Mission of Mercy Filter: How can I find sources of cheery personal mail for my lonely elder Alzheimer's patient? I live with my mother-in-law who has middle stage Alzheimer's. She does a lot of sitting and staring. She has no attention span for books or magazines or TV. She lights up for visitors, dessert, church... and personal mail. I am looking for a service that arranges (basically, one-directional) "pen-pals" for elder shut-ins. She has just enough means to assure her basic care, but not much for extras. This would have to be a volunteer service like a charity or ministry. [more inside]
posted by cross_impact on Dec 26, 2009 - 52 answers

How can people in the U.S. prison system communicate with the outside world? I understand that this varies depending on the type of prison, and possibly the state, but I have found no information. [more inside]
posted by daboo on Dec 17, 2009 - 11 answers

Bill Gates wrote a letter to the editor that was published in The Economist within the past year or two. Can you track down what issue it was in? [more inside]
posted by disillusioned on Sep 17, 2009 - 4 answers

Books on cover letters and resumes geared to new college graduates? [more inside]
posted by cymru_j on Sep 10, 2009 - 3 answers

Movie ID help please: 18th century England, noblewoman looking for husband, writes letters with rich American who made fortune in slave trade, she befriends a slave who works in the house, they fall in love, later there is a childbirth scene. Movie made in the early 90s, low-budget look, could be made-for-TV. [more inside]
posted by jocelmeow on Sep 9, 2009 - 2 answers

I'm looking for details about H.P. Lovecraft's visits to Salem, MA. [more inside]
posted by robocop is bleeding on Aug 25, 2009 - 12 answers

I have lots of questions about an email FW: I have received many, many times. [more inside]
posted by doublehappy on Aug 16, 2009 - 25 answers

Help me put together a unique letter writing kit for a friend going away to college! Details appreciated. [more inside]
posted by newtux on Aug 3, 2009 - 10 answers

I want to write my U.S. Congressman on at least one delicate topic. But, I'm kind of paranoid that my letter will become public record that is subject to a FOIA request. I have a very distinctive name that when Googled, I pop up immediately in the form of my professional profile. I don't want what I write to my Congressman to be available to anyone to read and who then pops my name into a search engine and they find me on the internet. Am I disenfranchised from making my opinion known or can I write without fear? FYI - there is nothing I can do about my name or my profile being on the internet.
posted by Leezie on Jun 22, 2009 - 12 answers

Epistolary songs? [more inside]
posted by rabbitrabbit on Jun 10, 2009 - 38 answers

Help me find this cool site! Site was an example of crowd dynamics. The site presented a shared space and a random assortment of letters, like Scrabble tiles, that could be dragged around the screen to spell out words. [more inside]
posted by Cool Papa Bell on Jun 4, 2009 - 4 answers

I really like this girl. I don't see her regularly, but we write letters to each other, which I thought might have been the start of something more than just friendship. Then she gets into a relationship with some guy, and the letters stop for a while. Then I get another letter. Now what? [more inside]
posted by Petrot on May 31, 2009 - 23 answers

My partner and I have broken up because of a move but have decided to correspond with one another through handwritten letters. Please help me be a better letter writer! [more inside]
posted by SkylitDrawl on May 16, 2009 - 18 answers

Would someone translate the text around this pomegranate, please? [more inside]
posted by Tufa on Apr 20, 2009 - 2 answers

I'm looking for books featuring (first hand) the creative processes, influences, daily routines and preparatory works of creative people - visual artists, film makers, novelists, poets etc. [more inside]
posted by fire&wings on Mar 25, 2009 - 11 answers

What specific measures should I take to ensure that important people actually receive and read my letters? [more inside]
posted by cloudsandstars on Feb 26, 2009 - 10 answers

Whose name do I use when writing a cover letter for a job? [more inside]
posted by crazylegs on Feb 23, 2009 - 15 answers

Can you help out with some (easy) wordplay? [more inside]
posted by BorgLove on Feb 23, 2009 - 30 answers

How should I approach my professors for recommendation/reference letters for a job that doesn't yet exist? [more inside]
posted by ElectricBlue on Feb 18, 2009 - 7 answers

New Years Resolution: Write a letter every day. [more inside]
posted by thebrokenmuse on Dec 26, 2008 - 18 answers

OK, I've posted on this subject before. Each time, I'm a little further along. Here is where I am right now. I've been working on a book since March. The idea upon which the book is based has been getting a lot of attention recently and has consistently been in the news for about four years. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind on Dec 8, 2008 - 5 answers

How do you write a fan letter pretending to be Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana? [more inside]
posted by LiquidKarma on Nov 21, 2008 - 26 answers

What's it called where you take a group of letters and make words out of them? (Not anagram!) [more inside]
posted by 47triple2 on Nov 8, 2008 - 9 answers

A list of ways to show Nanna she is loved? [more inside]
posted by nomnomnom on Nov 3, 2008 - 10 answers

I need to change nearly all the drive letters on XP, including the system partition. How do I do this? [more inside]
posted by edbyford on Oct 6, 2008 - 9 answers

How do I make a macro for Microsoft Word to capitalize lines in an interview? [more inside]
posted by perpetualstroll on Sep 1, 2008 - 3 answers

Why does MUNI sometimes call a train N and sometimes N N? Where can I learn more about their naming schemes? [more inside]
posted by scission on Aug 8, 2008 - 13 answers

Simple question: help me translate this sentence from Swedish to English. [more inside]
posted by cincinnatus c on Jul 22, 2008 - 15 answers

Please recommend me some great books about the home front during WWI or WWII. [more inside]
posted by booksandlibretti on Jul 21, 2008 - 26 answers

I'm looking for 3-dimensional letters that can stand freely and be photographed. I remember seeing some that were sold to aspiring film makers during the super-8 era for creating titles. Does anybody know anything about these, or where I can get something like them? [more inside]
posted by Cranialtorque on Jul 19, 2008 - 10 answers

What are these things? And what do they say? [more inside]
posted by aburd on Jul 15, 2008 - 22 answers

Darling-Letter-Filter: Where can I purchase attractive, design-inspired paper goods online? [more inside]
posted by numinous on Jun 18, 2008 - 14 answers

I've launched a website less than a month ago, but all the domain names I think best fit what I am doing are taken, so I took a name I don't like. I would like your help renaming it. [more inside]
posted by cjorgensen on May 29, 2008 - 8 answers

What do I do with an anonymous letter about one of my employees? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 11, 2008 - 40 answers

Suppose one friend was to send another a letter by mail. What makes for an especially great letter? What elements make a letter newsy enough to be interesting, without seeming to be a catalog of fabulous adventures? What elements make a letter feel emotionally true and personal, without seeming to be the writer's self-important inner monologue? What elements best invite a response? What elements encourage a feeling of connection in the reader?
posted by xo on Feb 26, 2008 - 19 answers

Why do I seem to be increasingly mixing up my words/letters in writing and speech? [more inside]
posted by jacalata on Jan 12, 2008 - 29 answers

If I wanted some pre-cut letter shapes made for me out of a material similar to a tire inner tube, what sort of request would I make? What would I call the material so that the manufacturer understood? What, if anyone has ordered similar, is a decent place to order from? Thanks!
posted by Kickstart70 on Jan 5, 2008 - 6 answers

Grad School Filter: How technical and specific should my statement of purpose for my Computer Science PhD application be? [more inside]
posted by christy on Dec 13, 2007 - 10 answers

Where can I find information about the history and usage of letter-endings (e.g., "love," "yours," "sincerely")? [more inside]
posted by electric water kettle on Dec 11, 2007 - 7 answers

How do I go about finding a pen pal with whom I have a lot in common, one who will also be loyal in writing letters on a regular basis? [more inside]
posted by susiepie on Nov 28, 2007 - 13 answers

What sort of things should I write about to my soldier pen pal? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 19, 2007 - 18 answers

What happens to letters from demolished buildings? What happens to old lettering on commercial buildings in general? Of course, the real question is, can I get my hands on them? [more inside]
posted by electric_counterpoint on Nov 12, 2007 - 12 answers

What's the etiquette for photos on holiday cards? [more inside]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero on Nov 2, 2007 - 25 answers

I saw a preview for this movie, but I can't remember the name. [more inside]
posted by mkb on Nov 2, 2007 - 6 answers

Help me compose the perfect letter of introduction and get over my fear of contacting potential Ph.D. advisors. [more inside]
posted by cortisol on Oct 2, 2007 - 12 answers

How can I get letters back onto my iBook keyboard? [more inside]
posted by Andrhia on Jul 23, 2007 - 12 answers

What are some good, simple, affordable correspondence courses I can do from Australia? (The courses don't have to be based in Australia.) [more inside]
posted by divabat on Jun 12, 2007 - 5 answers

How can I, a college student, get more mail? [more inside]
posted by divabat on Apr 24, 2007 - 41 answers

BookFilter: I've recently gotten done with Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger (link here). I'm looking for more books like it. [more inside]
posted by reenum on Apr 23, 2007 - 19 answers

Who should write my letters of reference two years out of university? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 3, 2007 - 11 answers