Ask MetaFilter questions in the grab bag category

How to deal with desk with sharp edges?

shivohum — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:31:20 -0800

A desk I bought from office depot a couple of months ago has sharp edges -- not sharp enough to cut, but sharp enough to be plenty annoying if I ever touch those edges. Is there any easy and not-ugly way to deal with these?

Dorian Gray and a guest

cjorgensen — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:00:36 -0800

My girlfriend and I are planning to give photos we had taken of us to our families (and some friends) for Christmas. We have a few questions. The most important—in my mind—is frames. We need at least 4 (probably more) frames for these photos. We'd like them to be innocuous and uniform without being too generic (no crystal). We'd like to order them all from the same place. The cheaper the better (since this will not be the main present) but we're willing to spend $20 each if we have to (we won't quibble on an extra buck or two, but $10 is the actual target). The pictures are 8x10. We're hoping for answers that are more creative than "Walmart/Target have good cheap frames." We also have way too little time for the "This kit is cool." We're not making any frames.

Secondarily, should we give them all the same photo? If we decide to give each person different pictures should we provide them with access to the pool of available options and offer to swap? Would asking something like, "If you like one of these better let us know, and we'd be happy to swap yours for it. Or, if you want them all, we can order you a set at the cost of X."

Thanks.

ATM fee overcharge

gatorbiddy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:20:42 -0800

Taking money out at a non-my bank ATM last night, the screen stated you will be charged a $2.50 fee. However, looking at the receipt after it spit my money out, they actually charged a $6.00 "terminal fee". I realize its only $3.50 difference but that type of misleading fraud just makes me boil. What are my options to correct this? Is there a reporting agency that is interested in this type of thing? Is the store that the ATM was by responsible for this? It does say on the receipt that the Terminal Fee was paid to the business that the ATM was out in front of. But no where on the ATM does it say $6, just the $2.50 that they make you agree to.

Help me plan a fun solo Thanksgiving

Xere — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:49:03 -0800

Kinda excited at the prospect of my first Thanksgiving alone. Where can a twentysomething girl go, or do, for Thanksgiving - both day and night? I'm in the Los Angeles/Pasadena area. Previous similar question, and I've taken all answers to heart. But mine has a twist: I can't stay in. Staying in is not an option, I have to get out of the house. My live-in landlords are having their family Thanksgiving. Yes, I am invited, but I have no wish to participate. This is because of their current family feud, which will doubtlessly implode over Thanksgiving dinner. I do not wish to be there for the carnage and awkwardness. I don't even want to stay in my room while they bash it out over the dinner table.

So I would like to experience a lovely solo Thanksgiving. What can I do? Surely there must be something. So far, my morning options consist of either exploring the Santa Anita Canyon, or the hiking trails around Pasadena's Rose Bowl or Eaton Canyon. Any other options? Nightlife? Bars?

Slick ideas for a seven-day countdown?

Shepherd — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:21:32 -0800

Help me count down from my wife's birthday to her Special Surprise. My wife's birthday is on Friday, and I've cooked up a pretty nifty gift... that I can only give to her the following Thursday. It's a surprise, and a good one.

I'd like to find neat ways to count down from her birthday on Friday to the surprise on Thursday, so that her birthday isn't a huge heap of nothin' but "yes but something good is coming HONEST."

I've got a few ideas on how I can give her something every day, but there are probably better ways to count down than what I have in mind, so I'm throwing it at the hive mind to see if it sticks. Restrictions:

1. Time. I work full time, I'm exhausted pretty much at the end of the day, and I'm already committed to making a cake and a birthday dinner, both of which are kind of out of my comfort zone as it is. Thursday is also already booked as a dinner-with-friends night. So I need to prep this Tuesday and Wednesday.

2. Money. Got none. Blew it all on the Big Surprise. I mean, I can scrape up $10 to buy some art supplies or something, but I can't afford to buy anything substantial.

3. Indoors stuff only. She's moved up from down South to be with me, and the weather right now in Quebec is, well, bullshit: cold and nasty without any of the benefits of snow or sun.

A tough one, I know, but I'm sure there's a great idea out there somewhere. Start with seven of something and remove one every day? Something additive? Seven micro-gifts of little dollar value, one for each day? Hope me hive mind!

The Greatest Story Ever Told

jasondigitized — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:21:05 -0800

I want to be a better storyteller. What qualities do good storytellers universally exhibit? How much does embellishment play a role? Lyndon Johnson was a great storyteller who was also known to pepper his stories with a lot of bullsh*t. Most importantly, where do storytellers get their stories? Have they led lives of extraordinary experience, or have they read a book full of awesome anecdotes? Help me spin some yarn at a party or at the water-cooler.

Should I quit or continue?

gadha — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:46:01 -0800

Requesting advice with my career in computer science. Briefly, should I stay or should I go? I love what I do (compsci research, heavily engineering/coding based). I started programming at 13, growing up in EAfrica where I had access to information and tools but no guidance. This meant I had to find my own way through which made me quite tenacious.

At 18, I moved to the UK and did an ugrad in compsci in a mediocre university that aims to churn out mid-level sw engineering types. I did quite well and chose to do a PhD purely because I wanted to learn more about compsci. The net result of this was that (1) I realised that I "get" compsci enough that things make sense (2) that I love lower level stuff (kernels, hpervisors, hardware, systems, etc) (3) that I love to code and love technology (4) I seem to possess a great amount of tenacity at actually getting things working.

However, it also made me absolutely come to terms with my limits. While I can most "do" anything in my field, I find it takes me longer than my peers, my progress is not as quick and while I have some natural ability and affinity it pales in comparison to the other people I work with who are very, *very* good. Across the board I find the people who excel in my field and area seem to have much more natural talent and this translates to more rapid progress and output quicker (sometimes by up to a factor of 5-6). I've also realized that while I can recognize and apply good/clever ideas and understand their impetus, I lack that little bit extra in being able to actually generate the ideas. This leaves me feeling slow, dumb, unworthy and frustrated. It eats away at me a lot.

My top career goal would be to contribute to changing computer science (e.g. a new compression algorithm) or be involved in creating a technology or mechanism that does (c.f. software virtualization in the early 2000s). Half of me thinks I should just trudge on and continue to do what I do as slowly as I do it and I might at some point make this happen. The other half of me just wants to quit and go and do something else, i.e. make a comfortable life for myself -- do more than keep on dreaming and making miniscule progress hoping I can make a contribution.

I absolutely understand that natural ability is inborn and that such people are few and far between (and such mavericks are certainly necessary for the advancement of any field), I'm not aspiring to be one. I'm just wondering, is it possible to make a difference by wanting to make a difference *really* badly and continuing to soldier (hobble?) along? I'd appreciate any personal experiences to help me put this into better perspective.

I want boxes for my CDs

nowonmai — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:30:23 -0800

What's a good source of some kind of boxes for carting around large numbers of CDs (1000+) in their jewel cases? I will be moving my CD collection around a lot in the near future, and am having trouble finding good boxes to pack them up. I need some kind of boxes the right size to hold CDs, in their jewel cases, roughly the size of the sort of moving boxes you'd pack books in, but I haven't been able to find a source of boxes a good size to pack the CDs in efficiently without gaps. Does anybody know of a source of convenient boxes, or indeed purpose designed boxes? Google will only help me find mailers for single CDs or storage solutions for CDs without cases. I have around 500 or 600 CDs where I am now, and then I'll likelypick up a similar number in a few months.
I am in NYC.
Ripping them all to HD and flogging them is not a option.

Riddle me crazy

Jody Tresidder — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:22:14 -0800

This is starting to get seriously depressing - I'm no nearer to solving this riddle than I was 3 freaking hours ago. (Neither is my husband - and he's the smart one.) It's NOT part of a contest - just a maddening tease from a lawyer friend in the UK. I've included the bit she wrote in the same sentence as the riddle, because it seems to be relevant (yes, she's really in a book club, yes, Melanie is another friend of ours and yes, the first friend mentioned one of these books recently in another, totally separate email.)

(sidebar: I was humming Holst, as it were, for a while. But I can't make that sort of answer work at all!)

This is exactly what she wrote:

"Meanwhile, (based on our recent reading - first we did Wolf Hall and then we did A man for all seasons), Melanie sent me this riddle: what links 6 periods of time, starting with 23 years and 11 months with sharp decreases in time spans thereafter. I couldn't understand the question for ages and then suddenly I got it!"

wintry mix

samsarah — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:55:07 -0800

Looking for music that feels like winter. I'm making a winter mix and need recommendations. I've read the old threads, which yielded some results, but I still need more. I'm specifically looking for songs that sound like winter. To me that sounds like sparse instruments and reverb on the vocals. I'm not so much looking for songs that are lyrically about wintertime - just songs that sound and feel like a winter day.

What I'm not looking for:
-christmas songs
-songs with the words "Winter" or "December" in the title.

Examples of what I am looking for:
-Anything by Fleet Foxes, Marissa Nadler, and Bon Iver
-Andrew Bird - The Giant of Illinois
-Phosphorescent - Wolves

Thanks!

It's Hip to Make Bad Puns

shaun uh — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:27:34 -0800

I'm turning 25 in a few weeks and the party theme I've decided on is "Hip to be Square". 'Cause 25 is 5^2, get it? GET IT? Yeah, I know, I'm a dork. Looking for suggestions of how to incorporate that theme into a party. I'm looking for ways to expand on the "square" theme. All definitions of square welcomed - mathematical, geometrical, cultural. And I'm open to any ideas - songs, foods, activities, costume suggestions for guests.

Let's hear it, HiveMind.

Now We Aren't Quite Six

easy_being_green — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:03:47 -0800

I'm going to a birthday party for a five-year-old tomorrow, one of my students. His mom said not to bring a present, but I was hoping to put something fun in the card. I love A.A. Milne's poem Now We are Six and I'm wondering if anyone knows of a similar poem about turning five.

What's my name?

Cogito — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:39:31 -0800

Help me guess this person's name. I've been given some clues. I share a given name with the poor-but-virtuous protagonist of one of the first English novels, but it's more likely that I was named for an actress who played a girl detective on a 1970s TV series.

It's not Rumpelstiltskin, in case you were wondering.

I need to organize all these books.

sugarfish — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:28:25 -0800

I have about a thousand books and a burning desire to reorganize them. I'm getting rid of my current bookshelves -- an Ikea Expedit and the several others I've had to buy since I bought my house -- to move to shelves that I can put along the wall. The Expedit was a room divider in a previous house and it's not working for me anymore. I figure while I've got all of the books off the shelf, I ought to cull (again. I do every year) and somehow make a database with everything I keep. This will help me avoid buying the same books over again. Plus I like the idea of having all that information in one place. I figure that my collection will only get larger from here since books follow me home.

So how do I do this? I have this vague idea that I can take pictures of the barcodes of my books with my iPhone camera and populate some magical database that way. Did I make that up? What about the CueCat? Where can I get one of those?

I have a Mac running Leopard and want to do this on the cheap.

Bonus question: I'm thinking of organizing everything alphabetically by author. Anyone want to convince me to use LoC or the Dewey Decimal system?

(I saw this question but it's from a while ago and I don't have MS Access.

Mold in Truck! Out Damn Mold!

fieldtrip — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:28:58 -0800

I'm asking for my sister. And, yes I saw the previous sorta related mold questions but this is specific enough and those were long enough ago that I thought, perhaps, there might be some new mold-fighting technology or tactics: "We have a serious mold problem in our truck! Has anyone had success battling mold? "...We are still trying to determine the cause. It is likely from a leak, but could also have been compounded from wet stuff left inside. We don't drive it much, so the wet stuff was in the cabin for four weeks before we saw any results. Granted it also rained VERY heavily for many days during that time, too.

So far, we wiped down all surfaces (fabric and hard plastic) with a mold remover spray. We then shampooed the seats and carpet and dry vacuumed them. I also just put a dehumidifier in the cabin (a cheap plastic thing with little kitty litter like balls--like those silicon packets that come in shoes???). It hasn't collected any water though it has been three very wet and rainy days.

We have been advised by our local car expert to take out the seats and carpet and completely wash and dry them. This is our new plan for the Thanksgiving holiday when we can use our parents' garage. (We live in a city apartment and park on the street). We have been told that even cavemen could do this.

Does anyone have additional suggestions/hints?

Thanks so much!
Ellen in Seattle"

The stupidest miracle

Lacking Subtlety — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:39:23 -0800

I just did something banally amazing. Now I'm overcome with a profound sense of dread. Is this legitimate? We just had some down time at work and we were throwing paper airplanes. Now I should say, that we never have downtime at this job, but this was different because our computers were down. So the fact that people kind of went nuts with the opportunity to play around and were super-into designing awesome paper airplanes.

Anywho, someone was watching us from down the hall and said, "Hey! someone throw it in here!" and placed a tall, thin glass on edge of their desk... this was a good 47 feet away, no lie. My co-worker tried first and it only went about 15 feet. Then I went.

I lined up and said the words "it's in there like swimwear" aloud in a sort of faux-pompous idiocy, then tossed it so nonchalantly, like I did it everyday. It had perfect arc. It swooped down, then back up for second, and went right into the freaking glass. Seriously this glass is a good three to three and half inches wide at best. And again 47 feet away (we retroactively measured it). Needless to say, when it happened people celebrated like we just one the Superbowl. People tried to replicate the event for the next hour and no one even came within 10 feet of the glass. People can't stop talking about it.

So Now Then.

About 3 hours have passed and I have been overcome with this weird sense that I will never, ever, in my entire life be so lucky or do something as great as this... I'm being serious. I know this is nowhere near as important as 99% of the things in my life, but I still feel a genuine sense of dread that what happened was just the coolest, and sadly most interesting thing I will ever do in my entire life. I am rather upset about this.

I realize there is nothing more trivial in the entire world as what I am saying. It was a funny, flukely, silly thing that involved coworkers and bored editors. No one else will care. And yet I am extremely bothered. I have no reason to feel like this. Also, I am not normally like this, as I am generally a worry-free and positive person.

Why would something so utterly trivial and stupid, actually bother me? Is anyone else effected by a whimsical situation that they feel has some sort of grand karmic affectation on their actual life?

I honestly just feel like I just used up my quota of luck.

Is this insane?

The correct answer is yes.

But is it insane to feel that way nonetheless?

Will I Lose My Driver's License?

goalyeehah — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:28 -0800

Do I have any options with the California Department of Motor Vehicle regarding having had seizures and losing my license? I have to send in form to DMV filled out by doctor about my medical history. DUH! If I take this to neurololgist I've seen, he obviously is going to fill out what has recently happened regarding seizures I have had. Having seizures = no license........or at least that is what I've been told. Is there a probability factor here. I have written a letter explaining my case. Will that have any influence or will I be tilting at windmills (or whatever the adage is)

Med history - I had a skull fracture 20+ years ago. Got into yoga as a means of healing the trauma. 3 years ago I had what doctors would decribe as a seizure and have had 3 since that time. Each time I had blacked out and was taken to emergency room. I saw a neurologist the first time it happened and got checked out. All tests were clear. I am seeing him now and going through all the tests again to make sure of what it isn't and then moving forward from that baseline.

The doctors attribute the seizures to the head injury. Whether they are or not, I am confident I can manage these and heal what is going on. I also feel deep down they are passing.

My worst fear is that it is a black/white decision and that my license will be taken away. I live in Los Angeles, am a yoga teacher, have to drive and be at place in a timely fashion. I am also just getting a business going.

What is this crazy flag?

Optimus Chyme — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:07:20 -0800

What crazy flag is this?

Good guys get blue, bad guys get red.

uaudio — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:06:39 -0800

How close are we to handheld laser weapons? I read an article about a laser on a C-130 burning a hole through a car, a 747 that can shoot down an ICBM, and now a truck-mounted laser that can bring down a plane or UAV. What kind of science challenges do we need to meet before these weapons are issued to soldiers, etc.? I'm sure the power is the biggest challenge, what other ones are there?

Wrong address on the envelope, what am I to do?

913 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:00:50 -0800

Canada Post filter: I sent a registered letter yesterday. I JUST realized that the return address I put on the envelope is slightly incorrect. What can I do? - The address isn't totally incorrect. It should be 905-109 Street but I accidentally wrote down 109-905 Street (there is no such address in my city - it's technically the middle of a park).

- The letter inside the envelope has the correct address on it.

- For all intents and purposes, I'm not able to contact the recipient to tell them the address on the envelope is incorrect.

Basically, I'm looking to see what my options are. I've tried calling Canada Post but they're closed until tomorrow morning (I will try again then).

Do people respond to letters (to a company) via the address on the envelope or would they use the address on the letter? Would I be able to re-direct mail from that address to mine? Main issue is that it would probably be registered mail coming to me, too - so I'd have to sign for it.

Prescription to Move.

beautifulcheese — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:02:42 -0800

Canada Filter: I live on Vancouver Island, BC. We just had 180mm of rain in a day and a bit. I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. The two do not mix. Where should I move? I also struggle with depression the rest of the year so there really seems to be no respite. Today my psychiatrist recommended that I should think about moving somewhere else for the long run. It is getting harder and harder to get through each fall/winter.

So where should I move? I need to stay in Canada simply because I love my country. I'd like it to be sunny but not too hot in the summer (nothing above 27-30C on average). I don't like the cold or snow but I suppose I could adapt. It just isn't something I have ever experienced and it frightens me.

It feels like I am in the mildest climate of Canada already and I prefer that. I just need sun added in. I would settle for less gray and not constant rain.

So suggestions? Favourite places? Experiences of places where you felt the weather lift your mood?

I choo-choo-choose you.

phunniemee — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:34:58 -0800

Looking for cutesy little puns of the kids' valentine variety. I would like to make a series of love notes for my guy in the style of those lame valentine's cards we all got as kids. I plan to draw a little picture to go with each note, so short and simple is best.

Obvious ones:
"I choo-choo-choose you" (thanks, Ralph Wiggum!) with a picture of a train.
"Bee mine" with, you know, a bee.
"You're my sweetie" with a candy or something.

I would love to hear some suggestions that are more creative, clever, and have better puns. Any ideas?

Thanks!

HY=EY to you too, buddy

ailouros08 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:44 -0800

I'm being outsmarted by a personalized license plate (I think)! I was driving through Durham, NC last Saturday when I saw a truck with a personalized license plate reading HY=EY. The truck also had some math bumper stickers on it. What, if anything does HY=EY mean?

Elusive jigsaw puzzle - Mad Magazine related?

routergirl — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:25:42 -0800

Seeking old jigsaw type puzzle from my childhood. Possibly Mad magazine related, or drawn by Al Jaffee... slim details inside. When I was a kid I had this puzzle. It was a small one, perhaps 5x7 inches or so when complete. Each piece was a strange character, and it was accompanied by a poem that gave clues as to how they all fit together. One piece was either Alfred E. Neuman's face or a face very similar to his. Other pieces included a cartoony type white dog with one arm held high, a woman in heels, a desk cluttered with several things, a seemingly drunk man with a party hat (I think he was reclining, with legs sprawled, on the floor at the bottom of the puzzle), a red telephone, and various other people/cartoon-ish animals. I lost it some years back. It's been nagging at me over the last year or so, but my google fu is failing me. I expect my search terms are too broad (mad magazine jigsaw, mad magazine puzzle). I've tried doing some searches on ebay but come up empty. We kept it in a plastic box, but I can't guarantee its the box it was sold in - it was just a non-descript little box that it happened to fit in, and we kept the poem folded inside with the pieces. The pieces were cardboard - not prime jigsaw puzzle material, but not paper, and it didn't seem thin enough to be a bonus Mad Magazine insert.

I was born in '73, but had older siblings/step-siblings and my older brother collected Mad Magazine for some years. From what I remember of the artwork (the pieces I remember, I remember vividly) it was probably put out in the mid to late 70's or early 80's.

I suspect I'm out of luck, but generally I don't give up without trying the hive mind. Also - is there a name for a jigsaw puzzle where each piece consists of a character or item, or are they all just... "Puzzles"?

What does the Venn intersection of journalists and inventors look like?

runkelfinker — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:55:48 -0800

I've been following the development of the CrunchPad with some interest. It's made me wonder, are there any famous examples in history of journalists also being successful inventors/innovators?