posted by anonymous at 2:40 AM PST - 33 comments
I'm curious about breast reduction surgery. What factors should I consider? How do I find a surgeon? Has anyone else here had this procedure done?
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posted by anonymous at 2:40 AM PST - 21 comments
June 27
Where can I find, preferably online, really obscure prescription drugs for sale without being "in" with a doctor? Specifically, I'm looking for Nizoral (ketoconazole) in either scalp fluid (I can only find Italian references) or foam (might only be in clinical trials).
Generally, I'm sure there must be message boards for this kind of thing. A few years back, I had access to a private one with pretty good traffic, but it appears to be defunct now. Anyone have any good references they might be willing to share?
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posted by trevyn at 11:36 PM PST - 14 comments
I'm trying to locate outdoor wall-mounted coach-lantern light fixtures that have a built-in photocell...
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posted by gwenzel at 9:34 PM PST - 5 comments
In a few days I'm headed to Guatemala for a month followed by several weeks in southern Mexico. Offer some travel suggestions please!
Also, as I'll be traveling by myself, suggestions on how to be more outgoing in a language I'm not confident with welcome.
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posted by soviet sleepover at 8:43 PM PST - 3 comments
I'm running DVI out of my PC into HDMI on my HDTV, but I'm wondering how to playback DVD movies in 1080i...
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posted by SweetJesus at 8:07 PM PST - 4 comments
For six years I've worn a particular kind of black boot which has, understandably, succumbed to the ravages of time. It's kind of like a military boot and kind of like a workboot as
this crappy cellphone photo demonstrates. My sister bought the original pair for me in Portland and doesn't remember any of the details: store name, brand name, and so forth. My guess is a place like
GI Joe's. Any idea what this style of boot is called? And does anyone have a preferred online shopping outlet for kind of standard-issue apparel?
posted by dhoyt at 8:04 PM PST - 16 comments
Can you help me find a usable, friendly keystroke logger for Windows that isn't creepware?
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posted by evariste at 7:49 PM PST - 3 comments
My 2 year old border collie has been boarded at our vet's for 10 days while we were on vacation . I picked her up today she was really despondent. I really thought she was just pissed at being left so long but as the day has gone by I've noticed she has been sneezing and very lethargic and just noticed she has a fever, My question is can I give her human pain reliever for tonight til I can get her to the vet Tomorrow ,
since it already has cost me 200.00 to board her. Help!!!!
posted by Pressed Rat at 7:48 PM PST - 12 comments
Questions about learning Russian and SIT-TESOL/CELTA certification...
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posted by fake at 7:35 PM PST - 5 comments
Metroid, Castlevania,
Cave Story... I want more games in this vein. Console or PC, pro or indie, just so long as it's
good.
posted by squidlarkin at 7:20 PM PST - 12 comments
Hip Hop song identification needed. Help me identify a hip hop song from the movie Be Cool. When Vince Vaughn is riding in the back of his car, and The Rock is driving, there is a hip hop song playing. The only lyrics you can hear are "walla walla walla bang bang. walla walla bang bang". Who is that? Hint: It's not that Witch Doctor song for kids, in case you were gonna be funny ;)
ps: It's about 46:30 into the movie if you happen to have it on DVD.
posted by gummo at 6:39 PM PST - 5 comments
Just read "Azumanga Daioh" and would greatly appreciate suggestions of similar yonkoma style manga.
posted by jimmy at 5:50 PM PST - 6 comments
I have DVDs that play on my laptop but not on the standard DVD Player. Short of buying a cheap DVD player from an Asian grocery store, is there a way I can use a cable to play it on my laptop but watch the result on my big fat TV?
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posted by kensanway at 5:44 PM PST - 7 comments
I am considering a career change, and need advice. I am thinking of going back to college to study osteopathy. Am I making the right choice? What sort of financial arrangements can I make to avoid massive debt?
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posted by ajp at 5:42 PM PST - 7 comments
Hey Theatre Geeks! What are your favorite warm-up/improv theatre games? Bonus points if they work well for kids!
posted by stray at 5:30 PM PST - 9 comments
My current MAME-dedicated computer is a little too slow to play some of the newer games, so I'm looking for a replacement. Where is the cheapest place to get either a new or used computer of decent power? Also, is processor speed or RAM more important when it comes to MAME performance?
posted by ttrendel at 4:46 PM PST - 9 comments
How do I check my references? Are services like
DRC a scam? Could anyone recommend a legitimate service and/or share your experiences/offer advice?
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posted by anonymous at 3:34 PM PST - 8 comments
I work for a small business and they told me I can pick my own insurance plan. I'm really having trouble narrowing the field. Is there a method for determining which insurance plan would provide the best coverage for certain diseases?
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posted by anonymous at 3:33 PM PST - 2 comments
LawSchoolFilter: Is there a glass ceiling or a hurdle facing graduates from lower tiered law schools? How much does it really matter where your law degree is from? I have been admitted and am attending the summer session at a high 3rd/low 2nd tier law school. Today learned I have been accepted off the waitlist at a school that consistantly places in the top 15-25...
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posted by anonymous at 3:33 PM PST - 16 comments
What online sites are good for news on the US. I currently read CNN, and look through GoogleNews. But where do other Mefites go online to find their news. Political commentary sites are very welcome. Please and thank you.
posted by FunkyHelix at 3:12 PM PST - 15 comments
There was an article that came out in a well-known magazine a few years back about September 11. Help me find it.
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posted by itchie at 2:49 PM PST - 9 comments
Where should I begin to find out something about a company called "Daimler International Trading Ltd"? It's not publicly traded, and Google fails me. One would assume basic information such as where the company is incorporated is public information?
posted by of strange foe at 2:18 PM PST - 5 comments
I'm in the market for a new computer desk/workstation. Help me find what I'm looking for!
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posted by nitsuj at 1:50 PM PST - 11 comments
A friend needs help fending off a creditor, any help would be appreciated greatly. Details inside.
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posted by Vaska at 12:56 PM PST - 5 comments
Why does water taste so bad? And more to the point, do you have tips for making it taste better?
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posted by Fezboy! at 12:49 PM PST - 41 comments
i'm looking for music recommendations a la the song that - shudder - was sung by jude law and the other italian guy in the "
talented mr. ripley". it's a 30s-40s jazz number but upbeat, minor-key, with an italian/spanish flavor: Tu Vuo' Fa l'Americano. anyone recommend a band, artist, or album of such recordings? [older recordings would be preferable to some modern "nostalgia" recording (a la paris combo)]
posted by yonation at 12:07 PM PST - 5 comments
AmazonFilter: Now that Amazon.com sells merchandise from hundreds of third-party vendors, a search that previously would have returned a manageable set of results now turns up pages and pages of products. Is there any way to search for products sold only by Amazon and not by third-party sellers?
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posted by hsoltz at 11:56 AM PST - 3 comments
My computer freezes around once a day. There is an audio loop and I have to reset it. How can I diagnose and fix this?
posted by donth at 11:27 AM PST - 9 comments
Does anyone know where to buy cool-looking and functional birdhouses?
posted by dearleader at 11:20 AM PST - 8 comments
Guitar Modification: I have a Taylor 214 acoustic with a Martin Thinline Acoustic pickup, but no preamp. What sort of preamp should I get installed?
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posted by ludwig_van at 11:14 AM PST - 5 comments
I'm looking for a moving/storage company in the Chicagoland area. I am a student at Northwestern and I need to store my stuff, including a desk, a futon and a dresser, for the summer. I live off-campus and I need a company that is reliable, has good rates, and will pick up my stuff from my apartment. Any suggestions?
posted by AceRock at 10:50 AM PST - 7 comments
I can't get del.icio.us to work for me! The 'pop-up' and 'post' buttons in my tool bar open with IE and I think this is causing problems. Is there a way to get them to open with Mozilla instead of IE?
No problems happen if I click the post method from my saved (mozilla) bookmarks, that works perfectly, but if possible I'd like to be able to click on my toolbar..
I can't find any help for del.icio.us, at least not for this problem, not even with a google search. I'm hoping someone here will know what to do. I'd really like to use del.icio.us Thanks!
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posted by LadyBonita at 10:43 AM PST - 2 comments
I am beginning an Masters program in August, and am looking for a general PC-based information-managing -visualizing solution, perhaps a Wiki.
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posted by signal at 10:41 AM PST - 9 comments
What would you recommend as the cheapest way to set something up that would offer at-a-glance notification that there was an email waiting for you on the computer.
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posted by jbradley at 9:57 AM PST - 7 comments
If I need ~2,000 11x17 double-sided print jobs on a monthly basis, which would be more cost effective: working with a local print shop or buying a good laser printer and doing it myself?
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posted by bjork24 at 9:37 AM PST - 9 comments
Outlook Express : need to delete duplicate e-mails in numerous saved folders after backing up and restoring several years of e-mail. Any way, other than manual, to remove dupes ?
posted by Agamenticus at 9:29 AM PST - 3 comments
The figure of 1700 Americans killed in Iraq is saddening and unnecessary. We still don't know what they died for.
My question, which may sound callous, is: What are the mortality rates for a comparable group of regular American citizens? In other words, if you take 150,000 people, mostly male, between the ages of eighteen and (say) forty, how many of them will die during a two and half year period? I am not attempting to minimize the casualties here, rather I am trying to argue the case against the war in the most conservative and factual way.
Thank for any insights anyone can give me on this.
posted by thayerg at 8:34 AM PST - 33 comments
How does one go about creating a 1 color bitmap font, pixel by pixel in Windows?
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posted by udeups at 8:33 AM PST - 6 comments
How do you deal with religion and children? My wife and I are not really religious, I was bought up as a Catholic - but reached 13 or 14 with serious doubts and left religion behind, I'm curious and and understanding of beliefs and faiths. My wife is a confirmed non-believer, and had no religious upbringing - so struggles with explaining all of the questions.
My five year old son however...
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posted by mattr at 8:33 AM PST - 22 comments
Looks like I can get away for the weekend of July 4th, and I'd
really like to get away. Vegas is too much ($1400 roundtrip, from Kansas City), so I was looking into vacation rentals. I'd like to drive if possible as airfare at this point looks atrocious. Any ideas for the best way to find a vacation house/condo somewhere? I tried Craigslist, which only was "Ok" as far as vacation rentals went. I'm looking in the Colorado region.
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posted by geoff. at 8:29 AM PST - 5 comments
I'm looking for a specific online store/aggregator (if that's the proper term) through which you can order CDs/records/etc. via many, many vendors. I used this site a lot 5 years ago. They had masses of out-of-print and tiny label stuff. Almost anything you could think of, they had it. The site sported a very old-school ugly-but-charming layout. Loved them. But I've lost my link...please help me find it!
posted by timnyc at 7:35 AM PST - 4 comments
I just got back from Texas with a day trip to Mexico. When coming back from Mexico but a few miles on 100 North IIRC inside the US border, we ran across a border patrol where I, the driver, was asked if the border patrol people could take a look inside the van. I said yes because I knew weren't hiding anything, but I'm guessing it was because we had a few Hispanics with us and a whole lot of luggage to hide people/stuff. Now, I've always heard one doesn't have to consent to allowing a search of the car, so I'm curious if I have said no to letting the border patrol look inside my car? What would have happened if I said no?
posted by jmd82 at 7:23 AM PST - 11 comments
What's the preferred terminology for entering and leaving the part of a website where you have to enter a username and password? Is it log in/log out or log on/log off? One word (login) or two (log in)?
posted by Joleta at 7:06 AM PST - 9 comments
What software can you recommend for creating a large collage suitable for printing at poster size?
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posted by gfroese at 6:43 AM PST - 6 comments
I possess a number of rare demo tapes (audio cassettes) from the 1980s Halifax music scene that I would like professionally restored and transferred to audio CD. Can anyone recommend a service that can do the work?
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posted by tranquileye at 6:33 AM PST - 6 comments
I need a printer. I rarely print, and when I do, it's always black and white. Inkjets seem to dry or clog if not used for a long time. Plus, they're HUGE. Should I get one of those
cheap lasers? Are lasers and inkjets the only options?
posted by skryche at 6:07 AM PST - 18 comments
A friend recently passed away in his sleep and it was several days before he was found. The smell in his apartment was unbearable and permeated everything fabric and upholstered. Most of his furnishings were less than a year old and in barely used condition, including a brand new sofa and love seat. Is there any way to rid them of the smell? So far we’ve tried Odorban and currently have them covered in a thick layer of baking soda. Any other suggestions, or is this a futile effort?
posted by kyrie416 at 5:52 AM PST - 16 comments
How do you keep yourself focused on your "big picture" goals when immediate desires and whims keep trying to get in the way?
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posted by tastybrains at 5:14 AM PST - 3 comments
I would like to have a Crazy (or Grand) Adventure, but it seems good adventures are harder to find than in the movies. Anyone know or can think of any good ideas? Difficulty: I'm aiming for a LOW likelihood of getting killed/arrested/maimed/sued, but a HIGH likelihood of Amazing Tales I can bore people with 50 years from now.
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posted by -harlequin- at 4:05 AM PST - 23 comments
I've got a Sony Ericcson P910A cell phone that runs the Symbian UIQ operating system.
What are some cool pieces of software for it?
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posted by kungfujoe at 4:02 AM PST - 1 comments
I would like help with the identify of a song I heard on NPR a few years ago.
It was something of a "metasong" with lyrics stating the part of the song currently being sung. Such as "this is the bridge" and "Here comes the chorus".
I would like to hear this song again.
posted by Axandor at 12:24 AM PST - 22 comments
June 26
My last job has been a terrible, terrible mess for which I am quite responsible. However, every other job I have had has gone well. How should I deal with this on my resume? I've even toyed with the idea of deleting the job entirely but this is difficult as it is my last job. Has anyone had similar experiences?
posted by sien at 10:47 PM PST - 10 comments
I'm looking for a quote where a (black?) activist says he prefers the pre apartheid politics of South Africa to the USA.
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posted by uncanny hengeman at 9:16 PM PST - 2 comments
What are the all-time great reggae albums? I just watched The Harder They Come, and put the soundtrack in my Amazon shopping cart. I already have Bob Marley - Rebel Music. What else should I look into?
posted by agropyron at 9:08 PM PST - 26 comments
ImageFilter: You know those scenes in old gangster movies, in which the boss is seated in a towering black chair facing away from his desk (usually towards a window)? I'm looking for a photo like that.
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posted by Count Ziggurat at 9:06 PM PST - 3 comments
Resources for student or amateur filmmakers. I'm updating [my film site] to list useful resources or little known tips such as DIY equipment, free music scoring, free software, how to articles, etc. What can you recommend that is helpful?
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posted by FakeOutdoorsman at 8:31 PM PST - 4 comments
Why do signs to deter trespassers use the convention "Posted: No Trespassing" when the very fact that such a sign is physically posted makes the use of the word "Posted" redundant?
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posted by eschatfische at 7:34 PM PST - 15 comments
An adult neighbor/friend had his tonsils out, and he's in hella pain, despite ingesting many Lortab. It's been a week.
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posted by craniac at 7:17 PM PST - 11 comments
A relative recently won a settlement in small claims court for $3,000. However, he is having difficulty collecting the settlement. What resources are available to aid in collecting the settlement?
posted by cahlers at 3:18 PM PST - 9 comments
Tevas & rubber(plastic) garden clogs plus bare feet smell like old cheese after a while (many wearings, not one wearing of many hours.) What is the best way to clean the footware? (The feet are clean, it's the footwear.)
posted by leafwoman at 2:19 PM PST - 12 comments
A very good friend of mine had her cellular telephone stolen the other day, and by the time she noticed this and reported the theft to T-Mobile, the thief had made many hundreds of dollars worth of calls to a foreign nation. After many calls back and forth, T-Mobile says they are doing her a great favor by waiving 25% of the costs but she is responsible for the rest. Is this right? Why would they treat a supposedly valued customer of several years this way? The T-Mobile reps tell her there is no appeal process or ombudsman; does anyone know if this is really true?
posted by luriete at 1:32 PM PST - 23 comments
How do I get my XP folder windows to stop opening in their own window? I'm aware of the "open in new window" option in Control Panel > Folder Options and that's not it.
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posted by miniape at 12:48 PM PST - 8 comments
Is there any sort of spray or protective coating that can be used to clean computer?
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posted by gaelenh at 12:17 PM PST - 12 comments
A few years ago, I heard a reading on the radio of a writers account of her correspondence with a group of teens that would invade her house while she was away. I believe it was on NPR.
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posted by Yorrick at 12:06 PM PST - 5 comments
My Gamecube will no longer recognize any disc put in it, I just get the configuration screen as if there was no disc inserted. Is it (for practical purposes) toast?
posted by spartacusroosevelt at 11:52 AM PST - 7 comments
What is the best way to defeat someone in a competition who already believes that they have won?
posted by alpinist at 11:20 AM PST - 13 comments
ElectronicsHobbyistinNYCFilter: Where in New York City can someone get electronic components (resistors, capacitors, basic logic chips, common connectors, etc.)?
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posted by toftflin at 10:31 AM PST - 11 comments
I'm thinking about going to South-East Asia this fall. I'll probably be there for 5-6 weeks. Are there any books (besides the basic travel guides) that I should read before I go?
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posted by einarorn at 8:12 AM PST - 12 comments
Is there a diagram that outlines the identities of the apostles in da Vinci's "Last Supper"? I've Googled this and checked the Wiki to no avail.
posted by pxe2000 at 8:05 AM PST - 3 comments
What's the best way to get air pockets out of a ballpoint pen? It's a lot harder now that the fool things are completely sealed. Sure, I could get a new $.05 pen, but it irks me to no end.
posted by DonnieSticks at 7:33 AM PST - 3 comments
Is there a specific amount of time I should wait between mowing my lawn and watering it to prevent damage to the lawn?
posted by y0mbo at 5:13 AM PST - 6 comments
I would like to spend a month in Israel with my girlfirend next january. Has anyone been there recently? Any thoughts on cool stuff to do in a month? Places to go, things to see or maybe a course to take?
posted by falameufilho at 12:55 AM PST - 8 comments
June 25
How do I learn lots of names of people quickly? I'm beginning a summer at the Middlebury language schools and I need to get to know as many people as possible *quick*. Unfortunately, I suck at remembering names. Even for like 3 seconds. I try to write them down as fast as possible, and most of the time I lose it before I get to my handy pocket notebook. Tips?
posted by sdis at 8:16 PM PST - 16 comments
If you were putting together a fun, funny, gift box for a friend who was about to enter grad school, what would you want to put into it?
posted by .kobayashi. at 5:36 PM PST - 28 comments
E-mail obfuscators. Is it even worth it? Surely spam harvesters have evolved to the point where almost nothing is a sure thing, but what's the safest way to put a clickable e-mail address on the web?
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posted by Robot Johnny at 4:39 PM PST - 27 comments
Re: Student loan consolidation and possible changes occurring on the 1st of July. Can anyone set me straight on this? All I can find is that there "might" be rate hikes and there are "possible" rule changes. What do these changes entail? My future-wife is submitting her application today. Will she meet the deadline if her application goes in-work before the 1st?
posted by snsranch at 4:36 PM PST - 10 comments
Homebuying question. I am buying a house with my girlfriend and another couple. We need a contract for if things go wrong, like if someone can no longer pay their share of the mortgage or something. Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing ?
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posted by miles at 4:30 PM PST - 16 comments
Home recording question: for those with limited funds and limited equipment, what's the best method of accomplishing a big, full, warm-sounding acoustic guitar sound?
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posted by highsignal at 2:45 PM PST - 19 comments
I'm getting married in two weeks tomorrow, and we are having trouble finding a serious reading for during the ceremony.
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posted by jb at 2:09 PM PST - 18 comments
DIYFilter: My kitchen floor still has the original tile from 70s (yuk!). I'd like to update it somehow on the cheap. So short of re-tiling, anyone have a good idea what I can do to update it?
posted by menace303 at 12:03 PM PST - 6 comments
Firefox Filter: I can't believe I have to aske this question but I'm exasperated. When I highlight a word or phrase in Firefox and right click...
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posted by Heminator at 11:53 AM PST - 3 comments
How do I allocate time to different parts of my life? I'm a second-year PhD student, but I think this is a universal problem. When I am deciding what to do at a given moment I might have a small number of major long-term projects (right now: two research projects and a course I'm taking), a bunch of minor tasks, and planning for fun stuff. I feel like I really should be devoting most of my time to the major projects, but I sometimes despair at the thought that the little stuff will never get done.
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posted by grouse at 10:58 AM PST - 17 comments
I want to buy New York City municipal bonds. How is the best way to do this?
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posted by mert at 10:02 AM PST - 10 comments
Is there a way to search for a photograph on line, not by caption, key words, etc. but by uploading a photo and then searching for that photo?
posted by rabbus at 8:18 AM PST - 13 comments
We currently develop and support a large custom software application for a single client. We're approaching a situation where we want to spin that application off into a product that we implement for many clients. Each implementation will be highly customized and, for the near future, we'll only be doing a handful of them (less than 5). Can anyone recommend any relevant reading material (books, articles) for the transition?
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posted by medpt at 6:53 AM PST - 5 comments
Is there great pizza in midtown Manhattan? Where?
posted by caitlinb at 5:51 AM PST - 20 comments
After finding some good answers on a previous "
scary movie" question, I'd like some recommendations for great Conspiracy movies.
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posted by gsb at 5:42 AM PST - 36 comments
Why is it that when you have a cold or hayfever, it is temporarily cured while you are either drunk or asleep?
posted by wibbler at 4:23 AM PST - 13 comments
June 24
Where can I obtain wild strawberry plants? (Preferably in South-East England.)
posted by alfhild at 11:13 PM PST - 4 comments
When you own a house and live in it but rent some of the rooms out to other people, is the landlord/tenant situation different than it is for renting out an entire property? Obviously, in the latter case you can't be evicted from your apartment for not doing the dishes. But what about if you live in the same house as the person who owns it? How about rent control? I'm in the Bay Area, CA.
posted by scarabic at 10:35 PM PST - 5 comments
Consider the standard fingernail clipper: a lever squeezes together two concave edges. Imagine an inverted version -- it would look exactly like standard clippers, except the two curved blades would be convex, sticking out. (And with a little wider gap.)
Is this tool available?
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posted by Rash at 10:09 PM PST - 12 comments
What movie has scared you the most? I feel the need to be actually frightened by a movie, and that really hasn't happened very often.
posted by Newbornstranger at 8:48 PM PST - 63 comments
How did you eliminate dairy from your diet? I've just tried spending two weeks dairy-free, and found it a heck of a challenge!
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posted by five fresh fish at 8:34 PM PST - 19 comments
I was wondering if any MeFites had ever experienced blood in their urine as a result of exercise.
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posted by Fat Guy at 8:04 PM PST - 10 comments
Is there anything I can do about lighting dimmer switches that buzz annoyingly?
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posted by Glum at 3:44 PM PST - 6 comments
In one year I will leave old Europe for a sunny side of this planet : indian ocean or french polynesia,
It leaves me enough time to learn some new skill(s) in the IT field,
Do you have any idea ? what will be the next wave ?
( beside taking english course ... )
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posted by luis huiton at 3:22 PM PST - 8 comments
I was born in Alaska and lived there until I graduated high school in 1987. I haven't been back- until now. I'm taking my wife and two children there for the month of July. Please help us with places to stay and things to do.
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posted by Dag Maggot at 3:16 PM PST - 6 comments
Can anyone recommend a good furniture outlet in the Miami area? I'm looking for a couch but can't afford a very expensive one, and am new to the Miami area, so I don't know where to look.
posted by Amizu at 3:04 PM PST - 6 comments
Help! The client from heaven has gotten a manager from hell. I need your advice on how to save this project, and an otherwise excellent reference, from being burned by an overreaching manager.
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posted by nakedcodemonkey at 1:42 PM PST - 15 comments
I'm going to have a cavity drilled on Tuesday. I've never had this done before and I'm terribly phobic of "procedures" (dental and otherwise), especially when I don't know what is involved. What exactly do they do when they drill out a cavity--step by step, what's involved?
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posted by fuzzbean at 1:10 PM PST - 34 comments
Does anyone know of an extension or greasemonkey script that will count the number of characters in a text area, in firefox? I ask because I just had a ton of notes truncated because firefox limits the field to 4096 characters......! I've found some word counts, but no character counts.
posted by corpse at 11:39 AM PST - 6 comments
I'm looking for an apartment in the Cambridge/Somerville, MA area for (*shudder*) Sept. 1. My question is: given that finding a truly "no-fee" apartment here is nigh-impossible here*, is it worthwhile to go somewhere like
Grand Central Apartments?
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posted by bobot at 11:28 AM PST - 16 comments
Does anyone have a simple, reasonably fair, method for generating random numbers in their head (or with pen and paper)?
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posted by andrew cooke at 11:18 AM PST - 16 comments
I would like to order some custom T-shirts for our upcoming employee summer picnic... I cannot seem to find anyone who is able to "print" or come up with custom sparkly applique/iron on decals. I don't exactly know how to properly describe what I'm looking for, and this could be part of the problem...
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posted by dbk at 10:58 AM PST - 5 comments
A young woman that I am helping has recently left her home country (a totalitarian regime by any account) and is going to be attending undergraduate university in the U.S. in the fall. The school has given her a full ride as her family lives in extreme poverty. After she is done with school, she'll probably want to stay in the U.S., what sort of major should she choose so that she'll have the best chance of getting a job after that will provide her with a visa? I know some will say to choose what she loves, but she needs to be strategic.
posted by k8t at 10:13 AM PST - 22 comments
goldfish care: my goldfish, like all of them, sucks up his aquarium rocks. i've tried to rid the tank of all the ones small emough to get stuck. but now he seems to have one lodged in his throat. anything i can do to help him spit it out?
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posted by crush-onastick at 10:07 AM PST - 16 comments
My girlfriend and I will be in San Francisco on July 3rd through the 6th before we go to Yosemite to camp with some friends...
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posted by gus at 9:59 AM PST - 12 comments
Do taxi drivers have some sort of unspoken agreement with the police about seatbelts?
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posted by ODiV at 9:29 AM PST - 14 comments
Anyone have any good (== interesting|useful) examples of uses of the Amazon Web Services?
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posted by Chunder at 4:45 AM PST - 6 comments
Have you been exposed to the "Theory of Constraints" at work? Did you choose to use it or was it imposed upon you? What came of it? Did it improve things? If it changed the way you work, how so? More importantly: what the hell is it?
posted by pracowity at 3:14 AM PST - 5 comments
For many years, I have been using different versions of Windows as my primary operating system - dabbling now and then with different distributions of Linux. For graduate school, I have switched to an iBook and, while I find OS X to be quite a good operating system so far, I find elements of it confusing. I am looking for a book that introduces OS X to the non-computer idiot in a comprehensible and comprehensive way. Are there any such volumes endorsed by former Windows users who have crossed over?
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posted by sindark at 12:15 AM PST - 7 comments
June 23
Is there such a thing as a range-powered, detachable stove-top oven that can work with gas ranges? If not is it feasible to make one?
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posted by saysthis at 11:24 PM PST - 3 comments
I'm looking for a soft case to carry my MP3 player around in. I'm obviously open to any suggestions. No, I don't own an iPod.
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posted by sjvilla79 at 10:34 PM PST - 4 comments
I use
del.icio.us a LOT. I have over 500 links. I want to do some editing of all of my links. There are several links I'd like to delete, and it seems the only way I can do that is to open each one individuall, which is incredibly time consuming. Oftentimes, I want to add the same tag to several links in a certain category. In general, there are just several occasions where it would be very helpful to have some way to edit many links at once. Does anyone know of any utilies that make this easier (software, extensions, online sites that speed up the process, etc.)?
posted by abbyladybug at 9:40 PM PST - 7 comments
How do I easily keep my feed subscriptions the same bewteen FeedDemon on Windows and NetNewsWire on Mac OS X?
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posted by dnm at 9:17 PM PST - 4 comments
I know that I should quit smoking but I don't really want to. The thing is, I want to want to quit. Does anyone know of something that might make me really, really want to give up cigarettes?
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posted by bunglin jones at 8:34 PM PST - 50 comments
What are the perceptions of freelance consultant vs. small business in contracting work?
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posted by cmacleod at 8:24 PM PST - 4 comments
Has anyone ever patched a leak under water in a pool liner in an in-ground pool? The leak in my wonderful, generous, pool sharing, neighbor's pool is about 2 feet under the water level and we don't want to have to drain all that water in the middle of the summer. Can anyone recommend any products or processes that have worked for them?
posted by Red58 at 8:15 PM PST - 5 comments
In your, professional or casual opinion, what's a good, inviting and livable color to paint a bedroom? Thank you.
posted by Colloquial Collision at 7:45 PM PST - 30 comments
I need a quick and preferably cheap method to park a wireless phone number I don't want to lose.
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posted by britain at 7:41 PM PST - 2 comments
I am looking for good websites and blogs by people engaged in woodworking projects, particularly those of the modern or contemporary kind. There are many woodworking websites. But I have a hard time finding anything involving modern furniture. Actually may be I should say I am looking for resources on building such furnitures using various materials preferably by folks who do it themselves.
posted by flyby22 at 2:16 PM PST - 6 comments
I'm looking for a particularly grim (young adult?) book that was published sometime in the 70s, I believe.
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posted by sun-el at 1:51 PM PST - 9 comments
A older woman who works in our office has horrible, horrible body odor. It gets worse as the week goes on, until by Friday its very difficult to stand anywhere near her. I am not her supervisor, and her department is "between supervisors" at the moment, however she frequently needs to stop into my office in order to do her job. Its going to be Friday tomorrow, and I'm dreading her daily visit to my office. What (if anything) should I do?
posted by anastasiav at 1:37 PM PST - 50 comments
My boyfriend is moving in. How do I make it good/nice/easier for him and for my 5 year old daughter?
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posted by Gucky at 1:35 PM PST - 6 comments
I'm looking for a tool/bot to automatically log the screen names of my MSN Messenger contacts.
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posted by taang at 1:34 PM PST - 5 comments
What are your favorite puzzle and riddle sites? Preferably challenging. For example, I know of greylabyrinth.com ,rec-puzzles.org, cut-the-knot.org, cs.cmu.edu/puzzle,
ocf.berkeley.edu/~wwu/riddles. Also do you know of any good free cryptic crossword sites?
posted by blueyellow at 12:46 PM PST - 10 comments
Branch Centerpieces. Anybody know how to make them? The future Mrs. and I are cutting corners at our wedding by serving as our own florists. Ideally, they'd look something
like this but with white lights or candles replacing the Asian motif. Help from experienced DIYers would be appreciated...
posted by herc at 12:45 PM PST - 3 comments
Looking for a CMS that handles multi-lingual sites natively - my research isn't getting me very far.
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posted by Wolfie at 12:03 PM PST - 6 comments
If I run my phone through my modem, how can I record the conversation?
posted by punishinglemur at 11:39 AM PST - 5 comments
I'd like to buy/build a PC with the form factor of a Mac Mini. Suggestions/references?
posted by xmutex at 11:37 AM PST - 10 comments
I have a complicated Excel valuation spreadsheet. The "bottom line" is affected by about 20 variables. I'm comfortable fixing about 17 of them, but for the remaining three, I wish to output to a 4x30 matrix, consisting of parameters A, B, and C, and the bottom line value that corresponds to each of the three. As it stands now, I can plug and chug, but it's a bit unwieldy, and I may wish to make a bigger matrix soon (I'll keep the 4 parameters, but I may wish to go 4x100 or the like).
I can't reverse engineer the entire spreadsheet-- it would take forever. So, how do I build this matrix?
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posted by Kwantsar at 9:08 AM PST - 6 comments
So my girlfriend and I have decided we're going to have sex. First time for both of us even though we're both adults. We're going to go away for a weekend to do it. Any advice for making it great? What do you wish had been different about your first time?
posted by anonymous at 8:56 AM PST - 77 comments
After a long love affair with my Treo, I've gone and bought a Nokia 9500. It's too big to be my primary phone but I'm hoping it can replace my laptop when I'm travelling. What Series 80 software do you folks consider as essential?
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posted by blag at 8:37 AM PST - 3 comments
The volume of the songs played in WinAmp varies wildy. Is there some sort of volume equalizer for WinAmp?
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posted by geeky at 6:52 AM PST - 11 comments
I'm 28 years old and still have difficulty getting a good shave. Does anyone with similar faces have any tips for me?
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posted by mike9322 at 6:25 AM PST - 31 comments
A very good friend of mine has been working as a recruiter in Pharm for the last 4 years, and seems to like it. He is going out on his own this year (no commission split)....
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posted by keep it tight at 5:27 AM PST - 1 comments
We are a couple of guys thinking about making a free not-for-profit computer game based on
Risk 2210 A.D. We know we can't use the title for trademark reasons or the board or graphics for copyright issues. Would there be any problems with us using the Risk 2210 A.D. rules for our game?
posted by sveskemus at 3:01 AM PST - 12 comments
Can someone please explain in plain English what micro formats are? There doesn't seem to be anything out there that explains, at an entry level, what the latest shiny thing on the internet is.
posted by TheDonF at 1:25 AM PST - 2 comments
A few years ago, I cought a glimpse of a Japanese film that was being shown on TV (Sundance or Cinimax, I don't remember.)
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posted by Jon-o at 12:37 AM PST - 6 comments
June 22
Back in 1994, I wrote up a web page on a famous mathematical puzzle; it was the second page to appear on it. It got wide noteriety, it's cited and linked widely. But two years ago I changed my ISP.
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posted by Ethereal Bligh at 11:41 PM PST - 9 comments
I'm looking for a new digital SLR that I can use with my existing lenses, which works well in general and low-light situations...
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posted by Rothko at 11:00 PM PST - 22 comments
Building off of "framers" question from yesterday about experiental classes to take with his Dad , I was wondering what other great educational type vacation places you guys know of ...
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posted by BoscosMom at 9:58 PM PST - 3 comments
This falls under CuriosityFilter, rather than being a pressing personal issue, but I am genuinely curious about MeFite experiences.
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posted by dreamsign at 8:40 PM PST - 14 comments
I have a 2 1/2 year old Silky terrier (Yorkie & Australian terrier mix) which has the typical terrier characteristics.
The dog is pretty great. Just one problem...
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posted by gnash at 8:12 PM PST - 8 comments
I am in the process of home brewing my first batch of beer (pale ale). In all the excitement I completely mis-read the instructions.
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posted by Wallzatcha at 7:51 PM PST - 14 comments
Fly-Fishing Filter: BOO YA it's bass season in NY. I need an instructional DVD for beginners. What's the absolute best, most essential Fly Fishing Instructional DVD for beginners?
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posted by spicynuts at 7:32 PM PST - 0 comments
I bought a "dead" laptop at a yardsale for $3 (I bargained them down from $5). Well, long story short, I've got it working after resetting the BIOS and plugging in an external monitor and keyboard.
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posted by phrontist at 6:57 PM PST - 7 comments
I have a 96 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 205k miles on it. A few days ago I noticed some loud squeaking coming from the drivers wheel. Name that part (photos inside).
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posted by cgk at 6:54 PM PST - 8 comments
When typing on my Sony laptop, the text-entry cursor jumps around unpredictably. Sometimes, the Find box opens (as though I'd hit Ctrl-F), and what I'm typing goes into the Find box.
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posted by Kirth Gerson at 6:14 PM PST - 8 comments
I have a large box of found vacation slides from the 1950s-1970s. Apparently the Becketts lived in Los Angeles (slides were
found in Texas) and traveled all over the world... Vienna, Bali, Lisbon, Singapore, Barcelona, Hong Kong, etc. There are
perhaps 800-1500- all processed at Kodak Labs and packaged pristinely in little yellow boxes. I'm leaving the country (US)
for a while and would like to either get rid of them or keep them for something interesting in the future. Any ideas?
posted by maya at 5:41 PM PST - 24 comments
I have a pint-sized fridge. When I moved in it was about 30% full of frost, now, with the onset of the humid season, it's about 95% full. Is there some interesting way to get rid of it, besides just shutting it off and waiting? (I don't own a hair dryer.)
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posted by crickets at 5:24 PM PST - 19 comments
Can anyone recommend a good, practical (non academic) phased approach Product Development Methodology (not project management) for a relatively small internet based (ad supported media) product?
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posted by psmealey at 4:14 PM PST - 3 comments
I love Firefox like the next guy, but I think it's popularity has killed off its best feature: ad/pop-up blocking. How do I make all the pop-ups stop?
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posted by trinarian at 3:59 PM PST - 11 comments
About a 2 years ago, I found a free 2-person compatibility test online which I took with my then-boyfriend. It gave us really detailed, pretty non-generic results with accurate, insightful comments. I seem to remember that there were charts and graphs that looked a bit like ennegrams or learning styles inventories.
I've tried several times to use my best google-fu to find this test, but no luck-- only a bunch of crappy compatibility tests that didn't provide much insight. Any leads?
posted by lalalana at 2:15 PM PST - 8 comments
A friend paid to have a web site designed and a domain name registered. The web page designer registered the domain in their name, not in my friends name. The domain name just expired and the designer has dropped off of the face of the earth. My friend wants to take possession of the domain. How should she go about this? Will there be a huge delay/big hassle?
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posted by vapidave at 1:37 PM PST - 10 comments
I am currently a freelance film editor who has worked for free or for deferred payment in the past. The editing is a side gig, since I have to work a day job as a technical writer to pay the bills. Increasingly, I don't have the energy to work both jobs. Besides, I really want to devote my energies to my true passion, editing. My work experience is mostly outside the field and therefore not applicable. Since I'll need to make a big leap to get into the field, does anyone have any suggestions for how to make the jump? Should I consider going back to school to get a film degree? If not, how do I convince a company to take a chance on me given my background?
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posted by nightengine at 1:15 PM PST - 9 comments
I'm quickly becoming a member of the Mac Cult with my shiny new PowerBook. I can't seem to find a MS Streets&Trips or Mappoint like app though.. Any suggestions?
posted by joshgray at 12:45 PM PST - 7 comments
Nowhere in the rhyme about "Humpty Dumpty" is there a reference to him being an egg - least not in any version I ever heard. So why is he always portrayed, without exception, as an egg?
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 12:40 PM PST - 5 comments
I want to go to Latin America for a couple months (2-3), starting at the end of August/beginning of September, to learn Spanish, immersion-style. Ideally, I would stay with a host family and go to small-ish classes every day.
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posted by ORthey at 12:33 PM PST - 11 comments
I'm currently running Retrospect Server 5 on a Mac OS X box. It's backing up the following clients: 2 Windows 2003 servers, a Windows 2000 server, 2 Mac OS X 10.2 Servers, a few Mac OS X Panther clients, and 2 linus boxes. Backups are done to external hard drives as well as to a VXA tape changer.
The Mac Servers and clients will soon be upgraded to Tiger, so I'm going to need to upgrade Retrospect. However, Retrospect is somewhat flaky at times, and I've heard about some reliability issues with Retrospect 6.
I'm considering switching to BRU Server by the Tolis Group. I've heard lots of good things.
My question is, does anyone have any actual experience with similar setups for these two backup solutions and which one should I go with? Or maybe is there a better backup solution in the same price range I should be considering?
posted by edjusted at 12:23 PM PST - 6 comments
Long story short: I had to use the "System Recovery" CD that came with my computer, wiping out and then restoring my hard-drive. I backed up all my documents first. What I didn't think about is: I didn't back up Microsoft Office.
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posted by Kololo at 12:21 PM PST - 16 comments
Here's my question - how do women know that they'll be able to DEAL with being pregnant?
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posted by agregoli at 11:16 AM PST - 28 comments
For a design job, I need images of standard playing cards: both the faces and the backs. These will be for commercial sites (not personal use), so I need images that I can use legally (I can't credit the photographer). I prefer free, but will pay if I must. Vector is fine if it looks real. So is raster. On stock sites, I keep finding cards, but they are always shot from odd angles or are partially obscured.
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posted by grumblebee at 11:12 AM PST - 10 comments
I was looking through my collection of electronic texts, and I thought of an interesting idea for organizing them...
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posted by sudasana at 9:55 AM PST - 10 comments
Since I installed Windows XP and a new M-Audio Audiophile soundcard last week, I can no longer monitor guitar while recording. Playback is fine—I can hear playback in Soundforge & Acid and I can see the meter jumping while recording— but I cannot hear the guitar amplified while I'm recording it. It seems Acid 4.0 should support ASIO drivers, but no luck.
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posted by jenleigh at 8:59 AM PST - 3 comments
A friend and I will be traveling to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island next week. Any tips on what we must see and must avoid?
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posted by marxchivist at 8:06 AM PST - 19 comments
Hopefully this question makes sense, I know next-to-nothing about IRC. I'm trying to download some things off of IRC. I can always connect to a few people's severs, but most of the time I get an error message.
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posted by hughbot at 7:24 AM PST - 11 comments
Sending in a resume today and they are asking for salary requirements. How do I word salary requirements in the cover letter? Is there any standard language used or convention to follow?
posted by ao4047 at 7:21 AM PST - 17 comments
Under WinXP, how could i get rid of the warning pop-up when I kill a process from the task manager ? i have looked around the web on various tweaking site without finding any answers... anyone ?
Task Manager Warning:
WARNING: Terminating a process can cause undesired results including loss of data and system instability. The process will not be given the chance to save its state of data before it is terminated. Are you sure you want to terminate the process ? YES / NO
i want to get rid of this warning either by having the operating system assume a "YES" since i already asked to kill it or simply not displaying the warning.
thank you
-Selfsck-
posted by selfsck at 6:04 AM PST - 4 comments
In less than a month, I've had Firefox crash on one machine -- a new G4 Powerbook relatively free from stuff like GUI mods, extra software, a million extensions, etc. -- more than 15 times. Usually, it's while doing something innocuous, like trying to open a new tab. I have the same problem on my G5.
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posted by mrkinla at 5:31 AM PST - 21 comments
TVFilter: I'm trying to identify two TV shows. Both are from the early 90s (IIRC). The first features a teen who secretly works for a spy agency. The second is a gritty film-noir-style detective show that takes place in the 40s-50s.
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posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:51 AM PST - 4 comments
What are the economics of bogus search engines and other oddities found by regular search engines?
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posted by elgilito at 4:24 AM PST - 4 comments
June 21
I will be in Bangkok from 7.30am on a Saturday to 3pm on a Sunday. What shall I do?
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posted by cogat at 10:54 PM PST - 26 comments
What is the role of antiseptics/antibiotics in the wound healing process? On a cut, for example, it seems that constant reapplication of neosporin makes a cut take longer to heal. What's going on here? Is it just preventing a scab from forming due to the moisturizing quality of such creams? Does that actually impede healing? For cuts in the mouth, it seems like frequent use of an alcohol-based antiseptic mouthwash would kill most living cells in the area, preventing quick healing. Is this the case? I'm aware that these substances prevent infection, but do they have any other effects, good or bad in the healing process?
posted by sirion at 10:00 PM PST - 10 comments
I'm in my late 20's and have never really worn much in the way of makeup. I'm looking for instructions with pictures for various makeup techniques (especially for eyes). Free or cheap is best.
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posted by jheiz at 9:04 PM PST - 15 comments
MortgageFilter: I've found the perfect place, good price etc. but it has come along a lot earlier than anticipated. What are some recommended ways of raising enough $$ for the down payment?
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posted by purephase at 6:20 PM PST - 17 comments
Ok, this is a long one. I have a friend (let's call her Rose) who is 18, and lives in England. Her boyfriend (let's call him Bobby) is also 18, but lives in Arizona, US. They want to be together.
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posted by Lotto at 5:14 PM PST - 17 comments
I'm looking for programs that are able to be stored on a USB memory stick that will allow me to run them off the stick and stay on top of things wherever I am. Anyone point me in the right direction?
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posted by nosophoros at 4:35 PM PST - 19 comments
I'm trying to find an NPR interview/piece on recording the stories of elderly family members for future generations.
I recently learned that a friend's father is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease and has been given between 18 months to five years to live.
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posted by OpinioNate at 4:26 PM PST - 5 comments
I've been having an imaginary friend post to my blog. One of my readers, who is a friend of mine, believes my IF is real and wants to have an email relationship (pen pal) with him.
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posted by anonymous at 4:06 PM PST - 29 comments
Help me solve what the phone company (my DSL supplier) couldn't: getting my full wireless network running with a new modem.
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posted by mystyk at 3:04 PM PST - 4 comments
I'm setting up some telephone lines, and well, I really don't want to lay more wires than I have to. So this is the deal, I've got five telephone lines, and three telephone (rj11) jacks. We've just installed wifi, and so a number of unused ethernet cables. Is it possible to buy an adaptor that will allow me to use a cat5 cable to send plain old telephone over them?
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posted by Freen at 1:57 PM PST - 11 comments
Help me prove I'm not crazy.
I swear I saw a documentary about sharks, at one point in my past, and I swear this documentary mentioned that some species of sharks have single births due to the fact that though they are fish, their eggs hatch while still in the mother's 'womb'. Then it's every baby shark for itself, and many times sibling sharks devour one another before being born into the sea.
Nobody believes me, and I can't seem to find anything to back up what I think I know.
posted by inging at 1:45 PM PST - 18 comments
I'm trying to run an ordinal regression in SPSS. Are my independent variables factors or covariates?
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posted by duck at 1:33 PM PST - 6 comments
Dad and I want to take a class together for a few days. We've looked at the ones we already know about -- boat building, blacksmithing, race car driving, cooking -- but have decided that we want something 'different.' Doesn't have to be practical -- in fact, it might be nice if it was something we'd likely never do again. Mostly interested in experiential type things, since traditional classes tend to beat the joy out of new experiences for me. Willing to travel. Any suggestions?
posted by Framer at 1:20 PM PST - 26 comments
Are drum patterns copyrighted parts of song compositions? I need a copyright expert or pointers on how to get some free (or cheap) advice from one.
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posted by damehex at 1:19 PM PST - 14 comments
We're going to Philadelphia over the July 4th weekend. We've never been. What do we need to do/see/hear/eat while we're there?
posted by grabbingsand at 11:12 AM PST - 28 comments
I've tricked my boss into thinking that I'm a better graphic designer than I actually am, now I need some help. I'm good at stealing graphics from images.google.com and photoshopping them to meet our own promotional needs, but now I need to make a poster and I can't find any source graphics with adequate resolution. Does an image library (even clip-art) exist where I can get free graphics that will scale to print quite large (eps?)?
posted by TurkishGolds at 10:44 AM PST - 37 comments
Hot outside, hot inside. One open window, one fan (
like this one). Where do I place it to cool my room down most efficiently. By the window, or on the other side of the room? Or somewhere else?
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posted by mr.marx at 10:31 AM PST - 17 comments
How do people create
Google Maps with a lot of different points selected, like
this? Is there an easy way to do this from the main Google Maps site or do you have to have some extra programming done? I'd really like to enter two or three addresses and mark all their points on the same map (without having to do directions, and thus the route between them).
posted by clgregor at 10:27 AM PST - 10 comments
If I see something I'd rather not remember (like a spoiler for a movie I plan on seeing, or an unsettling image), are there any tricks I can use to prevent myself from remembering it? And once I've remembered it, is there anything I can do to deliberately forget it, short of visiting
Lacuna, Inc?
posted by yankeefog at 10:26 AM PST - 10 comments
I am pretty sure I'm just being paranoid, but I would like to check with the savvy crowd here first.
I have listed a range/stove for sale on Craigslist and I got a response from someone who's interested. He has asked for my name and address to send me the payment. All of that is relatively normal.
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posted by mikel at 10:05 AM PST - 12 comments
Non-Profit Event Promotion Filter: This one's for all you do-gooders out there. Where do you find conferences, trainings, etc. to support your non-profit career?
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posted by hwickline at 9:45 AM PST - 3 comments
Does there exist a quality open-source CMS that is designed specifically to be used as a job board?
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posted by Jairus at 9:39 AM PST - 3 comments
Many times I'm really interested in what a DVD commentary may have to say, but just don't have enough time to watch the whole movie again, especially if it was a rental. Are there any sites that summarizes the major points made in a commentary, or even transcribes the commentary?
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posted by emptybowl at 7:02 AM PST - 4 comments
When the United States gets involved in litigation before the International Court of Justice, who makes all of the relevant litigation decisions?
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posted by willbaude at 6:46 AM PST - 3 comments
Logofilter: Yesterday I was making a website/business card logo for a friend - but I kept getting this nagging feeling that part of the logo was familiar somehow, and it's driving me crazy . . .
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posted by Ryvar at 2:20 AM PST - 19 comments
June 20
Maybe this is San Francisco specific but ... can someone explain to me the prevalence of big colored-chalk menus on half the coffeehouse and small crepe places in this city? Are they all owned by the same people or is there some big colored-chalk menu discount place that they all buy from? Thanks.
posted by vacapinta at 11:43 PM PST - 18 comments
Right now, I'm an applicant for a position I'm really interested in getting. What tricks can you suggest to help my chances of obtaining the position? What worked for you?
posted by dial-tone at 10:56 PM PST - 17 comments
I have a friend who just came into a sweet deal. The honors college at her university will pay for an internship in Washington, DC. The only catch is she has to find an organization willing to let her intern with them.
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posted by calistasm at 10:34 PM PST - 7 comments
I opened up my computer and tried to install RAM. After I installed the RAM, my computer would not come back on. I pressed the power button multiple times, and nothing. A friend checked to see if the power button was faulty and it wasn't. It's a Compaq Presario HP and when we plug the power cord in, the power supply just does this clicking. We're not sure what the problem is. I tried a new power cord and still no luck! Any ideas?
posted by JPowers at 8:06 PM PST - 28 comments
I'm looking for suggestions on a desktop photocopier, to be used in a very small office.
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posted by LimePi at 8:01 PM PST - 4 comments
I've got a project coming up that will involve placing pages from a large PDF into an black ink-only InDesign CS2 doc. The PDF will be created by MS Word. In the past when I've done this, the PDF has separated out onto multiple plates, so I've had to break the document into single page PDFs, which I've then rasterized in Photoshop and saved as greyscale TIFFs.
I can't believe there isn't a simpler way to do this. Ideally, I'd like a way convert the PDF to K-only, then break it into individual pages. I'm on a Mac running Tiger.
posted by boombot at 7:33 PM PST - 9 comments
My dad developed an interest in woodcarving a couple of years ago. I'd like to get him something really nice related to his hobby for Father's Day (which falls in early September in Australia).
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posted by obiwanwasabi at 6:31 PM PST - 10 comments
I need some recommendations on useful Windows Mobile applications for a professional software developer...
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posted by cmonkey at 6:05 PM PST - 1 comments
My sister-in-law-to-be will be in London for one month studying this summer. Any ideas for an appropriate gift as I wish her a fun trip? She's been very helpful as Maid of Honor and just a wonderful friend/sister and I want to get her something.
She's a girly-girl from NYC. Thanks.
posted by seinfeld at 6:05 PM PST - 23 comments
My g/f received a call from her roommate this morning - the roommate got all Emily Post because I, having spent the night last night, left the toilet seat up. The exact words were, "he doesn't pay rent."
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posted by notsnot at 5:50 PM PST - 117 comments
I believe a paralegal I spoke with this afternoon was unethical and out of line. Where do I go to file a complaint against this person's actions?
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posted by onhazier at 5:36 PM PST - 20 comments
I want to be licensed. Licensed for as many things as I possibly can. Hunting, shooting, fishing, arms dealing, chair building, carpet spraying, anything at all. If there are licenses that I can apply for at a nominal cost, I'd like to know about them.
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posted by gaby at 5:32 PM PST - 25 comments
What type of schooling, if any, would be best for cultivating talent and securing a career in photography? I am a bit suspicious about the necessity of a college education for a career in photography (and in general), and am not crazy about the debt that accrues. Should I go back to school or drop out and dive head first into the fray?
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posted by monsterhero at 5:11 PM PST - 7 comments
A friend is looking for reading ideas for a memorial service. The person was a non-religious, nature-loving guy. Any ideas? Thanks!
posted by garbo at 4:10 PM PST - 20 comments
Over a year ago, I was struck with the desire to become a psychologist (preferably a mix of research and clinical) and haven't been able to shake it. I will be 27 in a few months, have a BA in Film Studies, and currently work as a developer at a web startup.
Mefi psychologists: What should I consider to determine if this is something I'm truly cut out for? If I am, what sort of programs should I consider applying for and how can I gather the necessary stuff (letters of recommendation, prerequisites, test scores) to get off the ground? I haven't been in college for over 5 years now.
posted by 4easypayments at 3:17 PM PST - 9 comments
I want the tasting menu, she wants plain chicken and mashed potatoes - how can my girlfriend and I eat out and at home so that we are both happy?
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posted by rorycberger at 3:03 PM PST - 24 comments
Last week as I was driving over the Charles River in Boston, MA I saw a group of small sailboats with numbers on the sails. They were all moving and changing direction very fast, and it seemed that there was an orange ball floating amongst them. Is this some sort of polo-like game? Anybody have any info on what the heck they were doing?
posted by splatta at 2:14 PM PST - 7 comments
PhilosophyPhilter(!) I am writing an academic paper (not in philosophy) that uses some of the terms and basic structure of semiotics, the study of signs and the way that they represent objects and ideas. Does anybody know of a good book that I can use as a reference for this in my paper? I'd prefer not to have to reference online material (wikipedia, and
this site are good), but would prefer a real book. I am hoping to point interested readers to concise definitions of the terms, like in a dictionary or encylopedia, and not to honking books by Pierce. Any ideas?
posted by zpousman at 1:29 PM PST - 14 comments
I have a Dell server running Win2K Server. Registry damaged and won't boot now. Returning 'Hive Error'. No viable backup available. Help recover/repair?
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posted by Lactoso at 1:27 PM PST - 8 comments
I switched over from my Windows desktop to a Mac, and I loved it. Unfortunately the Mac had to go back to it's original owner. I've tried various distros of Linux and none of them seem to satisfy my OS X addiction.
Can anyone recommend an OS that will tide me over until I can get the money for another Mac?
posted by jackofsaxons at 1:24 PM PST - 16 comments
Have you used 1-800-got-junk, or a similar trash pick-up service? Did you tip?
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posted by peep at 12:20 PM PST - 7 comments
I have a Apple Macintosh Performa 5300 that I am trying to get on the net. I pulled an old Asante ethernet adaptor out of another old mac but I still can seem to get my Performa up and surfing the internets.
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posted by Livewire Confusion at 11:52 AM PST - 10 comments
We are having a fairly major renovation done on our house by a friend. Do we get him a gift at then end and if so, what could it be?
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posted by GrumpyMonkey at 11:38 AM PST - 9 comments
Using Mac OSX. I'm getting an annoying black outline around random stuff in the GUI-- like it was highlighting something, but it seems random and I can't control it. For instance, it's around the entry field of "short title for your question" as I'm typing this. It shows up around the "back" button of the file browser if the browser is active. And most annoyingly, it shows up as a thinnish column in QuarkXpress that is the height of the display. What is it and how do I get rid of it?
posted by Mayor Curley at 11:31 AM PST - 6 comments
Unexpected death in the family. I'm in charge of finding out how to obtain a memorial bench on the California coast, preferably in a state park.
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posted by mudpuppie at 10:57 AM PST - 5 comments
How does one relocate to an area they're not familiar with? What resources are out there, what steps do you take?
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posted by suchatreat at 9:53 AM PST - 7 comments
I will soon be acquiring a Linux box as an alternate (and, one hopes, eventual replacement) for my main Windows machine. I have open-source replacements for most of my main software applications -- except for vector-based drawing. I currently use Corel DRAW (and have used Freehand and Canvas in the past), mostly for RPG-related drawings. What /good/ vector programs are there in the Linux world? Does the choice of GNOME/KDE make a difference (I know KDE has a vector program with it, but don't know a thing about it)?
posted by Sand at 9:43 AM PST - 11 comments
I eat out a lot. I go to the same restaurants a lot. I want to branch out and try some new places. First, what are some restaurants in Los Angeles that provide good value (not necessarily the cheapest, expensive is fine too, but you should get what you pay for in terms of food quality and ambiance). Second, is there an on-line resource that tracks this kind of thing so that I could easily figure out what's cool/hot/good/whatever in LA dining?
posted by willnot at 8:39 AM PST - 22 comments
I need a bicycle for riding around the neighborhood (3-5 miles) and perhaps a bit of exercise. I am willing to go with either a used bike or new one. Please help with suggestions. (more details inside).
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posted by derekislost at 7:44 AM PST - 23 comments
What is the best book/article you have read on the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident?
posted by msacheson at 6:47 AM PST - 17 comments
Does anyone have recommendations about where to learn to kite board? I’m in DC and it sounds like going to Kitty Hawk, NC is a good option. Are some companies better than others?
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posted by hokie409 at 6:28 AM PST - 1 comments
I'm interested to find out if there are any (a) streaming radio stations or (b) mp3 blogs that focus on Icelandic music.
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posted by matildaben at 6:16 AM PST - 4 comments
In the East River (in New York City), just south of the Queensboro bridge, there's
this black pipe-like thing floating in the water. It doesn't appear to be a solid piece, and it looked like it wasn't even water-tight. There are
platforms with some weird-looking uprights on them every 20 feet or so. As far as I could tell, it didn't look like it was going to or from anything at all. What is it?
posted by Plutor at 5:04 AM PST - 7 comments
Friend is moving out of a flat, their is some mould/damp around parts of the flat. Landlord says its her responsibility and wants to reparations out of her deposit. Is this legit?
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posted by biffa at 4:09 AM PST - 8 comments
Drudge seems to have figured out a way around the Firefox popup blocker.
I'm guessing it has to do with Java, but I'd rather not disable java or javascript, since that would reduce the functionality of the browser. Any less drastic way to prevent this?
posted by Manjusri at 2:06 AM PST - 11 comments
Im heading out from the UK to Japan on August 13th with 3 friends. We are each taking an assortment of tech ranging from digital cameras, DV cameras to an iBook. Is there anything we should know before heading out about Japan or traveling in general?
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posted by lemonfridge at 1:57 AM PST - 7 comments
I'm wondering what applications (preferably free) I would use in OS X 10.4 if I want to grab and record audio on its way to my computer's speakers. A band I like has part of a song available through a flash player on their site, but I don't want to have to be online to hear it all the time. I tried playing it through the speakers and recording that, but the quality was terrible -- is there a way to record the sound directly?
posted by teem at 12:12 AM PST - 8 comments
June 19
When I was at the Indian casino tonight, the dealer mentioned that he had to pay the casino to work there. Was this BS or standard casino procedure?
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posted by Ugh at 11:13 PM PST - 18 comments
I want to allow people to vote on things in a blog entry. Is there a code I can use to track voting easily and allow people to just click a radio button or something to cast their vote?
posted by toftk at 10:05 PM PST - 1 comments
When I burn CDs using my PC's iTunes for Windows, the iTunes I'm running on my Apple iBook has trouble reading them.
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posted by shallowcenter at 8:26 PM PST - 3 comments
Recently, I visited the cemetery in which Oscar Wilde is buried, and for some reason, his tomb was covered with lipstick kisses. Does anyone have any idea why this is? The most I've been able to discover on the subject is that people do leave kisses, but no explanation as to why...
posted by almostbarefoot at 8:17 PM PST - 10 comments
I will shortly be taking a couple of preteen boys to Seattle and Victoria, BC. The weather looks like rain, although probably not all day. Any suggestions on things to do, places to see etc., especially which might interest the boys. I have some familiarity with Seattle, but it has been a few years. I have never been to Victoria and could really use some ideas for there. Also, what kind of documentation do I need to take these days for the boys to enter Canada and more importantly, to get home.
posted by caddis at 7:18 PM PST - 23 comments
I just found out I dont have work tomorrow, and i'd like to go out and try skydiving. I live in Boston, and the weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow. Does anyone have any suggestions on where I should look, or anything I should know. Do you think its even possible to call in the morning and have a chance to jump the same day? Any tips are greatly appreciated.
posted by pwally at 7:12 PM PST - 6 comments
I've been playing with kites lately and I want to try my hand at kite photography soon, but I'd rather not use disposable film cameras -- I'd like to rig up a digital camera. I'm looking for a small, light camera that can shoot automatically.
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posted by mathowie at 5:58 PM PST - 15 comments
How do I help a family member find an Albany-area psychologist and a marriage counselor?
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posted by redfisch at 5:42 PM PST - 4 comments
Does the AC adapter that allows a 3G iPod to be plugged into the wall to be recharged also work with the iPod mini?
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posted by yclipse at 5:15 PM PST - 2 comments
I'm travelling to Italy in late August and am looking for hotel recommendations for Milan, Florence, and Rome. I'm looking for not the most expensive, but not the least expensive. Maybe 3-4 stars? I'm also looking more for an "Italian" experience than a big chain hotel. I'd be happier in something that is smaller and older (if well kept) or more of a boutique-type place. I'll be travelling by train and won't have much more than 2 days per city, unfortunately, so a central location is important to me. If there are any Italians or Italy travellers who might be willing to advise me, I'd really appreciate it!
posted by gen at 5:11 PM PST - 11 comments
Anyone have any recommendations on a good place to buy cell phones?
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posted by mrg at 4:27 PM PST - 7 comments
I'm a college student at a school that has a policy of one port per bed for network jacks. What sort of gear do I need to transparently break my port out into several wired jacks and wireless access?
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posted by SemiSophos at 3:55 PM PST - 11 comments
I wish to attend
this concert, but the tickets were sold out before I knew it was happening. I've never bought from a scalper before, but am willing to. How do I find one, preferably in advance so I don't make the trip without knowing I will get in, and what are good ways to avoid being ripped off?
posted by bac at 2:46 PM PST - 7 comments
What are some good writings on the relationship between what we think of as the physical world and the world of mathematical abstractions (the space in which, for example, all possible sequences exist) ?
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posted by teleskiving at 2:40 PM PST - 16 comments
I'm trying to identify a juvenile fiction book that I enjoyed as a, well, juvenile. The protagonist is a boy whose mother has recently remarried, to a creepy but rich scientist (?). The stepfather has invented or has possession of a device that can make written word disappear from the page, anywhere at any time. The boy and his mother flee for some reason, and the creepy stepfather and his goons pursue them, foiling their escape efforts with the word-dissappearer.
Does this ring a bell with anyone? I asked Google, but he doesn't know.
posted by GriffX at 1:55 PM PST - 3 comments
We're holidaying in Australia and we've promised to take the kids (11 & 12) to Surfers Paradise. The kids think it's a wildy fantastic idea...
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posted by TiredStarling at 1:30 PM PST - 6 comments
I'll be attending a conference in Rome, Italy in mid-September and am trying to find an affordable place to stay.
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posted by sanitycheck at 10:45 AM PST - 9 comments
What's a good, non-copyright-infringing alternate name for what is essentially an egg mcmuffin?
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posted by furtive at 10:30 AM PST - 59 comments
Identity theft filter: A friend who has only been in the country for a year got a phone call yesterday saying he won a big prize, but they need info to process it. They had his name, phone#... he gave up his address, DOB and last 4 digits of SS#. What can he do to prevent identity theft at this point?
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posted by steve.wdc at 10:06 AM PST - 13 comments
My father wants to pay for my daughter's preschool education. Is there a way to put it into a trust where it can be used solely for the schooling but also cannot be removed by my father?
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posted by jeremias at 6:15 AM PST - 9 comments
June 18
I just received (and installed) the Adobe Creative Suite of software. All of the discs came in a thick DVD-like pack, with the 5 discs held in sort-of staggered holders. Can you tell me where I might find packaging like this? I have a five disc Ween Bootleg (Rotten Cheese) that I would like to do all proper-like...
posted by sharksandwich at 11:44 PM PST - 9 comments
I've just discovered The Mountain Goats (John Darnielle) courtesy of
Large Hearted Boy and some positive online reviews. I love the fact that he used to record albums into a boom box, and has a voice and singing style that are quirky but oddly compelling. Any other recommendations for acoustic indie lo-fi folk (if that is a category)?
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posted by craniac at 10:42 PM PST - 42 comments
How can I make skin discoloration from a fungus (presumably) go away? details inside so those who don't want to be confronted with the state of my groin aren't.
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posted by anonymous at 10:26 PM PST - 7 comments
I have always had attention problems, but when I was tested in 1993, the tests came back inconclusive: the neuropsychologist concluded that only 7% of my 'issues' was ADD. That was twelve years ago. In my adulthood, I'm having serious problems concentrating, but am unsure of the effects the common ADD medications will have on me, and I'm curious if there are different treatments for attention deficit due to adult ADD and due to other 'issues'.
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posted by SpecialK at 9:53 PM PST - 9 comments
Lately when I attempt to view web-based .pdf files, I get nothing but a blank screen. I am running Firefox 0.9.3 with Adobe Reader 7.0. Any suggestions?
posted by LilBucner at 9:03 PM PST - 8 comments
We recently returned from a visit to Venice, Italy. Whilst on a vaporetto travelling the Grand Canal, we noticed many balconies sporting red penguin statues....
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posted by woj at 7:21 PM PST - 3 comments
A colleague was trying to explain to me about a group of people based in the UK who have mastered the art of falling flat on their faces without injuring themselves, and practise this art in public. Does such a group really exist?
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posted by Ritchie at 6:02 PM PST - 8 comments
I was reading the Guardian while I was in the north of England these past few weeks and there were a lot of references in the letters to 35mm film canisters.
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posted by brujita at 5:57 PM PST - 4 comments
I have an iBook and an old Lexmark laser printer with an Axis print server. The computer has historically talked to the printer via Appletalk over my Ethernet network. Now I'm trying to go wireless.
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posted by adamrice at 5:43 PM PST - 5 comments
My four year old now has his own account on my computer and I would like to deny access to all but a handful of pre-selected websites. Can this be done with what comes with XP Pro? Failing that, how can I do this for free?
posted by kc0dxh at 3:19 PM PST - 10 comments
I bought a mac mini and an Acer 17" LCD for my mom recently, and it finally looks great since I switched from the VGA to the digital cable. However, the aspect ratio seems a little off - everything is a bit squished together.
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posted by luriete at 3:13 PM PST - 5 comments
A couple of months ago, I noticed a small black spot on the bezel around my laptop's screen, and on the spot that was directly under it when the laptop is closed. Today it oozed. What is going on?
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posted by michaelkuznet at 2:14 PM PST - 6 comments
I've been taking Effexor for at least 5 years. Twice my doctor has tried to wean me off of it, but only horrible side effects happen- I cry, shiver, feel like I'm floating, become irritated, etc. The lowest dose is 37.5 mg. For about a month I was opening it up, dumping about half of the "sand" out, and swallowing the rest like my doctor suggested. I just got worse and worse. Has anyone successfully stopped taking Effexor?
posted by madmath at 12:29 PM PST - 19 comments
I need a email list management service for a nonprofit that is free or nearly so.
Needs to do bulk emails but it won't be spam, its to notify of special events in their interests that are usually fundraisers we need volunteers and people to donate for.
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posted by uni verse at 12:19 PM PST - 8 comments
MonasteryFilter: I'm a 22 year old male. I've never dated, even though I've had opportunities. Is this unhealthy?
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posted by anonymous at 12:06 PM PST - 36 comments
I'm wondering if using the nicotine patch long-term is an option. I've used it to quit smoking before, but enetually when I come off it I tend to slip into drinking or back to smoking. What are the perils of nicotine, specifically, apart from the perils of smoking itself? If I have to be addicted to something, wouldn't a patch be less harmful than pack-a-day smoking or sixer-a-night drinking? Obviously a total eradication of all addictions would be best, but please give me advice on whether this could be a short-term harm-reduction approach, or if the patch is just too dangerous to use for months on end.
posted by anonymous at 12:06 PM PST - 10 comments
Anyone recommend any (fictional) books set in a post-singularity world?
posted by jimmy at 12:02 PM PST - 22 comments
Can anyone help locate a Craftsman screwdriver that the fine folks at Craftsman say doesn't exist? A friend was helping me install an air conditioner last week and developed a crush on a screwdriver I have for getting to screws in tight spaces; it has "Craftsman 41380 USA" engraved on it, and it was given to me as a gift. (
I shot a quick picture of the screwdriver; it's best-described as a small metal donut with a rough outer edge and with a narrow cylinder sitting in the hole of the donut that accepts either hex bits or square bits.) About six months ago, I was able to walk into a Sears hardware store and pick two more up as a gift to give another friend, but now, the people at Sears and Craftsman say that that part number isn't valid, and that they've never heard of anything like I'm describing. Oddly,
Googling for the part number (and Yahoo!ing, and MSNing) doesn't bring anything up, either, nor does a search on eBay. Am I crazy, or has this incredibly useful screwdriver not only been wiped from the planet, but also from the annals of tool history?
posted by delfuego at 11:19 AM PST - 7 comments
I've been asked to build a web site for a company that is offering online courses--the kind where you sign up and there is a series of steps one has to complete, not the kind where it's just an archive of study material. People pay, register, complete weekly assignments, etc. I'm looking for a) good examples of sites that do this; b) good examples of sites that market this (ie, not as concerned about the "assignments/courses" aspects as the "why you should study with us" and "look how we offer this stuff up" aspects); c) feedback from anyone who has taken such a course and has opinions on what worked/didn't work well regarding it. Thanks!
posted by dobbs at 11:18 AM PST - 4 comments
What are some good resources to call upon for developing a structured approach to viewing films in following a personal interest in film studies?
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posted by troybob at 10:06 AM PST - 13 comments
A few days ago, I bit my tongue while eating. A steady care regime of "do nothing and wait for it to fix itself" hasn't worked. How can I help the process along?
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posted by billybunny at 8:18 AM PST - 6 comments
Anybody find value with FallenAngelStocks, ValueLine and their ilk for equity research?
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posted by inchoate at 7:27 AM PST - 3 comments
I soon need to get new glasses, but have been tinkering with the thought of getting contacts. Problem being that I have a fear of inserting them. I can't stick it in my eye without flinching too bad to get it in. Any tips on overcoming my fears?
posted by linus at 4:04 AM PST - 27 comments
Our band has been using a .cc domain name since 1999 in hopes that we could snap up to .com version. The .com version has been purchased by a domain registrar...
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posted by KevinSkomsvold at 2:13 AM PST - 18 comments
I'm looking for a script or a little piece of software (free please) for Windows that watches a directory on my PC and uploads its contents to a directory on a remote server (or preferably syncs it with this directory, but I don't know if that's possible).
posted by Skyanth at 1:10 AM PST - 6 comments
June 17
Our kitchen floor is wood that was last painted at least 12 years ago. Gradually, with years of hard use, the paint has flaked off in patches, exposing the bare, splintery wood underneath, which is warped and uneven (old building). Can I cover the floor with click-together non-adhesive rubber tiles without having to seal/finish the floor first?
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posted by GrammarMoses at 7:49 PM PST - 7 comments
A friend with a very common name needs an email address (that includes her name) for resumes and such. Domain name is not very important (as long as it wouldn't look bad on a resume). Would like web and pop access.
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posted by cadastral at 4:03 PM PST - 22 comments
I've started studying Mandarin. In a couple weeks I'll be going on vacation to a city where I should be able to pick up some CDs of pop music in Mandarin. What should I get? Clear voices (not drowned out by instruments or distortion) are a plus; I dislike rap; otherwise I'm open to anything.
posted by Jeanne at 4:01 PM PST - 10 comments
My former downstairs neighbor was evicted a few months ago. I just found out she's been giving out my phone number as hers.
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posted by hydrophonic at 3:59 PM PST - 23 comments
What's a good, small tube guitar amp? Something small enough to practice with, but loud enough to gig moderate-sized places.
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posted by gottabefunky at 3:47 PM PST - 14 comments
I have 3 cats. Have tried every kind of litter; clay, silica, wheat, etc. Don't want to use the corn products (politics of corn crops). Seems like the flushable litter just clogs and is bad for the environment. Clay is cheapest but bad for cats. Those silica beads take a lot of water to manufacture. Right now I use a 50-50 mix of Wheat litter & clay litter and scoop the litter into a paper bag and put it in the garbage. Can't recycle, compost or discard in yard waste.
So, 2 questions: has anyone found a better litter or better way to discard? (it must have an enormous impact on landfills I've done a pretty extensive web search which amounted to...not much.
Thanks for any advice. (PS. These are 100% indoor cats)
posted by lois1950 at 2:58 PM PST - 22 comments
I bought a refill kit to re-ink my printer ink cartridge and spilled the small bottle of fluid labeled "cartridge and print head wash.'
I'd like to get more of this fluid without having to buy another whole kit.
Any idea what this fluid is and/or what generic item might replace it?
posted by NorthCoastCafe at 1:27 PM PST - 7 comments
A friend passed along "alt.fast.seduction" and as I was reading through the FAQ (it reeked of sleaze), one thing I kept coming across was how bad it was to buy a girl a drink. Is this true? I grew around an older generation (60+) who were definitely from another era and wouldn't even consider making a woman pay. I've instinctively always bought drinks if I was out with a girl (romantic or not). I haven't received any flak from it. Am I being totally anachronistic or at worst misogynist? Or does it just come across as schmuck (as this guide repeatedly states)?
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posted by geoff. at 1:23 PM PST - 30 comments
I have the opposite problem of
blakeleyh's question. I don't know how to create a proposal or what a reasonable price to charge is for freelance web development work.
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posted by INTPLibrarian at 1:02 PM PST - 7 comments
Can you recommend a good removal company in the UK? I live in Oxford and I'll be moving down to London next month. I only have a room's worth of stuff, but it's a big room and there's a lot of stuff, including bulky things like computer chairs and so on. I'm not bothered about it being shipped within the same day or anything, but if you know companies that are good value and reliable, it'd be really useful.
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posted by adrianhon at 12:44 PM PST - 9 comments
I am looking for a good daily sunscreen to wear on my face. My criteria are: (1) little/no chemical "sunscreen" smell; (2) fragrance-free; (3) oil-free; (4) SPF in the 8-15 range; (5) transparent or clear. How the sunscreen smells is very important to me: I am sensitive to smells and often don't wear sunscreen because the scent is so strong.
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posted by betterton at 12:24 PM PST - 20 comments
I've managed to get Windows to blue-screen predictably, but I cannot read the screen because the computer immediately reboots. How can I get the information from the blue screen? (bonus if I can fix the problem with that information!)
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posted by odinsdream at 11:02 AM PST - 12 comments
After fruitlessly trying to remove a port scan virus buried
deep within the system services (even AVG couldn't detect it), I am starting a fresh W2K installation. What software packages can do rollbacks on the registry and /winnt, and cancel all the damage from any particular software install session? Sometimes the registry and /winnt seem like a wide-open mouth where junk is dumped endlessly, and preventing this would be an effective way of keeping the computer clean.
posted by rolypolyman at 10:37 AM PST - 3 comments
What are some examples of obsolete currency — currency that was formerly used by a now-defunct political state or regime and is now worthless, except perhaps as a curiosity or historical artifact? This defunct currency would have to be paper rather than in bullion, as the latter never really becomes worthless. The only example I can think of is the currency issued by the Confederate States of America during the U.S. Civil war. Can you suggest any more recent examples?
posted by orange swan at 10:29 AM PST - 32 comments
I'm looking for a good book (or alternative resource) full of guidance/advice/caveats for a green rock band getting into the shiny world of regular original-music gigging.
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posted by cortex at 9:14 AM PST - 9 comments
What's the best Windows FTP program? I use
Transmit on OS X, and it's perfect for my office: easy for noobs to understand, but powerful enough that advanced users still like it. What's the Windows equivalent? I'm willing to pay up to about $50.
posted by letitrain at 9:01 AM PST - 34 comments
Since birth, 10 weeks ago, our baby has slept in our bed between us in a cute little box called a
SnuggleNest. It's worked out very well, but she's getting to be so big; she's going to outgrow her little nest soon. We love having her near us at night. We want to continue to co-sleep. We would love to learn from your family-bed experiences.
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posted by RockyChrysler at 8:54 AM PST - 22 comments
How to erase, obscure, or otherwise render handwritten text illegible?
Imagine you were to have several thousand pieces of paper that you must keep. Further imagine that these papers had handwritten identifying information (say, name and address - mostly in pencil but sometimes in ink of various colours), that you must make illegible.
What's the easiest and most effective way to make that handwriting unreadable?
They will later be scanned by machine, so covering with stickers is probably not a good solution.
posted by Zetetics at 8:53 AM PST - 12 comments
I'm in the market for a new printer to replace a dead inkjet, and have considered getting an old HP 5 color laserjet or something similarly robust, but have run across something called the dye sublimation printer made by Alps and others.
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posted by swift at 8:48 AM PST - 8 comments
I need a way to quickly enable/disable the Windows XP option of extending a desktop over two monitors
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posted by Who_Am_I at 8:08 AM PST - 4 comments
Need a simple Win XP utility to increase the resolution and then smooth curves and angles on some monochrome .BMPs. Preferably freeware. Suggestions? Thanks!
posted by ZenMasterThis at 7:34 AM PST - 5 comments
I wasted a lot of time the other day trying to reinvent the wheel. I wanted to write a web-based RSS parser.
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posted by jpburns at 6:31 AM PST - 9 comments
My boss' boyfriend does human factor engineering for a pharmaceutical company.
They're performing an experiment and his boss has given him a number for a sample size that the boyfriend thinks is too low.
He has to be able to justify to his boyfriend that this number is too low within the next 40 minutes.
I can't remember anything about statistics but I know there's a way to figure this out. (More inside!)
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posted by tozturk at 6:00 AM PST - 9 comments
I recently moved to the city of Cleveland, which in 2003 dismantled its curbside recycling pick-up program. I drop off my (paper, glass, plastic, aluminum) recycling at a drop-off center. In a discussion with neighbors, they were dubious that the city is actually recycling what I put in the special dumpsters, but rather just dumping it. What do you think? Am I wasting my time by taking my recyclables to the special location? There was special skepticism for paper/magazine recycling, which is a pain in the neck to haul.
posted by picklebird at 5:55 AM PST - 22 comments
Adventure Game Recommendations: I really miss playing games I could lose myself into for hours on end, and I would like to find some new games similar to those I enjoyed years ago. But I stopped playing a long while back so I have no idea what's been on the market since and how to look for such games now. I have always loved the LucasFilm/LucasArts titles but they seem to have stopped producing pretty point-click adventures after
Grim Fandango. Other favorites were Windham Classics adventures like
Below the Root or
Alice in Wonderland, Cinemaware action-adventures like
It Came from the Desert,
The King of Chicago and
Sinbad, and detective games like
Killed Until Dead and
Intrigue! Are there any comparable modern counterparts? I am not into RPGs or text MUDs or shooters. Please tell me there are still games out there involving great stories, detailed scenes, and good puzzle-play!
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posted by Lush at 4:10 AM PST - 28 comments
Where can I find software to control the horizontal width, and pincushioning of my video-card output?
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posted by stungeye at 1:06 AM PST - 3 comments
June 16
I have a 2003 Honda Elite 80 and it has almost zero storage space. I was going to throw on one of those plastic crates that you find at the grocery stores, but these days they are much bigger. Does anyone know where I could find storage out for the back rack of my scooter outside of these plastic crates?
posted by matthelm at 8:56 PM PST - 6 comments
I keep on getting in trouble for going over my daily download limit at work.
Can anyone recommend an app which will track how much bandwidth i'm using throughout the day? (for Win XP)
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posted by pipstar at 5:23 PM PST - 14 comments
My girlfriend and I are relocating to York in the fall from Canada. My background is in software development for Windows (.NET, BizTalk, SQL). What is the employment situation in Yorkshire for folks like me?
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posted by Jeebus at 4:40 PM PST - 3 comments
I found a strange metal token mixed in with my quarters and I'm wondering what it might be.
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posted by LeeJay at 4:17 PM PST - 10 comments
What is "modified sine-wave" power, and what will it do to my electronic devices?
I have a
portable Xantrex battery, and it came with a warning that certain rechargeable devices may not be compatible with its modified sine wave output.
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posted by Caviar at 3:42 PM PST - 9 comments
Does anyone have experience with a moissanite engagement ring? I hate
the diamond industry because I've been doing human rights work all my life, but those Harry Winston diamond ads make me swoon more than I'd like to admit.
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posted by hamster at 3:00 PM PST - 34 comments
Ethics 101: What are the moral implications of being "the other woman?" If someone leaves their lover/partner/wife/husband for you, have you done anything wrong?
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posted by adrober at 2:35 PM PST - 79 comments
I was recently married, and wear titanium engagement and wedding rings set with sapphires. They are already looking very smudged/dirty,and even shallowly scratched. What should I do/use to clean them?
posted by juniper at 1:54 PM PST - 13 comments
I get a bit concerned about my lungs when I paint, saw, sand, blow dust around, or use nasty chemical solvents. Anyone have any gas and/or dust mask recommendations?
posted by sdis at 1:51 PM PST - 9 comments
My wife and I purchased a Bichon Frise pup about 6 months ago; he was 3 months old when we bought him. He's great, but the problem is he refuses to remain quiet all night.
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posted by surferboy at 1:48 PM PST - 12 comments
I use my laptop in conjunction with midi controllers as a live instrument. When running off the battery it sounds great through the PA system, but when I plug in the AC adapter I get a very loud humming sound. Is there any way to get rid of this?
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posted by monsta coty scott at 1:27 PM PST - 20 comments
I'm looking for blogs written by pilots of (or about) planes, helicoptors, blimps, etc. Got any links?
posted by o2b at 1:11 PM PST - 10 comments
Ok, my google-fu has failed me. I'm trying to find a simple software program that will allow me to take an AVI file (or multiple AVI files - TV shows, mostly) and burn them to a DVD-R while still having the audio sync up properly. I've tried a couple of programs, and for some reason, the audio ends up being out of sync toward the end, although it's just fine at the beginning.
posted by gwenzel at 12:57 PM PST - 8 comments
I need to display information about approximately 16 elements. The display will be in row-column format and the order of the elements will be fixed. So the display will look like:
text in colorA | text in colorB | text in colorC | .....
text in colorA | .....
How do I choose colors such that adjacent colors do not appear similar and that any given color is easily distinguished from the others? If you know of a good algorithm for choosing the set of colors or can point to an example of someone doing this well I would appreciate it.
Also it would be nice if the result were not ugly.
posted by rdr at 11:17 AM PST - 10 comments
Help me argue an office mate. The author Douglas Coupland wrote that the only human activities that have no animal equivalent are smoking, body-building, and writing. I'm trying to think of more.
posted by tfmm at 10:59 AM PST - 80 comments
How can you tell the difference between mosquito bites and flea bites? (Does one heal quicker than the other?)
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posted by WCityMike at 10:50 AM PST - 7 comments
I'm usually a liquor drinker (scotch, whisky, bourbon, vodka) and recently I tried to make the move to beer, just to give myself a lighter option. Problem is I'm noticing the day after drinking a few beers (usually 3-4) I'm horribly sore all over, and basically feel like shit. Not hungover but flu-like symptoms (achey body, sore joints, sensitive skin, mildly feverish) I never feel this way when drinking liquor, so is it possible that I am allergic to beer?
posted by mrs.pants at 9:53 AM PST - 14 comments
I'm trying to track down a site that had two still portraits that suddenly, eerily, start to move.
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posted by condour75 at 8:21 AM PST - 10 comments
PhysicsFilter: Suppose I'm looking straight ahead at somebody's head, but can't see their eyes because they are obstructed by a wall or railing. Under what physical circumstances can that person see my eyes? Assume that there are no mirrors, cameras, or other visual trickery. Also assume that both people are sitting on chairs at floor level, though they may be of different heights.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 8:07 AM PST - 18 comments
What's the best way to support a person going through the process of going from a man to a woman?
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posted by drezdn at 8:01 AM PST - 18 comments
I'm an IT contractor. My pimp doesn't offer health insurance, so its up to me to get a private policy. My wife has MS, so she's uninsurable. I have an individual BCBS plan for myself + 2 sons. My wife belongs to a state-supported Health Insurance Pool, for people who have been denied coverage. We pay a LOT of money ($360/month) just for her premiums. Its analogous to people with bad credit trying to finance a car - they have to pay extra for the privilege. Do I have alternatives? Are benefits-pooling companies worth it?
posted by neilkod at 7:58 AM PST - 11 comments
Suddenly, when I double click on an Excel document to open it, it won't open the document (specific details inside): can this be fixed without reinstalling Excel or Office?
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posted by anastasiav at 6:57 AM PST - 4 comments
Attention all Firefox experts! Please help.
This morning, I came in, and my beloved Firefox (1.04) will no longer display text! (DIT)
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posted by kungfujoe at 4:28 AM PST - 6 comments
Everyone seems to love Ruby. But does it lend itself to web development, and is it "polished" enough to be used as one's primary language?
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posted by TheCowGod at 3:39 AM PST - 22 comments
I'm looking for a resource - online, book, DVD - that deals specifically in the architectural design from sci-fi films, preferably with lots of pictures.
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posted by Neale at 2:55 AM PST - 4 comments
June 15
I have a question regarding attending a university but not including it in my law school application.
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posted by SeizeTheDay at 9:09 PM PST - 29 comments
Does anyone have any suggestions for good new books? I like Truman Capote, Eudora Welty, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, books about language, and California history. Please no tragedies! Weighty is okay, just not something that's going to make me hate my fellow humans.
posted by slimslowslider at 8:51 PM PST - 27 comments
I use a free cgi mailing list script that generates a html template for the admin interface and user feedback for sign-up. The site i am implementing it on today has some basic preload/rollover javascript within the HEAD of the HTML document, but the javascript aint working on the template the cgi outputs. How do i need to format the javascript so that it works from the cgi-script?
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posted by elphTeq at 8:18 PM PST - 3 comments
A friend of mine likes to come up with crazy costume theme parties, and this Friday is X-TREME Gender Expression Night...
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posted by nelleish at 8:12 PM PST - 16 comments
iPod Filter : Why won't my PC with the latest iPod updater and iTunes software recognize my second generation iPod?
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posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:46 PM PST - 8 comments
I cooked Pad Thai tonight and the results weren't what I had hoped for....
The dish was tasty enough, but the rice stick noodles were very sticky/gummy....
Any cooks out there fimilar with what I may have fouled up?
posted by keep it tight at 7:45 PM PST - 9 comments
When I try running long complex macros in MS Word for OS X, created in Office for Mac OS 9.2, some of the macros are freezing/crashing. Perhaps even worse, the macros don't seem to be failing at the same point each time I try to run them.
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posted by ParisParamus at 7:03 PM PST - 1 comments
I have a relatively large music library stored on my file-server. Can anybody recommend a server-side tool to help me keep the files and their metadata organized?
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posted by Eamon at 6:59 PM PST - 7 comments
I'm planning to apply to many, many graduate schools, and I need letters of recommendation. Asking each person to sign 20+ copies seems unreasonable. It is acceptable to submit photocopies?
posted by cribcage at 6:51 PM PST - 37 comments
My wife is being eaten alive by some sort of hidden insect in our house. Actually, we don't think it's hidden -- on the windowsills of our house we keep seeing these very tiny -- a little smaller than a sesame seed -- brownish bugs. They have two antennae.
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posted by johndavi at 6:50 PM PST - 10 comments
I have a new LaCie 800GB Ethernet NAS disk. It's advertised as working well in a cross-platform environment. It sits on my lab's LAN with three XP boxes and three Mac G5s. But it's been trouble from the beginning . . . .
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posted by realcountrymusic at 6:25 PM PST - 2 comments
BioFilter: I have questions about the statistics involved in microarray data processing...
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posted by Rothko at 4:28 PM PST - 12 comments
I've never had PMS problems before outside of the occasional mild lower backache. I'm not on the pill because while my period is not on-the-dot regular, it does come every month for a fairly normal length of time and rate of flow. It has been easy to deal with. But for the past five or six months I've been getting Montezuma's Revenge
bad at the onset of my period. What gives?
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posted by anonymous at 4:05 PM PST - 17 comments
Seattle has crap Mexican food. Anyone have experience in the frozen food business? Because I want to start up a small business selling meals in local stores. We're talking 3-4 products, minimal ingredients. I think I have access to a rest. kitchen. Looking past legal/supplier costs, where can I go wrong?
posted by poodlemouthe at 4:01 PM PST - 18 comments
Using two different Netgear WiFi adapters under Windows XP, we can connect to our home network, but can't ping any domains or see any websites (though we can under Knoppix).
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posted by rwhe at 3:50 PM PST - 27 comments
I am interested in using Digimarc watermarks to track images across the web. Does anyone have an opinion on their MarcSpider tracking engine? Are there alternative techniques/technology?
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posted by Jack Karaoke at 3:28 PM PST - 2 comments
The company I work for wants to get on the blog bandwagon and I need to get things set up. Right now our website is hosted by Verio on a co-located server running Windows.
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posted by ssmith at 3:25 PM PST - 8 comments
Can you recommend good mailing list management software that has a web front end and integrates with Outlook?
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posted by kirkaracha at 3:07 PM PST - 3 comments
Anyone have any experience with any turnkey OSCommerce providers? Good recommendations? Bad experiences? (I was amazed to find no dedicated threads in AskMe concerning turnkey hosting in general.)
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posted by mwhybark at 2:51 PM PST - 3 comments
Michael Jackson case: I understand that the prosecution case was very flimsy for the more serious charges, but I was under the impression that there was very solid evidence he had given alcohol to at least one minor. Why didn't they convict on that charge?
posted by Pretty_Generic at 2:45 PM PST - 19 comments
The Italian football (soccer) and Rugby teams play in Blue (Azzurri) and yet there is no Blue in their Flag. Anyone know why?
posted by angusw at 2:32 PM PST - 5 comments
I am looking for a reliable and cost-effective manner to convert a single VHS tape to DVD. I don't have a camcorder or any other equipment to do the job and local shops have quoted me prices in the $100 range. I found several online set-ups that advertise in the $20 range, but I am looking for recommendations before I send the VHS tape off.
posted by ajr at 1:59 PM PST - 7 comments
ScrewFilter: I have on several occasion (once by my own hand, and now by someone else) have been put in a position of getting very small, very flush screws out of a surface. or more bluntly put, there is a screw stuck in the side of an aluminum PowerBook. any advice on how to remove it?
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posted by ShawnString at 12:32 PM PST - 12 comments
I'm already to used to my new Mac's keyboard. Unfortunately, I have to use XP at work. Is there a (preferably free) keyboard remapping program for XP? The only one I've found is a six buck download via PCmag.com.
posted by keswick at 12:28 PM PST - 8 comments
Ballpoint pen question: I bought a Parker Jotter 0.7 mm-point refill last month, and after about twenty pages of writing it's already starting to crap out on me--its line is unacceptably light, and sometimes disappears completely. (These refills usually last me a year or more.) Is there anything I can do to save it (soaking the tip in some substance, etc.), or is it a lost cause?
posted by Prospero at 12:25 PM PST - 9 comments
Love songs for the jaded but hopeful. Help me find some music to emphasize the high I'm on, without lapsing into irrational swooning over that certain someone.
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posted by jammer at 12:14 PM PST - 53 comments
Salesperson looking to work in IT and do PC support and possibly network admin... I get many offers for classes to get a A+ certification followed by or along with Network+ certification.
Do employers actually care about these certifications?
Is it worth it to get them to break into IT?
posted by brucec at 12:13 PM PST - 12 comments
Back in the day (about 7 years ago, anyway), Windows came with a utility that allowed the savvy user to edit compiled help files.
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posted by dbmcd at 11:15 AM PST - 5 comments
My girlfriend and I are in college and we've been together for almost a year. I know that she loves me, and we have a good relationship, but I'm not as attracted to her as she is to me. What should I do?
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posted by ludwig_van at 11:15 AM PST - 58 comments
Lately I have noticed a residual funky smell in my clothes after washing and drying. (Think used towels. Not hotel ones as they all smell like chlorine bleach). I do use fabric softener to no avail. Is ther a way to get rid of this smell in the clothing? Enzymatic detergent? The stuff to get rid of the smell pet urine? Anybody else have this problem and solved the issue?
posted by thimk at 10:45 AM PST - 19 comments
Sometimes my computer displays splotches of grey or white on something meant to be black.
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posted by Tuwa at 10:44 AM PST - 4 comments
As a Father's Day gift, I'm looking to arrange for a couple of green fees at a London (UK) area golf course. Any suggestions?
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posted by smcniven at 10:06 AM PST - 4 comments
Hot tap in kitchen sink; suddenly half the pressure it used to be; turn on, wait twenty seconds, and half pressure becomes all but a drip; all other hot taps in house work a-ok.
Washer? Pipe? Tap mechanism? Simple to fix or in need of a plumber?
posted by humuhumu at 10:01 AM PST - 5 comments
My family wants to buy my grandfather a digicam (compact, zoom, 4-5 MP, US$250ish). Most of the reviews I've seen online are from a 'power use' perspective and focus on adjustability and features - but my grandfather's camera skills pretty much stop at 'point & shoot.' Any recommendations for cameras are genuinely easy to use, and take consistently good photos out of the box?
posted by kickingtheground at 9:55 AM PST - 10 comments
I finally have an MP3 player. I hate sticking things in my ears. I'm pale and don't go out in the summer without a hat and sunglasses. Does anyone have any brilliant ideas about how to fit headphones into that mix?
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posted by Zed_Lopez at 9:47 AM PST - 11 comments
We had our furnace worked on by a local guy who has a good rep. We mentioned that our air condition had been icing up, and he said we should get the coils cleaned. $300.
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posted by mecran01 at 9:11 AM PST - 3 comments
So I saw the second episode by Kevin Rose on www.systm.org but they only seem to mention setting up your linux box with your "cable provider" without any mention of Dish or Direct TV....does anyone know whether Myth TV or specifically KnoppMyth will work with dish TV type providers?
posted by stevyb at 9:00 AM PST - 6 comments
Every so often, I feel a tingling in my upper back and neck that sometimes spreads into the base of my skull and can go as far as my scalp.
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posted by staresbynight at 8:36 AM PST - 33 comments
How can I find someone to do the html and design for my Web site? I have had a Web site for ten years now and have always done the design and html myself, by hand, using Photoshop, BBEdit, and Fetch on a Mac. I need a re-design, and am at the point where I think I could benefit from the help of an html/css expert, and probably from a graphic designer as well.
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posted by blakeleyh at 8:32 AM PST - 18 comments
I like a girl. She likes me. There's two small but big things keeping us apart, and I dunno how to solve them. The first has nothing to do with her, and the second does. Advice would be appreciated.
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posted by anonymous at 8:27 AM PST - 23 comments
We need to do some online advertising and PR, on a just-above-shoestring budget, directed at people responsible for selling new information technology products. The minimum for a text ad from publishers like Ziff-Davis and CMP's TechWeb seems to be well over $2,000 per insertion. We'd like to spend less than that, so maybe we're looking for more obscure publications.
posted by bmckenzie at 8:25 AM PST - 2 comments
I just cannot change the group of my Music folder. I created a new group called "music" as a first step towards allowing my SO to share my iTunes library directly. I try to set the Music folder (and its contents) to being part of "music", but no dice. The "get info" window says that it's changed. But as soon as I click the lock to prevent further changes, it switches back to the group of me. If I close the get info window and don't hit the lock, then call up get info again, I see that the attempted group change hasn't stuck. I also cannot change the group ID to "admin." As root, it doesn't work either, but then I get a mysterious error called "-60002." chgrp doesn't work from the shell, either. Is this a known bug or am I missing something?
posted by yesno at 7:46 AM PST - 8 comments
I have an 11 year-old brother who is interested in using Yahoo Instant Messenger (or I suppose any other IM program for that matter), but my parents are a little hesitant to let him do so. And understandably so I think. Do any of you let your pre-teens use any IM programs? Is there some sort of method you have worked out for them using it? A monitoring program perhaps? Extended explanation inside.
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posted by mrzer0 at 7:37 AM PST - 34 comments
Does anyone have any experience living in Blacksburg, Virginia as a non-student? Or general experiences moving from a big city to a small town?
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posted by eileen at 7:11 AM PST - 11 comments
Pharmacy School: So my sister wants to apply to pharmacy school and it's totally stressing her out. Does anyone here have advice on the application process?
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posted by kensanway at 7:10 AM PST - 3 comments
I have an application that generates a file a regular intervals (daily), and stores the data locally on the C drive of the PC, all I want to do is then email that to a given address.
The PC is Windows XP (Pro - SP2), I have Outlook 2k3 installed...my google-fu is letting me down, but I'm really struggling to find a solution for this one. Bonus points for free - or already built in to my system!
posted by mattr at 6:57 AM PST - 5 comments
I recently bought a memory foam/latex mattress from in hopes that it will help rid me of my morning back pain. It's a big gamble. But there's another problem. The mattress is only 8" deep and I don't know where to find fitted sheets that size.
1. Are fitted sheets really necessary?
2. Where's a good place to go for decent sheets with a variety of sizes? I'm in NY, and far a Bed, Bath, and Beyond turned up nothing but the recollection that I really hate that place.
posted by kingfisher, his musclebound cat at 6:41 AM PST - 10 comments
I want to make some movies using photos (jpegs), as a photo montage with mp3s in the background. How should I go about doing this?
1) Should I make Flash movies or actual mpegs (avis? mov. files?) with Premiere? I've tried this in the past with Flash, but no matter the resolution of the original, the movies come out pixellated/with funky color changes. And with Premiere the end movie is
waaay too large, far larger than the sum of the pics and music. And also with the funky color/pixellation.
2) Should I convert the jpegs to bitmaps or some other format before importing? What's a good resolution?
posted by zardoz at 6:33 AM PST - 7 comments
My daughter has announced she doesn't want to live on campus next year (freshman). We agreed months ago she would live at school (an hour commute). Any personal experience with changing your mind? I'm concerned about her driving daily on congested highway (NJ) and about her not facing her fears.
posted by Mutha at 6:09 AM PST - 44 comments
Is it possible for a standard jet airliner, say a 737, to succesfully perform an aerial barrel roll or a vertical loop? It's just something I've always wondered.
posted by punkfloyd at 4:36 AM PST - 19 comments
June 14
Does anyone have any experience transferring from one college to another? The reason I ask is because I plan on transferring from UCSB to USC after one year, but everyone I've talked to says that it's extremely difficult. They tell me it's much easier to transfer from a community college but I'm insistent on going to one four-year to another. Any tips for a hopeful transfer applicant?
posted by petah at 10:04 PM PST - 21 comments
Oh man am I stupid... I meant to pick up my prescription for Buspar (to treat anxiety) earlier today cause I knew I was out. I forgot.
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posted by Stauf at 7:43 PM PST - 8 comments
What are the wisest/coolest/most surprising wikipedia entries you've run across?
I already know about the Heavy Metal Umlaut and Exploding Whale.
posted by Tlogmer at 7:06 PM PST - 15 comments
Where can I find statistics showing how many books (titles and/or copies) are produced and purchased in a given country each year?
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posted by greatgefilte at 7:04 PM PST - 2 comments
Next year I will graduate from college with a double concentration in English and French. As much as I love literature and reading, graduate school in those fields doesn't seem like the right thing for me. However, my love of photography has blown up in the past few years and I'm pretty serious about making a career of it.
Where are the good photography schools? Is there any way to get an MFA with my experience? Otherwise, is a second BA worth the money and hassle?
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posted by themadjuggler at 7:00 PM PST - 11 comments
What songs/bands from the current decade will be played on classic hits radio stations in twenty years?
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posted by alms at 6:33 PM PST - 31 comments
Just a stupid question that's puzzled me for years: Why is it that, on electric fans, the order of the settings on the switch is OFF - HI - MED - LO? I'm sure there's an electrical reason for this, but I don't know what it is, since I know nothing about circuitry. One would think that OFF - LO - MED - HI would make more sense. Can someone explain this to me?
posted by Dr. Wu at 5:33 PM PST - 23 comments
I have a habit of typing "There are a..." when my fingers are hovering over the keyboard waiting for my brain to make up its mind what to write. Why is this, is it a textual "um", like in speech? And why those words? And does anyone else do it?
posted by Navek Rednam at 4:56 PM PST - 17 comments
I'm a collecter live music, all in various lossless formats (FLAC, SHN, etc..) As a result of being lossless audio, the sets are quite large, ranging from 300MB all the way up to a couple of GB. Archiving to hard disc is not an option for me at this point, so I currently archive to DVD. I use
Advanced Disk Catalog to keep track of where everything is at. However, it's a real pain in the ass to have to pull the disc out of the archive just to check a single text file for source or location information when I'm trading. Are there any apps on the market that would do this automagically for me? What I envision is inserting the disc with the program open - It creates the subfolders that exist on the disc and automatically grabs ANY text files on said disc and copies them into the cooresponding subfolder it just created. Nothin' more, nothin' less. Also, free is good. Any ideas out there in AskMeFiland?
posted by rabble at 4:13 PM PST - 13 comments
If You're doing Digital photography and using photshop , which is the best type of monitor ?
posted by sgt.serenity at 4:04 PM PST - 16 comments
I need to purchase a PCMCIA storage card (ATA format) from a store located in or very near Tucson AZ. Any ideas?
posted by jruckman at 4:04 PM PST - 5 comments
My boss has tasked me with tracking down a modern XML library written in C. The library has to run on (at least) RHEL3, Windows, and Solaris, but more is better.
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posted by ChrisR at 3:47 PM PST - 9 comments
I'm on secondment in Bristol and I have some evenings / weekends available to help the local community in some way. I have >10 years in software development and I'm a good, engaging communicator who likes training and education.
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posted by kiwi.es at 3:17 PM PST - 6 comments
A friend was telling me that the test to get a driver's license in Germany was incredibly difficult, much more so than in the U.S. Has anyone taken it, or heard similar tales?
posted by dearleader at 2:34 PM PST - 22 comments
I am on a w2k pc at work. I use firefox primarily and hit tons of web sites a day. Yesterday I noticed I was getting the "connection refused" message in Firefox when attempting to go to Amazon.com only.
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posted by stavx at 2:12 PM PST - 4 comments
about three hours ago i got some plywood dust/splinters in my eye. I washed out my eye and put in a bunch of eye drops. My eye still hurts, which I guess is to be expected, but more disturbingly, the pupil in the aggravated eye is dilating more than the other one. any advice or suggestions?
posted by puppy kuddles at 2:06 PM PST - 19 comments
You know those circular screens they use at concerts that always have some kind of animation projected onto them? Can I replicate that on my PC?
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posted by grateful at 1:42 PM PST - 3 comments
I'm finally doing it. I'm quitting smoking - yay me! Anybody who has done this (and succeeded) - how did you get over the rough patches when the urge to light up was almost too powerful to ignore?
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posted by contessa at 1:30 PM PST - 40 comments
I've just been quoted $3000 to install a new outdoor heat pump unit and remove the old one. New thermostat included.
Does that sound like a lot of money?
posted by jsavimbi at 12:59 PM PST - 11 comments
I'm in the process of sorting through some digital photos that are about a year or so old. I'd like to sort them in folders by date (year, month) as I do now. The trouble is, when I "Show Info" the "Date Created" field is blank. [more inside]
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posted by btwillig at 12:54 PM PST - 6 comments
I'm looking for a quote from T W Adorno, which I think comes from Aesthetics. It goes something along the lines of "the value of a piece of art is inversely proportional to its function."
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posted by johnny novak at 12:38 PM PST - 6 comments
What's the cool-kid, hackerish and full definition of the phrase: [this is good]?
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posted by teece at 12:15 PM PST - 96 comments
For the purpose of documentating an application, I'm looking for a WYSIWYG editor that can yield both in HTML and PDF formats, but meets a few other criteria. [More Inside]
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posted by turbodog at 11:53 AM PST - 3 comments
Help me secure my car: For the seventh time in two years, I'm buying replacement window glass for my car. For the third time in two years, I'm shopping for a new stereo. For the second time in two years, I'm wondering what in the heck petty thieves want with my car registration and insurance forms.
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posted by u2604ab at 11:42 AM PST - 31 comments
I'm going to be alone in Vancouver BC Wednesday June 15 to Friday. Everyone I know is out of town. What can I do?
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posted by Bearman at 11:41 AM PST - 11 comments
I recently read Chuck Palahniuk's
Diary and loved it. I'm looking for suggestions for similarly mysterious/creepy novels...
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posted by fabesfaves at 11:25 AM PST - 15 comments
Where do I find hardware items
like this at prices that don't reflect one-off blister-pack purchases? I'm doing some small scale manufacturing (details below the fold) and per-unit prices matter - even $0.10 per piece makes a difference.
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posted by phearlez at 11:24 AM PST - 17 comments
I'm an EMT student and I some times have trouble hearing the blood pressures in the ambulance and hospital, does anyone have good advice on taking them?
posted by sicem07 at 10:54 AM PST - 10 comments
Three days ago, my Verizon DSL stopped working. Now it's working again but is quite slow. Any thoughts as to the cause?
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posted by cahlers at 10:39 AM PST - 14 comments
How difficult (and expensive) is it to set up a private foundation that can be named after someone and that can have control of charitable giving? Control to make sure the funds go to those that need them.
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posted by jjcurtis at 10:00 AM PST - 7 comments
Awhile back, I mentioned on MeFi that I had in my posession
some pictures from Iraq that would no doubt attract a fair amount of public attention. I'm ready to make these pictures public, but I don't want my bandwidth costs to go through the roof, nor do I want to risk having my image hosting cut off. Does anyone have any advice as to how best to deal with this issue?
posted by insomnia_lj at 10:00 AM PST - 30 comments
Help me identify a program I saw on television many years ago about widower with a wealthy and nasty father-in-law who humiliates his friends in exchange for gifts?
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posted by nanojath at 9:03 AM PST - 6 comments
We are adopting a puppy on Friday and are looking for a great name for her. Our requirements are inside...
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posted by widdershins at 8:55 AM PST - 28 comments
I've got a pair of Shure e2c's for listening to music on my iPod and as noise cancelling discreet headphones go, they're great. However as comfortable and secure in the ear headphones go, they suck. What am I doing wrong?
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posted by ralawrence at 8:01 AM PST - 10 comments
I'm searching for a short story from
This American Life. It was read at the end of the show and is probably 2 or 3 years old. The story was about a little boy with a superpower of finding lost objects who, at the end of the story, focused the power on himself and discovered that he, too, had strayed from his rightful place.
posted by By The Grace of God at 7:39 AM PST - 7 comments
What are the best games to play in a car on a long road trip?
posted by smackfu at 7:39 AM PST - 30 comments
Can anyone help me find a copy of
Kokoo's 'Super-Nova' album on CD or even mp3? My Google-fu has failed me, and I would *love* to hear some of my favourite tracks (especially 'Tarkus' by Emerson, Lake and Palmer) played on traditional Japanese instruments...
posted by timpollard at 7:10 AM PST - 2 comments
Credit Card Rewards: I charge about $20,000 to $25,000 a year on my credit card, mostly for rent and food. I want to receive as much cash back (or a functional equivalent) as possible from a rewards program. What credit card/group of cards should I use? Any tips?
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posted by gd779 at 6:58 AM PST - 19 comments
I've forgotten an sFTP password and need to recover it. The account is setup and working in EditPlus. Many years ago I remember using a Windows utility that allowed you to drag an icon over any ******* password field and the password would be revealed. I can't remember the name of this utility. Google reveals many other utilities that might do the same thing, but I ph33r the Russian Hax0rs. Does anyone know of a crap-ware free program that can help me? Operating System XP Home.
posted by alan at 6:42 AM PST - 8 comments
Leaving for Ottawa in 3 hours, and I just realised the place I'm staying has dial-up access only. Does anyone know of places in the vicinity of the US Consulate (or anywhere else downtown, really) where I can get wireless internet access (free would be great, but not necessary)?
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posted by darsh at 6:37 AM PST - 12 comments
I use upcoming.org to keep track of concerts and club nights I am or may be interested in going to...and I just got a new Palm Tungsten e2, which i've synched up with Outlook on my WindowsXP machine at work...i'd love to be able to feed the Outlook calendar the iCal file from Upcoming.org (thus, synching it up to my Palm).
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posted by tpl1212 at 6:04 AM PST - 2 comments
i run an online store specializing in products made by independent designers, and i get loads of product submissions that use vinyl/PVC - handbags, purses, even furniture.
i've long thought of vinyl as bad for the environment, and i've heard claims it's even unhealthy to handle. but the facts are hard to come by.
now i've stumbled upon
this article.
so - should i rethink my assumption that vinyl is evil? from a business perspective, i sort of hope so, b/c some of the vinyl products i'm seeing are very cool...
posted by subpixel at 6:03 AM PST - 3 comments
What the hell is wrong with my foot? I sprained it very mildly last July, and its still swollen!
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posted by Kololo at 2:49 AM PST - 12 comments
What is the best way or product to use to place photographs in an scrapbook? I found old photographs lying around in an envelope and I would like to put them in an album in a way that will also preserve them (some of them are over thirty years old and have seen better days).
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posted by mirileh at 12:30 AM PST - 9 comments
How likely is it that someone would be given security clearance (confidential, secret, or top secret) if they experimented with various illegal drugs (including marijuana, acid, cocaine and crystal meth) during their college years (ending about 5-6 years ago) but who hasn't done anything since (and has no desire to anymore)?
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posted by freshgroundpepper at 12:11 AM PST - 23 comments
June 13
I am compiling a list of large gemstones in movies. Anything to add to the following list?
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posted by lalalana at 8:54 PM PST - 31 comments
So I'm getting ready to launch my own family-friendly, general interest, community discussion site, and I'm hoping to generate at least partial support from displaying ads on my site. I poked around a bit on Google's Adsense site, but does anybody know of a good intro/overview/ratings of the various options I may have available to me?
posted by coolgeek at 8:40 PM PST - 4 comments
Does anyone know of a site with an RSS/XML feed for television listings? In particular, I'd love to find one that I could customize to my favorite channels. I'd also like to find something that would give me the day's listings for a particular genre (such all the movies or sporting events on that day). I've found a site that allows you to get feeds for all the day's listings for specific cable channels (a feed for CNN, a feed for TNT, etc.), but the networks are excluded from this, and I'd like to get a feed that would also tell me what's on the regular networks in the evening.
posted by roundrock at 8:28 PM PST - 6 comments
My girlfriend would like to sell a silver heart necklace with a small (~0.10 ct) diamond. It was purchased ~6 years ago for ~$400 on clearance somewhere. That's about all the information we have about it. Questions:
What's the best way of going about selling such a thing? Ebay?
Does it need to be appraised? How much does that typically cost?
We're in Los Angeles.
posted by sirion at 8:24 PM PST - 1 comments
I have a 10 year high school reunion in 5 years. I am wanting to create a full service website that'll link everyone up together with information, email, pictures, etc. Has anyone put together a portal together where people can create profiles and share in discussion? What are the costs and technical challenges?
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posted by huy_le at 4:35 PM PST - 5 comments
Well, it's that time of year again: my Apricot tree is starting to fruit, and I'd like to try drying some of the fruit to enjoy all year around. I tried it last year, but the results weren't good: the fruit got mouldy and icky. Any pointers or links to good guides on drying or preserving fruit?
posted by baggers at 4:31 PM PST - 14 comments
When discussing the Iraq war, pro-war people often state that things would be worse under Saddam. This seems to imply that more people would have died under Saddam than as a result of the invasion/occupation thus far. I want to dispute these types of statements but honestly I don't know if it is true or not. I haven't seen any real firm figure on how many people died under Saddam and at what rate he killed people. I know that the folks at Iraqbodycount.net keep a running count of those who died as a direct result of the Iraq war. Have any credible comparisons been done between the numbers of deaths we have caused and the numbers he usually caused? If so, what were the results?
posted by aburd at 3:55 PM PST - 24 comments
Schick Quattro and Schick Quattro For Women: what's the difference, really?
posted by punishinglemur at 3:46 PM PST - 20 comments
I'm looking for good media resources (especially books) on the lands of the midnight sun (and ?daytime darkness?). Works that cover sociology, culture, work habits, sleep habits and other interesting aspects and adaptations of people living in such conditions.
posted by daksya at 3:43 PM PST - 7 comments
How can I force my color printer (Epson CX4600) to ignore the fact that it's out of yellow and magenta ink, and keep printing black and white?
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posted by mkultra at 3:16 PM PST - 10 comments
I've learned that a new friend/co-worker is several years sober. She's a confident, no-nonsense kind of chick, and she is not uncomfortable with drinkers or in the presence of alcohol. That said, I'm still looking for do's and don'ts (that go beyond common sense of um, not offering her a beer, and not calling attention to her non-alcoholic thirst-quencher of choice or protectively fawning over her.)
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posted by desuetude at 2:14 PM PST - 17 comments
I downloaded Netscape 8.X yesterday and HATE it. I'd like to revert to 7.2, which I loved. Every download site I've gone to ONLY allows the download of 8.0. Any suggetions?
posted by lometogo at 2:06 PM PST - 6 comments
Looking for a good web-based (ASP) solution for managing permision email marketing campaigns. Hunting for something that is more innovative, better priced - the Basecamp of email marketing would be perfect. Anyone have any products that they're happy to recommend, based on personal experience?
posted by will at 2:03 PM PST - 4 comments
Inspired by this question, does anyone remember an illustrated, sci-fi book that came out about 15-20 years ago, which consisted mostly of possible forms that human evolution would take, and full-colour illustrations of what these future humans would look like?
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posted by Big Fat Tycoon at 12:48 PM PST - 3 comments
I am trying to make a topical lotion using epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant extracted from Green Tea. Does anyone have advice or experience doing this? I am especially interested sources for the EGCG and recommended potency. The intention is to make a treatment to help reduce to effects of sun exposure, while there are lotions available with EGCG as an ingredient, I would like to make one using it as the primary ingredient.
posted by worstkidever at 12:45 PM PST - 1 comments
Newcastle upon Tyne: what can you tell me about it? Would you move there from the US? Are there software jobs to be had?
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posted by klausness at 12:42 PM PST - 14 comments
I have a domain name for sale. I need advice on determining the selling price.
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posted by Mom at 12:28 PM PST - 14 comments
A friend of mine is off to Europe for a month this fall and as she happens to have a birthday between now and then, I figured it would be a good idea to give her presents that might be useful on such a trip. Not having done it myself, though, I'm not sure what would be most useful.
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posted by Bezbozhnik at 12:00 PM PST - 19 comments
Does there exist a free tag editor that will bulk strip track numbers that reside at the beginning of track name tags?
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posted by Kwantsar at 11:21 AM PST - 11 comments
I'm exhausted searching the internet and wading through pounds of Star Wars merchandise. I remember a while ago a book that was solely on the Millennium Falcon - schematics, specs, all that fun stuff. Does anyone know if this is still in print or if there is an equivalent thing? Links or titles greatly appreciated.
posted by agregoli at 11:00 AM PST - 5 comments
Currently in the middle of a major deck renovation and a question occurs to me: is there a better way to remove the old joist brackets?
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posted by yerfatma at 10:42 AM PST - 8 comments
As a kid, I had a coffee-table size book of sci-fi paintings. Each page was ostensibly the specs and history of a given spacecraft, and the paintings were quite detailed and in the "realist" mode. As you read about each craft, however, a narrative unfolded about a galactic war. The story arc was sussed out in little details dropped about each ship, famous engagements it took part in, etc.
The only ship I remember was an "enemy" ship, the Tarantula, which would ambush victims by hovering up out of a pit suddenly.
Anybody know the title, artist or illustrator?
posted by everichon at 10:39 AM PST - 34 comments
When I wake my 3 year old daughter up in the morning, I always sing a few lines from a song that goes:
"Oh! The bright sun comes up/and the little bird sings/'Good morning!/Good morning!/Good Morning to you!'"
What the heck song is this? Are there more (or correct?) words? Actual music?
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posted by robhuddles at 9:47 AM PST - 14 comments
I've volunteered to provide the layout and printing of invitations for my friend's upcoming wedding. Now I'm looking for recommendations regarding online paper goods vendors for the invitation templates.
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posted by naxosaxur at 9:30 AM PST - 11 comments
I've painstakingly and scientifically ruled out all of the other possibilities. My hot water heater is inhabited by the Virgin Mary.
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posted by felix at 8:36 AM PST - 17 comments
My girlfriend just took a professional psychology test for a potential employer...
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posted by eas98 at 7:29 AM PST - 40 comments
I'm looking for some siteseeing guides for San Andreas. What's to see in Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas? What makes for a nice country drive?
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posted by Nelson at 6:58 AM PST - 6 comments
I offered to help a professional photographer friend make his web site, but I don't normally do it like THIS: He is a Photoshop wizard and has created how he wants his pages to look using that. He gave me a CD full of pages as TIFs. Is there a quick/easy way to make sites from TIFs using ImageReady or Fireworks? Pointers, links, tutorials, ect. GREATLY appreciated. (I realize that this does not result in the optimal site, but the guy wants it to look like he wants it to look).
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posted by spock at 6:56 AM PST - 12 comments
I'm in NY, married a little less than four years, no kids, no property, no major assets, and I want a divorce.
I make too much for the legal aid people to help me (22,000), so I was thinking of either using an online service or doing everything myself. How had is this going to be, really?
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posted by Kellydamnit at 6:43 AM PST - 16 comments
I was in Manhattan two weeks ago and saw a collection of photos affixed to the fence in Bryant Park next to the library as I strolled by...
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posted by Roger Dodger at 6:36 AM PST - 6 comments
I've got a great idea for a new product. But I am not a professional designer/inventor, and I have no connections to the industry that would produce it. And although I can articulate the design concept, I'm not able to create a technically accurate mock-up or diagram. Am I SOL, or is there a way to make my fame/fortune/revolutionary impact on the breakfast cereal industry?
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posted by ericbop at 6:27 AM PST - 8 comments
I have 500+ digital pictures from our wedding/honeymoon. I want to have them printed, and I don't have a photo printer. What are your experiences with the online photo printer places - shutterfly, ofoto, etc.? Would I be better off just buying a photo printer? Mostly I just want basic 4x6 prints to put in a book; a few I want to have blown up.
posted by dpx.mfx at 6:18 AM PST - 23 comments
I'm thinking of buying my next pair of glasses online. Does anybody have any online glasses retailers they would recommend (or recommend against)? And is there any thing else I should know before buying glasses online? I live in the UK but have frequent visitors from the US who can easily carry a pair of glasses, so places that ship to either country would be fine.
posted by yankeefog at 6:01 AM PST - 9 comments
MacFilter: I have a Perfroma 5300 I just got from a friend. It needs a NIC. I have cracked open the back and have no idea what kind of slot this is. When I am calling around to my local Mac repair shops what should I be asking for? Also, can I buy it on the web. My end goal is to have some sort of *nix FTP server running on it.
posted by Livewire Confusion at 5:12 AM PST - 8 comments
I am looking for a web-based solution to use as a community services/goods trade board *other* than phpbb, something more akin to ebay...my google skills are failing me...
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posted by gren at 5:07 AM PST - 3 comments
I have a laptop connected to my desktop by ethernet. The desktop has a nice soundcard that outputs to my stereo. Is there any software that allows any sound playing on my laptop to be spirited away over the ethernet and play on the desktop's soundcard?
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posted by Jimbob at 1:53 AM PST - 6 comments
June 12
My mac, which runs 10.2.8, suddenly forgot how to get to the internet. How do I return it to its former glory?
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posted by klangklangston at 11:16 PM PST - 3 comments
I need a bookmarklet that goes to a specified (static) url and makes the url of the page I came from available as a variable for a perl or php script. I just want to be able to go to a page I've set up and have it record the page I'm got there from, but the apparently-useful-for-just-this-sort-of-thing http_referrer variable only works if i clicked on a link to get there, while I, in my hubris, would like to be able to type the address in manually from anywhere. But apparently I can't. So it looks like a bookmarklet is the next best thing.
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posted by 31d1 at 10:13 PM PST - 5 comments
Anyone know of any in-house remedies for poison ivy? Any suggestions to make the itch go away?
posted by moooshy at 8:56 PM PST - 29 comments
Howdy! I've got to keep 50 8-year olds entertained for an hour while I teach them about a local endangered species tomorrow. Any teachers out there with some general tricks of the trade to help maintain control and keep their interest?
...I'm scared.
Will they eat me? [more inside]
posted by stray at 8:41 PM PST - 6 comments
My home's air conditioner has died. How much is getting it fixed likely to cost me?
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posted by kimota at 8:32 PM PST - 5 comments
I'm in college and haven't had much public speaking experience. I've been asked to be a part of a panel at an Ivy with a lawyer and other professionals and I'm extremely nervous. I've never done anything like this. Helpppp!!!
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posted by null terminated at 8:28 PM PST - 21 comments
I picked up a very cheap Microsoft Office Keyboard today. It works great on my Windows 2000 machine with the software provided, but the Mac software included on the CD is for OS9, and I want to run it with my KVM switch into my G4 iBook (OSX.4).
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posted by synecdoche at 8:21 PM PST - 4 comments
I'm looking for datasets (or ideas for possible datasets), preferably live feeds of data, with which to stress test some analysis algorithms I've written.
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posted by gentle at 8:20 PM PST - 6 comments
This happened to my girlfriend in 1987, and for years she's been telling the story as though it was a genuine mistake. The first time she told me the story, I immediately thought it was a prank.
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posted by interrobang at 7:40 PM PST - 7 comments
Hasn't anyone written a tiny-footprint antivirus program that monitors changes being made to certain registry and Windows system directories? I sure need one.
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posted by shannymara at 6:37 PM PST - 12 comments
I've just bought a cheapy pack of T-shirt transfer paper for inkjets, to print my own designs onto T-shirts. Anything I can do to increase the chances of them surviving the first wash?
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posted by krisjohn at 5:55 PM PST - 6 comments
How much money is fifty pounds of fifty dollar bills?
posted by cedar at 5:41 PM PST - 5 comments
Ant farmers must be excited because there is a bumper crop this year. We are currently infested and so is every other house on my street. We can't even leave the cat's dry food out!
How do
you deal with an ant problem?
posted by Mayor Curley at 4:38 PM PST - 23 comments
My son wants a PSP. I am leaning in that direction, but for the price, it needs to do more than act as a gaming system. What else can it do, and how well does it perform? Also, what are the best games for it? If you know, how does it compare to Nintendo DS or Game Boy Advanced? Thanks!
posted by mischief at 3:51 PM PST - 20 comments
Does anyone know who made the image on this shirt and were i can find a nice print or high-res image of it?
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posted by puke & cry at 3:40 PM PST - 10 comments
I would like some advice on training for a long (by my standards) bicycle ride. The catch is, I only have a month left over. What can I do?
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posted by blindcarboncopy at 3:31 PM PST - 12 comments
I'd like to take up a more rigorus study of the Dutch language, and am looking for resources to aid me in doing so. Much more inside...
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posted by phrontist at 3:08 PM PST - 8 comments
I live in Los Angeles, and everyday I see cars on the road with a small paper/placard, usually in the lower-left corner of the rear windshield, that displays the number '6'. They all have (as far as I can tell) a red background with the '6' done in white, and the cards are about 3-4 inches square. What the heck are these things, and why do I see them everywhere?
posted by rooftop secrets at 12:50 PM PST - 15 comments
Did Patrick Henry ever do anything he's credited with? Especially all those stirring phrases that he is supposed to have said. I read in Made in America by Bill Bryson that Patrick Henry had been rather uninteresting buffoon but that a later biographer had claimed that he said all these great things.
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posted by Kattullus at 12:04 PM PST - 17 comments
I'm considering getting a tattoo. (yeah, I know I've dissed body art before, sue me). I've got a few questions.
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posted by jonmc at 11:57 AM PST - 35 comments
My wife and I are considering adoption in Canada, but I need to know the costs and pitfalls. What are people's emotional, financial, _______, experiences with adoption? Feedback from adopters and adoptees is welcome.
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posted by Kickstart70 at 11:14 AM PST - 5 comments
Why would requests for other websites show up in my web server's access log, and does it indicate that there's a vulnerability in my server?
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posted by jacobm at 10:43 AM PST - 14 comments
I'm looking for my biological father. I'm 23. He lived in the Fondren Court North Apartments or another apartment complex/building on Fondren Road in Houston TX in the latter end of 1981, was a mechanic at that time, could be Polish, and quite possibly has no idea that I exist.
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posted by anonymous at 8:43 AM PST - 21 comments
So have you been in a relationship that was just "ok" or somewhat unsatisfying, or even typefied by ongoing low-level bickering, and then improved it somehow so that it was actually really good?
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posted by anonymous at 8:43 AM PST - 5 comments
If you're driving while high (after smoking marijuana) and a cop pulls you over, is there any test they can perform to tell?
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posted by anonymous at 8:42 AM PST - 27 comments
I made a basic "under construction" site for my wife's clothing brand-to-be. Now it's time to make tags, but I've since reinstalled my OS and lost the font...and can't remember for the life of me what it was. Can anyone identify the font? (Font sample inside)
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posted by bugbread at 8:00 AM PST - 9 comments
Does anyone have an idea of how to discourage crows, magpies and other large birds from taking over my bird feeder, excluding the smaller song birds? I've been using wild bird feed from Costco, which the little guys love, but so do the big guys. Not only do the little guys not get in as much as they were, but I'm going through feed at a horrendous pace (about a quart a day.) I've thought of putting out a sign: "Compacts Only; Violators Will be Owled", but I'm guessing these bums would flout the posting, and it would be tough to train an owl to be sufficiently selective. Thanks for ideas...and no, I will not consider use of explosives.
posted by rabbus at 7:05 AM PST - 10 comments
I am trying to find some good interactive Maths tutorial software which goes from basic algebra through to Differential Equations and maybe beyond.
Can anyone recommend anything with the emphasis on the interactive side - something which can keep me interested so nothing too dry - a nice colorful multimedia approach would be ideal.
posted by empedia at 2:22 AM PST - 2 comments
June 11
I am going to be dyeing some sections of my hair some wild and funky colour. I have done this before, (blue, pink, purple) using Jerome Russell's "Punky Color" product. Recently, a new product has become available in my town, "Manic Panic." Does anyone have any experience with Manic Panic? With both? Which would you recommend? Please don't suggest any other dye brand, these are the only two I have access to. While you're at it, any tips on dyeing hair unnatural colours? I do plan on bleaching first.
posted by arcticwoman at 11:40 PM PST - 32 comments
My parents intend to visit and then buy land at
Melby Ranch in Colorado. My parents are lovely, but trusting and dumb about doing research. Is this a scam or terrible investment? The photos on the webpage look nice, and googling for "Melby Ranch problems" and "Melby Ranch complaints" has turned up only
one possibly spurious complaint. They're registered with the Better Business Bureau with a clean record, albeit for only six months.
So my questions: Does anyone has firsthand knowledge of this place? Is buying land a terrible investment? Are there undisclosed enviornmental problems or the like? Am I being paranoid?
posted by symbebekos at 10:04 PM PST - 17 comments
Has anyone ever had to take a broken out of a car ignition? While trying to start my 1994 Nissan, my key snapped cleanly, with most of it still in the ignition. I have an extra, so all I need to do is get the key out with damaging the tumblers or the mechanism. Has anyone had to do this before? What did you do?
posted by Snyder at 9:19 PM PST - 10 comments
My husband wants to play Battlefield 2, but his computer, an Athlon 64 3200+, seems to be kind of sluggish with the new demo. Given that there's only so much we want to spend to play video games, what's the best component to upgrade? The video card? The processor?
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posted by gokart4xmas at 7:17 PM PST - 28 comments
I have tapes of interviews that I'm paying to have transcribed. Some interviews were done in public places and have background noise. I'll be charged more for those. Unless I can somehow get the background noise off the MP3s....
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posted by duck at 6:40 PM PST - 7 comments
I'm looking for high resolution, public domain scans of old black and white illustrations, the type found in magazines, books, and newspapers. Gutenberg has plenty of nice images, for example they have an illustrated edition of Aesop's fables, but the resolution is crap. Ideally I'm looking for at least 300dpi tiff files, or better. Does such a thing exist online for free or am I better off trawling used books stores and the library stacks and scanning these myself? My google skills yield little beyond the Dover clip art books,
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posted by Grod at 4:42 PM PST - 6 comments
My 10-year-old grandson loves Japanese anime and manga. He'd like to learn Japanese but his school doesn't offer it. (Chicago west surburbs)
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posted by Joleta at 4:33 PM PST - 10 comments
I have confirmed that my house has termites and I would like to treat them myself. Is this something I should screw around with or is this something where I should get a 'professional'?
posted by cowmix at 3:46 PM PST - 5 comments
Has anyone used both a SideKick II and a Blackberry, or at least done an in-depth comparison of the two?
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posted by Jeff Click at 3:30 PM PST - 3 comments
I have a great interest in lucid dreaming, yet I am unable to either remember or influence my dreams. Are there any lucid dreamers here with some tips?
posted by farishta at 3:13 PM PST - 25 comments
6 weeks ago we gave 60 days notice we were moving out by July 1, and just got a letter yesterday from the property mgmt that the notice is not valid. We're now responsible for rent here until April 2006. I'm supposed to move across the country next week......
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posted by sinical at 1:19 PM PST - 21 comments
Looking to buy a digital camcorder: what really are the differences between the formats of Mini DV, Digital 8, Hi 8? Leaning towards Digital 8 because the models seem the cheapest.
posted by xmutex at 1:05 PM PST - 9 comments
Each year I try to teach some computer history to my 5th graders, just to put all the technology into a little bit of context. It would be tremendously helpful if I could show them actual screenshots of what computer programs used to look like. Specifically, I've looked for screenshots of Viscalc (some success, but lousy shots), early amber-on-black word processing, and pre-www internet (PINE, Usenet, etc.) Anybody know of a good place for this stuff? Other related suggestions welcome.
posted by carterk at 12:28 PM PST - 20 comments
Some friends just accepted jobs in Greenville, SC (moving from Boston area). Before they'll be able to hook up with a realtor, they want to do some house-hunting online. Does anyone have suggestions for towns to look at or towns to avoid?
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posted by thinds66 at 9:30 AM PST - 4 comments
In a moment of unusual gracefulness, I burned the inside of my mouth on some criminally hot food the other night.
(bonus: I was on a date! So the shrieking/spitting combo was really attractive.) Help for pain/healing?
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posted by scody at 9:22 AM PST - 15 comments
My mother is still using (clinging to!) that old Cardfile program from a very old version of Windows (maybe 3.0 or something) for all of her contacts. I found
this link explaining a workaround to convert crd files for use in Outlook, but the links in the first workaround are old and dead and the second workaround requires an old Windows machine, which I don't have. This article is pretty old (2001). Anyone have any ideas for how to convert these old .crd files to a newer version of Outlook?
posted by abbyladybug at 7:34 AM PST - 8 comments
I just went to this
page to look at reviews on something I wanted. Then I found
this and
this . Whassup? Are the same 3 guys writing all these reviews?
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posted by asavage at 12:59 AM PST - 4 comments
June 10
You all are geeks right? Well, remember those old-school banners that everyone used to print at home for Science Projects and other stuff? You know, where the letter "A" was made up of a bunch of A's to form the letter?
Where in this day and age would I get something like that done? Anyone have Print Shop Deluxe 1.0 and an old printer? Would I try some local schools??
My band's CD Release party is coming up and the whole theme of the packaging and everything is "old computer stuff".
Thanks! This place rules...
posted by Wiggo at 10:50 PM PST - 14 comments
I remember back in '89 or '90 playing a single player arcade game where the main character looked like a barbarian and weilded a large sword. You could also find an axe later. A small cast of the enemies included skeletons carrying what looked like chandeliers. Does anyone know the name of this game? I know it isn't Golden Axe or Ghouls n' Goblins.
posted by FakeOutdoorsman at 10:23 PM PST - 12 comments
Why do Americans use the expression "I could care less"
Surely it's "I could NOT care less"
posted by johnny7 at 9:29 PM PST - 67 comments
Okay--I checked my checking account balance last night via my bank's automated phone line. The system told me that my balance was several hundred dollars overdrawn, and when I checked the most recently posted transactions, the amounts ($50 -75) did not immediately ring a bell.
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posted by theperfectcrime at 9:01 PM PST - 24 comments
I recently learned that I am going to be teaching a university class in E-Business in the fall. I should JUST be able to get a textbook order in. Help me pick which one I should use.
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posted by mikel at 8:31 PM PST - 4 comments
A client of mine is interested in work as an editor for book publishers. How would he go about making contacts about doing this kind of work?
posted by yclipse at 8:27 PM PST - 3 comments
There's a window in my apartment ideally situated to take an air conditioner, but I can't get it open. I'm fairly sure it is not simply stuck, but is rather possessed of a design beyond my spatial reasoning abilities.
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posted by Songdog at 7:14 PM PST - 10 comments
RenovationFilter: We just bought an old library out on the great plains. Yes, library. But that's not the point. It's a wonderful, hundred-year-old brick building. The floors are beautiful, straight-grained, old-growth fir. Unfortunately....
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posted by dersins at 6:39 PM PST - 27 comments
I picked up an old John Lennon / Yoko Ono 45 at a yard sale, and on the vinyl itself, written in the plastic, is "one world, one people". It looks hand written, and there are a bunch of numbers near it. What gives?
posted by quibx at 5:10 PM PST - 21 comments
I'm looking for an online index of tv show ratings (TV-MA, etc.) for various tv shows. Falling short of that, is there any sort of site that gives a guide to what offensive content may be in a given show?
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posted by rorycberger at 4:12 PM PST - 3 comments
So I've got this friend who'd like to find some porn (straight) dvds that have (campy) humor, spoofs or comedy.
posted by 445supermag at 2:29 PM PST - 16 comments
Can anyone recommend a reasonably good (or even decent) cigar that costs a dollar or less? This is a "settle-a-bet" question. Many thanks in advance.
Lustra
posted by lustra at 2:22 PM PST - 14 comments
Last night, I broke my foot. I need to find alternative methods of exercising to keep in shape.
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posted by patrickje at 2:20 PM PST - 8 comments
Got a parakeet recently, and for the past few days he's been hovering over his water bowl at all times, going to the bathroom in it.
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posted by jimmy at 1:37 PM PST - 5 comments
Empty Nest: My mother is having a very hard time adjusting to my recent overseas move. How can I help her?
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posted by lumiere at 1:09 PM PST - 17 comments
I'm having issues connecting to all online functions on my 3-year old iBook when I use dialup (via the internal modem)...[more inside]
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posted by elquien at 1:09 PM PST - 2 comments
My 18 year old brother is graduating high school next week. I am compiling a book of "advice for living" for him as a grad gift. Does anyone have any good advice or anecdotes they would like to offer? Some suggested topics are Drugs, Being a Musician/Artist (he's an accomplished guitar player), Sex, Dating, Working, Money, Lifestyle, Cooking, Home Decorating, Women, Being a Man etc.
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posted by evilcupcakes at 12:11 PM PST - 54 comments
Do you have ways to put your life into perspective and force yourself to appreciate that you're really pretty privileged? Or do you allow yourself to get bored and solipsistic and desirous of more (material or otherwise) stuff?
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posted by catesbie at 12:11 PM PST - 37 comments
I'm looking for a clip (.mp3, .wav, .ra) of a particular bit of United Artists theme music.
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posted by ikkyu2 at 11:49 AM PST - 3 comments
A friend and I are travelling down to Key West, Florida, on the 19th for a week. What are some fun, cheap, off-the-beaten path things to be seen and do while there? (We're both 20 years old, if that matters.)
posted by itchie at 10:55 AM PST - 18 comments
Does anyone know if there is a rule, strategy, or timeline that phone companies follow in pursuing outstanding bills from customers? Normally I could care less about such things, but recent dealings with my provider (Cingular) leave me rather puzzled..
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posted by p3t3 at 10:40 AM PST - 10 comments
I own a house, and have a roommate from Craigslist. I want to kick him out for having unwanted guests sleeping over and being deceitful in general. My question is, how am I supposed to get along with this person for the next 60 days (days I must give him to move out). He has no incentive to respect me or my house rules. He keeps pissing me off as it is and telling him to leave will just make it worse. Also, am I allowed to withhold deposit money from him for other people sleeping in his room? How do I stop him from doing this? I have already tried talking but he does it anyways.
posted by anonymous at 9:56 AM PST - 18 comments
My SO & I were at a restaurant in Italy a couple of weeks ago where they were playing some wonderful old music.
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posted by TiredStarling at 9:50 AM PST - 3 comments
Going to Costa Rica next month with my 16 year old daughter Nima. Where should we go and what should we do?
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posted by anadem at 9:44 AM PST - 11 comments
I'll be in the Madison/Hollandale area for a couple of days with my son and wife - besides Talieson and the usual attractions, are there any special less-known places to go, wander, etc.? (have been to Crane Foundation, Convention Center).
posted by judybxxx at 9:23 AM PST - 14 comments
A colleague emailed me with an idea for a computer game to illustrate and educate about health care reform in the US, something a la Sim City, but much simpler, just interactive. How would I go about finding and contacting companies or design groups to create the game and get bids?
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posted by gramcracker at 8:17 AM PST - 4 comments
I found a great couch. But it's in a chain store whose closest outlet is 100 miles from my city and doesn't deliver. How can I get it home?
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posted by CunningLinguist at 8:10 AM PST - 9 comments
I'm looking for suggestions for Young Adult literature (of all levels, from upper-elementary to adult-for-young-adults) that would appeal to the different "intelligences" of
Gardner's theory.
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posted by dagnyscott at 7:26 AM PST - 8 comments
This may be a long shot, but does anyone have any travel tips for Cameroon they could share with me? I'm going there for two weeks for work and my boss basically told me "stay in the hotel, it's too dangerous to go travelling around there." I hate the idea of not seeing the country, and I wonder whether this is true, and if so, whether there's some kind of organized tour I could take over the weekend. I'll be based in Douala.
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posted by hazyjane at 7:25 AM PST - 5 comments
If you had about $200 to spend on a new video card for your pc, what would you get? Assume you have a P4 2.4 with an AGP slot and a gig of RAM, the game that you play the most is The Sims 2, and you don't want to have to buy a new video card for a good long while.
posted by amarynth at 7:24 AM PST - 11 comments
I recently installed the
greasemonkey script for Vonage users that turns phone numbers into URLs that when clicked, causes your phone to pick up and dial the number. I find this incredibly useful -- is there any kind of plug-in that will give me the same functionality within my Outlook address book?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 5:56 AM PST - 2 comments
Is stuttering more common in some languages than in others? If singing is supposed to suppress it (true?), does that mean tonal languages (e.g. Chinese) do not suffer the phenom? Indeed, are there any languages in which it does not appear at all? If so, any theories why?
posted by IndigoJones at 4:25 AM PST - 7 comments
June 9
I am returning a laptop to my employer that I have used exclusively for the last two years. I have used it as a personal machine and need to erase all evidence of my (non-work) use. I have backed up everything that needs to transfer so a clean wipe and re-install would be ok.
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posted by anonymous at 10:37 PM PST - 18 comments
I have been having a heck of a time trying to find work clothes suited for women. I finally found a pair of work gloves that aren't way too big, but I would really like a pair of Carhartt-type bib overalls. I tried some on earlier this evening and although they had sizes that corresponded to the size of men's jeans that I wear, the legs of the pants were voluminous, clown-like, and just uncomfortably large. It seems as though they are cut with a larger/different body type in mind than a 5'3" female. Are there any comparable work clothes out there that, without being pink or other such nonsense, are more suited to a woman's frame?
posted by stefnet at 8:30 PM PST - 13 comments
LDAPFilter: I'm writing an application that stores its configuration in an LDAP server. I'd like to have it poll the server and reload itself when the configuration changes. What's the best way to do this?
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posted by sbutler at 7:56 PM PST - 4 comments
My 80 year old Mom would like to learn to use a laptop. She is homebound and so classes are out of the question, and I live on the other side of the country. Any suggestions for books, tutorial programs, etc? She is very very intimidated (and anxious by nature) so the more basic the better. She understands the concepts of what the internet is and what a web page is and what links are, it's the actual turning on booting up double clicking mechanics of use that's scaring her. Anyone have resources that worked with their parents? (Sorry if we've been through this, I can't find it if so).
posted by puddinghead at 7:49 PM PST - 18 comments
I have a rambling, multi-part question regarding hair, beards in particular, and hair care products. (Short version: what should I use to wash and possibly style my beard?)
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posted by attercoppe at 7:44 PM PST - 6 comments
I was offered a Fiat 500, 1971, good condition for $6,000 (USD)
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posted by snsranch at 6:59 PM PST - 17 comments
Follow up Filter. Last week on AskMe
I asked for help getting a formula to calculate "future value" in excel. blue mustard came through with the perfect answer: "fv = pv (1+r)n + pmt ((1+r)n - (1+q)n) / (r-q)" Now, I need to have a formula I can plug into excel that solves for q in blue mustard's formula.
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posted by wtfwjd? at 4:54 PM PST - 3 comments
Help my 5 year old! Trouble installing a Jimmy Neutron game ('95, '98, ME) on a windows XP box.
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posted by LarryC at 4:47 PM PST - 6 comments
What are the best mock stock exchange websites out there? What ones are to be avoided?
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posted by tozturk at 4:23 PM PST - 5 comments
Does anybody know of an example of navigation tabs created with CSS that will work in a page with centered content?
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posted by DakotaPaul at 4:22 PM PST - 2 comments
What's that beeping sound I hear everywhere? It starts with one long beep, then 6-8 short staccato beeps. (I.e. BUUUUUH, BUH--BUH--BUH--BUH--BUH--BUH) It happens sporadically, but frequently. I hear it everywhere -- phone calls, my stereo speakers, computers, the car radio. I heard it for the first time a year or two ago.
posted by brain_drain at 4:09 PM PST - 18 comments
I need to submit an invoice to a university dept for a website I made for them. What format do these usually come in? Do I just say hours x hour rate = y?
posted by Mossy at 3:41 PM PST - 8 comments
Is there any way I can find attendance statistics for amusement parks? Planning a trip to Six Flags here in Maryland. My theory: July 5th would be a good day to go. It's my belief that people are more likely to take off Friday for a 4 day weekend, than a Tuesday, and other's would be lees likely to take a day off, since it's just after a holiday, so July 5th would be less crowded than normal. Everyone else seems to think I'm crazy and that any day near a holiday would be a mess.
If no one knows where I can get statistics, I will certainly accept opinions on the validity/insanity of my theory.
posted by emptybowl at 1:49 PM PST - 10 comments
I have over 20,000 mp3 (legal) files, which I want to be stored safely for decades to come, and I'm looking for deviece suggestions.
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posted by AMWKE at 12:44 PM PST - 40 comments
Were Hitler and the Nazis actually interested/involved in the occult, as so many movies (Raiders, Hellboy) say?
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posted by gottabefunky at 11:25 AM PST - 13 comments
Jason Kottke, BoingBoing and a couple other places have picked up the story of
a Soviet-style poster that's been spotted on the DC-area Metro. Looking at it carefully, I just can't believe that this is genuine; for one thing, the poster's artwork just doesn't fit (take a glance at the hand just behind the head of the man in the foreground -- this is obviously a hand holding a flag, not someone grasping a pole in a Metro car). I've been looking through galleries of old Soviet propaganda posters all morning to see if I can find a source it could have been Photoshopped from, but without luck.
Does anyone know more about this poster and whether it is genuine? Or if it isn't, what the actual source is?
posted by ubernostrum at 10:29 AM PST - 17 comments
On public transit last night, I watched a man tell off a panhandler with such vitriol I found it roundly disturbing. Yet, I did and said nothing. How do you all, and how should I in the future, handle these moments of small scale injustice?
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posted by verysleeping at 10:24 AM PST - 29 comments
I live in Los Angeles, and I was wondering whether online grocers or drugstores have become practical, cost-effective, or actually convenient yet. I figure the day will probably come when ordering baking soda or toothpaste online makes more sense than driving to the store. How far away is that day?
posted by sdis at 10:11 AM PST - 12 comments
I am looking into buying a Blackberry-type of device. I will be in my car and on the road a great deal with my new job. I need to be able to operate my phone hands-free, check email, browse the internet, etc.
What device/phone service provider should I consider using... personal experiences would be appreciated.
posted by bamassippi at 10:09 AM PST - 14 comments
Ok, very nerdy Star Wars storyline question, which is inside, as it contains a spoiler for Episode 3.
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posted by o2b at 9:48 AM PST - 43 comments
My employer is offering to buy me a replacement for my fax/printer/scanner unit that I hate. Does anyone know of a decent one? I don't need the scanner part. [
