Ask MetaFilter

I know about Web pages that Suck. But is there anywhere that highlights examples of good web design and goes over their features? Most of the pages I've seen offer obvious guidelines like "make sure the text is readable" and "don't be incredibly annoying" -- but how do you make, for example, a long annotated list of recommended reading that isn't overbearingly dense? [more inside]
posted by Tlogmer at 7:54 PM PST - 11 comments

A question for people who've seen Before Sunset .... [inside] [more inside]
posted by feelinglistless at 4:34 PM PST - 6 comments

I'm thinking of buying a USB 2.0 video capture device. I used to use a PCI capture card but now my machine has no empty slots. Does anyone have any experience with USB 2.0 capture devices? Is there enough bandwith to keep the video/audio quality good? (I have a PC)
posted by mildred-pitt at 2:34 PM PST - 7 comments

RealEstateFilter Any recommendations for a gay-friendly community in California where three bedroom single-family houses with reliable broadband access can still be found for <$125k in a safe, good school district?
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 1:32 PM PST - 23 comments

Toothache. What are some good temporary ways to hold off the pain until dentist time? [more inside]
posted by wackybrit at 12:27 PM PST - 23 comments

Urban Planning Filter: When I first moved to Seattle, someone explained how the city managed urban growth, particularly tall buildings. [M^I] [more inside]
posted by Kwantsar at 12:00 PM PST - 4 comments

A friend has beeen in what she thought was a committed long term relationship over the past couple of years. However, he said he planned to be on his way to her a couple weeks ago, but dropped out of contact soon after. Unfortunately, this has happened before, and this time she finally caught a clue. It's very likely she's not the primary relationship, and he's been using her to cheat on someone. Given past patterns, it's also likely he will get back in touch, and may show up on her doorstep.

This is not an acceptable situation. Aside from the obvious - avoid any contact - what else can she do?
posted by vers at 10:44 AM PST - 17 comments

The THX sound system demonstration before a movie changed recently. The little repair robot is gone, replaced by a stream of sound clips from famous movies: "I will strike down upon thee," etc. Does anyone know of a list of all the clips, who said them, and in which movie? I'm trying to identify the "well well well" clip, but all would be ideal. The prominence of "thx" as an abbreviation for "thanks" is making my Google search difficult.
posted by scarabic at 9:25 AM PST - 18 comments

I'm looking for a document checkout system, preferably one that is usable by English professor technophobes. Specifically, I'm on a committee that does scheduling, and we all work on the same document. It would be great to find a way for one of us at a time to check the document out and work on it that didn't require any behavioral modification.

Everyone but me is running windows xp. I've got OS X 10.3.
posted by mecran01 at 8:02 AM PST - 8 comments

Touring guitarist with Sarah McLachlan. Vic Something? I caught the pick, but not his last name when introductions rolled around. No info on her site detailing band members, a friend says they rotate depending on the tour. I'd love to know if the guy has any of his own work out. Any suggestions?
posted by yoga at 7:39 AM PST - 6 comments

I was explaining to a friend of mine how little music artists make. I've heard they sometimes only make pennies on every CD that is sold. Are there any graphs or charts, (a pie chart would be ideal) on the internet that show where the money would go from the sale of a CD and who pockets what? It seems like something simple that someone should have figured out and put together, but Google is failing me.
posted by banished at 6:46 AM PST - 10 comments

Is music a derogation during sex?
posted by the fire you left me at 7:57 PM PST - 54 comments

Illustrator is too much, Microsoft paint is not enough... [more inside]
posted by benjh at 7:23 PM PST - 20 comments

For the last couple months I've been giving serious thought to applying to join the NYPD. My motivations are manifold: to do good for the city I love, to have a more interesting career, etc. I'm 33 years old and the maximmum age at appointment is 35, so I have about a year to decide and prepare. I'm asking my fellow MeFites, some of whom know me well in person, others only on line: should I join? If so, what should I do to prepare myself to be a better cop? If not why not?

Thanks in advance.
posted by jonmc at 7:13 PM PST - 49 comments

CaliFilter: I'm going to be in San Diego for a brief last minute vacation in mid-August. I know nothing about the place other than the weather must surely be better than the awful Phoenix weather I'm leaving. That said, what are some things to see & do that you think shouldn't be skipped on a San Diego trip? [more inside]
posted by .kobayashi. at 6:39 PM PST - 12 comments

NYC Filter: I need to replace a window on my car and I was wondering if anyone in the NYC area could recommend a good car - window shop; bonus points if they'll come to me rather than having me drive to them.
posted by Stynxno at 2:41 PM PST - 3 comments

I'm trying to find an open source "playing card" set that I would be free to use in a small game I'm curently coding in C++. (Trying to familiarize myself with a couple graphic libraries and doing a bit of experimentation with cross-compiling).
posted by RavinDave at 1:54 PM PST - 8 comments

A very good, close friend of mine for at least 16 years, recently revealed something to me . . . [more inside]
posted by yesster at 1:52 PM PST - 33 comments

Compressing video files for the internet, either generally or specifically from Avid Xpress: do you have any tops tips or favourite software? How do you get the best results? Bonus points for advanced compression techniques for Super 8 to maintain the 'look'.
posted by gravelshoes at 1:45 PM PST - 7 comments

OS X 10.3, older fonts, and unusual glyphs [more inside] [more inside]
posted by adamrice at 1:20 PM PST - 2 comments

I need to find a wiring diagram for the main circuit board from a 600mhz CRT iMac. I don't need a whole service manual, just the wiring schema itself. Any ideas ?
posted by troutfishing at 9:57 AM PST - 1 comment

Anyone know the ASCII code for the schwa? 20 minutes of fruitless Googling and I give up.
posted by archimago at 9:29 AM PST - 18 comments

If sneezing with my eyes open is impossible, why can I do it? [more inside]
posted by codger at 7:46 AM PST - 17 comments

What's the best way to make a perfect mirror of my computer's hard drive? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by luser at 6:41 AM PST - 8 comments

I need to get a high-resolution (1 MB) photograph of any university restaurant in Spain for an article I'm writing. I had a contact fall through on me at the last minute and need something fast. I've searched some image data banks online and have drawn a blank. Anyway, I'd prefer something original, not stock. Any ideas? I thought about paying a student a bit of money to take a photograph. Problem is, I don't know any university students in Spain.
posted by hazyjane at 3:00 AM PST - 5 comments

MetaLegalFilter: So, how foolish/wise is it to patent something yourself? [read the fine print inside] [more inside]
posted by weston at 2:10 AM PST - 10 comments

Need some tips for planning a romantic night in San Francisco, specifically recommendations for a hotel, restaurant for dinner, and possibly a show or other evening activity. [mi] [more inside]
posted by rorycberger at 11:32 PM PST - 28 comments

Somebody steals my sports section and it chafes my morning. I live in an apartment building and I want to catch the tricksy thieving perp or at least let him know he's found. I'm not looking for anything retalitory, just devious. Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by pedantic at 10:11 PM PST - 29 comments

I cannot transfer purchased songs from my computer (WinXP) to my iPod (3rd gen 40gb, firmware 2.2) with iTunes (4.6). Google pleads ignorance. Ideas? [more inside]
posted by lbergstr at 9:21 PM PST - 12 comments

Mozilla has problems for me opening image files sent as attachments in Yahoo mail. When I try to just open the file - a jpg - Mozilla opens a blank browser window, then a dialogue box saying "Mozilla doesn't know how to handle this file" and asks me to choose "open with default program" "open with... (choose)" or "save to disk." But it's a jpg! Shouldn't it just open it like every other jpg it encounters? I tried deleting the listing under "helper apps" under preferences and starting over, but I still get the same thing. Only seems to happen with jpgs sent as attachments in Yahoo mail. Any ideas how to get it to just open the file without an extra blank window and extra steps?
posted by dnash at 6:21 PM PST - 6 comments

I am thinking of starting a very small business, but I have a few questions for those of you who have done so before I really make up my mind wheter to go forward or not. [More Inside] [more inside]
posted by shotsy at 5:56 PM PST - 11 comments

Is there a way, using Grep with BBEdit 7.1.4, to exclude lines that contain a tab character? [more inside]
posted by the biscuit man at 5:51 PM PST - 10 comments

What criteria are most important to you when shopping for sunglasses? Consider both a limited (under $50) budget and a limitless one. On what do you base your choice?
posted by scarabic at 5:32 PM PST - 28 comments

Military Intelligence: I've thought about joining the military for about six years. Now it seems that it might become reality. I'd like to become an intelligence officer because it seems like I'd use a similar skill set to what I do now (I'm a journalist.) But what branch of the service should I check out? Army/Navy/Marines/Air Force/Coast Guard? What about the CIA or NSA? Anybody know people in any of these branches? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Happydaz at 5:02 PM PST - 31 comments

I'm trying out Thunderbird, which I like so far. But is there a way to really view emails as plain text? I've set View > Message Body As... > Plain Text, but that just eliminates HTML tags when I view emails. I want to be able to see the entire email content, ugly tags and all, as plain text. [more inside]
posted by tirade at 3:42 PM PST - 12 comments

Could be a stupid question here- thought I had good comment spam protection, but alas, overnight I got hit with 3,300 comments. Is there a way in MT to view and delete comment by comment, is there a plug-in for such a thing, is there an end to the madness?! Thanks.
posted by moonbird at 3:18 PM PST - 14 comments

Private online journals. Is LiveJournal the best option? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by ALongDecember at 2:17 PM PST - 8 comments

I'm looking for a good tool to share a web session with some clients (e.g. I click through a site, they watch me do it from their computer). I know about WebEx, but it seems like overkill for my needs. Is there anything simpler/more straightforward?
posted by mkultra at 2:15 PM PST - 1 comment

Darkroom question: if I set up my enlarger on a stainless steel countertop, will reflections from the safe lights or the enlarger itself cause problems (i.e. fogging)?
posted by JoanArkham at 1:06 PM PST - 12 comments

Is there a site that lists really good, humorous metaphors?
posted by wibbler at 12:38 PM PST - 2 comments

Help save my brother's life. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Coffeemate at 11:23 AM PST - 1 comment

Help save my brother's life. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Coffeemate at 11:22 AM PST - 79 comments

Has anyone ever read any books, etc. about human-computer interaction or user interface design that were particularly worthwhile? [more inside]
posted by jeb at 11:10 AM PST - 21 comments

I remember hearing a great quote from a chemist along the lines of: "Petrochemicals have so many uses it seems a shame to use them for fuel." Trying several variations of this on google has turned up bupkiss. Does it sound familiar to anyone?
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 10:44 AM PST - 5 comments

What would happen if, the day after the election, the president AND the vice-president elect were killed? [More presidential succession questions and info inside] [more inside]
posted by junkbox at 10:25 AM PST - 15 comments

Pants for pear shapes? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by initapplette at 10:16 AM PST - 9 comments

Can anyone recommend a good online healthfood store? [MI] [more inside]
posted by gatorae at 10:11 AM PST - 3 comments

I go to NYC at least once a month, and I'm always on the hunt for good vegan restaurants, especially in the East Village area, although I'd love to hear about good eats in other areas of the city as well. I've been to Quintessence, Bonobos, and Caravan of Dreams, and I go gaga over LifeThyme, the grocery/bookstore/cafeteria on 7th Ave and 9th St - they have six inch high veggie pizza that's to die for. Are there any more yummy vegan places I need to know about, and if so, what's the most yummilicious thing on the menu?
posted by iconomy at 6:50 AM PST - 28 comments

Can any of you recommend a nice place to live in MD that is good commuting distance to both Suitland and Columbia? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by MsVader at 5:57 AM PST - 14 comments

We've had several "need a bag/pouch/case" questions, but I don't believe we've had exactly this one ... My newish employer smiles on the idea of music while you work, so I need a means of carrying my iPod and all of its accessories (headphones, iTrip, AC adapter) back and forth to work. Right now, kit and kaboodle is in a Royal Crown-esque drawstring bag, but it is showing wear & tear quicker than I'd like and it is no safeguard against banging around. Ideas?
posted by grabbingsand at 5:13 AM PST - 10 comments

PowerPoint question: I want the basic layout of all my slides to have a title, a website screenshot on the left with a semitransparent shadow, and bullets on the right. The basic layout is easy, the automatic image formatting is not. Is there any way to apply a default style to all your images?
posted by grrarrgh00 at 4:17 AM PST - 2 comments

How do you convert the potential energy of a suspended weight into a constant, speed-limited, rotational motion? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Nothing at 3:57 AM PST - 17 comments

Things to do on the Lizard Peninsula. (More inside) [more inside]
posted by squealy at 2:35 AM PST - 6 comments

My old PC (Celeron 466, 128 MB RAM) died after many years of loyal service. I inherited a gutted computer case (mother board, power source, a Pentium III processor, nothing else.) Can I cannibalize my old PC for parts to build a new computer? More inside... [more inside]
posted by zaelic at 1:41 AM PST - 13 comments

How are delegates to the political conventions chosen? [more inside]
posted by Vidiot at 10:10 PM PST - 8 comments

Is there such a thing as a stand-alone midi mod wheel? [more inside]
posted by damehex at 9:04 PM PST - 9 comments

after yesterday's speech, recent discussions (mefi included) have focused on the potential of illinois' barack obama and the idea that he may, in the near future, sit in the oval office.

which gets me to thinking: what's more realistic/ which will happen first in the united states: a minority president or a woman president? [more...] [more inside]
posted by ronv at 7:36 PM PST - 25 comments

I just gave up on two pages in quick succession; the first hung while it waited and waited on something from akamai, which was apparently taking a nap just then, and the second while it waited and waited on something from doubleclick, equally asleep. Like I care whether a page manages to do its dirty background business with doubleclick. Is there any browser that has a [SKIP IT] button you can click that means "give up on what you're trying to get right now, skip over it, go on and load the rest of the page"? Would such a button be feasable?Or have I been missing something that's been in front of me all the time?
posted by jfuller at 6:23 PM PST - 7 comments

Rutger Hauer + Big Guns + Kim Cattrall Topless = Split Second, a 1992 Sci-Fi flick that is selling for too much money on Amazon. I need this flick on DVD, not VHS, and I need it for a price less than $30. I am aware that this may well be impossible, but I've exhausted all other resources. Help me, Aski-Meta Filtari; you're my only hope.
posted by Potloaf at 6:15 PM PST - 14 comments

Abandonware filter: I'm a user of shareware called Cool Edit 2000. The instance of Windows where I have it installed went insane. I can't just re-register it, 'cause it needs to connect to syntrillium.com, which doesn't exist anymore: Adobe bought it, and no longer supports Cool Edit 2000 per se.

Is there any hope of my being able to replicate registry entries appropriately to make it work again? [more inside]
posted by Zed_Lopez at 3:58 PM PST - 6 comments

Treadmill recommendations? My requirements: reliability, ~$1k, distance and rate display. Don't necessarily need: fans, built-in programs, elevation, pulse rate monitors, etc.
posted by joaquim at 1:13 PM PST - 6 comments

I need help with making satalite tv more user-friendly for my grandparents (more inside). [more inside]
posted by Juicylicious at 12:25 PM PST - 13 comments

LaptopRepairFilter: I need to remove the bezel on a Fujitsu Lifebook C-series (C-6530) to measure and replace the cold cathode lamps that have failed. I've Googled off and on for a few months now, looking for service or dis-assembly manuals, with no love to be found. (Much more inside) [more inside]
posted by loquacious at 12:13 PM PST - 4 comments

How would one go about purchasing new Iraqi Dinars, if one were so inclined? My local banks (in Canada) laughed at me, as it is not apparantly exchanged outside Iraq, and the Internet seems to be full of ripoffs selling the currency as "collectibles" at double the official exchange rate. Does anyone know a way I could buy the dinar anywhere close to 1460/US dollar?
posted by loquax at 11:29 AM PST - 5 comments

Font Management in Mac OS X - We've been holding off on upgrading our marketing design team to OS X because font management (among other things) is an issue. We're due for new hardware though, and that's going to mean leaving 9. We want to get off Quark anyway and move over to InDesign. That brings us back to the font issue. Has anybody (in the capacity of a professional graphic designer) determined the best solution for that?
posted by willnot at 11:20 AM PST - 18 comments

I need to find written transcripts of the speeches given at the Democratic National Convention. I know the speech texts are being given to the press in advance, 'cause a number of the bloggers have mentioned getting them, but I can't seem to find a central spot on the web where they're being published. I've found Howard Dean's on Democracy For America - anyone have any idea where I can find the rest? (The DNC wasn't any help)
posted by anastasiav at 10:52 AM PST - 8 comments

I have two days and two nights to spend on the beach along the N.C. coast. The optimal place would be no more than 2.5 hours from Raleigh. Not remote and not like Myrtle Beach. What city/beach would you choose? Any suggestions much appreciated.
posted by repoman at 10:38 AM PST - 16 comments

OK, so a friend wants to contact a celebrity's publicist / representation. He wants to send some photos taken of him with the celebrity that he promised to send when he got them developed. How can somebody find out who represents a celeb? He'd probably be willing to call around, if he just knew what kinds of people to call...do you just ring up the Walter Morris Agency and ask who represents so-and-so?
posted by taumeson at 10:08 AM PST - 15 comments

Has the Supreme Court ever reversed a unanimous Supreme Court ruling? How frequently are 8-1 rulings overturned? I'm writing a paper on Brown v. Board of Education and was wondering whether it was worth it for Warren to press for unanimity given that the "all deliberate speed" clause was added to achieve this, and severely diluted the ruling. [more inside]
posted by alphanerd at 9:46 AM PST - 9 comments

My laptop keeps losing it's rubber feet! It's a dell inspiron 660m. thistothat.com suggests something called Barges Glue, but I'm concerned because of two things. One, that my laptop gets quite toasty (it's on my lap for two hours of commuting every day), and two, that there's the goopy messy remains of the original glue that I'm not sure what to do with. Anyone got a nifty solution?
posted by Flat Feet Pete at 9:38 AM PST - 3 comments

I am doing some temporary work in an office, and I am stuck using Internet Explorer. Is there some kind of Java applet I can use to replicate tabbed browsing? I can't install any kind of extension for IE, so thats a no go.
posted by Orange Goblin at 9:35 AM PST - 8 comments

Spam-a-lot: Are there spam filters that can reject phony "Mail returned" virus e-mails by comparing the "failed" address to what you've actually sent? Such hoaxes are dominating my daily spam quotient, despite my use of spam-blocker Razor. But it seems like these would be easy enough for a program to detect.
posted by inksyndicate at 9:26 AM PST - 3 comments

A coworker was recently fired. After he left, under his desk was found a used syringe and a pipe (crack? meth?), both obviously used. What, if anything, can be done to help? [more inside]
posted by papercake at 8:43 AM PST - 13 comments

Got any advice on Japan?

I'm thinking of spending a couple of weeks in Japan as part of a round the world trip. Planned destinations are Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima. I'd be on a budget so I'd probably stay in a Japanese-style hotel, which I hear are more affordable than a Western-style place.

Can I actually see Japan on a budget at all, or is it just too expensive? Are Shinjuku and Akihabara as good as they sound or is it all totally hyped? Any advice on all topics Japanese are welcome! Thanks and sorry for all the question.
posted by tomcosgrave at 8:28 AM PST - 14 comments

Does anyone have any suggestions for an all-in-one photo editing/FTP/weblogging software? I know how to do all the steps manually, but am having a very hard time teaching her how to do it all. Wanted features - photo cropping, auto levels, thumbnail creation, ftp, and hopefully some sort of utility to generate weblog posts with image url and popup code. Does that make sense?
posted by TuxHeDoh at 8:21 AM PST - 4 comments

Web based Expert Systems.
Does anyone have any experience in this area of development?
Advice, experiences, pointers to resources/components samples, downloads would be very much appreciated. [more inside]
posted by kenaman at 6:03 AM PST - 2 comments

So tonight I went to see The Bourne Supremecy, and after about 20 minutes, I had to run out of the theatre and throw up. More inside >> [more inside]
posted by Quartermass at 10:42 PM PST - 34 comments

And Someone Left the iMac Out in the Rain [water inside] [more inside]
posted by emelenjr at 10:22 PM PST - 14 comments

figfilter: I've got figs ripening out front, and often hear of the wonders of the fig in food. Where do I get started? [more inside]
posted by daver at 8:56 PM PST - 23 comments

Do senators or representatives take drug tests?
posted by Keyser Soze at 6:54 PM PST - 23 comments

Pentax K1000, with a jammed shutter release button. I hardly ever use film any more, but have a soft spot for the 35mm format and this camera in particular. It's been jammed for at least ten years. Repair, replace, or junk and move on?
posted by mwhybark at 6:01 PM PST - 8 comments

What do you do with old t-shirts that, for sentimental reasons, you can't bear to part with? [more inside]
posted by Shane at 4:38 PM PST - 35 comments

Last week I stumbled upon a web widget that would generate a range of lighter and darker shades of an RGB color you input. Now I can't find it.
posted by timeistight at 2:14 PM PST - 11 comments

old macdonald had a farm - i need it in german. [more inside]
posted by sgt.serenity at 1:51 PM PST - 11 comments

So, there was this girl I dated about 11 or 12 years ago. I know right where she lives and her phone #. I've been considering calling her or writing her a letter, but I want to find out more about her first. I'm just curious about how her life turned out. What public sources can a person use to dig up information on a person? [more inside]
posted by pissfactory at 1:10 PM PST - 48 comments

After a recent sucessful exchange between myself and stbalbach, I was wondering: are there any sites dedicated to exchanging obscure books for little/no cost?
posted by falconred at 12:47 PM PST - 3 comments

I have a collection of illustrations that a client wants to use in MS Word. I have them in their original Illustrator 9 format, as well as .psd and low-res jpgs.

Is the best option to convert them to Windows metafiles? (They'll need to be resized depending on newsletter content.) How do I do that?
posted by Mayor Curley at 12:43 PM PST - 5 comments

Can banknotes spread disease and germs? [inside] [more inside]
posted by feelinglistless at 11:03 AM PST - 26 comments

Is it possible for someone to improve their handwriting later in life, say at the age of 40? Do you have any tales of inspiration or warning?

I mostly print, and would like to teach myself to print more neatly, something like the font Comic Sans.

I suppose the broader question I'm asking is if its possible to acquire any number of skills (playing piano, drawing) later in life. Not sure why this appeals to me, perhaps it's a midlife crisis avoidance ritual or something.
posted by mecran01 at 10:59 AM PST - 22 comments

ExcerFilter - Do any of you lovely Mefi Girls go to Curves? Speaking as a person who has miserably failed at a vast number of exercise regimes for a few reasons (I have asthma, I hate looking at skinny people while I sweat through my fat and exercise bores me), I'm looking at Curves as a possibility for my latest exercise venture. I'd be interested in hearing about whether it works, whether exercise haters like me can get into it, and since it's probably inevitable, all the reasons why it's a stupid program and I'd be better off at a real gym.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:16 AM PST - 19 comments

What logo or brand does this shirt parody?
posted by DrJohnEvans at 10:15 AM PST - 9 comments

My wife and I are considering a new television, our first in more than a decade. I'm lost. There are so many acronyms that I'm beginning to drown in alphabet soup. What's the difference between HDTV and HDTV-ready? Are they the same? Will DVDs look noticeably better on an HDTV set (or HDTV-ready set)? All I really want is a smallish widescreen high-definition television under $600. Is this even possible? Can you recommend some good web sites to help my research and decision?
posted by jdroth at 10:01 AM PST - 9 comments

About to get a new Palm, and I'm wondering about Secure Digital (SD) cards. Now, word on the street is that different cards perform at different speeds, and that SanDisk is the slowest of them. Those of you who use SD cards with your handhelds and cameras, what brands and capacities have worked best for you? (As of now, I have my eye on a Lexar 256MB, maybe a 512MB.)
posted by brownpau at 9:53 AM PST - 2 comments

I was about to buy some shoes from Zappos.com today. Before I did so, I thought I would google the model number to see if there were other shops online with a better deal. The first 3 pages or so of hits (maybe more) are strange in that there is not really any content to the websites returned. They just contain a bunch of links to zappos.com What is going on here? [MI] [more inside]
posted by topherbecker at 8:03 AM PST - 16 comments

Ok, I have a Dell box with Windows XP. I also have two very smart children (ages 11 and 13). I want to figure out a way to disable the internet connection from time to time. For example, child A doesn't clean their room, so I want to disable internet while at work, from (8a-4p). Is there a way I can do this, some software? The connection is DSL.
posted by patrickje at 7:53 AM PST - 19 comments

A post on the blue got me thinking about something.. We are exposed to (and potentially infected by) bacteria/virii/parasites all of the time. There are treatments for most bacterial and parasitic infections. However, for many types of infections, a large percentage of people show no discernable symptoms. What should one do then? [MI] [more inside]
posted by eas98 at 7:18 AM PST - 27 comments

In response to this question about running I found a lot of good motivation for myself to start this up and I did last night for the first time. As a follow-up of sorts, anyone know of any good stretching routines to go through both before and after doing exercise? Particularly one that will help prevent my legs from tightening up quickly?
posted by thebwit at 6:09 AM PST - 8 comments

What I have: two older PCs.
What I want to do: run some combination of Bugzilla, Subversion, MySQL, Trac and a few other apps that I'm testing from time to time.
What's the best way to set this all up in terms of what goes on which box? Also, any general advice or warnings on conflicts or problems I may come across would be greatly appreciated. [more inside]
posted by yerfatma at 6:08 AM PST - 6 comments

I've just taken over an email list which sends a single message to a single address which then goes to hundreds of people once a day, Monday through Friday. I have the info to be sent in a randomized Excel file. Using that file and Outlook's delayed sending feature, I want to preload all the messages for the next year. I found some VBA scripts to do similar things, but my hacking skills aren't up to modifying them, particularly when trying to set them to send for a future date. Do you have any suggestions for premade scripts or software to do this? I want to set it up, run it, and forget it, not leave it open to run every day.
posted by Mo Nickels at 5:48 AM PST - 2 comments

I blog a bit, but I'm not really 'in' with the community, so I miss tips and tricks. Some months ago, a colleague of mine that I've lost touch with was using a windows program to update his Movable Type blog, ie he didn't have to use the MT web editor. Does anyone know what the program was, and whether there's a similar mac program?
posted by ascullion at 4:23 AM PST - 6 comments

The "Bigha" recumbent bike advert on the MeFi front page. I spent hours researching it and got excited about a "bent". More inside. [more inside]
posted by stbalbach at 2:07 AM PST - 10 comments

WhatAmIMissingFilter: I've been waiting for an optimum time to ask this on the main page in an appropriate thread, but the opportunity hasn't arisen. Thus: Exactly HOW is the government getting away with enforcing these so-called "free speech" zones? Allowing for reasonable public safety measures, it's still clearly at odds with the constitution. (I'm sure places like Planned Parenthood would dearly "love" to relocate protesters to a deserted roped-off area 6 blocks away.) Is it just that no one has called them on it yet?
posted by RavinDave at 9:29 PM PST - 22 comments

I'm building a small keyword-relevancy search engine. I'd like to move beyond simply keeping track of what words are in what documents -- at least, I assume there's a beyond having to do with keyword density and such. What should I read to find out more? Are the open source projects I should check out?
posted by namespan at 8:33 PM PST - 3 comments

After reading the speaker's list for the Democratic convention, I noticed that some congressmen & senators are referred to as "the honorable" and others as "representative." Who qualifies for each title?
posted by Juicylicious at 7:37 PM PST - 9 comments

I've got to drive from Houston, TX to Columbus, OH, round trip, mind you, in a span of no more than two days.

Any insight on trip routes, staying alert(I'm aware of the sleepiness dangers), etc would be appreciated.
posted by Scottk at 4:28 PM PST - 48 comments

I am in the process of creating a DVD of my sketch comedy group's work. This means I have to go through about fifty DV tapes in order to find the ones which have completed sketches rather than footage on them. In addition, many of the tapes are unlabelled. Is there some method or program which can scan a tape quickly and give me an overall impression of what's on it? (I'm thinking via thumbnails, but I presume there are other ways of doing it.)
posted by tweebiscuit at 3:50 PM PST - 7 comments

Having just set up a home network, I was wondering what cute names everyone gave to the machines on their networks. [more inside]
posted by etc at 2:16 PM PST - 93 comments

Office 2002 seems to think I know arabic: the preview section of each style in the "styles and formatting" pane in Word 2002 shows the name of each style rendered properly, but also shows arabic text next to it. The same thing happens in the preview section of the font dialog. I'm sure I screwed up the install process, but would like to remove the arabic text without having to reinstall Office.
posted by signal at 2:01 PM PST - 0 comments

Does anyone know the relationship between audioscrobbler and last.fm? More » [more inside]
posted by mathowie at 1:54 PM PST - 16 comments

What snack food meets the following requirements: 200-300 calories, filling, approximately half protein and half unrefined complex carbs, low to moderate fat, low sodium, no artificial crap, can go anywhere, and does not require refrigeration? [more inside]
posted by callmejay at 1:44 PM PST - 20 comments

My wife likes reading biographies and memoires, particularly of women in culture and the arts. Think "Reading Lolita in Tehran" rather than, say, "Mornings on Horseback." Any recommendations for a birthday present?
posted by mojohand at 12:20 PM PST - 17 comments

Filterfilter: Is it worth the cost/hassle of installing a water filter on the supply line of a refrigerator icemaker? More inside... [more inside]
posted by sixpack at 11:07 AM PST - 8 comments

I'm looking for advice on dental insurance. My girlfriend's employer does not provide it and she generally doesn't need it because she has magic cavity-preventing saliva. seriously, she's never had a cavity, never goes to the dentist! But now, she can feel one of her wisdom teeth starting to act up and probably needs an extraction. (others should probably be extracted while she's at it.) Should she go with bargain insurance (and can anyone recommend a good dental insurance company), or should she just get the work done without insurance and pay it back over time? If it makes a difference, we're in the Bay Area.
posted by badstone at 10:48 AM PST - 14 comments

Are there any good (*cough*free*cough*) sites streaming live gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Democratic National Convention?
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 10:26 AM PST - 11 comments

British MeFis - A friend's family is going to England from the US for a month, and they want to be able to keep in touch with each other while there. She's looking into cell phone deals over the internet, but everything's really expensive.

Would it be better for her to wait til she's there and buy or rent some cell phones that would hold them for the month? How's that all work over there?
posted by jasper411 at 10:01 AM PST - 8 comments

Alas for drylongso! What online music streams do you favor, my people? Links, we seek links! (coming up after the break, more inside)
posted by mwhybark at 9:43 AM PST - 19 comments

Would it be inescapably magniloquent to use the word 'magniloquent?'
posted by the fire you left me at 7:12 AM PST - 12 comments

I love music. All kinds of music, from rock to disco to country to classical to jazz. I'm trying to build up my jazz collection and I've picked up some Miles Davis and John Coltrane. My question is this: I don't understand the love that many people have for electric Davis (I've listened to many of his electric works, but I'm specifically referring to A Tribute to Jack Johnson) and Coltrane's A Love Supreme. While the music (usually) isn't hard on the ears, I simply don't hear what people find so attractive about these two artists. Explain.
posted by ashbury at 7:03 AM PST - 19 comments

A while ago I saw a report about a South-African artist whose name I cannot remember.
Here's what I know: He is a white male, maybe 60 years old. He used a unique technique to create short films: he sketched frame by frame with a pencil or coal and then took a photograph of the drawing. He then erased the canvas and placed the next sketch over it (he only erased the parts which had been in motion). I also remember that some of his films dealt about the apartheid policy.
posted by tcp at 5:31 AM PST - 10 comments

Building a search engine - how to cope with mis-spellings? [more inside]
posted by BigCalm at 4:58 AM PST - 10 comments

What is the song in the Nike Lance Armstrong commercial? (view it here)
posted by msacheson at 12:23 AM PST - 1 comment

Strange sounds from my computer: a beep, followed by a click, followed by a beep. Not at startup, but while I'm booted into Linux (but not Windows!). [more inside]
posted by mr_roboto at 7:21 PM PST - 5 comments

PDF question. I have a directory full of jpgs, each is a scanned page of a book and each is numbered sequentially (001.jpg, 002.jpg, 003.jpg ...). I want to convert it to a single document. I don't want to open the first image and then import and append each successive page. Is there a script to do this? I have both acrobat and ghostscript. Any pdf gurus here?
posted by Grod at 7:11 PM PST - 12 comments

re : this. This has been bugging me for a while - is there any way to use Google (or another search engine) to search Metafilter for the exact string "Metafilter: "?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:46 PM PST - 5 comments

Neighbors be damned, is there any reason to not have a lawn of crabgrass as opposed to normal grass? And, if not, where can I get some seed?
posted by adampsyche at 5:36 PM PST - 18 comments

I'm looking for the origin of the phrase former Governorof Texas Ann Richards used to describe George W. Bush, "All hat, no cattle." A cursory look has turned up the fact that it's a traditional Texan putdown, but I haven't been able to dig down any further to where it might have originated. Ideas? Similar local or regional putdowns?
posted by JollyWanker at 4:54 PM PST - 8 comments

Need to plan a route : Edinburgh , Scotland to Sittingbourne , Kent . [more inside]
posted by sgt.serenity at 3:47 PM PST - 6 comments

Does anyone know of any search engines that will also index non-plaintext documents (i.e. PDF's and Powerpoint)? Google has a search appliance, but we're looking to spend less than $2K.
posted by hobbes at 12:38 PM PST - 15 comments

Are there any good commercial radio stations in The United States?
posted by TurkishGolds at 11:53 AM PST - 36 comments

Some XVids automatically shut down the video player when I open them (no matter what it is - Bsplayer, Win Media Player), but not all of them. I tried uninstalling all codecs and only reinstalling Xvid, but it did not work. What should I do? [more inside]
posted by Masi at 8:03 AM PST - 9 comments

Online maps... I run along a weird path and around a lake, and I have no idea how far I'm going. Is there an online map that'll allow me to trace my route and gauge the distance?
posted by ph00dz at 10:54 PM PST - 13 comments

I know this is a bit morbid, but have there been documented cases of airline safety floatation devices saving people? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by ALongDecember at 10:14 PM PST - 9 comments

Reading this thread has rekindled my interest in acquiring an old manual typewriter. How much should I expect to pay for a typewriter in good working order? Are there any characteristics I should consider beyond ease of typing and appearance? Can anyone recommend a good place to look in the San Francisco area?
posted by Hegemonic at 6:44 PM PST - 6 comments

Oh my god - is that a moth or a flying rat? [MI][moths][uk (possibly)] [more inside]
posted by twine42 at 5:54 PM PST - 27 comments

Marriagefilter - I (we) got engaged a few weeks ago, and the wedding planning has started. We're frantically searching (our minds, the intraweb) for pre-ceremony songs. Something along the lines of Sarah Mclachlan, something easy for a male and female vocalist. My fiance is even considering a song by Wynonna. Please lend any suggestions; we're brain dead.
posted by tr33hggr at 5:25 PM PST - 22 comments

Does anyone have experience with boxing? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 2:28 PM PST - 20 comments

Does anyone know of North American community sites that are like Korea's Daum.net or Naver.com? (Not being able to read or speak Korean I can't even say what they are like)
posted by srboisvert at 9:35 AM PST - 2 comments

MoveableTypeFilter: Templates. I'm looking for free template repositories. Has anyone made a random MT template generator? (Like that fun but somewhat crude "Random CSS/HTML page generator" that seems to have vanished from my bookmarks and I can't Google for Pete.)

If not, how about recommended tutorials? More inside -> [more inside]
posted by loquacious at 5:43 AM PST - 4 comments

This is a bit of a ChatFilter question but I'm curious about any coincidences you (or people you know) have experienced - the more unbelievable, the better. I'm also curious about any theories you may have about "coincidence". I know the dictionary definition but what is coincidence really? Do you think it's something mystical or something that's inevitable with the number of events that happen every second of every day? Here's a hypothetical but typical example: "I bumped into a friend I hadn't seen for years while travelling to New York. Not only did we find meet in a city of millions, but it turns out we both married women named Sara. Can you believe it?"
posted by Jaybo at 5:38 AM PST - 40 comments

Just how much of a difference to your looks can good photography make? [more inside, of course] [more inside]
posted by madman at 11:42 PM PST - 21 comments

Mouse over a link and a link elsewhere on the page lights up, too. I know how to do it in Javascript (er, I used to) but apparently it can be done with just CSS. How? [more inside]
posted by Tlogmer at 10:32 PM PST - 18 comments

I live in Brooklyn, NY, and seem to be a slave to Verizon: a DSL/Unlimited local/regional phone package for which, with taxes, etc., runs me nearly $100/month. Has anyone figured out a way to pay less for comparable services? I've even thought of sharing a DSL or cable modem via a wireless router with my neighbor downstairs....thoughts? [more inside]
posted by ParisParamus at 7:15 PM PST - 13 comments

PotpourriFilter. As anyone who shares a house with felines soon becomes aware, with cats comes a certain...odor. (Or, as we refer to it in my family, "eau de chat.") Besides the obvious sanitary measures, I'm draining my life savings by investing in deodorizers (which are rarely effective for more than two or three days). Does anyone out there have recommendations for killer potpourri or other scent options, not including candles?
posted by thomas j wise at 5:23 PM PST - 18 comments

Okay, we all know that in most cases, the book is better than movie that springs from it. But what movies turn out to be better than the book, in your opinion? Mine inside. [more inside]
posted by WolfDaddy at 5:17 PM PST - 64 comments

Can someone who knows something about cycling or the Tour de France explain this article? How does the breakaway pack / peloton work? And what would be the "real story" behind this big Lance Armstrong / Simeoni feud?
posted by josh at 5:17 PM PST - 28 comments

I've just acquired a harmonica and would like to learn some tunes. Any suggestions? I know how to read music, if that helps, and my harmonica is in C.
posted by Orange Goblin at 3:21 PM PST - 7 comments

Interior decorating ideas? I'm moving into a new place next month, and my new landlords will paint the place however I want if I supply the paint. Naturally, after looking at off-white walls for the past decade, I'd love to take full advantage of this opportunity to put some color into my new place. Trouble is, I have only very vague notions of what I want to do, not having had much of an opportunity to Turnerize my own space in the past. I kind of like the idea of using midtone or darker paints for at least some of the rooms, or for accent walls in those rooms. Anyone with good taste care to share some of the stuff they like? [more inside]
posted by kindall at 2:46 PM PST - 27 comments

My ice cubes taste funny [more inside] [more inside]
posted by adamrice at 2:29 PM PST - 9 comments

Home renovation: quick road to profits, or a disaster-in-waiting? If you have experience or advice, please come inside.. [more inside]
posted by five fresh fish at 11:16 AM PST - 19 comments

NERDS, PLEASE ADVISE! ... I have an old (but still treasured) Nintendo 64. I am currently addicted to playing games on my Gameboy SE. A friend tells me you can play Gameboy cartridges on the new Gamecube. I am excited about this, and price a Gamecube with the Gameboy add-on. I find it will be $150 for this. I am only really interested in playing Gameboy cartridges, and not so much interested in Gamecube games. So I have found this gameboy adaptor for the n64, which I can find all over the place for about $30. This sounds awesome, especially since it's $120 cheaper and since I fear that if I upgrade to the gamecube I'll never play the n64 anymore.

My question is: is the gameboy-to-television image as good on this n64 cartridge? Has anyone actually played with this? Or if I'm just interested in playing Gameboy on the t.v. , is the Gamecube worth the money?

Thank you for your time on this most important discussion topic.
posted by Peter H at 10:48 AM PST - 19 comments

TrailerFilter: So I watched Anchorman the other night. Last night, at a different film, I saw the Anchorman trailer. In it, lots of things exciting things happen that don't appear in the film - Hero takes a bullet for Heroine, they have sex on the boss's desk, he tells her that he wants to be King Of Austria and that she sounds like a mental person. What's going on there then?
posted by bonaldi at 10:35 AM PST - 15 comments

PoetryFilter - So I'm getting married in 9 days. My bride-to-be has decided to read this poem by Pablo Neruda to me as part of the ceremony. She wants me to come up with a poem for her in response ...[more inside] [more inside]
posted by tdismukes at 8:15 AM PST - 49 comments

Does anyone know what's going on over at InPassing? It has been almost a month and a half since Eve's last post, and though there is constant discussion in the last post's comments, I don't see any mention of where Eve has gone and if InPassing is "over".

Anyone have any information as to if she has brought her eavesdropping to an end, or just on a very long vacation?
posted by Ynoxas at 7:25 AM PST - 5 comments

More CSS lists!

I have a tree-like navigation done with an unordered list, CSS and JavaScript. on IE, the bullet itself responds to the onclick event (haven't worked out whether it should or not, but it's what I want it to do...).
Stick it inside a div. Still works.
Specify either width or float for the div. It doesn't work.
I can get round it by putting a redundant div inside the one with float and width, but that seems a little messy to me. Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by monkey closet at 7:17 AM PST - 9 comments

I have been assigned as Project Manager for a project to design our company website. In order to understand how it will be navigated and ensure that all the project stakeholders understand its high-level structure, we will need to create a sitemap / site outline. Can anyone recommend any software or methodology ( sticky-notes on a wall? ) for doing this? I have tried using Visio, and it just seems too cumbersome.
posted by jasondigitized at 6:39 AM PST - 11 comments

Hey, CSS Cowboys - spacer help needed! Look here. This is a simple box with three different backgrounds in three fields with no content; the first two need to be exactly 100 pixels tall, and the last one needs to be 200 pixels tall. I am making this happen with transparent spacer .gifs, but I want to eliminate them, if possible. I've tried a couple of things (spacer tag, fer example) that work in Mozilla but not IE; and a couple of things that work in IE (span tags with height declaration, fer example) but not in Mozilla. Padding doesn't work well in either for exact spacing. Can you help me conquer space, the final frontier?
posted by taz at 4:53 AM PST - 5 comments

A friend of mine has a philosophy PhD paper that takes the form of 100s of short aphorisms. There are several different narrative "paths" through these. He wants to put them on the web and allow people to choose their paths through. What's the best way to do it? each aphorism as an xml record, each with a "tag" for "next aphorism in path A", "next for path B.." etc? Bonus Guinness for suggestions on how web users can set up and save their own "paths" thru for others to follow.
posted by Pericles at 3:50 AM PST - 11 comments

This is an admittedly silly question, but I'm curious nonetheless. I'm battling insomnia and the new-generation Transformers cartoon comes on the television. The presumed villain is a schizophrenic character, whose head appears to have three faces side by side, and he switches faces, and the different personalities battle amongst each other.

I've also seen this in some really bad B Skiing movie from the 80's. No clue of the name. But I've seen it other places, too. My question is, does anyone have a clue where this concept originates? Is it some obscure R.D.Laing essay that I've overlooked? Some folklore I am not familiar with?
posted by oog at 3:36 AM PST - 15 comments

What do you call the form of gradient colour fill that uses just two colours - the new one starts as dots which get larger until they start merging while the old colour turns into dots that are getting smaller? It's a technique I associate with old newsprint.

Does anyone know if there's a photoshop filter to replicate it?
posted by twine42 at 1:48 AM PST - 8 comments

IE list weirdness (more inside) [more inside]
posted by dogwelder at 1:46 AM PST - 6 comments

More Cat Filter. I Was recently adopted by a small black tom cat. I had him neutered two days ago and he seems listless. More inside. [more inside]
posted by arse_hat at 9:52 PM PST - 21 comments

Mysterious bicycle problem: When I'm on my road bike it sounds like the rear brakes are rubbing, but if I get off the bike and spin the wheel, I can see there is plenty of clearance, the wheel is true, and there's no sound. What is going on? [more inside]
posted by teg at 9:26 PM PST - 22 comments

A web photo gallery where the thumbnails expand to full size when you mouseover them. Done recently by someone, and linked somewhere else, that I can't find now and can't figure out what to Google for. Did anyone else see it?
posted by smackfu at 9:07 PM PST - 5 comments

Ack! Why does Microsoft Word move a footnote to the page following the page where the footnote is inserted (e.g. footnote reference in text is on p.14, footnote itself appears on p. 15)? Or spread the footnote across the bottom of two successive pages? It's nothing to do with (a) inserting the footnote ref near the bottom of the page, or (b) having large amounts of existing footnote text on that page. There's plenty of room for the footnote, it just goes on the next page. Thanks!
posted by carter at 8:50 PM PST - 6 comments

My neighbor cut down my tree. [MI] [more inside]
posted by jragon at 8:04 PM PST - 44 comments

I just finished watching Jules et Jim. I really liked it, but I have a slightly spoilerish question which I will ask inside. [more inside]
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 7:58 PM PST - 16 comments

Is there a way for the computer/a program to search for multiple duplicate files on a computer?

I also remember a program that used a pie chart to show you what is taking up the most space on the computer? What files and folders?

Help!
posted by agregoli at 7:50 PM PST - 9 comments

CatFilter: We've just taken in a friend's cat for two weeks. Unfortunately, it turns out that this cat is fed dry food twice a day, while our cat just grazes at her dry food all day. The visiting cat has no self-control over food and so we can't just leave our cat's food out, as it'll get eaten and make the visiting cat sick. Can my cat adapt to regulated feeding on such short notice? If she doesn't get enough to eat, until she learns to adapt, will there be side effects? I'm at a total loss here as to what to do.
posted by livii at 7:48 PM PST - 7 comments

How does one go about selling Tattoo Flash? I've been told many times that I should look into selling my art for tattoos. There are some web sites, but all seem to state that most shops don't get their flash from the net. Where then, do I go to sell my work?
posted by quibx at 6:14 PM PST - 3 comments

Is there a way to hide a DOS window when it is minimized on a Windows XP toolbar? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by ajr at 5:19 PM PST - 6 comments

I'd like to learn how to sail. Where should I start? [more inside]
posted by skwm at 3:08 PM PST - 12 comments

Going semi-pro in photography: pricing and related questions [more inside]. [more inside]
posted by rafter at 2:16 PM PST - 6 comments

is it normal for your arm to be partially asleep for an extended period of time? i think i slept on it or something, now 6-7 hours later I only have partial feeling in my hand and I can't flex my arm muscles very much. It's very annoying.
posted by bob sarabia at 1:16 PM PST - 23 comments

I'm thinking about buying a new flat - but it's in the basement of a big old house. Anyone know of any pitfalls I should watch out for - and specifically, what are the tell-tale signs of damp (that even a novice would notice)?
posted by ascullion at 12:06 PM PST - 10 comments

Arranging at transaction with someone 1000 miles away : I'm selling my 1958 Mercedes 2 door coupe, and I have a potential buyer. He's in Chicago. I'm on the East Coast. He suggested 50% down and 50% when he gets the car (he arranges shipping), but I'm uncomfortable with that. Any suggestions ? (More inside)
posted by troutfishing at 10:10 AM PST - 13 comments

Best designed "information" sites? I've done a lot of web sites for bands / independent films / small businesses. I've now been asked to create a site for a large government organization and am scouring the web for design inspiration. What are your favorite sites (not necessarily gov't) that are clean/modern and well organized and/or offer features you think are important to a site that has a heft of wide-ranging information?
posted by dobbs at 9:52 AM PST - 16 comments

WeddingKitschFilter: I have to produce my best friend's rehearsal dinner slideshow montage (baby pictures, soundtrack, awww factor, etc), but I'm not sure what the best software tool is to create it. I'm competent in final cut, flash, powerpoint, hell, even MS movie, but I'm thinking these might be overkill. Does anyone know of a software tool that might be, perhaps, geared specifically for something like this? Or perhaps have any experience you'd like to share using the aforementioned tools in such a setting? Besides the "want to make friend happy" aspect, this might end up turning into a portfolio piece for an upcoming business venture, so I'm hoping not to approach it as a one-off hack job.
posted by Hankins at 9:27 AM PST - 8 comments

Cat flu: I'm looking after a cat for a friend, and she recently (yesterday) got a runny nose, and coughs some. She also appears listless and bored. I'm stuck at work and will get her to the vet ASAP, but for now I need some reassurance that this isn't fatal? Thanks!
posted by jon_kill at 9:19 AM PST - 6 comments

The GIF patent finally expired (Woohoo!) which got me wondering: When does the mp3 patent expire? I couldn't get google to cough up the answer.
posted by gwint at 8:27 AM PST - 15 comments

Can someone please explain why the Tour de France begins in Liege, Belgium?
posted by graventy at 7:48 AM PST - 6 comments

What are the big "youth"/age-limited guided tour companies around the world? Contiki is big in Europe but I'm looking for something elsewhere due to the sucky dollar.
posted by smackfu at 7:20 AM PST - 5 comments

What is the street name for the practice of ingesting cocaine by blowing it up your anus?

(I only read about it, I swear)
posted by magullo at 6:59 AM PST - 45 comments

An older friend of mine was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's. She's looking for a good support group, either online, or in the NYC area. The in-hospital one her doctor referred her to turned her off for being "too depressing and not helpful". Does anyone have any good suggestions, or experience in this area?
posted by mkultra at 6:47 AM PST - 2 comments

So I have this highly artistic, yet sometimes shockingly lazy friend. In an effort to get him to complete something more substantial than a brief sketch in his notebook, I've cooked up a plan wherein I become his manager, and take charge of designing and maintaining his web site, advertising his name, booking space in shows, and printing, selling and shipping his work. We've worked out most of the details, and he is already starting to finish pieces, yet I am at a loss as to how we should divvy up the eventual income. How much would you all say is a reasonable portion for a manager to expect? Twenty-five percent? More? Less? I'd certainly appreciate help from any experienced individuals out there. [more inside]
posted by alas at 1:33 AM PST - 15 comments

I am going crazy about this, and google won't turn up anything useful. Laptop with no CDrom or floppy: Took HD out and installed XP using my desktop. Freezes loading mup.sys. I already installed the MB swap patch.

Basically what I am asking is: Can you copy the entire XP Pro CD onto your Hard drive, and set it as a boot option? Can it work? Does anyone have any ideas?
posted by Keyser Soze at 1:16 AM PST - 5 comments

When your iBook G4 loses faith in the idea that it has DVD drive, complaining of an error [-70012] when you stick a DVD in; when even firmware prompt commands like "eject" won't pop it out; when you realize that for purposes of style you have been deprived of a manual-eject pinhole; in such straits, friends, is there any hope of freeing your Digital Versatile Disc of "Spiderman" from the drive?
posted by inksyndicate at 7:45 PM PST - 13 comments

Okay, sorry if this question is a bit vague. I am trying to track down a song I heard a few months ago on the radio. I tried that webpage that tracks playlists, but it didn't cover my station (101.5 in LA). Anyway, the song starts off with an extended drum section that sounds like what a high school marching band would do. After a bit the precusssion segues into a sort of cutesy indiepop song. Later the drums come back. Sorry to be so vague, but if you know it I'd love to hear it again.
posted by shotsy at 4:44 PM PST - 24 comments

I own a house near College Park, MD and am renting it out to tenants now. The problem is the yard, which is in a real state of disrepair. Because I'm thinking about selling it next year, perhaps, I'd like some advice on taking a troublesome yard to a selling feature for as little money as possible. I assume I'll need to have the yard re-seeded, but I don't know what else is required or might help the situation. Keep in mind that I won't be there to do any of the work myself-- I'll be relying on 3rd parties to do it... Any words of wisdom from people who know something about this stuff?
posted by yellowcandy at 2:48 PM PST - 6 comments

I would like to build a deck in the space between my home and garage. A buddy of mine is a rough carpenter who could do all of the physical labor, but he's really poor at design and organization. How should I go about getting a set of plans/drawings/materials list for him to follow? Are their architects that do this sort of thing? Any idea on cost?
posted by sharksandwich at 2:21 PM PST - 12 comments

Everytime I close an IM window or IM info window in the latest version of AIM, the whole program crashes. What's the deal? [mi] [more inside]
posted by lazaruslong at 12:40 PM PST - 2 comments

On the radio yesterday there was talk of forming a Spy Czar to oversee the 15 different intelligence agencies. I can name maybe 7 different intelligence agencies. What are all 15?
posted by drezdn at 12:30 PM PST - 8 comments

What's the deal with unemployment work search records? [more inside]
posted by cmonkey at 11:55 AM PST - 5 comments

I'm looking for an application or web page that I can use as a start page when I get to work in the morning. Ideally, it should have current projects, documenation, links, etc. What would this "something" be called and does it exist?
posted by grefo at 11:36 AM PST - 19 comments

So, Microsoft just announced that they're going to give a special dividend of $3 per share:

http://www.microsoft.com/msft/FAQ/faqdividend.mspx#Question7

Why has the stock price not risen by $3 on this news? It has risen somewhat since yesterday, but only about a dollar.

Doesn't this announcement mean that each share will be automatically worth $3 more, or have I missed something? It seems extremely unlikely that they'd announce something like this and then not do it.
posted by Caviar at 11:07 AM PST - 18 comments

Anyone have a script or tool, preferably free, to download Yahoo Groups messages so I can read them off line? Normally I use HTTrack for offline browsing but I can't seem to get it configured to only download the messages from one goup. Either I miss a bunch because of the interstatials, or I end up attempting to download all of Yahoo.
posted by Mitheral at 11:05 AM PST - 4 comments

Birdfilter: So some local birds have decided to make my fire escape into their main hang-out, which is fine, but it's starting to look a little grotesque out there. Any recommendations for cleaning this stuff up, beyond hot water and a wire brush? Something that is environmentally kosher is preferred...
posted by lilboo at 10:21 AM PST - 8 comments

Paris budget hotel recommendations: I hope to be in Paris for about a week, at the end of August. I'll need to be in the vicinity of Ecole des Mines, Boulevard Saint Michel, 6eme. Any Mefites have experience of budget accomodations in this area? Merci beaucoup!
posted by carter at 8:13 AM PST - 10 comments

Video magnifier help. I have pretty bad vision and am looking into buying a CCTV video magnifier. Does anyone have any experience with these -- or just know a lot about cameras, XY tables, and computers? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by josh at 7:04 AM PST - 4 comments

Digital Cameras, again: So I got me a cute little camera, based on the recommendations here. But there's a serious lag time between when I press the button and the picture is taken, a half-second or so. That's not bad for portraits and landscape shots, but it's not OK for action shots. Is this typical for digital cameras, or should I take this one back and get another?
posted by MrMoonPie at 6:41 AM PST - 17 comments

obscure ethnicity needed............. [more inside]
posted by sgt.serenity at 6:12 AM PST - 26 comments

Does anyone know of any book binding machines that will sew pages together? Most simple binding devices used in offices use thermal adhesive or ring binding. I’m looking for something more serious that will sew books together in the manner of traditional bound textbooks and hardcovers. It doesn’t have to be small, but neither can I deal with any giant factory equipment. Something the size of a large office photocopier would be ideal. Does such a device exist?
posted by Meridian at 5:32 AM PST - 9 comments

How do we know how long ago AD 1 was? Lots more to this bizarre question inside. [more inside]
posted by wackybrit at 9:22 PM PST - 26 comments

Does anyone have any experience with the benefits of using a standing desk? I'd like to spend my day upright instead of on my butt, and I'm having trouble finding much information online about such ergodynamic set-ups. All I can find is information about the desks themselves (I already have an adjustable-height desk), and no info about benefites, experiences, etc.
posted by arielmeadow at 5:03 PM PST - 30 comments

Musicfilter: Probably an easy one, but I'm stymied. I'm looking for the artist/song title of a classic rock song, and here's the only lyrics I can recall:
"My soul's on fire..you're the of my desire..."
Has sort of groovy, mellow T-Rex kind of feel.
Anyone? [more inside]
posted by tetsuo at 4:33 PM PST - 3 comments

ClothingFilter: I need to find a tailor to make some alterations to an expensive sportcoat. The retailer I bought it from only does alterations to new items, and their tailor works for them... I've always had good experiences with that tailor, but the other things I've gotten done (through the place that dry cleans my clothes) really sucked. How can I find a good tailor besides trial and error? [more inside]
posted by SpecialK at 3:57 PM PST - 10 comments

What is the best/nicest social network? Orkut, Friendster, Flickr, maybe Dogster?
posted by plexi at 2:47 PM PST - 19 comments

Quite a few years ago someone told me about a film about the Apollo missions which I've always wanted to track down. Many superlatives were used to describe it, and from what I remember it sounded like it was made solely from archive footage of the events with no commentary. I've made periodic feeble attempts to locate it, but there are so many films and documentaries about the Apollo missions, and I don't know which one I'm looking for. So what is the definitive (non-fiction) film about the moon landings?
posted by gravelshoes at 2:40 PM PST - 7 comments

GPS. After a road trip of checking the atlas way too much, I've decided to get GPS for the next trip. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by benjh at 2:17 PM PST - 11 comments

What is the current best freeware audio editing application? The specific need is for ripping a cd, then playing it back slower without altering the key.
posted by gnz2001 at 1:17 PM PST - 11 comments

I want to but an aeriel or radio that will pick up digital radio. Advice, experiences and pointers would be greatly appreciated. I am in Ireland if that makes any difference. What I really want is to pick up on English medium wave broadcasts. Thanks.
posted by kenaman at 12:56 PM PST - 7 comments

Skunkfilter - any experiences in keeping skunks away? Our lovely new home seems to have some tasty bugs in the lawn, and skunks dig 'em up at night. Sometimes the neighbor dogs scare them, and they spray (ever been awoken in the middle of the night by a noxious odor)? I've seen suggestions online for Fox urine, hot pepper, mothballs, etc. Anyone know one that works reliably?
posted by kokogiak at 12:52 PM PST - 10 comments

Is there a name for the (somewhat overused) graphic technique of using many small images to form a larger, overall picture? It's used a lot in posters and advertising, I was just wondering if it had a name, or whether there was some central repository for such images on web. (I'm sure there's software available to create the effect, but I'm not so much interested in that.) Couldn't find anything on Google since I don't know what to search for.
posted by robbie01 at 12:23 PM PST - 8 comments

Pen-n-ink illustration filter:
I've recently taken a renewed interest in "embellishing" or "rendering" in pen and ink. This has led me to this picture of a fiddling cat, which is naggingly familiar to myself and also to my Mom, although neither of us can remember the artist or source. Also, I came across this illustration from an Aesop's Fable, but I do not know the artist either (evidently, though, Aesop has a long and old tradition of finely illustrated editions.) Can anyone help me out?

And while we're at it, do we have any pen-n-ink or comics style artists out there? What good books or practice-methods have helped you? (I've had this great book since I was a child but am only now making good use of it.) Do you use traditional quills, or have you transitioned to modern markers and such? Or a Wacom tablet?
Really, I'd love any info from anyone who creates art or plays with the techniques.
posted by Shane at 11:56 AM PST - 17 comments

Hotel reservation advice needed! We are going on a long car trip that needs to be spread across 2 days. What option will generate the best price? Should I guess where the halfway point is and make a hotel reservation or should I just wing it and just get a room wherever we stop (assuming there are a few hotels at the exit)?
posted by internal at 11:43 AM PST - 16 comments

With all of the hullaballoo regarding the International Whaling Commission's meetings in Italy, it got me wondering, for those that do eat whale, how is it prepared? And, more importantly, what does it taste like? (Please avoid the political discussion, as I've really no desire to stab or eat a whale and I've been reading quite a bit about the controversial aspect already, thank you).
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:00 AM PST - 14 comments

Gas (petrol) question: We've had discussions in the blue about regional price differences for gasoline. But why do different gas stations in the same market region come so close to each other on price? Are the markets for the raw oil and the refining so limited that they all end up with the same cost? I find that hard to believe. Also, is there any difference, in real terms, between gasoline from one vendor versus gas from another?
posted by yesster at 10:50 AM PST - 6 comments

I'm looking for recommendations for London-based legal firms who can, for a fee, quickly turn around a US H1B visa app. next time I'm in London. I have a UK passport. [more] [more inside]
posted by carter at 10:10 AM PST - 7 comments

Has anyone used notifylist to manage email lists? I've used it for a small number of people and seemed to work fine. But now, I have about 90 people signed up and none of the group messages seem to go through.
posted by turbanhead at 9:34 AM PST - 2 comments

DVD-labelingFilter. What’s the safest long-term solution? More inside. [more inside]
posted by baltimore at 9:33 AM PST - 9 comments

I'm running my system under win2k Pro. In my OS folder are a bunch of subfolders with names like $NtUninstallKB810217$ Any reason not to delete them? I could really use the reclaimed drive-space (nb: I googled, and found links, but all want money to view the answer. How very un-askme!)
posted by Fupped Duck at 9:27 AM PST - 1 comment

IANA- filter: I know that you are not a Lawyer, a Financial Advisor, a Physicist, a Pizza Stone Expert, a Mathematician, an Astronomer, or a Doctor (at least not the right kind); so what are you? [more inside]
posted by rorycberger at 9:25 AM PST - 43 comments

Was it worth it to go to your (5, 10, 20) year high school reunion? All I'm really curious about is who got those cheerleaders pregnant, but if they didn't tell us then they probably won't now.
posted by mecran01 at 9:13 AM PST - 25 comments

So I've just seen King Arthur (the one in theatres now) — and for the record, it was a fun flick... nothing to write home about, mind you, but fun all the same.

Anyway, Arturus refers to and quotes a Roman philosopher (his name starts with "P") several times... so here's my question: what was the philosopher's name, and was he a real person?
posted by silusGROK at 9:08 AM PST - 7 comments

BigUglyDishFilter: We've got an old C-Band satellite dish on a pole in the back yard. I'd love to get rid of it as it's... well, big and ugly--and I'm thinking that when we do want to sell the house in a few years, it'll be easier without that monstrosity back there. The guys who installed our DirecTV dish said they could dismantle it for $200. Is this cheap? Expensive? Something we could do ourselves? Or should we just leave it (it works)? There's no Craigslist here!
posted by mimi at 6:08 AM PST - 8 comments

UK tenancy advice. Our landlord lied to us about neighbouring building works. [more inside]
posted by influx at 5:55 AM PST - 11 comments

Roofing filter day

My wife has decided that we need a new roof and that we're going to do it ourselves. I'm not opposed to this, well, okay I am, but stilll....

How do we price this out for ourselves? Any denizens or askmefi have any experience in this? We have asphalt shingles now and will stick with same.

My wife says thanks in advance.
posted by damnitkage at 3:26 AM PST - 23 comments

Holy hell, the left hand side of my iBook gets is really hot. Is there anything I can do without resorting to elaborate paraphernalia like stands and external keyboards (it is supposed to be a portable computer, after all).
posted by 4easypayments at 12:19 AM PST - 15 comments

SQL Filter: is there any way when making a query to create a temporary column that assigns each row in the result set an ordinal number? This is for when you not only want to count the number of items in a result set (ie, there are 50 items), you also want them numbered 1-50 or whatever. [more inside]
posted by wildblueyonder at 11:01 PM PST - 9 comments

Is there any place online for finding interesting gifts and / or unique imported goods? Ebay is great, but I was thinking more along the lines of clearly defined prices, although I guess the items wouldn't have to be new necessarily. I am thinking along the lines of items not commonly available in the U.S. Old empty cigar boxes from foreign nations, handcarved items or artwork, french soaps, exotic chocolates, clothing or styles or fads that are popular in other countries, rare jewelry or items with mythical power like a blarney stone from Ireland, foreign currency, gum, stickers, decks of cards, shampoos, decorative letter openers, stationary, pencils, or other localized specialties. Just small items that would be relatively inexpensive. There are always interesting items in different countries that people come back with as souvenirs. I want to find these things without going there. Any import information, or information about specific products and examples of things you have found from your travels that are not generally sold in the United States would be appreciated. [more inside]
posted by banished at 9:13 PM PST - 7 comments

What are the fonts used to create the raised lettering on credit cards? I may already have them, but can't recall the names. Googling anything with 'credit card' is predictably answer-thin.

Thanks very much!
posted by mwhybark at 7:26 PM PST - 14 comments

Joel just blogged about Microsoft's recent acquisition of Lookout (a search plug-in for Outlook) and in the comments it turns out that Lookout used a .NET port of the Lucene open-source engine. So, inevitably the question arises; is there any nice front-end to the same engine that can search anything on your PC? (Lookout actually can, but it is unmaintained now). This comes close, but not quite... [more inside]
posted by costas at 7:11 PM PST - 3 comments

GeekLearningFilter: I need to learn how to do some fun stuff with php and MySQL or PostgreSQL. Of course I shall expand on this within... [more inside]
posted by Dreama at 6:17 PM PST - 6 comments

I'm getting a Treo 600 in a couple of days. I need recommendations for a good carrying case. Anything related to first-time Treo ownership also welcome. Thanks!
posted by azul at 6:07 PM PST - 9 comments

Is it really possible to learn a language as an adult? I am trying very hard to learn to speak Spanish, but I feel like I'm making almost no progress. Has anyone had any success? If so, how did you do it?
posted by LittleMissCranky at 5:56 PM PST - 31 comments

Book recommendations for a Biography of the life and times of Charlemagne?
posted by stbalbach at 4:42 PM PST - 4 comments

When I moved back to Texas, I was expecting to be eaten alive by mosquitoes, but dear GOD I had forgotten about the chiggers. I've pored over the web to find out how to avoid these tiny literal buggers and there seems to be no real good way. However, the skin around my legs right before they meet my feet is covered with tiny red welts, some of them going back to Memorial Day. HOW DO I RID MYSELF OF THEM? I'm going nuts here. [more inside]
posted by WolfDaddy at 4:26 PM PST - 18 comments

San DiegoFilter: I'm going to the San Diego Comic-Con this week, and I'd like to collect opinions from SD Mefites:

1. Good midpriced Downtown restaurants that serve American cuisine. (e.g. chicken, steaks, BBQ, hamburgers)

2. The least expensive or free all-day parking lots within a 6-8 block walking distance of the Convention Center.
posted by JDC8 at 4:19 PM PST - 4 comments

Hey Tommy, if a spring is bound and dropped into a vat of acid which dissolves it instantly, what happens to the spring's potential energy?

(If you haven't seen the comic before, you should start at the beginning.)
posted by Tlogmer at 4:07 PM PST - 16 comments

I was just about to sign up to a quite nice looking hosting deal with 1and1, when I discovered it's available to US and Canadian Residents Only. This, of course, completely pissed me off. Does anyone know of any packages comparable to their Linux Business Hosting that are available to poor Aussies like me?
posted by Jimbob at 3:54 PM PST - 12 comments

Years ago, Webmonkey posted an article talking about screen real estate / font size across different browsers/platforms. It also discussed the percentages of people using each resolution. Does anyone know of a more up-to-date reference for this information? If not, what resolutions do you design for? In addition, I've got a few color palette selecting helper apps bookmarked from mefi over the years, but I'm sure I missed a few. Which do you recommend?
posted by dobbs at 3:14 PM PST - 12 comments

Bought a LinkSys wireless router in the States. Plugged it in in Europe without checking the voltage. Sizzle, sizzle pop, "hey's what's that smell?" No universal power adapter. Help! (More inside.) [more inside]
posted by fooljay at 2:42 PM PST - 16 comments

If I will install a new motherboard, processor and new RAM, what should I do to keep all my old settings? Will Repair Install from Windows XP Boot CD suffice ? Or should I try this ? [more inside]
posted by Masi at 1:41 PM PST - 4 comments

Does anyone remember a movie from about the 1950s (not sure, but it was black and white) that was an Indiana Jones type adventure film (but of course it was made before the Indy movies) with the following final scene:
The hero and heroine are escaping with the treasure in a hot air balloon...[MI] [more inside]
posted by nprigoda at 1:41 PM PST - 10 comments

The nibbler strikes! Why can't I just sit here and work (or read MetaFilter) without constantly munching on sunflower seeds, popcorn, gummi bears, and the like? Anyone here ever overcome a too-much-snacking-in-front-of-the-computer habit? Any advice will help. Thanks.
posted by whatnot at 1:16 PM PST - 28 comments

What's your favorite WAMP installer? (and, of course ,why?)
posted by signal at 12:41 PM PST - 4 comments

I'm trying to plan a weekend in Wildwood, New Jersey next month for my boyfriend and I. I've never been there but I have a friend who is spending the summer there, and we're going down to visit her. She's given me the numbers of a few places to stay, and I've looked online and it seems like everything I come across are retro motel-type places. This is fine, but I wanted to know if there's any place out there that's better than the others, or if there's any specific place that I should definitely stay away from. I'm just looking for a place to stay that's comfortable, safe and clean.
posted by AlisonM at 12:20 PM PST - 4 comments

Listserv question. I have a friend who wants recommendations for either a low priced or free managed listserv (he is computer illiterate as are the people who will be subscribing) that has dead easy sign-up (enter an e-mail address, confirm your subscription, that's it). Or a free or inexpensive solution that he can install and administer without knowing squat. He has tried some Yahoo! thing but found that it required a Yahoo! e-mail address from the subscribers. This, apparently, was too confusing for the subscribers. I'm looking for personal experiences/recommendations since I don't know the first thing about listservers.
posted by Grod at 12:16 PM PST - 8 comments

Domain Squating. These people have a domain I want. Are they reputable? Anyone dealt with them, or companies like them? Is it generally safe to send companies like this $50 in order to get the domain I want? Or is it all a scam?
posted by ChasFile at 11:20 AM PST - 9 comments

Tell me about Austin? My wife and I are considering a move to Austin, but neither of us have ever lived there, so I turn to my fellow Mefites for help. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Irontom at 11:10 AM PST - 18 comments

Do they have any encrypted peer to peer networks set up yet? The movie and music industries are now wise to Bittorrent, and a friend of mine recently got in trouble by his university for sharing copyrighted material. [more inside]
posted by banished at 10:39 AM PST - 18 comments

Should I try cooking pintos or lentils in my rice cooker? Are there hazards or pitfalls associated with doing so?
posted by namespan at 9:27 AM PST - 7 comments

I have a webcam and want to do video chat... Is MSN my only alternative? I've been VERY impressed with the quality of the VOIP calls I can make using Skype; is there something similiar for video conferencing with a webcam?
posted by zia at 8:48 AM PST - 3 comments

Anyone remember the site of a guy who maintained(?is maintaining?) a yearly progress log (with daily profile photos & all) of his workout regimen?
posted by Gyan at 8:22 AM PST - 9 comments

YahooMail problems. I signed up for the 2gb yahoomail account, but very often it treats me as if I am still a regular free user and shows me I am 600% over the limit. During that time, all email sent to me gets bounced back to the sender. I've tried to find a yahoo status page (like this one for ebay) to see what is up. Is anyone having these problems? Is there a Yahoo Status page?
posted by quibx at 7:52 AM PST - 0 comments

VPN problems: I'm trying to find a basic wireless router (802.11b) that will let me have more than one VPN connection passing through it. All the consumer models I see support VPN but will only let me have one computer using VPN at a time. Anyone know of such a product or - even better - use such a thing?
posted by humuhumu at 7:23 AM PST - 4 comments

I must be overlooking something. Where on Amazon.com can one find one's account number?
posted by casarkos at 7:05 AM PST - 10 comments

Squashfilter: I am on the verge of harvesting a LOT of zucchini from my garden. Is it possible to pickle it and preserve it in some way? Anyone have any good recipes? [more inside]
posted by archimago at 6:55 AM PST - 21 comments

When it comes to satellite radio: XM or Sirius? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by ChrisTN at 6:07 AM PST - 12 comments

I want to update the MetaFilter: The Taglines page, but really really don't feel like doing it the hard way again. It occured to me that it would probably be easy to write a script to search the database for me and load the relevant bits into the database that holds the taglines page (SQL/MT). There is only one problem with that: I have no idea how to go about this. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by dg at 5:45 AM PST - 2 comments

Recommendations for luggage. I'm looking for durable (!), rolling, hardsided suitcases. Haven't been that happy with my last set of Samsonite - eg, weak handles, screws coming out.
posted by shoos at 12:29 AM PST - 10 comments

I've been reading a lot lately about the Great Depression. What I'm curious about is, did anyone make money during the great depression? Are there certain industries that prosper during a depression? If you knew a great depression was about to happen, what would you do to put yourself in the best possible position? Invest in gold maybe? What else? [more inside]
posted by banished at 10:13 PM PST - 13 comments

I'm interested in learning electronics/electronics repair in my spare time and was wondering if there are any good resources someone could recommend (books, kits, etc.)?
posted by drezdn at 10:03 PM PST - 9 comments

Anyone else see the SciFi channel thing on M. Night Shyamalan? [more inside]
posted by ColdChef at 7:51 PM PST - 17 comments

Strange DSL home network problem: using the phone freezes the internet. More inside... [more inside]
posted by swank6 at 6:08 PM PST - 11 comments

mp3Filter: What are some 'best practices' for archiving a 600+ CD collection in mp3 format on CD-R? [more inside]
posted by mischief at 4:43 PM PST - 29 comments

I would like to start doing some messy art: oil painting and maybe some metal sculpture. But my NYC apartment doesn't have any space for this. I was wondering if there are any studios in New York City (or Brooklyn) that one can rent (or share) by the hour. I won't be using it enough to rent the space for long periods. I might use it once a week. I might go a month without using it. The perfect place for me would be reasonably priced and stocked with basic equipment, i.e. easles. If there isn't a place like this, someone should start one. Not a bad business model for luring wanabe artists.
posted by grumblebee at 3:36 PM PST - 4 comments

I'm looking for any books (or studies), recommendations that might tackle the dynamics and relationships of repression/suppression psychological mechanisms and profit-driven media in the so-called "Information Age," and its possible effect in societies.

I'd love to see serious research into the current notion that humans are indeed straying from preexisting social formations thanks to electrical and electronic communication systems (i.e. "growing desensitized"). Thanks in advance. Any related info is welcome, and truly appreciated. Psych majors/graduates? Social theory majors/graduates? [more inside]
posted by oog at 3:28 PM PST - 3 comments

Does anyone know a cheaper way to get replacement appliance parts than the manufacturer or those places that come up in google like Partsolver.com (specifically, for a gas range)? [more inside]
posted by jeb at 2:32 PM PST - 5 comments

TenantFilter: So I gave permission for the building manager to let a contractor into my apartment to do some fix up work. Not only does she not let him in personally, which is what I thought I okayed, but she leaves the key to another tenant to pass on to the contractor when he shows up. Am I overreacting in thinking that was way out of line? How do I go about responding to something like this? [more inside]
posted by ODiV at 1:15 PM PST - 11 comments

Suppose one wanted to scan each page of a magazine and produce a PDF file including each page in order. Is there any free software that makes this process less painful than my current solution (My current solution is to scan each page, drop them into word and then print as pdf in OSX)? It seems like there would be, but my google consultation has been fruitless.
Alternately, is there a better way to electronically preserve and distribute a long out-of-print magazine? The folks who share large runs of comic books over bittorrent spring to mind as possible sources of insight, but again, Google fails me.
posted by adamkempa at 12:36 PM PST - 10 comments

I'm trying to find a lovely story I read on the Internet perhaps a year ago. It was published in some (very) obscure online literary zine. Fairly lengthy.

The story was framed as a letter to President Bush, although it had nothing to do with Bush or politics. The narrator (letter-writer) was kind of a simpleton. I believe he was a construction worker or something similar. He talked about a particular co-worker, and his love life.

Thanks! [more inside]
posted by Aaorn at 11:52 AM PST - 4 comments

Jewelry Question: I would like to get my engagement ring cleaned and resized smaller. I'm worried about this because I've heard stories of jewelers taking the ring from you to the "back" to do the work, but then exchanging the diamonds for lower quality stones. Also, it doesn't need a major resize...it's just large enough to annoy me (keeps turning around on my finger, for example), but it won't fall off by itself. There are SO many listings for jewelers -- I feel like its like finding a good mechanic -- difficult, and better if you can get a recommendation. Can anyone recommend a jeweler (in the Los Angeles area) that they trust and had a good experience/history with? Is it a bad idea to resize a platinum ring with diamonds in it to a slightly smaller size? [Oh--and I don't want to go back to where the ring was purchased.]
posted by rio at 11:02 AM PST - 5 comments

I'm in the market for a new computer-slash-desktop video editing desk. Seeing as we're all internet addicts here, and spend tons of time at our workstations, I'm just wondering if anyone had any recommendations as to the "best" desk? (mi) [more inside]
posted by Big Fat Tycoon at 8:43 AM PST - 3 comments

PCFilter : Is there any way to tell what program inserted something into the registry?
I've been attacked by four seperate virii that sophos claims don't exist in the wild. One of them (netclnc.exe) keeps reappearing in my registry and the system32, and I want to know what's putting it there so I can kill it. Ideas?
posted by twine42 at 7:05 AM PST - 14 comments

estes muertos viven en el campo - my local radio station played a song with these lyrics (pretty repeptitive, woman's voice). but google turns up nothing. i guess i have something wrong (surely every lyric ever is on the 'net?). any suggestions? the station plays a pretty eclectic mix of songs, but given the location (chile) and language (spanish), i guess this could be a local track (if so, i want to know even more, because it sounded very different to the usual stuff from round here). and as a (only vaguely related) bonus link for those who've read this far (and don't yet have the album) - suba's sao paulo confessions are even more wonderful than everyone says.
posted by andrew cooke at 6:05 AM PST - 8 comments

Where the heck do you buy a spring? Surprisingly interesting details inside. [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 3:46 AM PST - 17 comments

Anyone ever hear of < ctacb>> Magazine? This was publisher Stas Namin's eponymous magazine on Russian life and culture; a gorgeous monthly (printed in Russian) that I used to get through the local Barnes & Noble. They suddenly dropped it with no explanation. I'm curious: did it go out of business? Is there any other US outlets? I'd love to subscribe. [more inside]
posted by RavinDave at 12:39 AM PST - 6 comments

There once was a great band called the Rustic Overtones from Portland, Maine. In 1996 I had the pleasure of seeing them live a couple times, and they were really, really. good. David Bowie produced a song on one of their albums. Does anybody remember them and happen to know what the individuals in the band are doing?
posted by vito90 at 10:48 PM PST - 11 comments

I've decided to finally take the plunge and switch to an electric razor (mainly due to laziness). There are so many options I don't really know where to begin. I don't have much facial hair so I don't need anything ultra powerful (I don't think?). Any recommendations?
posted by swank6 at 9:30 PM PST - 18 comments

I watched Donnie Darko again recently and I thought it was a damn shame that Tortoise didn't do the soundtrack. I became ever-so-briefly obsessed with the idea of replacing some of the musical sequences with Tortoise music, but I wouldn't know how to do this without completely removing any sound effects and dialogue from those scenes. Is there a way for a non-audio-geek to separate these audio elements? Assume I'm starting with a DVD.
posted by scarabic at 8:58 PM PST - 17 comments

Any input on whiteboard applications (I found Robin Good's guide)? I'm focusing more on the interactive, real-time online whiteboard (not necessarily application sharing which I know how to do with VNC).
posted by ao4047 at 8:48 PM PST - 2 comments

Is there a limit to scientific advancement? If there is only a certain number of elements to the universe, will there reach a technology plateau? [more inside]
posted by the fire you left me at 8:41 PM PST - 25 comments

EtiquetteFilter: I've received an awful wedding gift from a couple of friends--a tchotchke so ugly and useless it makes me reconsider my opinion of the givers (worse yet, I know for a fact that it isn't a re-gift).

Any tips on a nicely worded thank-you note?
posted by adamrice at 7:50 PM PST - 27 comments

Powerbook Repair In Process: I've taken apart my Powerbook G3/333 Lombard in order to replace the AC/Soundcard (and darned if I can't see cracked solder at the solder points). Now that I've got it pretty thoroughly disassembled, I wonder if there's any other upgrades I should take the trouble to do while I'm here. [more inside]
posted by weston at 5:52 PM PST - 8 comments

After having used the web obsessively for about eight years now, both for work and pleasure, I've noticed I've developed certain attention deficit disorder symptoms, i.e. I find myself leafing through books, reading only chapter and subchapter headers and then move on. Similarly, when I watch a movie on TV, I find myself switching channels all the time, watching other programs (even movies) simultaneously. The thing is, I don't really feel I'm missing out much, because I "get the general idea" anyway, I'm just getting three general ideas instead of fully absorbing one. Is this bad? Anyone else doing this? Comments and insights welcome.
posted by dagny at 4:50 PM PST - 32 comments

I'm trying to improve my touch typing skills (both speed and accruacy), what would you recommend as the best way to do that? Are there any free interactive trainers out there? Sould I try typing up magazines to refine my speed?
posted by phyrewerx at 2:58 PM PST - 19 comments

When I'm doing something really mentally taxing, like working on a difficult programming task or doing a really really tough crossword puzzle, I sometimes reach mental overload. I'm sure most of you have this. It makes me sleepy and sometimes a bit dizzy, and if I try to work more, I comprehend less and less. At this point, I generally need to do something else for a while. If I come back to the taxing work the next day, everything is fine. Probably, I can come back to it on the same day, an hour or so later. I CAN'T come back to it five minutes later. I'm interested in tactics that let me return to the mental workout as-soon-as possible. When I quit working, what sort of activity should I do to recharge? How long should I do it? Is there anything I should ingest? Is it better to quit before absolute mental burnout occurs? Are there any studies about this?
posted by grumblebee at 2:54 PM PST - 11 comments

Grammar/StyleFilter: What is the accepted adjective form to describe something written in the style of Hemingway? Hemingway-esque? Hemingway-ian? Something else altogether? With a hyphen or without? And moving from the specific to the general, is there a hard and fast rule for when we use one of these particular endings (-ian, -ean, -esque, etc.) to turn a proper noun into an adjective, or is the style dictated simply by what seems to sound right?
posted by .kobayashi. at 1:14 PM PST - 14 comments

Antique Mac question: a friend has recently moved from a Mac Performa 475 to a WinXP PC. What's the best way to transfer ~100MB of Word 5.1 files to the PC? [more inside]
posted by cbrody at 12:12 PM PST - 9 comments

My wife and I will be visiting Providence, RI next week for a long weekend getaway. We're up for any suggestions of how to spend some time. I'm particularly interested in certain sections of town I may want to visit as well as restaurant suggestions. And heck, anything I don't know about would be mighty cool as well.
posted by punkrockrat at 11:32 AM PST - 11 comments

Can anyone recommend a good moving company for moving a one-bedroom apartment (let's say 400 cubic ft. of stuff to move) and a four-door car from Florida to California?
posted by grrarrgh00 at 10:58 AM PST - 8 comments

Anyone have experience with HGH (the Human Growth Hormone)? My doctor shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's probably fine in moderation" when asked about it, and my Google searches have yielded a junkyard of crappy e-commerce sites and conflicting information. Is any one brand better than the other? Is it snake oil? I had been looking for something to enhance my exercise regimen, but since non-sales-driven info about HGH seems so scarce I'm wondering if I shouldn't consider other options.
posted by dhoyt at 8:28 AM PST - 21 comments

Can you suggest some Windows programming tools for a very rusty, very amateur programmer? (More within) [more inside]
posted by Zonker at 8:05 AM PST - 16 comments

MS Word in OSX
I’m formatting my thesis and need to create a “floating page” for my figures. This is a page that inserts itself between two full pages of text, so that the text flows around the page.
Can I do this? [more inside]
posted by nprigoda at 4:34 AM PST - 10 comments

A friend of mine has a really fucked up computer that was invaded by spyware and viruses via Kazaa and other trojan horse programs. The only way to fix it at this point is to nuke the entire hard drive and re-install everything. [more inside]
posted by interrobang at 12:15 AM PST - 14 comments

SpicyPonyHeadFilter: My mom heard a skit on KPFA (she thinks) in which an American in France is ordering from a menu and it becomes clear by the end of the skit that everything on the menu has "spicy pony head" as a principal ingredient.

She'd like to find out what it was called but the radio station's website isn't giving up the info, and it was so long ago (a month or so) that she figures no one at the station will remember it.

Has anyone heard or heard of this skit?

Thanks.
posted by small_ruminant at 8:55 PM PST - 3 comments

My fiancee is looking into the possibility of selling clothes with custom art/text/etc. She knows about CafePress and such, but is looking for a way to get text/images on black and dark clothes. Shirts, hoodies, pants, etc.

There's always the 'custom-shirts-for-10-dollars' places, but she doesn't want to sell anything that's going to fade in a month, or is otherwise of questionable quality. Have any of you had good experiences with online companies that provide custom printing services? Would it be a good idea to look into purchasing a silkscreen machine? [more inside]
posted by Jairus at 7:46 PM PST - 12 comments

Anyone here feel they are seriously addicted to the Internet -- and by addicted, I mean, your Internet use is a net negative to your social or work life, and you can't seem to stop it. If so, what did you do about it?
posted by luser at 7:38 PM PST - 28 comments

If you thought you had a great business idea, but it was too expensive to just go for it on your own, how would you go about getting venture capital funding (in England)? Or would you do something completely different?
posted by reklaw at 6:02 PM PST - 4 comments

Where can I find more sites like AskMe? I've quickly grown addicted to the questions and answers found on "the green", but the current level of traffic will not sate me. [more inside]
posted by Eamon at 5:32 PM PST - 14 comments

Why did the ccd on my Minolta Dimage s414 stop working earlier this month? I used it the night prior to its death. The next day I needed to take some pics but all I got was a black screen with horizontal static. I tried new batteries. Does the camera hate me? It is still under warranty but I can't find any contact info and I am wary of just mailing it off and hoping for the best.
posted by Grod at 4:31 PM PST - 8 comments

Going to Japan with husband for a week in October. Don't speak Japanese, never been to Asia before, need ideas for itinerary. Help us avoid getting Lost in Translation? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Asparagirl at 4:22 PM PST - 15 comments

How does house arrest work? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by Zed_Lopez at 2:43 PM PST - 15 comments

I am searching for a song I heard in yoga class that had the chant "lokah samastha sukhino bhavantu" and can't find it anywhere. Any ideas?
posted by Quartermass at 2:37 PM PST - 9 comments

Broken GMail account. Have been unable to log in, with various server errors occuring. But there is no way to alert Google, it seems, and the only form I found won't let you do anything unless you are logged in. Any suggestions?
posted by benjh at 2:04 PM PST - 7 comments

What's the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser?

I've tried this, and it actually works VERY well. Almost too well. But I have no idea why. What the heck is it?

http://www.homemadesimple.com/mrclean/eraser_useage.shtml (sic)
posted by Caviar at 1:24 PM PST - 16 comments

I am interested in buying a telescope for someone who moved into a condo that has a great view of the Chicago skyline as well as an ocassional awesome view of the moon. The telescope would be used mainly for looking at other buildings as well as for viewing the surface of the moon when it is full and close. The thing is, I know absolutely nothing about telescopes. I've done some research via google and am at a loss. I also called a hobby shop but the sales person was extremely unhelpful. Could someone knowledgable about telescopes give me some advice about brand, kind, size etc.? [more inside]
posted by alicila at 1:10 PM PST - 20 comments

CanadianSlangFilter: What is a "tucker"? [more inside]
posted by milovoo at 12:55 PM PST - 21 comments

I'm new to the wonderful world of DVDs, and am at a bit of a loss. A friend recently installed a PD dual format drive on my Win2000 machine, and successfully burned a test disc. However, when I go to play a purchased DVD, I receive an error message stating that I don't have a compatible encoder installed. I could choose and install one, but quite frankly, I'd be picking one at random. Help me out and suggest a good one? If more system info is needed, please just let me know...
posted by vers at 11:42 AM PST - 5 comments

DryEraseFilter. I bought a whiteboard at Ikea and after using some dry-erase markers on it, it does not erase. Now I have a whiteboard with half a grocery list and a doodle of a octopus-man that aren't going anywhere. I've tried all the household cleaners I have (bleach, vinegar, Fantastic, Windex) nothing's working. Any recommendations?
posted by Robot Johnny at 11:23 AM PST - 20 comments

My girlfriend is diabetic and was wondering why she feels cold (sometimes REALLY cold) when her blood sugar goes way low. My Google-fu has mostly just turned up general info on hypoglycemia and diabetes, with "chills" or "cold sweats" simply listed as possible symptoms with no explanation. My guess is it's somehow related to the idea that sugar=energy=heat, but how exactly does the process work?
posted by rorycberger at 10:49 AM PST - 6 comments

for the lawyers:

i'm three years from admission on motion in NY (which bar membership has been recommended to me by several folks for various reasons). i may or may not be moving back to WashDC in two years (reciprocity with DC and admisson on motion to VA are not at issue). should i sit for the NY bar or wait out the reciprocity?

what advice for/experiences with changing jurisdictions do/have y'all had?
posted by crush-onastick at 9:26 AM PST - 2 comments

datascrubbing: I'm using rm -R */*.gif (for example) to get rid of unnecessary files in a directory. There is stuff that's nested about five directories deep that I can't get to using the above command. I'm using the Bash terminal in OS X. specifically, there is a redundant file called "popup" nested in there that I want to get rid of, among others.

Second related problem: is there a way to recursively delete (full) directories, say ones that end in .blob using wildcards? And would I use rmdir or rm -R to do this?

I'm working on a copy of the original, so its ok to experiment a little
posted by mecran01 at 8:37 AM PST - 18 comments

I downloaded Picasa at the urging of Google's homepage today, but found it profoundly unuseful. What's a better photo-organizing program? [more inside]
posted by Aaorn at 8:20 AM PST - 14 comments

Fluorescent light problem:

I have a fluorescent light fixture in my bathroom using two, different-sized, doughnut-shaped bulbs. Lately it's been taking a long time to turn on (15-30 minutes) after I throw the switch in the morning. If the fixture has been running for a while, this warm-up time seems to go down. Does this sound like a ballast problem (and thus my landlord's problem), or a light-bulb problem (mine)? I'm leaning to ballast because the lights look fine once they start, but I haven't been able to find the same symptoms on the half dozen fluorescent lighting websites I've looked at so far.
posted by cardboard at 8:16 AM PST - 5 comments

Anybody know anything about American doctors practicing in Canada? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by LittleMissCranky at 8:09 AM PST - 11 comments

My commute to work is roughly 1 hour each way. Now the morning drive isn't so bad because all the radio stations have good talk shows on them. I prefer talk to music since all radio stations play the same 40 songs over and over again. So the drive home kinda sucks. I recently borrowed two standup comedy cd's of David Cross from a friend, and these are perfect for the drive home. Are there any sites that have something similar for free to download and put on my ipod? More specifically stand up routines. I don't want the stuff like Adam Sandler (too much music), but more like 1 hour long shows that got ported over to CD. Any suggestions?
posted by thebwit at 7:39 AM PST - 18 comments

StupidQuestionFilter:
Microsoft Excel 2000 v 9.0 - is there some way to stop excel from automatically turning email addresses into hyperlinks? Not just turning off the 'blue and underlined' format but actually not making them links. I've done it before in other versions of excel but I can't find a way to do it in this version. Thanks!
posted by anastasiav at 7:23 AM PST - 4 comments

Circle C=copyright
Circle R=registered trademark
Circle P=?

Never come across Circle P before. What kind of rights does that designate? Found on a CD of nature sounds.
posted by piskycritter at 6:47 AM PST - 12 comments

I need to expand my horizons. In your opinion, who's the best sportswriter working today?
posted by luser at 6:01 AM PST - 12 comments

Writing political commentary. I have a friend (no, really) who has a lot of talent for writing political opinion pieces. He's had letters published in Time and in the International Herald Tribune. Now he'd like to start submitting some articles he has written, but he doesn't know where to send them. He's looking for small publications where he could get started, and he isn't necessarily looking to make money from this. In terms of slant, he describes himself as a civil libertarian, free-trader, legislative minimalist when it comes to issues of morality and mores, pro-redistributive lefty who veers right on issues of unnecessary regulation.

Any ideas on where he might find his niche? Much appreciated!
posted by hazyjane at 4:46 AM PST - 2 comments

is there a way to get free or low cost open source alternatives to
dream weaver, that would still run on a windows box? I've got dreamweaver
at the office, but didn't bite the big one to buy it for my personal
machine.
posted by leotrotsky at 4:39 AM PST - 9 comments

PDFFilter - I have a .pdf upon which I need to enter information (think of it like an application with blanks for application-y stuff like name and address). The .pdf is not a form, however. Currently, the only option seems to be printing the document and then using either a pen or a typewriter to fill in the blanks. There simply must be a way to get this information onto the .pdf electronically instead ... mustn't there? Your help is much appreciated.
posted by Sinner at 1:17 AM PST - 10 comments

Mozilla sometimes refuses to load images... [more inside]
posted by epimorph at 12:50 AM PST - 4 comments

I want to replace the horrid ceiling light fixture in my office. Step 1 is to turn off the appropriate breaker, but...duh...I can't find it. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by gottabefunky at 10:37 PM PST - 10 comments

My Powerbook G4, which I bought in January, is beginning to worry me. Microsoft Word crashes incessantly, you have to jiggle CDs back and forth to get them into the slot, and tonight when trying to wake my computer from sleep mode, it wouldn't awake. I had to hit the power button 4 times before anything happened. What should I do?
posted by adrober at 9:58 PM PST - 11 comments

CSS problem wtih firefox. I have this site, it's kind of a porn site, so don't go if that's a problem for you. I can't get the css to work for mozilla/firefox. It works great in IE. No one can seem to figure out the problem. Can anyone help? [more inside]
posted by nyxxxx at 9:02 PM PST - 7 comments

Gmail invites. Awhile ago I got an invite, and like a good member of the herd I jumped on it. I've used it since (hard), but the Google gods have yet to grant me the priviledge to invite others. My mother wants one and I'm losing credibility by the day. What's the secret?
posted by cedar at 8:12 PM PST - 20 comments

Macfilter: I'm on 10.3.4, and just lost my entire eudora inbox (tons of msgs) and all my safari bookmarks and logins...any ideas? (i think it's because i didn't have enough diskspace free, but it's too weird, and annoying) [more inside]
posted by amberglow at 7:58 PM PST - 13 comments

I think that I found a bug in GMail, but there's no clear way for me to report it. E-mails from different people with the same subject are threading incorrectly. Any ideas?
posted by TurkishGolds at 6:51 PM PST - 11 comments

Netscape 7.1 has spontaneously decided not to download anything. [MI] [more inside]
posted by JoanArkham at 6:28 PM PST - 6 comments

ExcelFilter: I've got a specific problem in mind [inside for the curious/helpful], but more importantly I'm looking for an advanced tutorial for excel. I'm looking to go from someone who is confident with excel to being a full-on pro. Books are ok, but I'd prefer internet (i.e. free) resources. I am using Office v.X for Mac, but I think most techniques will translate pretty well across platforms. I'm looking for things like recursive formulas, modeling theory, little-known tools/techniques, pivot tables, etc. [more inside]
posted by rorycberger at 6:21 PM PST - 17 comments

I give up! Just how in the hell do you add an item to Explorer's ShellNew menu? [more inside]
posted by kjh at 5:32 PM PST - 7 comments

Flash Masters: Who are the best? Who is the Zeldman of Flash Design/Applications? I'm interested in knowing who has wide acclaim -- and maybe about those who should but don't yet. [more inside]
posted by weston at 4:34 PM PST - 10 comments

I want to believe in XHTML/CSS. I want my structure entirely separate from my layout. But I also think it might all be a big lie, and not because of browser difficulties. Please help clear my misunderstanding. Further explanation - your people call it "more" - is inside. [more inside]
posted by tirade at 3:57 PM PST - 24 comments

Ignorant Canadian question of the day: Why isn't/doesn't Al Gore run in November? It seems that even those who hate Bush think Kerry doesn't have enough personality to win. Would Gore not be a shoe-in? Does he just not want to take over the mess that's been created by Bush or... ?
posted by dobbs at 3:21 PM PST - 22 comments

Is there any good solution for multi-url blog software? I've got a bunch of domains, and I want to run different blogs on each of them, but I don't want to have to install, say, a separate copy of Wordpress for each of them (and then have to go update all of them individually when there's an update). They're all located on the same physical server (linux/Apache).

Any ideas?
posted by Caviar at 2:52 PM PST - 7 comments

MedFilter: Is there any reason why, with an enriched blood supply attached, a severed head couldn't be kept alive? If so, could it be kept alive beyond typical life expectancy? The only worthwhile attempt at an answer I can dig up is this, but I imagine this question comes up in med school quite a lot.. (There is a particularly kookie book called If We Can Keep A Severed Head Alive.. on this topic but it's generally regarded as 'nut literature'.)
posted by wackybrit at 1:22 PM PST - 22 comments

I'm listening to some Public Enemy MP3s and it has ocurred to me that I don't know, nor have I ever known, what "cold lampin'" means or refers to. Anyone?
posted by archimago at 11:55 AM PST - 12 comments

I'm trying to think of a good name for a three-legged cat of unknown gender. Any suggestions?
posted by john m at 11:15 AM PST - 44 comments

HomeBrewFilter: I boiled this Belgian Ale Kit last night. Today, there's absolutely no carbonation coming out of the airlock. Nothing. I am concerned that the yeast might have been damaged. Should I worry about it now? Or wait and see a bit longer?
posted by scarabic at 10:56 AM PST - 17 comments

Does anyone here use satellite internet access? [obMI] [more inside]
posted by ook at 10:26 AM PST - 18 comments

ShippingFilter: Can you send soda cans via snail mail without them exploding en route? Any special packaging required? Please help me liberate some captive Dr Pepper from Milan...
posted by romakimmy at 9:47 AM PST - 7 comments

I just got my new refurbished Dell desktop, and noticed there's a hair trapped behind the glass of the flat-panel monitor. It's just big enough to be annoying, not big enough to definitely warrant sending the thing back. Any way I could crack this baby open myself and get it out?
posted by gottabefunky at 9:37 AM PST - 6 comments

Upgrade Filter: I would like to change my boot drive. What is the easiest way? [MI] [more inside]
posted by eas98 at 9:27 AM PST - 5 comments

Big fan of Firefox & T-Bird here. However, I'm used to being able to send a page as an attachment, not just a link in an email. I'm sure I could do this in Mozilla - why'd they leave this very useful function out of this build? [Googleis not that helpful - any solutions?]
posted by dash_slot- at 8:47 AM PST - 5 comments

Does anyone remember a website that you could download software and mark up exsisting websites? It had a pen and highlighter tool along with a sticky note feature.
posted by Macboy at 7:18 AM PST - 8 comments

Ok in iChat you can "show your status in the menubar". While I really like this, it only shows my buddys who are available and not the idle or away buddies. Is there a way to change this? Also is there an equivalent thing for MSN messenger? I really like the ability to see who is on without having to switch to the application unless I have to. I am working on a 12inch iBook so screen space is very limited and thus switching from one app to another, and then rehiding them is not what I am looking for.
posted by thebwit at 6:08 AM PST - 1 comment

Can you name these tunes?
1. This one sounds like movie music, but I haven't been able to track it down.

2. I think this is the bonus track on Spell's "Mississippi" album. Can anyone verify?

3. This was recorded off a college radio station in Lowell MA in the early 90s. It's a mix of a song, and a woman speaking about pleasuring herself (the "I am satisfied" parts..... Can anyone find the source of either?
4. And another one from the same mix tape...
posted by quibx at 4:35 AM PST - 12 comments

Attention mid-90s earworm pop fans: Alizee's "Moi Lolita" was widely released in 2002, but I swear I recognize that bass-line, and it's driving me absolutely crazy. Can anyone figure out what song I'm thinking of? I'm guessing something like Ace of Base, Aqua or even Daft Punk...
posted by Marquis at 11:15 PM PST - 15 comments

Where can I find funny flash movies on the internet? I'm bored with homestarrunner, jibjab, threebrain, and I've exhausted sites like shockwave.com, ebaumsworld, newgrounds and campchaos. It's going to take more than a dancing banana to make me laugh. Who is producing the best stuff, and where is it?
posted by banished at 10:00 PM PST - 12 comments

Other than a fairly obscure Midwestern rockabilly band found via freedb, is anyone aware of a rock and roll band recording a cover of the great Motown tune What Becomes of the Brokenhearted? After watching the terrific Standing in the Shadows of Motown I am craving to hear this done with some blistering guitar. Help me?
posted by billsaysthis at 9:03 PM PST - 8 comments

Wireless Filter. I'm trying to make a Linksys BEFW11S4 v4's Internet light stop flashing so insanely. It's affecting internet speed in a big, big way. [MI] [more inside]
posted by bonaldi at 9:03 PM PST - 18 comments

Audionazi-filter: I have just bought a Dolby 5.1 sound system. Please tell me why I should or shouldn't listen to my CDs, recorded in stereo, using all six speakers. [And slightly related: What movies should I rent for their brilliant 5.1 sound?]
posted by meech at 7:39 PM PST - 18 comments

What's a good opening line for a letter applying for a posted job? I'm not looking for cute; I just think that "I am interested in the blah blah position listed in the Daily blah blah." is a bad opening gambit.
posted by blueshammer at 7:18 PM PST - 14 comments

What are the best local/unsigned bands where you live? What do they sound like?
posted by Ufez Jones at 6:06 PM PST - 29 comments

Recommendations, please, for verification of uptime claims. The company in question runs a large server farm that hosts sites it creates for a niche industry. Its customer base is comprised of technically clueless unsophisticated folks, so questioning their references is useless. Are there other ways to verify a claim that a certain domain or IP hasn't had a single service interruption in several years? Or at least verify whether they're delivering 99.9% uptime?
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 5:26 PM PST - 15 comments

I want to add some plants to my deck and I'm looking for planters, or rather looking for industrial materials which might make good planters that can be bought for cheap. I spent hours on my Tandy looking through Google and Froogle, but can't seen to find anything appropriate. What I'm dreaming about would be any sort of tub or industrial looking trough or whatever which could be adapted to hold various plants. Metal and wood are the desired materials. If anyone has advice about where to go, how to look, or on specific materials that might make good planters, please post!
posted by chaz at 3:58 PM PST - 9 comments

TranslationFilter: This might be a slim chance, but can anyone give me a general idea of what this page says? It has my picture on it , and I'm really curious what the article is about. I've tried running it through several different online translators and haven't had any luck finding a translation that made sense. I also e-mailed the editor of the page, and didn't receive a response.

(P.S.: The picture is an old one from a drunken college party, hence the dazed look and various states of undress.)
posted by anonymous at 2:34 PM PST - 35 comments

I am fairly well resolved to do what must be done to turn my girlfriend into my fiance. One thing is delaying this: I'd like to get an engagement ring without enriching the diamond monopoly (she and I are both on the same page about this). What's to know about substitute/faux/synthetic gemstones? Are they worth it? What would make a good ring given this unorthodox constraint? Any and all suggestions much appreciated!
posted by cleetus at 1:20 PM PST - 32 comments

The 1, Q, A, Z, R & I keys on my Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite stopped working all of a sudden. Another keyboard plugged into the same computer works fine, so I'm pretty sure it's a hardware issue. Is there anything I could do to fix it?
posted by signal at 12:54 PM PST - 8 comments

Where can I find information on long-term parking around the Humphrey terminal at the Minneapolis/St Paul airport?
posted by punishinglemur at 12:39 PM PST - 3 comments

It must have been circa September 1995 - January 1996... I saw this book at the art museum book store. I can't recall the artist's name and I have wished that I wrote it down or bought the book ever since.... it was paintings of people working in a quarry like setting and the walls and rocks and boulders had words on them. I remember red... like some of the paintings were done in shades of red (this might be my memory playing tricks on me). Any idea who the artist is? I've never been able to track he/she/it down.
posted by pissfactory at 10:26 AM PST - 3 comments

My web host has suspended two of my sites, probably because the billing info is outdated. I am on the road with a lousy connection, and they're not answering my emails. What to do? [more inside]
posted by muckster at 9:48 AM PST - 6 comments

I was on a road trip recently, and we fell to wondering whether the car uses gas faster when full or nearly empty. My friend said one thing, I had heard another, and harbor a suspicion that it's all urban myth anyway. Any ideas?
posted by kaibutsu at 9:44 AM PST - 21 comments

Catch 22: I am applying to Social Security for disability. I need my birth certificate. To get my birth certificate from Pennsylvania, I need a valid government-issued ID bearing my current address (driver's license). To change my driver's license to my current address in South Carolina, I need my birth certificate (implemented 6/04 due to Patriot Act).

Has anyone run into this and figured out how to break the loop? I have already called Social Security, SC DMV and PA Vital Records AND talked to supervisors. Is my congressman next?
posted by mischief at 9:43 AM PST - 14 comments

I saw Cirque du Soleil's "O" in Las Vegas. One of the best shows that I've ever seen. However, it did lead to one of those, "How did they do that moments." (More inside. If you haven't seen the show and think you may, you may want ot pass on viewing). [more inside]
posted by rtimmel at 8:50 AM PST - 5 comments

What are some good mulitplayer PC games that we can play around the office when working late? [more inside]
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 7:32 AM PST - 18 comments

How safe is it to have a brokerage hold your securities in street name? [more inside]
posted by crumbly at 7:21 AM PST - 5 comments

When you buy a new car, does it really matter when in the model year you buy it?
posted by smackfu at 6:26 AM PST - 16 comments

does anyone else remember this or am i going insane?
...one of those cartoons from sesame street (i think) where an african-american boy wearing a hat over his eyes gets asked by his mom to go out and get:

"a loaf of bread, a stick of butter, and a gallon of milk."

he goes out into the world accompanied by funky music, doing a very shaggy-esque, spaghetti-arms, kind of walk.

does anyone know this cartoon short? does anyone know where i can get a copy (if it does exist outside of my mind)?
posted by ronv at 10:24 PM PST - 53 comments

Any help here would be appreciated, as I am at a total loss: A good friend is getting married this month. I am not attending the ceremony, as it is family only, but I would like to send a small congratulatory gift. However, I'm pretty broke. I don't want to go the giftcard route; that's unoriginal. Any of you married MeFites, is there some small, inexpensive gadget/tchotchke you wish you'd been given as a newlywed that you would have appreciated more than a blender or electric can opener?
posted by ScarletSpectrum at 9:37 PM PST - 39 comments

Do you recognize this story? Perhaps 15 years ago, I saw a short film or PBS show about a fictional world where it rained for a decade, and then the sun would come out for one day. The show focused on a school full of children, who were preparing for the sun to make one of its rare appearences. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by arielmeadow at 8:15 PM PST - 22 comments

SellMyCarFilter: Okay, so I'm looking to sell my car. I've never done this before and I was courious if anyone would have some advice/experiences/etc. [yes, there will be more inside] [more inside]
posted by Stynxno at 6:03 PM PST - 14 comments

I recently went to a concert and bought a special package that included digital recordings of a few songs. The format is .asf but I run a Mac, 10.2.8. Windows Media Player isn't playing the files. What's my option now?
posted by BlueTrain at 5:50 PM PST - 13 comments

I am looking for a Wiki engine for a corporate knowledge-base; I've tried a few already, and I am discouraged by the selection so far. Recommendations? (more inside, of course) [more inside]
posted by costas at 5:32 PM PST - 7 comments

So when is Ken Jennings going to lose (or quit)? This is not a rhetorical question. All his shows were taped in February. After going through 60 competitors in front of thousands of audience members, how can this still be a well-kept secret? (spoilers inside, hopefully...)
posted by PrinceValium at 4:59 PM PST - 10 comments

A few questions for anyone who has set up/administered a torrent tracker: Is running a tracker gonna take lots of bandwidth and/or server cpu cycles? Are some trackers more efficient in these respects than others? Whats the best open-source PHP tracker? Answers and any other caveats much appreciated.
posted by Fupped Duck at 4:26 PM PST - 2 comments

I need recommendations for a contact database [details forthwith]. [more inside]
posted by karmaville at 3:26 PM PST - 6 comments

What's the truth about cholesterol? I'm afraid to take statins, and don't know who to believe anymore.
posted by mecran01 at 2:50 PM PST - 10 comments

This is kind of an embarassing question. Is there any decent cheap or shareware software for building basic websites? I know how to edit HTML pretty well, and even tinker with CSS to get it to do what I want, but I don't know how page structure/architecture really works. I want to build a very basic website where I can have an inaccessible image/media folder (to serve to my Blogger-hosted blog, which I'll eventually migrate to a subdomain) and just a few pages of text. All I get from the controls where my domain name is hosted (GoDaddy) is an IP address and a login. After that it's up to me, evidently.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 2:21 PM PST - 12 comments

I'm looking for relatively recent statistics about the number of sexual partners gay men have. All I can find are conservative sites citing absurd data from the late 1970s (2/3 have more than 500 partners a year, etc.).
posted by Tlogmer at 2:04 PM PST - 9 comments

Unwanted scent removal: I stepped in dog crap this morning on the way out to the car. I scraped off what I could, and hosed off the rest, but of course the scent is lingering, and driving me crazy in my cube. Does anyone know any easy, work-friendly ways to get rid of doggie-doo odor, or at least something I can do when I get home so it doesn't bug me again tomorrow?
posted by jammer at 1:26 PM PST - 8 comments

Inspired by this thread and informed by this thread, I've decided that I definitely need to run away from home. I've been in New England all my life, and I have close to zero experience with the rest of the country. Specific questions inside (covering topics such as Virginia, Oregon, commercial radio stations, and being young and looking for good nightlife). [more inside]
posted by TurkishGolds at 1:14 PM PST - 31 comments

I'm going to CHICAGO in mid-August. I'll be there strictly for entertainment purposes only, so anything is possible. I've never been to Chicago (which is why I'm going) and would love to hear what some of you think are the best things to do, the best places to visit, and the best places to eat. What are the best places to have a beer(s) and see a band? Can I safely rely on public transportation or should I rent a car? How hard is it to get Cubs tickets (they have a home series against the Dodgers that week). Thanks!
posted by Witty at 11:52 AM PST - 38 comments

When we die we are typically buried or burned. But it doesnt have to be that way I have heard about cryogenics, mummification, blasting into space. Where can I learn about the alternative options available for transition? (not me anytime soon).
posted by stbalbach at 11:43 AM PST - 12 comments

Online pharmaceuticals: Experiences? [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 11:30 AM PST - 6 comments

Guy finds an iPod on the aeroplane and decided to track down the owner. What acts of human generosity towards yourself have you experienced?
posted by ralawrence at 10:14 AM PST - 16 comments

I think I'm learning Japanese, I really think so... How do I proceed? [more inside]
posted by jpoulos at 9:43 AM PST - 15 comments

Faux-Beatlefilter: There are two Beatles tribute/impersonator related questions that I have been unable to find answers to thus far. One deals with remembering the title of a certain CD; the other, tracking down a documentary. More is inside. [more inside]
posted by adamkempa at 9:22 AM PST - 9 comments

LudditeFilter: My new laptop came with MS Works and I hate it. I'm pining for my trusty Word. Is there a way to copy the program from my old computer and install it on the new one? I no longer have any of the original discs.
posted by CunningLinguist at 9:12 AM PST - 8 comments

Internet Telephony - What is the best way - quality and price - to do PC to PC or PC to phone communication with Windows? Headset recommendations (wireless??) ? USB versus soundcard plugs?
posted by srboisvert at 8:49 AM PST - 1 comment

I want to live a nomadic-ish lifestyle for a few years. What type of employment would you recommend? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by studentbaker at 8:32 AM PST - 22 comments

Warning: F911 question.

The kids in the classroom during My Pet Goat were reading the book out loud in this shouting, choppy cadence with no regard to content or inflection etc. At the end of each sentence, the teacher would give them sort of drill instruction; I think one of which was something like 'Now we're going to read the next sentence without any mistakes'. Cue kids barking words in sequence. Is this some sort of new teaching method?
posted by pieoverdone at 8:18 AM PST - 5 comments

Soccerfilter: We've seen Beckham bend it. But what's really the most acute angle you can curve a football? Can it like 'boomerang'? I ask this to settle a very very very serious argument.
posted by timyang at 8:00 AM PST - 6 comments

I love kokogiak's bookmarklet for inserting printable link footnotes at the bottom of pages. However, it's IE only. Does anyone know of a way to do this with Firefox?
posted by monju_bosatsu at 6:42 AM PST - 2 comments

Do I have allergies? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by nelleish at 6:20 AM PST - 10 comments

What is your experience with DSL vs Cable? What about Satelite DSL from Directv? Moving next week and trying to decide what to use for the house. Thanks in advance.
posted by Macboy at 5:46 AM PST - 19 comments

Time dilation and relative speed. If the speed we travel is relative to the thing we're travelling away from, then how does the universe know which of the two things is actually moving? (so time dilation can occur) Is there a known universal "zero-speed"? If so, at what speed is the earth moving, and would it make a difference to the time dilation depending on the direction a spaceship moved away from the earth?
posted by seanyboy at 4:53 AM PST - 17 comments

How do I get a summer job in London? I'd like to make a bit of extra cash before I go to uni, so I would like to get a job that lasts me up until the end of August. I have no real experience, but I am willing to do pretty much anything. So, how do I go about it?
posted by Orange Goblin at 2:37 AM PST - 8 comments

I'm looking to import entries from another journalling system into MT, but I lack the scripting skills necessary to convert the entries into an MT-friendly format. [Less inside. Less is more!] [more inside]
posted by Jairus at 2:19 AM PST - 6 comments

Has anyone here conquered a fear of flying (or knows someone who has)? How'd you do it? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by msacheson at 11:51 PM PST - 16 comments

Good Mexican Food and Record Stores in Denver, anyone? Enter for more... [more inside]
posted by TomSophieIvy at 10:11 PM PST - 18 comments

Can collections agencies reset the clock? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 10:10 PM PST - 3 comments

Is it possible for me to swap the 12" screen from my G3 iBook into a 12" aluminum PowerBook? [more inside]
posted by armchairsocialist at 9:28 PM PST - 8 comments

What are the odds of a straight flush beats four of a kind on the river in Texas Hold'em?
posted by brent at 8:47 PM PST - 18 comments

I want to head to Tasmania. Anyone been there?[momo] [more inside]
posted by bob sarabia at 8:23 PM PST - 5 comments

So sharks can smell one part blood in one million parts seawater. How? I understand that the blood would diffuse in water, but wouldn't at least a particle of the blood have to come into contact with the shark? Does diffusion happen that fast?
posted by Coffeemate at 8:10 PM PST - 11 comments

Any of you guys have experience with RTW (round the world) air travel tickets? Any particular ones to recommend? I have been looking into STA off and on, and several other options have been uncovered. But it seems all the data I can find is depressingly out of date. I tried futzing around on this webboard, but, not knowing much at all about airports, pro-level flying, and the like, I was incredibly intimidated to the point of "not knowing where to start." [more inside]
posted by oog at 7:51 PM PST - 11 comments

Please relate your mobile home experiences... [more inside]
posted by five fresh fish at 7:12 PM PST - 21 comments

What is the significance of the word "bar" in the American Bar Association? What does "bar" have to do with the law?
posted by rorycberger at 6:28 PM PST - 5 comments

software. dvd2onex: suddenly started crashing. any ideas?
posted by folktrash at 6:15 PM PST - 1 comment

Any advice on repelling hungry bunnies? [more inside]
posted by gimonca at 5:49 PM PST - 11 comments

Physics of Color: I understand that color arises from the uneven absorption of the different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, and is decoded in the eye by the rods and cones &c., but what is it about the physical structure of materials that makes them have distinct absorption profiles in the first place? In other words, why is grass green?
posted by signal at 4:08 PM PST - 7 comments

Has anybody tried the Johnson O'Connor Aptitude Test? It was enthusiastically recommended to me, and some of the information I've found makes sense, but I'd like a little more data before I try it, because:

• It's expen$ive
  
• Some of the "science" sounds like new-age horsefeathers
  
• The site is hosted at AOL, which sets off "scam" warning bells
  
• There aren't any straightforward "I did it and it was/wasn't worth it" accounts on the Web.
  

posted by spacewrench at 3:57 PM PST - 3 comments

ExperienceFilter: so I'm going back to Cali (from Texas) in a couple of weeks to be in a dear friend's wedding. I'm a cheapskate, and deathly afraid to fly (though I will if I must), and have found, much to my surprise, that Amtrak offers the cheapest ($276 vs. $375 bus and $400-800 air) round-trip fare by far. However, the few people I've spoken with all semi-shudder at the thought of taking the train long-distance, mainly due to unexplained delays. What's your long train ride experience? Is it worth the cheap fare?
posted by WolfDaddy at 3:49 PM PST - 30 comments

Parentfilter (which would be a nice idea, btw). The Boy has grown out of his backward facing car seat (Jersey law is 20 lbs and one year. He'll meet both in 12 days), and we need to upgrade into something forward facing. I've hit a bunch of sites comparing the safety and prices, but I'm hoping for advice from people using them. Who makes the best car seat for children?
posted by FunkyHelix at 3:45 PM PST - 8 comments

I'm looking for a story written in Victorian times, which was basically the author predicting what everything would be like in the 1990's. I think it was in Project Gutenberg, and it had funny predictions such as that we'd all have wires going from our houses to local concert halls so we could listen to the 'latest music' in every room! This story has eluded me for some years now, and I want to read it again. And to avoid this becoming a useless 0 answer question, if anyone can recommend any other notable old stories or books which try to guess what the future would be like, this is the ideal place!
posted by wackybrit at 2:18 PM PST - 20 comments

I am looking for a Mac based solution to a transcription problem. I want to have a set up where a Mac could play an MP3 file of an interview (possibly recorded on an iPod with a voice recorder), capture the sound with some sort of voice recognition, and give me back a raw text file. Is this possible, or am I still 5 years too early to be hoping for such a thing? [more inside]
posted by thirteen at 2:13 PM PST - 9 comments

How do you deal with fear when engaged in a sport that involves risk of physical injury or death?

I raced bicycles for a number of years, then quit after having a frightening experience with something that my doctor identified as a symptom of a benign sinus arrhythmia - felt like I was having a heart attack.

In a climbing gym, I fell and got flipped upside down and smacked into the wall several times and can't seem to give 100% anymore because I'm afraid of the same thing happening again.

Yesterday afternoon I had my first motorcycle crash - I'm fine, and the bike is mostly fine - and I'm now rather spooked. My gear worked well, the bike needs a new shift lever, and all I'm left with is some bruises and a newfound worry.

I feel like I'm spooking myself out of all the things that I really enjoy doing after having some reasonably benign experiences. So how do others who love sports or other activities that involve risk manage their fears and regain their willingness to push themselves?

Is it silly for me to ask this question?
posted by gkostolny at 1:07 PM PST - 25 comments

[PhysicsFilter] This has been troubling me for a while and the answers I've gotten haven't satisfied me. Nothing travels faster than the speed of light for all intents and purposes, information included. I think I have a way around that, but I've been told it won't work. [More inside] [more inside]
posted by tommasz at 11:33 AM PST - 48 comments

Ancient mac to modern PC. After two years using ClarisWorks and Quark XPress to do all my work on a Mac running OS 8.6, I'm changing jobs. I want to burn several hundred documents to CDs to bring with me. Is there a way to automatically add file extensions so my PC knows what it's looking at? Can I expect to open ClarisWorks 5.0 documents anywhere but on an ancient Mac anyhow?
posted by croutonsupafreak at 9:45 AM PST - 6 comments

Looking for cheap, crappy stock photography. I recently revived an old project of mine, a photomosic program, and I need source material, lots of it. [more inside]
posted by RustyBrooks at 9:06 AM PST - 27 comments

Because I'm an old lady, I somehow completely missed out on the whole MP3 phenomenon. (please continue inside if interested in helping me learn more) [more inside]
posted by pomegranate at 8:43 AM PST - 28 comments

Which Dreamweaver MX 2004 extension do I need? --So my company insists on using this crazy versioning system (TeamSite) which means that every edit I make to my project site can only be viewed after no less than seven interim steps. All I want to do is view my edits locally before I go through the hassle that is uploading to the development workarea. [mi] [more inside]
posted by precocious at 7:54 AM PST - 9 comments

how can i save voicemails from my cellphone to a more permanent place? for stupid, sentimental reasons, i'd like to transfer voicemails from my cellphone to a tape or a cd or just something i can keep. i have verizon wireless, and an LG4500 phone, no bells, no whistles, no peripherals beyond the charger. i'm *this* close to holding the phone up to the mic on my old boombox, but if there's a better solution, i'm all for it.
posted by crush-onastick at 7:36 AM PST - 10 comments

What's a good 'thank you' gift for a couple of vegans? [more inside]
posted by bondcliff at 7:31 AM PST - 16 comments

SixFeetUnderFilter: What kind of dog was in last night's episode?
posted by agregoli at 7:26 AM PST - 6 comments

Organic Chemistry [mi] [more inside]
posted by mhaw at 6:21 AM PST - 6 comments

Manhattan lounges / house music?? Anyone have a favorite lounge / club / bar that plays good house / ecclectic music in NYC. Some friends and I are looking for some non-bling-bling places to hang out, with some cool people, nice ambience, and great music. Meet us there from July 16-19 and we will buy you and your friends a lot of strong drinks!
posted by jasondigitized at 5:47 AM PST - 4 comments

What application do you use to record TV on your pc? (More Inside) [more inside]
posted by sebas at 5:34 AM PST - 13 comments

Anyone know any good books on developing self discipline? All the books I'm running across while searching are for child rearing.
posted by pissfactory at 5:26 AM PST - 10 comments

I am looking to create a domain name. I have researched the general rules for choosing a good name, but I am wondering if there is any research or any information out there on how to create a name (prefix and suffix examples maybe?) that are as phonetically unambiguous as possible. For example, woo.com could also be spelled wu.com, and I would want to create a name that avoids as many of these ambiguities as possible.
posted by banished at 4:24 AM PST - 1 comment

Christies runs an interesting Art Education program, as does Soethby's, and Boston's Museum of Fine Art. Anyone know or any other programs out there along those lines?
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:21 AM PST - 0 comments

Are there any reports, stats, or studies which might give me a more accurate picture of the percentage of people who use Windows or the Mac OS at home? What I'm curious about is how the numbers break down after you remove the vast number of PCs / Windows machines purchased by offices, and the rather inaccurate way that market share is determined.
posted by theNonsuch at 11:30 PM PST - 19 comments

Home Studio Questions:
(1) opinions of Pro Tools vs GarageBand or other multitrack audio tools that run on a Mac (DP? Deck?)?
(2) What are the *most* useful home studio items you've ever bought, the ones you wouldn't want to do without?
(3) What are the *least* useful items you've ever bought -- stuff you got and then later thought "well, that was disappointing"?
posted by weston at 10:40 PM PST - 26 comments

[BikeFilter] Two questions about basic bike design:
(1) I understand gear ratios, but does the actual size of the gears make a mechanical difference?
(2) Why aren't the seatposts on bikes square? [more inside]
posted by LairBob at 10:22 PM PST - 21 comments

Fix my eyes (I think). My eyes seem tired at the end of the night. I'm 36 (soon 37) and without glasses. Options? (more inside of course) [more inside]
posted by filmgeek at 8:36 PM PST - 12 comments

Frusterating condition filter, for the past say, 3 weeks I've had these weird stomach problems. Been to the doctor, prescribed Zantac, sort of helped but now not anymore, going again within the next few days. I'm looking more of the "Yeah I had that, no big deal", because diagnosing oneself by typing in symptoms is scaring the hell out of me. [more inside]
posted by geoff. at 5:09 PM PST - 16 comments

Potatoes don't last more than a week in my apartment. There is no cool, dry place to store them - my pantry is just as hot and muggy as the rest of the place. Any tips on creating a potato-friendly atmosphere in there? Would sticking them in a dry Igloo container help? Or am I doomed to a potato-less summer? [more inside]
posted by Hypharse at 4:51 PM PST - 7 comments

I just bought an overpriced piece of luggage and as a method to make sure it's easily recognizeable (like all modern luggage it's plain black fabric) and lower it's inherent value i want to place a sticker on it that says "This is not your bag" in as many languages as possible. I just don't trust babelfish not to make my bag say "bag yours not" so i'm hopeing i can steal some of that bilingual knowledge out there.
posted by NGnerd at 4:51 PM PST - 35 comments

Every year I run a caravan from Los Angeles to Las Vegas for the annual Defcon hacker convention. We net about 50 cars and run a micropower radio station out of the pace car to keep them all up to date. Since listening to traffic updates for three hours isn't very compelling we liven up the mix by throwing down a mix of road trip friendly music spooled off a laptop in the off times.

Basically, I've played DJ [spinning everything from techno to punk to country] for the past five years and I'm starting to run out of fresh ideas. I thought I'd ask the collective at Ask.MeFi what they like to listen to when they take a road trip. Genre isn't an issue, as long as it has a driving beat I'd be likely to use it. Thanks!
posted by boogah at 2:36 PM PST - 34 comments

I want to learn how to make preserves, jams, pickles, and other such things. But, I don't want to die from botulism. I have a fairly basic grasp of how the sterilization process works, and I'd like some pointers to/on techniques, supplies, cookbooks, whatever anyone who's got some experience in the matter might recommend.
posted by kenko at 2:15 PM PST - 6 comments

Is there such a thing as good canned chili? Note: I grew up in Texas.
posted by Nelson at 1:24 PM PST - 22 comments

I'm having a strange problem with LCD displays on electronic instruments... [more inside]
posted by cmonkey at 1:19 PM PST - 2 comments

A bit of a companion to the MMORPG question, can you recommend a few good PC RPGs that are self-contained? I love MMORPGs, but just can't afford the monthly fees anymore. {More Inside} [more inside]
posted by headspace at 12:47 PM PST - 18 comments

Plantfilter. And I mean that literally. I seek recommendations for my next potted plant, and I want one which can filter the air. More inside. [more inside]
posted by brownpau at 11:21 AM PST - 9 comments

Can anyone recommend a solid electrician in the Boston area?
posted by josh at 9:58 AM PST - 1 comment

Does anyone know the music used on the credits for Fahrenheit 9/11? It sounds like Godspeed You! Black Emperor but I don't think it is. The credits themselves say music by Jeff Gibbs, but I’ve not had any luck with that. Help please!
posted by ed\26h at 7:26 AM PST - 8 comments

Where did my hosting company go? I have a reseller account with ADT Hosting and they have always provided good service. Until today. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by dg at 5:28 AM PST - 10 comments

I'd like to get music under-the-hood. I was listening to this CD, on which Leonard Bernstein explains some of the inner workings of Beethoven's 3nd Symphony, and I really enjoyed the explanations. Now, I love music, but only as a lay-person. I can't play an instrument, and I can't read musical notation. But I'd like to be able to listen to a symphony and understand what the composer is doing with harmonics, tempo, overtones and the like. How do I learn this? Are there any good books? Or is the only way to learn it to go to an music school for ten years? I guess the perfect resource would be a book with a CD. In the book, a musical term would be described, and you'd be instructed to play a specific track on the CD to help you understand the concept.
posted by grumblebee at 5:25 AM PST - 6 comments

(Probably more useful for next time, but...) My niece (6) and nephew (4) are over, spending the night. After about an hour with our "toy box," they were officially Bored. Mom and Dad won't be here for a good four hours yet. How to entertain kids with a neighborhood full of friends at home and a toy room that rivals Toys R Us?
posted by ferociouskitty at 5:21 AM PST - 21 comments

Remedial weighted averages for the mathematically illiterate – or, can the 10% of you who understand math help the remaining 95% of us who don't? [mi]. [more inside]
posted by RavinDave at 1:38 AM PST - 4 comments

Any advice from self-employed web designers on how to deal with near delinquent clients? (More inside) [more inside]
posted by phyrewerx at 7:08 PM PST - 11 comments

Is there anyway to have MT use PHP's built-in mail function, instead of SMTP or sendmail to send me my forgotten password? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by kchristidis at 6:28 PM PST - 7 comments

About tempeh. I've been driving 20 miles occasionally to get tempeh burgers from native foods . I've bought both of their cookbooks and I intend to start making my own burgers. I assume that I can I find tempeh at health food stores but I assume that there is a lot of variability between tempeh brands. I was hoping that I could get pointers to local brands (in Los Angeles) that would be well suited to making veggie burgers. Any tips on cooking tempeh would be appreciated too.
posted by rdr at 6:14 PM PST - 3 comments

Question for people who know something about hardware, and who might come from more icy climates than I do - what's the best way to saw through frozen soil cores (4 inches in diameter)? I've got several hundred frozen cylinders of soil I have to slice up for my research, and I'm worried that any standard saw blade I use is going to go blunt in 5 minutes. Circular saw or band saw? Blade material?
posted by Jimbob at 4:28 PM PST - 10 comments

What's a good newsreader for Linux for binaries?
posted by kenko at 3:24 PM PST - 7 comments

My 1994 Honda Accord's cooling fan won't turn off after I turn the car off. However, if I remove the cooling fan fuse, the fan will shut off. The fuse does not appear to be blown. When I put the fuse back in, it sparks like a mad mo'fo' and the cooling fan turns back on. Any ideas what the problem is and how much it'de run me for a repair or is there a quick fix for it?
posted by jmd82 at 3:16 PM PST - 9 comments

I'm looking for a good, but very basic Excel tutorial. I'm somewhat familar with computers at large, but suddenly faced with an office productivity application my eyes are rolling up in my head and I'm drooling liberally. [more inside]
posted by elwoodwiles at 2:07 PM PST - 3 comments

Is there a way to horizontally flip the contents of a window in Windows XP (or, specifically, in PowerDVD or a program that plays DVDs) to create a mirror image of that entire window's contents? Any type of solution would be welcome, except for facing the monitor towards an actual mirror. I'm playing an instructional dance DVD, and I need to watch the mirror image.
posted by realityblurred at 1:11 PM PST - 2 comments

I'm currently looking at notebooks in the UK for the simple things in life - word processing, playing championship manager etc. Maybe the occasional DVD or C&C: Red Alert. Looking around, there seem to be a number of IBM ThinkPad T22's around at around £400 (PIII 900 Mhz, 256Mb, 20gb hd, 14.1 TFT) - does anyone know of any other good deals in the £400-£600 bracket?
posted by Mossy at 11:41 AM PST - 1 comment

What is the origin of the quote: "Life is just a swirling, sucking whirlpool of despair, filled with brief flashes of false hope, in an ever-blackening universe." [more inside] [more inside]
posted by y6y6y6 at 9:43 AM PST - 20 comments

Thanks for your help with this question. Now, I have another one dealing with VPN's. I need to remote desktop into my work computer and when I don't use the default internet gateway for my vpn, I can't connect to the remote desktop. However, I was told that if I setup a static route to a certain IP through the vpn adaptor each time after I connect to the VPN, it should work. How do I do that? I'm on windows XP, home edition.
posted by Stynxno at 8:02 AM PST - 1 comment

Is anyone aware of a method (online or otherwise) for determining to whom a vehicle is registered if you know the license plate number - without actually being a law enforcement officer yourself? Google's only turned up for-pay services (that start at US$30 or so). The vehicle is registered in Illinois, if that impacts the answer...
posted by JollyWanker at 7:36 AM PST - 4 comments

Hi, I can't seem to find information on a kung fu movie. There is some type of training scene, with a hollow man shaped device with roller tracks and bearings that run inside. A fighter keeps doing kung fu on this, while the ball bearings move along the tracks inside. Would anyone know the name of this movie?
posted by plexi at 6:22 AM PST - 5 comments

I just had a dream. In the dream I had recollection of another dream I had (in the dream, I say! an actual other dream I had about a year ago!). Then when I woke up, over making the morning joe, I recalled not only the dream from last night, but the recollection of the dream from a year ago, and how the experience of recalling a dream within a dream felt. What the hell do you call that?
posted by pissfactory at 3:31 AM PST - 13 comments

BushTrotsky? To my non-historian eyes, the war on terror and to some extent the war on drugs strike me as neotrotskyesque. Is this a fair characterization, or have other political philosophers advanced a theory more similar to the current trends in modern US "war"?
posted by Kwantsar at 1:07 AM PST - 5 comments

Here is an appeal to the Classics scholars out there. Some time ago I read an article that told a story in passing of the effects of live drama upon an unsophisticated audience in a provincial town in the Roman empire. The citizens had hitherto never been exposed to the particular form--it was on the comedic end of the scale and involved singing as I imperfectly recall--and reacted with a sort of mass hysteria: they went into a mass swoon, rioted and things fell apart and days later there were still people in the streets singing the choruses of the songs. I have tried to Google this a number of times and have yet to find anything resembling what I read. Does this ring a bell with anyone here ?
posted by y2karl at 12:18 AM PST - 19 comments

I was stop and go driving for about an hour today (hanging flyers for my job; the car's a manual transmission '95 Saturn) and after I finished I was heading back to the store when I hear a pop and my stick shift is just wobbling around. I still have to hold the clutch to start the car but it is stuck in second gear so I can get it going but only drive 10-15mph. What in the hell just happened?
posted by untuckedshirts at 7:49 PM PST - 11 comments

Do admirals in the modern navy spend much or any time aboard ships or are they always on land?
posted by badstone at 6:06 PM PST - 6 comments

MPG1 + CD-R = VCD

MPG1 + DVD-R = ???

Preferably, something I can play on my console DVD player.
posted by scarabic at 5:29 PM PST - 11 comments

RealEstateFilter! Anyone have experience owning a single family home (not manufactured/mobile home) on leasehold land, aka "land lease" aka "ground lease"? What are the pitfalls to look out for? How easy was it to get financing and insurance? Is the tax deduction different? Do "community guidelines" become a pretext for neighbors to butt into each others' lives and dip into the collective pocketbooks? Are Indian leases more preferable, less, or not a factor?

Here's the little info I found through Google.
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 2:26 PM PST - 0 comments

Specific things to do in Toronto to fill time and meet people....? I have way too much time on my hands and have been thinking of volunteering and/or taking classes. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by dobbs at 1:27 PM PST - 16 comments

How far in advance do presidential candidates and their political parties make plans for the nation? That is to say, do they have a set of stated goals or milestones for the next 4 years? 8 Years? 20 years? [more inside]
posted by milovoo at 1:12 PM PST - 7 comments

My cat is ~2 years old and has been fed wet food all her life. I've finally tired of the smell and inconvenience of it all and decided it's time for her to eat dry food (as it's better for her teeth anyway). Only problem is, she refuses to eat the dry food I've given her. I've tried two different brands, tried pouring the juice from her grody cat food over the dry stuff, and she hasn't really eaten in almost a week. The people at my pet store keep telling me to just try like, 35 different kinds of food, but I certainly don't have the money to do all that. Any suggestions on how to make a picky cat surrender the hunger strike?
posted by pikachulolita at 12:57 PM PST - 30 comments

What can people tell me about scratch lottery tickets? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by Slimemonster at 12:42 PM PST - 11 comments

bookfilter...
I too remember a book from when I was about 12-13. A group of teenagers are put into this 3D labrynth and are fed by a machine that lights up and some how gets the point across that they must be meaner and meaner and more violent towards each other to get food out of the machine. Over time, they become very violent as the machine teaches them that's what they need to do to get food. The end is this boy's reflection on what happened once he's figured out he was part of an experiment. Any ideas the name of the book?
posted by aacheson at 12:27 PM PST - 12 comments

Family-friendly things to do in Nashville? I'm headed there on Monday for training and my daughter (14) wants to go. I'll be stuck in class until 5pm and will only be able to take her places in the evening. Naturally one thinks of music when Nashville is mentioned, and both of us are willing to listen to country music (though we both prefer the rootsier Brother-Where-Art-Thou end of country to the Nashville end) but I assume most of the music will be taking place in bars and I don't want to take a teenager to bars. Are there other music places I should know about? We'll certainly try the Opry or the Ryman, but any other suggestions are welcome; also suggestions of non-music evening activities suitable for a 14-year-old, if you know of good ones. Thanks very much!
posted by jfuller at 11:18 AM PST - 10 comments

I need a present for my girlfriend. [MI] [more inside]
posted by banished at 11:03 AM PST - 19 comments

How do I avoid nausea during my workout? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by amery at 10:43 AM PST - 18 comments

I have a vague, sketchy recollection of a book series I used to read in 2nd and 3rd grade (20 years ago). It was about two young girls, friends, who solved mysteries together. They also had a dog that loved salami. I believe the were normal books, not comic books, but each book had cartoony pictures of "crime scenes" and such, with little arrows pointing out certain clues (kinda like Bernie Mac, except funny). Anyone have any idea what I'm talking about?
posted by emptybowl at 10:07 AM PST - 6 comments

I have some mpeg4 (quicktime) video that I would like to convert to mpeg2 so I can watch it on my el cheapo Apex player. I am using OS X (Panther). Are there any free or cheap tools that will do this that won't make my head explode? I supplicated the Google gods and came up empty.
posted by mecran01 at 9:50 AM PST - 5 comments

Miscarriage advice. [more inside]
posted by sgt.serenity at 9:24 AM PST - 10 comments

HELP, I don't understand French addresses. If a return address (written horizontally on the back of the envelope) reads:
##### Poubro St Wervant/Oust FRANCE
what part of that is the street address, what part is the town, and what part is the district/region?

The above are the fields on the French online white pages. A fast answer would be appriciated as it is already almost 6:30pm there.

Thanks [more inside]
posted by Grod at 9:23 AM PST - 9 comments

I'm only able to get intermittent Internet access on my small home-network using Comcast Cable and a LinkSys Router. I've exausted all troubleshooting that I can come up with. Details follow. [more inside]
posted by TurkishGolds at 9:20 AM PST - 12 comments

So one of my very good friends was on television last night (he did a bit on the Graham Norton Effect) and I was wondering...is that neat? I myself was on TV half my life ago, on the Dr. Fad show, and I thought it was pretty cool at the time (as a kid). But, obviously, it was a much different situation...I mean, have any of you been on television, or know others who are in tv and movies? How famous are we?
posted by taumeson at 9:12 AM PST - 49 comments

I need to recommend a book for a male, teenage, esl student. Which book would you recommend to a person who says he's kind of interested in science fiction but doesn't like to read? [more inside]
posted by Zetetics at 9:06 AM PST - 26 comments

How do you make penpals? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by Mayor Curley at 9:03 AM PST - 6 comments

How do you make friends?
posted by the fire you left me at 8:47 AM PST - 31 comments

My friend is going to be in NYC soon to see "The Boy from Oz". Hugh Jackman does something of a meet-n-greet and she'd like to give him something nice and memorable to thank him for, y'know, doing his craft and whatnot. We've already pretty much ruled out a kiss on the cheek, but what would you suggest for her to do/give?
posted by codger at 7:46 AM PST - 6 comments

MP3-playing car stereos are ubiquitous. So where are the car stereos with a USB 2.0 port on the front that allow you to jack in a drive of whatever size you want? Are there unsurmountable technical difficulties with this? Anybody know of any hacks along these lines? [more inside]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 6:03 AM PST - 13 comments

I'm in the UK, and I keep seeing delicious guitars for sale over on eBay in the US at equally delicious prices, many of which are entirely unavailable over here. Aside from buying myself a ticket to the US, is there an easy way to get them over here without having to spend hundreds on shipping, insurance and customs duty? [MI] [more inside]
posted by armoured-ant at 4:42 AM PST - 12 comments

What are some great U.S. small-town/rural newspaper web sites? [more inside]
posted by gluechunk at 3:51 AM PST - 8 comments

does anyone know of any sites which host photo collections from peoples mobiles/cellphones ?
posted by sgt.serenity at 9:13 PM PST - 9 comments

What's the best way to stay mentally sharp when doing late-night work? What works and what doesn't?
posted by inksyndicate at 8:40 PM PST - 23 comments

What is the source of the sample in this audio file?(514k MP3 file) I know I've heard the original song before, I just don't know the name of it. The song that this snippet comes from is "Pots and Pans" by Fila Brazillia, but that short vocal loop is something else entirely. Help me ID it!
posted by 40 Watt at 8:39 PM PST - 2 comments

I have a love/hate relationship with Flash MX 2004. I am trying to learn it, specifically actionscript, but there are a couple things about it that drive me nuts. [Guess where the rest of the question is!] [more inside]
posted by lkc at 7:52 PM PST - 4 comments

I am getting married this November. My SO and I have a great relationship with her parents and siblings, who live in the same town as we do (actually, she's living with her parents until our wedding). My family is 3,000 miles away from us. Now, I have a job offer that would require us to move about three hours away from her family. We can also stay where we are. Is it a good idea to be in close proximity to family as newlyweds? Is it more important to break away and start out on our own?
posted by willpie at 6:39 PM PST - 17 comments

DebunkFilter: Dreamfields Pasta claims only 5 digestible carbs per serving. Fact or fiction? [more inside]
posted by mischief at 3:25 PM PST - 14 comments

My band is looking to release a short run (100 to 500 copies for now) of our album on vinyl (12" LP format). Does anyone here have any experience doing this? Where did you go for the pressings, and approx how much did it cost?
posted by Quartermass at 2:24 PM PST - 4 comments

Can someone please help me print multiple documents in Photoshop 7? [more inside]
posted by dual_action at 2:03 PM PST - 11 comments

Name my puppy! [mi] [more inside]
posted by jragon at 12:36 PM PST - 38 comments

Is there a free service that will send me IM's via AIM when there's breaking news? ABC does mail alerts but they aren't "breaking" by the time I read them. How about weather alerts too?
posted by smackfu at 12:15 PM PST - 10 comments

Wedding etiquette question. We live in the US, but are having a ceremony in the UK. We don't want to have to haul the booty presents back, and many UK appliances will not work in US because of the voltage. Any Mefites had experience of the correct way of asking for cold, hard cash for wedding gifts? [more inside]
posted by carter at 11:54 AM PST - 26 comments

Can someone please explain to me the difference between owning and/or licensing proprietary software, or if there is even a difference in those two terms?
posted by archimago at 11:07 AM PST - 5 comments

Here's what I want. A text input system that gives me the following options after I write: publish to my weblog, send it as an email, or save it as a document (three buttons at the bottom: publish, send, save). The input area above the text area could function as a place for a title, email address, or drive location. Does that make sense? Does it exist?
posted by jacknose at 11:03 AM PST - 12 comments

I have a huge problem with buying shoes that feel fine in the 10-second walk around but give me mad heel blisters after walking for 5 minutes. The shoe continously rubs up and the back of my heel/achille's tendon area. Anyone have similar problems and/or know of a remedy? Certain socks, tie your shoes a certain way. something you can buy- I'm all ears (beyond returning them or just not wearing them).
posted by jmd82 at 10:58 AM PST - 15 comments

What are some good neighborhoods around or in the Raleigh/Durham NC area ? (MI) [more inside]
posted by repoman at 10:51 AM PST - 11 comments

Who went to an American Ivy League School? Did you think it was the best?
posted by the fire you left me at 9:44 AM PST - 16 comments

ScienceProjectFilter: Can anybody help me devise some sort of a MacGyver-y whatchamahoosis to fool the motion dectector lights in my office into staying on? [more inside]
posted by .kobayashi. at 9:25 AM PST - 26 comments

I'm learning JavaScript for a project, and having trouble sussing the DOM addresses of components of a page. I've played with FireFox's DOM Explorer, but while it shows the tree, it doesn't show the element addresses, nor can you print the tree out. Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by baylink at 9:18 AM PST - 6 comments

Read any good field guides for bird watching in the North East U.S. lately? [more inside]
posted by dchase at 8:59 AM PST - 6 comments

In ten days, I'll be running my first triathlon. I'm physically ready, but I have a lot of small practical questions… any pointers from seasoned tri veterans would really be appreciated. [more inside]
posted by COBRA! at 8:50 AM PST - 9 comments

My MT powered blog (version 2.51) has just been hit by over 200 comment spams. Is there some sort of "delete last x comments" command, or do I have to delete them all manually? And how do I stop this happening again? To install MT Blacklist I have to update MT, and I can't do this under the new license because it is a group blog with numerous authors. Please spare me the dullness of repetitive delete button clicking!
posted by Orange Goblin at 8:35 AM PST - 14 comments

Does anyone here have experience with "sleep number" type mattresses? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by ewagoner at 7:42 AM PST - 4 comments

I've recently started riding bicycle, and really enjoy it, but I have a problem with the seat. What possible reason is there for the saddle design, which puts undue pressure on the perineum? Has anybody had success with alternatives? Come inside for additional questioning, and speculation. [more inside]
posted by yesster at 5:47 AM PST - 36 comments

Semantically correct code in a weblog: what happens when your focus is on posts' titles (rather than on posts' timestamps) with regards to headers (h1, h2) classes? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by kchristidis at 5:00 AM PST - 8 comments

FoodFilter: I am hosting a small birthday party this Friday evening starting around 7pm, and my guests will expect some (dinner) food to be available. What can I serve them? (More Inside) [more inside]
posted by sebas at 1:16 AM PST - 12 comments

What's wrong with my PC's network connection? I know this is XP Networking 101 stuff, and most of the time I know my way around, but one PC out of six I've got sharing a DSL connection via a D-Link WiFi router is refusing to play. [more inside] [more inside]
posted by pzarquon at 10:12 PM PST - 4 comments

Help me name my new kittens! (More inside....) [more inside]
posted by amandaudoff at 7:39 PM PST - 49 comments

Using wildcards in virtusertable for sendmail: resources, pointers, and simple examples, please. Google-fu fails to provide examples that answer my questions. [emm eye] [more inside]
posted by mwhybark at 6:49 PM PST - 3 comments

What should I look for in a Digital Camera? Is there any indication of what takes better pictures than another? I'm familiar with resolutions and megapixels... I don't know about things like lenses and A/D converters, and what other issues may exist. [more inside]
posted by weston at 6:36 PM PST - 19 comments

What would be a good way to do an absolutely minimal installation of Debian Linux (or a distro based on it) and then install what I need as I need it using apt-get? The system would need to have decent hardware support (ie. work with my cable modem) but, apart from that, contain the minimum required to boot the system and run apt-get.
posted by reklaw at 4:04 PM PST - 5 comments

Is there a way to obtain a cell phone for an area code where I do not live (yet)? [more inside]
posted by falconred at 1:08 PM PST - 28 comments

Remember any successful or noteworthy online marketing campaigns? [mo' 'nside] [more inside]
posted by ChasFile at 12:47 PM PST - 21 comments

"Symphony" vs. "Philharmonic" in the name of an orchestra: is there a difference?
posted by casarkos at 12:40 PM PST - 10 comments

Simple Windows/Firefox question... [more inside]
posted by crazy finger at 11:39 AM PST - 8 comments

So, I manage a fairly high traffic website. But, there are a couple other websites that I'm involved with that I would like to link to off of my day job site for spidering reasons. If I just include these links on a couple of pages and hide them via comment tags, will the spider still go to them? Is this not up to search engine ethics? Are there search engine ethics? Thanks in advance.
posted by trbrts at 10:11 AM PST - 11 comments

So let's say I'm looking for a wine to drink on a warm summer day, perhaps on a picnic. I know there's plenty of whites that fit the bill, but I'm in the mood for a red. I want something fairly light, dry, fruit-forward, and not too tannic. Beaujolais and Bardolino come to mind (in fact, I had a nice Bardolino last weekend which fit the bill, which is what prompts the question)--what else do you recommend, either types of wine or specific wines? I'm hard-pressed to come up with a comparable New World wine--anything from the US or Australia?
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:02 AM PST - 24 comments

My google-fu has left me.

Once, long ago, I found a web page (a weblog entry?) that described how one might search for mp3s (or other media files) via google, by asking google to reveal all mp3 files hosted in the index of a directory on an Apache-based web server. I can't remember how to do this.

Can anyone help me remember this trick? Direct me to the page that talks about it so that I can bookmark it permanently?
posted by jdroth at 9:07 AM PST - 10 comments

Does anyone else go through phases where they just can't think of particular words? Eg, you're writing something and you just can't think of the word, though you know its out there and your mind is generally packed with lexicographical goodness? Any idea on reasons why this happens and any as to how you get back to your usual word(l)iness? [more inside]
posted by biffa at 8:42 AM PST - 21 comments

HovelFilter
I was thinking about buying a place to hang my hat, but I'm not sure what's right for me (Let's all go inside, shall we?) [more inside]
posted by Capn at 8:30 AM PST - 11 comments

Allergic Reaction to Metal Filter

I can't wear any kind of cheap metal. Week before I wore a belt with a cheap ass buckle. Now I have an ungodly itchy rash on the left side of my body from my waist to my knee. Anyone have any suggestions before I scratch myself to death?

And a doctor isn't really an option as there is no insurance in the ol' damnitkage household.
posted by damnitkage at 7:48 AM PST - 14 comments

It seems like at least once a year my washing machine starts leaking where the hot and cold water hoses screw into the back of the machine. This time it leaked for at least a few days before I caught it, leaving water spots on the ceiling downstairs. I usually take the hoses off and replace the washers in the ends of the hose. Anyone have any better ideas or is there anything I can do so they never leak again?
posted by ttrendel at 7:20 AM PST - 7 comments

'Moon trees' were trees grown from seeds that orbited the moon onboard Apollo 14. Two trees were given to each US state to honor the bicentennial festivities in 1976 but no list of locations was kept. Now a NASA scientist is trying to track them down. I'd like to find one in Rhode Island but he's missing quite a few. Anyone know of one not on his list?
posted by jwells at 7:18 AM PST - 11 comments

I'm thinking about trying out some of the newer extended wear contacts, specifically the Night and Day contacts that you can wear for up to 30 days straight. Anyone have any experience with these?
posted by ttrendel at 7:15 AM PST - 11 comments

Another air conditioner question. In both my car and my window units at home, there is a feature that I will generically call "air exchange." I can turn it on or off. It seems to somehow bring in air from the outside for some reason. What is this for, and when is it useful?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 4:12 AM PST - 13 comments

I run a fairly popular website that recently has started getting in excess of half a million pageviews (~1.7 million hits) a day. The usership mainly consists of teenagers and college students, who come back day after day but don't have a lot of money at their disposal - yet it seems to me that I should be able to turn this sort of traffic into something profitable. Yet I have no idea how, without charging money for things; Adsense yields very little for my keywords, and banner ads are giving me around $11 a day. Does anyone have any experience with this? I'd love to eventually quit my day job and do this full time. [more inside]
posted by bwerdmuller at 3:17 AM PST - 20 comments

I remember seeing something, somewhere, that allowed non HTML savvy people to add a basic markup to text. This text is then parsed into valid HMTL by a javascript or PHP (perhaps) script. I can't refind it. Can you?
posted by ajbattrick at 1:56 AM PST - 6 comments

Decent links to standup comedy resources and advice from anyone who has tried it please. I have agreed to do some standup in the next month having never done it before. Thanks..
posted by kenaman at 1:13 AM PST - 10 comments

Does anyone know a good open source tool for creating web directories? Something similar to the Open Directory Project. Google is turning up results that mostly have to do with pulling data from that site, what I want is something that will allow me to build my own from scratch. (DSI: Desired specs inside) [more inside]
posted by will at 9:48 PM PST - 4 comments

Does anyone have the DVD for High Plains Drifter?

I desperately need screenshots of it's opening scene where the stranger rides into town with the shimmering setting sun at his back. I've searched Google Images for quite some time and I come up grasping at straws every time. All I can seem to find is various movie posters and a few head shots of Clint Eastwood.

Can anyone help me?
posted by blasdelf at 8:56 PM PST - 10 comments

How would you start an open source project? (A greater amount of detail will be presented upon clicking below.) [more inside]
posted by sequential at 8:40 PM PST - 5 comments

Web Cam ftp problem - I have a Creative WebCam NX Pro and, when setting up the ftp settings to upload images to a web page, get an message saying "Error in username, password". I have double and triple checked that the settings are correct and have tried using a different ftp account, but the error still comes up. I can log into the server using either account via Smart FTP, Cute FTP or via a command prompt without problems. Creative's on-line support does not help at all and my searches on Google have yielded nothing.

I am using Win XP Pro and accessing the 'net via a dial-up connection. In trying to resolve this issue, I have disabled the standard Internet Connection Firewall and Zone Alarm, but this has not changed anything.
posted by dg at 8:16 PM PST - 4 comments

Bookbinder filter: Would a bookbinder ever take apart a bound book and re-bind it into smaller volumes? (more inside of course). [more inside]
posted by marsha56 at 8:02 PM PST - 18 comments

After several years' break, I'm finally getting back into coding. My prior experience is with Linux, but I've since switched to Windows, and specifically .NET. I'm finding it a joy to use and play with, but going at it in a vacuum is hard. I'm familiar with gotdotnet and the invaluable MSDN, but where are the best, must-read daily sites for Windows developers?
posted by kjh at 7:18 PM PST - 5 comments

Any suggestions or anecdotes on researching possible locations for a big move? How to find out mean home prices, salaries, quality of life type stuff? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by msacheson at 4:58 PM PST - 7 comments

[Media Player Filter] I've downloaded several TV programs via torrent in an .AVI format which on my XP system is associated with Windows Media Player, unfortunately all I get is audio.

What / where do I obtain the appropiate codecs or a better media player?
posted by page404 at 4:58 PM PST - 14 comments

About five years ago, I found a game online, and I can't remember what it's called or where I found it. It was more of a logic puzzle than a game really -- a little like Mastermind and a little like Battleship. And it also involved primitive natural language processing. [more inside.] [more inside]
posted by grumblebee at 4:47 PM PST - 1 comment

I'm looking for the best way to go about a pet project involving the names of countries in their native scripts, and wondering 1) if it's been done already and i can't find it, and 2) what would be an easy way to make a slightly interactive map. more inside [more inside]
posted by mitchel at 4:28 PM PST - 6 comments

MacFilter - I just got a nearly-new eMac, and its been a while since I've been a mac user. I need some software recommendations... (MI) [more inside]
posted by dicaxpuella at 2:18 PM PST - 15 comments

trying to get my head around special relativity filter: Can someone explain to me, in terms as devoid of mathematical formulae as possible, how something traveling less than the speed of light cannot be accelerated to the speed of light?
posted by xmutex at 2:12 PM PST - 17 comments

What happens to Spiderman's webs once he's done with them? Do they just stay there and get dusty? Do you think they'd interfere with helicopter blades?
posted by small_ruminant at 1:51 PM PST - 12 comments

Could anyone tell me why the logo is broken up when I load this page in Firefox?
posted by grrarrgh00 at 1:39 PM PST - 11 comments

What are some tips for first-time golfers? I only care about two things: not causing injury and not wasting everyone's time by fruitlessly hacking the ball around. Not looking like an idiot is important, but merely secondary.
posted by PrinceValium at 1:28 PM PST - 10 comments

http://technoerotica.net used to have a site listing all the cookie opt-out pages, and I found it very handy. I went looking for it and was dismayed to find it gone. Is there any other site like that? My google-fu is weak. Metafilter please hope me.
posted by FunkyHelix at 12:59 PM PST - 2 comments

Mergers & Acquisitions. For my job at work we need to start keeping track of completed M&As. Globally. Yahoo has a nice M&A calendar site that lists the acquiring company, target company, and when its done. Problem is it focuses on North America. Are there similar sites that can give this information for Europe, Asia & Latin America? I've got some make shift solutions, but nothing real good. And the really good resources are tons of money, which my department doesn't have the budget for (and these sites tend to be overkill - I don't need to track a merger, just need to know when its complete).
posted by evening at 11:44 AM PST - 3 comments

I am developing a Flash-based website using Miniml's free fonts. I understand that the fonts should be placed at integer positions, but what happens when they are nested inside MCs which themselves are not integer-postitioned? Do I need to place all my (many) levels of MCs sans decimal points?
posted by signal at 11:23 AM PST - 3 comments

IDE hard drive conundrum: "Error loading OS" (more inside) [more inside]
posted by luser at 11:22 AM PST - 14 comments

I've got a built-in china cabinet that has several coats of house paint that I would like to strip. What's the stongest/best wood stripper I could purchase at my local Home Depot? I have no qualms about working with industrial strength products. As a matter of fact, I kind of like the danger...
posted by sharksandwich at 11:14 AM PST - 4 comments

Which species of ducks mate for life? My info tells me so far that most do: Mallards, Mandarins, Whistling Ducks, Maned Ducks, not to mention geese and swans. But Emperor Ducks are not monogamous? Any other species? And I've read that a surviving Mallard will "remarry" if its mate dies. Is this true, true for both sexes, and do the other species do the same?
posted by Shane at 10:59 AM PST - 10 comments

Sometimes I'll be at a website that won't allow me to click and download an image. How do you code this? Is it basic html? ...Also, does this really protect the image from being downloaded or are there ways around it? (beyond doing a screenshot) Is embedding the image in a flash document a good idea too? - thanks.
posted by Peter H at 10:12 AM PST - 18 comments

Can anyone recommend a good internet/phone/cell provider? Last year, my place of employment signed an all-inclusive contract with Norvergence for a T1 line, local & long distance phone and cell phone service. Service and support has been less than satisfactory and today, it has become apparent that they are going out of business. We are hoping to find a similar service with a reliable company. Any recommendations and experiences are appreciated. [more inside]
posted by deathofme at 8:59 AM PST - 1 comment

I'm being tempted by tapwater-priced Toshiba Satellite notebooks. Can't seem to get a fix on any kind of popular opinion on how their owners feel about them or the brand. Anyone have any experiences?
posted by dong_resin at 8:48 AM PST - 16 comments

Why does PowerPoint throw my text into subscript whenever I paste within a textbox? [more inside]
posted by werty at 8:43 AM PST - 2 comments

VaccumFilter: Looking for a source of Kirby vaccum bags [More Inside] [more inside]
posted by jazon at 8:36 AM PST - 5 comments

Are there any websites or other sources that review magazines?
posted by casarkos at 8:01 AM PST - 6 comments

My fingernails are like magnets for dirt. Every day I have to clean out the crud that gets underneath them. While it isn't a hassle, how is it that a female with long nails is able to keep hers clean where I struggle to keep mine clean for more than 2 hours or so? Is there some fingernail gnome who just loves to keep my fingernails dirty? Is there an easy way for me to keep them clean for more than lets say half a day?
posted by thebwit at 7:20 AM PST - 12 comments

Hopefully, the following question's not too taboo. My friend was reminiscing about trippin' and the activities during. What tripping activities do y'all remember that were phenomenally wonderful? How did you delight those senses?
posted by Gyan at 6:53 AM PST - 40 comments

Ok. I'm not a great communicator. I need advice on how to talk to my wife of 7 years about what each of us want and if we are still compatible [mi]. [more inside]
posted by pissfactory at 6:33 AM PST - 30 comments

Internet Explorer in a Windows machine. Essential or not? (expanded quastion contained within) [more inside]
posted by muckybob at 6:23 AM PST - 10 comments

HTML editing: IE6 has been hijacked once too often so I've moved over to Firefox. But it's just not the same. When building websites in IE6, it was the work of a moment to bring up the html source in notepad, save it and refresh the open window to check the changes. Firefox is having none of this. Any suggestions?
posted by jonathanbell at 6:11 AM PST - 8 comments

(UK) Given that it seems some babies are given up for adoption, are there any limits on when parents can give up kids into care/for adoption? Could parents decide to give up (for example) a 12 year old if they got fed up of him/were unable to discipline him/cope with him/etc?
posted by biffa at 5:25 AM PST - 6 comments

Xian Theology: most of the teachings of my wife's Church that really irritate me are either old testament, or from Paul. Given that Paul was not one of the 12 apostles (did he even meet J.C.?) and also that the Bible was put together at Nicea in the 4th century, is it possible to be a Xian and reject all Paul and Leviticus' homophobia? Any speculation as to what Xian teaching would've been like if Paul hadn't sent so many damn letters?
posted by Pericles at 4:41 AM PST - 50 comments

Any horse handicappers here? What are your favorite techniques? Which race
factors do you tend to zero in on? What sort of betting strategy or angles do you employ? Do you parlay? hedge? do straight tickets? dabble in the exotics? play it ultra-conservative? do birthdates? [more inside]
posted by RavinDave at 2:27 AM PST - 2 comments

International Voltage adapters... [more inside]
posted by lkc at 2:23 AM PST - 6 comments

Driver's License problem: Need one fast. Old license expired. (more inside) [more inside]
posted by Goofyy at 1:15 AM PST - 9 comments

Is there a fashion cabal? When will I be able to buy a red shirt?
posted by the fire you left me at 11:50 PM PST - 7 comments

My husband and I will be in Vancouver for 4-5 days in early October. I know that's prime whale-watching season, and we'd also like to do some kayaking. Any tips on good companies that do this sort of thing? Also looking for a cool hotel and any other must-sees in the area. Renting a car is a possibility if necessary.
posted by gokart4xmas at 11:27 PM PST - 3 comments

Is anyone else trying to win a free iPod during Apple's iTunes Music Store promo? My strategy is to wait until the counter get close to a 100,000 mark and start buying like mad. Do you think it even matters?
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 9:32 PM PST - 10 comments

Who is your usenet provider, and do you like them? Retention, uptime, number of groups, logless access... I know that milage varies according to what one is looking for in a news server, but what usenet providers have you had good and bad experiences with? (More) [more inside]
posted by squirrel at 9:29 PM PST - 19 comments

White Papers. I need to write one, but can't put together a good enough google search to find some examples and tips, most of what I'm getting is pay-to-write-your-paper sites. Anyone have some tips on writing them and/or good reference sites?
posted by jonah at 8:19 PM PST - 3 comments

What's a cherry ghost? I'm writing a review of the new Wilco album A Ghost is Born and I'm curious if a "cherry ghost" is anything significant or nothing at all. Google isn't turning up anything helpful.
posted by josephtate at 5:56 PM PST - 9 comments

How to make good popsicles with natural ingredients ? More inside with result of a first experiment with a juicy red watermelon... [more inside]
posted by elpapacito at 5:17 PM PST - 17 comments

Any good hang-over remedies?
posted by elwoodwiles at 3:39 PM PST - 40 comments

The new DVD burner (an NEC ND-2510A), didn't come with any burning software. I know I can get the express version of Nero 6 for a couple bucks, but does anybody know of a good small DVD burning program (preferably freeware) for Windows XP that would be downloadable on dialup? Sourceforge and Tucows, my usual trusted sites, are turning up bupkiss.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 3:31 PM PST - 5 comments

Window AC unit and rain. How can you prvent rain from entering the house through a window AC unit? I think its coming in through the vents on the outside casement. Thoughts?
posted by evening at 3:29 PM PST - 11 comments

Question about getting an ultrasound in the US or Canada. [more inside]
posted by thijsk at 2:57 PM PST - 4 comments

Does any company at all do online fulfillment? I'd love to sell t-shirts, photographs, and eventually my own books, but I don't like shipping stuff and cashing checks, etc. I've looked and looked and can't find anyone that just holds inventory, sends it out when requested, and takes a cut. Heck, I'd be willing to pay a few bucks per item to someone doing this. It must exist, but I can't seem to find anyone doing it.
posted by mathowie at 2:54 PM PST - 12 comments

I have an oak tilt/swivel chair that also has height adjustment. The height adjust mechanism is broken: the ring that's supposed to revolve and move the central post up and down has damaged threads. The store where I bought this many years ago is no longer in business. I'm not getting a lot of value out of Google searches, probably because I don't know what the parts are called. Any places that sell chair parts and/or diagrams where I can see the parts named?
posted by tommasz at 2:42 PM PST - 3 comments

LyricsFilter.

"Like an ice cold hand, without a glove..."
I've searched for this and it turns up nowt. There's KFC ad running in the UK now which features a feckin' superb rare groove soul track.
The song is sweet, I'd guess late 60's or early 70's, Motown or Philly probably, and is set to a scene with a young man, choosing his 99pence sandwich, then throwing the penny change into the fountain with an unspoken wish.

As his dream girl appears, the hook line hits: "What do I wish, for on a clou-dy day..."

What is it called? [more inside]
posted by dash_slot- at 2:39 PM PST - 6 comments

AIM Bots gone bad: WSJ won't stop sending me news alerts. [mi] [more inside]
posted by rorycberger at 2:14 PM PST - 5 comments

Win2K: a crashed FTP transfer left several zero-K files on my desktop, which I cannot delete. I have tried Safe Mode, I've tried del/deltree/rmdir in DOS, I've tried MoveOnBoot, and nothing works. The files are not in use. No handles for them exist. The error messages are all variants of: "File cannot be found or does not exist." It's as if the delete function just can't see them, but I can see them right there in Windows Explorer. How can I delete these buggers?
posted by scarabic at 1:48 PM PST - 12 comments

Substitute teaching. Is is bearable? More importantly, does it get you closer to full-time teaching jobs, or move you down on the social scale and thus further away?
posted by argybarg at 1:05 PM PST - 11 comments

Is it bad for a car's air conditioner to leave it running while idling for 15 minutes or so? Does the fan setting matter? Also, is it bad to have the a/c going hard while driving around in the heat everyday? [more inside]
posted by callmejay at 12:37 PM PST - 9 comments

I've fubared my Aunt's computer quite thoroughly while trying to replace win95 with win98 in a non-copyright friendly sort of way. Hope me, metafilter! [more inside]
posted by jacquilynne at 10:44 AM PST - 8 comments

Is there a Japanese Blogdex/Daypop? In other words, a site tracking the most popular pages/websites linked from Japanese weblogs?
posted by waxpancake at 9:09 AM PST - 0 comments

How do you value a domain name? More specifically I am a member of a webmaster newsboard that has domain names for sale. When I inquired about a certain domain I was told the owner was looking in the $X,XXX range for it. Yet I don't see how a domain could be valued at that price range when I see sites with full content selling for less than that. Is a domain really that valuable anymore? I don't think it is. Yes a .com is better than a .net or .org or whatever, but to ask for $1,000+ for a domain is just kinda pricey I think when the domain hasn't been doing anything other than pointing to another url.
posted by thebwit at 8:03 AM PST - 5 comments

I'm using Blogger and I want to do a search-and-replace on all 200 entries...so I can move my blog to a new site, changing all the links as appropriate. But Blogger doesn't seem to have a search-and-replace function. Is there some way, maybe using a third-party blog program, that I could accomplish this? Maybe export the whole thing to a text file, then somehow ... some way ... feed it back into Blogger using some desktop program, or anything else?
posted by inksyndicate at 7:38 AM PST - 3 comments

Mozilla? Firefox? Camino? I'm ready to try a new browser, but I'm confused by the differences between these three. Currently using Safari 1.2.2 on an iMac and an iBook, both with 10.3.4. I have a license for Opera, but it's simply more than I need. I don't need IRC and I don't need HTML (yet?). I would like for it to sync bookmarks between the 2 Macs (I have iSync and a .mac account) and to work reasonably well with AppleMail, Address Book, etc. What's the best choice for a non-geeky girl?
posted by Alylex at 10:31 PM PST - 14 comments

A simple Wiki? After reading about Lion Kimbro and his efforts to document his every thought, I've become interested in the idea of a personal Wiki. But as the Wiki tends to reside in the realm of those a bit more geeky than I, I've had trouble finding something I'm able to install without getting lost in Unix commands. I'm confident enough when it comes to the command line (installed Movable Type without too much trouble) but can't seem to manage a Wiki. Any suggestions?
posted by aladfar at 9:44 PM PST - 8 comments

Private (closed-group) filesharing software? I'm thinking for 5-10 users, and it would be nice if it didn't require a dedicated machine -- just enter a list of our 10 IPs and it'll connect to whoever happens to be on. Encryption wouldn't hurt either.
posted by Aaorn at 8:43 PM PST - 7 comments

Trillian vs VPN. Anyone know how I can get a local copy of trillian to work (aim, msn and irc) when I log into a VPN (and remote desktop) into another system?
posted by Stynxno at 8:19 PM PST - 2 comments

From Escobar in the '94 World Cup to Uday and now Liberia, soccer tends towards the ultra-violent. Why?
posted by Kwantsar at 8:12 PM PST - 8 comments

Can anyone recommend an online collaborative software that allows developers at remote locations around the world to share files, debate and update each other on the progress of their portion of a project. Which is best for this sort of thing: a mail-list, blog, wiki, bulletin board or some combined form of these?
posted by timyang at 8:03 PM PST - 5 comments

Air conditioner question in this burningly hot Nor'east US summer... more on the interior... [more inside]
posted by ac at 7:36 PM PST - 18 comments

The way I understand the stock market, prices go up when people are buying, and go down when people are selling. So what if I had a huge amount of money, bought tons of stocks and then sold them again instantly? Wouldn't I make a big profit? Or am I just completely wrong?
posted by reklaw at 6:12 PM PST - 19 comments

SexFilter: Chaps, how do you postpone the little death? An intriguing office discussion (sparked by a picture of Margaret Thatcher) has brought out the most amazing answers to this...

(Ladies you can play too, although I guess the question is how do you hurry it along?)
posted by bonaldi at 5:09 PM PST - 41 comments

Who wants some free music? [more inside]
posted by emelenjr at 5:08 PM PST - 6 comments

On the first-season Six Feet Under DVD's, the theme song on the French-language audio track is in a slightly different key/tuning than the English- and Spanish-language audio tracks (like a little less than half a step, maybe) -- why? [a bit more MI] [more inside]
posted by evinrude at 12:08 PM PST - 11 comments

Many years ago I saw a film on tv. It was in black and white. It was set in some sort of post-apocalyptic world, and involved a girl who was kept from the hero, in a succession of elaborate prisons/cages, which the hero tried to breach time and again, always failing to get the girl.
There was no talking in it at all, except when once, in the middle of the film, the hero breaches the girl's prison (only to find she's been removed yet again by the villain) and picks up her diary(?) and reads a small passage from it aloud.
The villain had a number of accomplices, one of whom was some sort of "mole man" whom he treated badly (perhaps kept on a leash). I remember the film being somewhat feted when it was released, but I've never seen or heard of this film since its single UK TV showing. I'd love to see it again, but since I don't know what it was called ...

(What was it called?)
posted by Blue Stone at 10:01 AM PST - 3 comments

Joining video on a Mac: I have a friend who has several sets of WMVs and AVIs and would like to combine them into single, contiguous movies. I'mHe's not going to have to buy something expensive, is he? [more inside]
posted by majick at 9:18 AM PST - 10 comments

I woke up with the most severe backache that I've ever had, probably caused by overexertion at the gym yesterday. The pain originates from my lower back, and more towards the sides and the center.

Does anyone have any advice on how to feel a bit better and salvage my Sunday?
posted by Mayor Curley at 8:19 AM PST - 11 comments

My computer just got infected with a worm running under the names ifa32.exe and wingx32.exe. The net is ignorant of it, except for Sophos which says it has only been seen in the wild once. Should I tell anyone? Other than you guys, obviously...
posted by twine42 at 6:54 AM PST - 3 comments

Years ago, I watched half of a very strange movie on late night television. I think it was about a couple who give birth to a triangle. I couldn't find it on Google or the IMDB. Anyone know the name of this movie?
posted by hughbot at 5:12 AM PST - 8 comments

Anyone here ever install CygWin on their machine? What are your experiences? [mi] [more inside]
posted by RavinDave at 12:28 AM PST - 10 comments

I bought a pizza stone. According to the instructions you are supposed to slide your pizza on to the pre-heated stone. How the hell can you slide a large pizza on to a stone without mushing the damn thing up? And any tips for doing this on a pre-heated stone that do not involve minor burns to the cook?

(Guess what I've got in the oven, answers inside...) [more inside]
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:54 PM PST - 28 comments

I am particularly fortunate to have two free services to choose from [1, 2] to send ringers and stuff to my phone without going through the manufacturer or service provider.

Are there any other services that provide similar solutions for other providers, or perhaps software to do such? Surely there have to be some clever geeks out there with other brands of phones/service.
posted by britain at 10:47 PM PST - 9 comments

The Number Zero: odd, even, or neither?
posted by Phatty Lumpkin at 9:37 PM PST - 17 comments

Tomorrow we'll be cheering for the Greeks over the Portuguese. As such, we want to serve great Greek snacks and/or desserts (things we can put out and then forget about the kitchen for the rest of the game). Problem: two guests are vegans. Googling hasn't returned anything interesting or trustworthy. What I'd love is a recipe someone has made before and trusts. I don't want to get burned, since our budget is tight, and then we'd have no snacks. In a pinch, we're willing to make generically Mediterranean food instead, and I'll probably have hummus, at least. Any tips?
posted by livii at 7:42 PM PST - 21 comments

calling all doctors: how likely or unlikely is it that a doctor would suture a wound in his home rather than driving someone to a hospital? [more inside]
posted by mdn at 6:15 PM PST - 13 comments

"For Pete's sake!" Who's Pete?
posted by rorycberger at 6:10 PM PST - 10 comments

Academical? While listening to NPR this afternoon, a UVa student giving a tour used the word "academical" in describing a portion of UVa's campus . The use of "academical" struck me as sounding very odd although it is arguably correct. Is it all academic?
posted by Dick Paris at 2:48 PM PST - 10 comments

ScamFilter: what's the deal with the "bid on info on how to get a free powerbook" auctions? It seems like a scam, and yet, it doesn't seem like this would be anywhere near as profitable as, say, selling something expensive and disappearing. If it's real, what's the catch? If it's not, how are these guys doing well enough to make it worthwhile?
posted by namespan at 2:29 PM PST - 7 comments

Tour de France: How does it really work? It's a team sport, clearly, but you see Lance Armstrong getting all the credit for his victories. How do the teams factor in?
posted by xmutex at 1:50 PM PST - 7 comments

There's a new art exhibition in London showing works of art taken from people's workplaces, for example, sketches by particle physicists. Unfortunately I can't remember what it's called or anything else about it. Can anyone shed light on this, and if so, have you been to it?
posted by adrianhon at 12:59 PM PST - 2 comments

I'm a big fan of Ken Burns' documentaries (just finished up watching Baseball for the third time, for instance, and have seen The Civil War twice)... What I'm curious about is what books would you recommend that present history in a siimilar fashion (easily digestible, compellingly written, etc.)? [more inside]
posted by dobbs at 12:26 PM PST - 18 comments

Why do warm climates seem to have more poisonous animals than cold ones?
posted by gimonca at 10:49 AM PST - 8 comments

What happens when you try to purchase expensive software for a site that claims to be offering it for a ridiculously cheap price? [more inside]
posted by grrarrgh00 at 9:43 AM PST - 12 comments

Strange problems with IP / DNS caching (maybe) {more inside} [more inside]
posted by twine42 at 7:25 AM PST - 5 comments

If Doctor Who fans are 'Whovians' and Star Trek fans are 'Trekkers' or 'Trekkies', what are Star Wars fans?
posted by feelinglistless at 2:23 AM PST - 30 comments

Ideas for birthday Cards. I'm pretty clumsy, and have little / no artistic ability, but I like to make my birthday and (in five months time) christmas cards. Does anybody have any simple / easy recipies for good birthday cards. [more inside]
posted by seanyboy at 1:32 AM PST - 8 comments

I have a friend who wants to set up a movable type based weblog on a new (yet to be registered/determined) domain. Are there any webhosts that offer some sort of movable type webhosting plan, that is one with movable type already installed? Alternately, any recommendations for movable type freindly webhosts would be appreciated.
posted by darainwa at 1:32 AM PST - 6 comments

What is method acting? [mi] [more inside]
posted by alidarbac at 8:19 PM PST - 19 comments

How does one tell a good story? [more inside]
posted by callmejay at 7:33 PM PST - 16 comments

How much money do I need to move to Chicago? [more inside]
posted by IshmaelGraves at 6:06 PM PST - 12 comments

Male pattern balding. I've arrived at the point where I will need to either do something to counteract it, learn to accept it, or perhaps, a little of both. Any suggestions for products/states of mind/haircuts with dignity that have worked for you?
posted by 4easypayments at 5:18 PM PST - 18 comments

Beading question- I am making a simple seed bead necklace, a few bracelets, and earrings. The beads are too small for any needle I have, but it is excessively tedious stringing the teensy beads one by one (especially since I am working toward a thick, ropy and twisted necklace). I know nothing about beading, so I am wondering if anyone here can give me tips, shortcuts, or just tell me that there is no other way to do it.
posted by oflinkey at 2:32 PM PST - 5 comments

Completely computer illiterate and I'm embarrassed to ask this because it seems so simple but I've googled myself to death and got nowhere. We're getting old and forget 'things' so we're looking for a web-based to-do/shopping list. In other words, one of us is at work while the other is at home and we want to both be able to access the list and add to (or delete) what would basically be a shopping /need-to-do-this list. I suppose it doesn't matter if anyone can access it but I'd prefer it to be password protected if possible. Where do I start? A blog, a web page?? There's some real pretty software programs but they don't seem to be shareable. Any ideas on how and what I should be looking for?
posted by Zeedog at 2:27 PM PST - 11 comments

I'm taking up (tobacco) pipe smoking. (No lectures, please.) I was wondering if anyone else here enjoys a good smoke now and then? If so, what are your favorite blends? Pipes? What should I look for in a tobacco pouch-- leather, vinyl? [more inside]
posted by keswick at 2:11 PM PST - 17 comments

I love Firefox. But I've had a problem since firebird and it's still present in .9.1. I like the free Bitstream Vera font family when I'm on the laptop because the fonts smooth nicely. However, at some point they become aliased. Screen shots inside. How do I prevent this from happening? [more inside]
posted by Grod at 2:09 PM PST - 12 comments

When a plane crashes, what do the airlines put on the "Arrival" board in the terminal? I would assume they start with "delayed," but I have no idea what they would change that to once it's verified the plane is never going to land at that airport.
posted by headspace at 12:34 PM PST - 15 comments

Kerry & Bush are raising money hand over fist, but they are both planning on taking the $75 million in taxpayer money when they become the official nominee for their party-which limits them to spending only that money.
So, my question is, what good does all this money they are raising now do them once they take the official $75 million? Can they give it to some other group to spend on their behalf? Can they spend it on their election in some other legal way?
posted by aacheson at 12:03 PM PST - 4 comments

I have a friend with small children, and he and his wife are actively looking for fun science experiments they can do with them (aged 6 and under).

I've seen sites online before (but can't recall them), so URLs to the best science-for-kids sites would be welcome... as would any science experiments you know of yourself (and remember: these are young children).
posted by silusGROK at 11:36 AM PST - 12 comments

For some reason lately the traffic to my site has increased by a lot (about 500+ visitors a day) which nice and all. I have a great script that reads the log files and figures out the stats and I wrote a custom script to track referalls. One thing I noticed though is a large portion of the traffic I receive comes from adult sites that do not link to me. So how is it that on any given day pornwizzard.com can send me 30-40 visitors? Do I really have that many people who read my site after going to pornwizzard (or any other number of adult sites) or are these sites doing something funky trying to just get traffic to their site if I was to randomly put up a last 10 referrals?
posted by thebwit at 11:14 AM PST - 5 comments

FireworksFilter: I’m looking for vantage points that one could drive to for a fantastic view of the 4th of July fireworks from the Hollywood Bowl or Disneyland (Anaheim) for free this weekend.
posted by lola at 11:01 AM PST - 1 comment

I have a large amount of CBZ and CBR files that are ZIP and RAR files respectively with scanned JPEGs of comic books inside them. Thing is, the levels on the scans are sometimes too dark or too bright. Is there a windows program that would batch fix the levels (like photoshop's Automatic Levels command) on the compressed archives without having to unzip pr unrar them first?
posted by signal at 10:47 AM PST - 4 comments

So, a murder happened in front of my house while we were on vacation last week. Now there is a shrine there around my tree about 5 feet from the bottom of my steps and people coming by day and night leaving stuff and lighting candles.

I don't mind the shrine, but how long do I leave that stuff there? How can I get people to not leave candles burning there (I am worried about fire danger.) Am I responsible for disposing of the stuff?

I have some ideas, but would like some suggestions.

Here's a link to the info about the murder.
http://www.timesstar.com/Stories/0,1413,125~1486~2236893,00.html [more inside]
posted by aacheson at 9:53 AM PST - 10 comments

So, a murder happened in front of my house while we were on vacation last week. Now there is a shrine there around my tree about 5 feet from the bottom of my steps and people coming by day and night leaving stuff and lighting candles.

I don't mind the shrine, but how long do I leave that stuff there? How can I get people to not leave candles burning there (I am worried about fire danger.) Am I responsible for disposing of the stuff?

I have some ideas, but would like some suggestions.

Here's a link to the info about the murder.
http://www.timesstar.com/Stories/0,1413,125~1486~2236893,00.html
posted by aacheson at 9:53 AM PST - 13 comments

mp3 blogs: Say I'm reading an mp3 blog that links to several external sites hosting legal mp3s. I'm running os x. What wget configuration do I need to use to grab the mp3s in a given entry that are hosted elsewhere, do so in a courteous, non-hogging manner, and not grab the html or graphics?

I've been trying:

wget -r -l2 wc -A mp3, Mp3 -R html, jpg http://mp3blog.com

But it isn't working. I'd like to throttle the bandwidth down to so I don't crush anyone's servers. Thanks for any tips.
posted by mecran01 at 9:36 AM PST - 7 comments

I compute and play music in the same room, and recently I've been getting nagging notions that maybe all the excess vibrations caused my amplifiers and drums and all such as that may not be the best thing to have my computer around? what do you reckon? and I also have my actual tower on my desk next to a pretty sizable audio monitor...should I be worrying about the magnet inside of the speakers?
posted by mcsweetie at 9:32 AM PST - 5 comments

Cable Modem issue. When I am hooked up to good old Comcast through my Motorola Surfboard modem using the USB connection, life is great. Flawless internet surfing. But recently I decided to hook up a wireless router and spread the love throught the house. Problem: My modem won't recognize a connection with the network adapter connection. [more inside]
posted by majikwah at 9:28 AM PST - 14 comments

Beach umbrellas. I'm going down the Jersey shore this afternoon, and my old one is broken. Are there any new styles out there? (I'm thinking you west coasters are on the cutting edge on this important matter.)
posted by sixpack at 9:19 AM PST - 8 comments

All Amex cards start with a 3
All Visa cards with a 4
All Mastercards with a 5.

This much is a fact, with no exceptions so why does every single customer service agent ask me to declare which card I'm paying with just as I'm about to submit my account number? Eliminating this dumb question would free up zillions of man/woman hours and help the economy. Is the age of automation really as fupped duck as it appears or is there a secret reason for wasting everyone's time this way? (See also the automated request for account number while you wait for a human to come on the line and ask you again for the same information already just submitted)
posted by Fupped Duck at 8:23 AM PST - 30 comments

Okay all you astronomers, I just asked this is an older MeFi thread but figured I might get a better response here.

Go back to the big bang and you start off with a single point that exploded and has kept on expanding. So when you look back in time by way of observing distant places would you not end up looking at exactly the same place (the point) no matter which direction you looked?
posted by zeoslap at 8:06 AM PST - 13 comments

I'm looking for places that have a lot of grass. I'm doing a research project on commercial lawnmowers and I need to find places that use a lot of them. Golf courses are an obvious start, but where else do you see a lot of big lawnmowers? In particular, where are they most obnoxious/loud?
posted by rorycberger at 8:00 AM PST - 14 comments

A number of years ago (8? 10?) there was a relatively low budget movie version of The Fantastic Four made, only to be bought up, and never shown the light of day, awaiting a big-budget production in the future.

Has anyone stumbled across information of this aborted project, and does anyone know where some video of it exists (in a digital format)?
posted by jpburns at 4:45 AM PST - 7 comments

Do you happen to know of any artists who are using actual code (programming languages) in their work? I've been toying with this idea a little and have come up with a few concepts that I feel are pretty unique. [mi] [more inside]
posted by pissfactory at 4:39 AM PST - 15 comments

My stubborn roommate won't let me use his alarm clock, and I need to get up for work. I generally don't trust alarms - what's the easiest to operate, most reliable, free to download alarm clock program available?
posted by Phatty Lumpkin at 2:55 AM PST - 29 comments

One of my dearest friends is having a little girl later this month, and as her massage therapist, I get the honor of being present for the birth. If any other MTs, doulas, midwives or experienced moms and dads have suggestions for things to have on hand, techniqes for soothing the mom-to-be or general wisdom about the blessed event, I’d sure be grateful.
posted by Fenriss at 6:59 PM PST - 15 comments

I got a tattoo on my back about two years ago. In the past couple of months, I've found that spot to be itchier than the rest of my back. If I apply lotion, however, it's fine - it feels like the same kind of itchiness I get in the winter with dry skin. There isn't any swelling, and the itching isn't all that bothersome or frequent, so I don't think it's an allergy. Any suggestions for a) why this is occurring or b) other ways to treat it, since I can't reach it myself?
posted by ferociouskitty at 5:27 PM PST - 8 comments

Shallots. What good are they? Takes forever to peel like garlic but tastes like onion. Why not just use onion cheaper and easier to peel. What's the big deal with shallots.
posted by stbalbach at 4:54 PM PST - 29 comments

What's a good rule of thumb for the maximum number of 'varieties' and 'factors' you can have in an ANOVA model? [more inside]
posted by freebird at 4:36 PM PST - 7 comments

So... no fireworks in Pennsylvania... I'm in Pittsburgh over the 4th of July and illegal fireworks are new to me. How strictly is the ban enforced? Are there any permitted fireworks, ie sparklers. Any strategies for coping? [more inside]
posted by Jeff Howard at 4:30 PM PST - 16 comments

Small, cheap, comfortable text entry/recording? I'm traveling for a month in August, and I'd like to keep a journal. Handwriting is pretty much out of the question, so I'm looking for the best way to be able to type it. [more] [more inside]
posted by whatnotever at 4:21 PM PST - 12 comments

In OS X, how can I capture sound from a QuickTime video in my browser window? I can't save the video to disk.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:23 PM PST - 5 comments

Italian pop drink, fizzy, dark, citrus-y, a little bitter, comes in a little caramel bottle. Made from some citrus-y herb that's neither lemon nor lime. I had one at a gelato place once and have no idea what it is or what its called. [more inside]
posted by leotrotsky at 3:16 PM PST - 3 comments

Trying to remember the name of an arcade game from ca. 1992. [more inside]
posted by cdavis at 2:00 PM PST - 6 comments

CarpalTunnelFilter: My CTS is flaring up. (Numb and tingling for about an hour upon awakening, moderate pain throughout the day.) Before you say "Go to a Doctor", I am going to a doctor, next week probably. (I have to call the HMO and see when they can fit me in.) What can I do in the meantime? Right now I am: wearing a wrist splint while sleeping, and taking ibuprofen. I've also given myself a rest from knitting, and doing cross-stitching instead. I find that putting heat on the wrist helps, but some people are telling me to use ice instead. Anyone have personal experience of what works? What should I make sure to bring up to the doctor? Has B6 worked for anyone?
posted by Shoeburyness at 1:25 PM PST - 13 comments

DSL Service: I want to switch my DSL to Yahoo because the price is so fricking low right now. I love my current provider (Speakeasy), but dude, $26.95! So I want to know if SBC/Yahoo DSL is a nightmare. Also, I've heard horror stories about switching. How long of an interruption should I expect? Help this poor ignorant fool, won't you?
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 12:23 PM PST - 25 comments

I love old cars from the 50s and 60s - especially pickup trucks - and I've always dreamed of owning one. Unfortunately my auto expertise is limited to oil changes and, vaguely, what a carburateur does. I assume you have to have a lot of knowledge to keep an antique car running. Then again, they are much simpler machines than modern vehicles. Right? Where would you recommend picking up the necessary know-how? [more inside]
posted by gottabefunky at 11:19 AM PST - 11 comments

Looking for some good adult sci-fi/fantasy novels to read... [MI] [more inside]
posted by eas98 at 11:04 AM PST - 46 comments

I have a loveseat I want to get rid of, sooner rather than later. Donating it to charity has the dual appeal of being a Good Deed and providing the means to actually haul it away (I live in Brooklyn, in a walkup, sans car). The Salvation Army can do it, but requires 2 weeks advance notice. Does anyone know any other NYC-based organizations (or, hey, any Mefites in need of a couch) that will do this, preferably on shorter notice?
posted by mkultra at 10:57 AM PST - 9 comments

Video geeks: I am looking for either a MiniDV deck, or camera to act as a deck. All the reviews I find on cameras seem to focus on video quality, but I'm in the market for playback features and compatibility. Help? [more inside]
posted by plexiwatt at 10:56 AM PST - 5 comments

Hi-MD vs mp3? I'm looking to buy something to record DJ sets with. I've been using my somewhat trusty Creative Jukebox for a while now, but it's time to move on. So, do I get an iPod or a Hi-MD Walkman? Does Sony "own" my music if I record to Hi-MD? That is, will I be able to get music off the MD player and convert it to other formats and whatnot?
posted by badstone at 9:22 AM PST - 14 comments

Good noise-cancelling headphones for under $100? I'm moving into new work quarters where I'll be in a cubicle-type environment. I need headphones that will dampen the noise from my amiable-but-loud co-workers. I'm used to just hooking up the ole IPOD to my stereo speakers, but that won't do in the new space where I have no door. I don't like the buds that come with the IPOD. Any ideas?
posted by answergrape at 8:03 AM PST - 17 comments

Is it legal to posses/consume alcohol in National Parks (US)? Are the rules uniform or do certain parks have their own rules regarding this? Specifically looking for information on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park.
posted by mhaw at 7:56 AM PST - 7 comments

Year-Off-Filter: I'm taking some time off from work and school obligations to travel and just live a bit. I have questions about volunteering abroad (like today's Nepalese school thread) and maybe even in the United States. Has anyone done something like this? I'm also looking into WWOOFing. Anybody have experiences with this org? Please chime in with suggestions, advice, stories, or cautionary tales. [MI] [more inside]
posted by zpousman at 7:46 AM PST - 4 comments

Lost and Found for NYC cabs? Is there such a thing? I'm quite sure that on the ride back from JFK, the cushions ate my favorite key chain.
posted by muckster at 7:11 AM PST - 5 comments

Mariachifilter:

Anyone know of a Mariachi band that hires out for weddings who are in the Battle Creek MI area?
posted by mecran01 at 6:40 AM PST - 3 comments

I just got a new cell phone, a Nokia 6820. It's awesome! It has Bluetooth and it can do WAP! Cool! So, um, what the hell can I actually do with Bluetooth and WAP? [more inside]
posted by bondcliff at 6:39 AM PST - 12 comments

I have a friend who is pretty much about to leave her Iranian boyfriend, here in the US. She has leased an apartment and all but moved out. All of a sudden he wants her to visit Iran with him. Insists on it.[MI] [more inside]
posted by jester69 at 6:31 AM PST - 31 comments