Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with application

Go ahead, test me.

dkleinst — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:02:00 -0800

For what jobs are applicants accepted largely based on an examination? Inspired by this question. Examples of this type of hiring practice would be the United States Foreign Service examination and USPS.

Should I say I'm on maternity leave when applying for jobs?

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:24:16 -0800

I'm applying for professional jobs after 6 months of maternity leave. How, if at all, should this be reflected (a) in my resume/cover letter and (b) in my interviews? Is it misleading to say that I am still employed by the employer that I am on leave from (they are paying me benefits and I have a job waiting for me when I come back if I want it)? I am concerned that employers will be reluctant to hire someone who has just had a child as they may feel I will be likely to have another soon.

I'm considering just not telling them that I have recently had a child, but then it looks like I have 6 months more experience than I actually do, even though I am technically still employed there. Thoughts?

How do I access the internet through an ISA Server proxy?

mr_silver — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:15:31 -0800

I have an application installed on my PC at work that needs to connect to the internet through our ISA Server. The problem it has is that it can't connect directly unless I put in proxy settings. The problem that I have is that the proxy setting is just one long URL with no username or password. How can I get this application to connect? Whenever I connect to the internet with a browser (IE and Firefox) on the work computer (Windows XP) I need to use http://isa.uk.mycompany.com:8080/array.dll?Get.Routing.Script as the automatic proxy configuration URL in the preferences otherwise it refuses to connect.

The application I want to connect to the internet uses HTTP and gives me three options for the proxy: "use default", "direct" and "named proxy". "Use default" and "direct" don't work.

"Named proxy" requires me to enter a proxy server, username and password. I'm guessing that my windows username and password would be for the latter two, but I have no idea what to put for the proxy server.

I've tried putting the long URL in, but that doesn't work. The problem appears to be that it is expecting a server name, not a port number and certainly not a path to a script.

I tried pasting the URL into a browser and it downloaded what looked to be about 300 lines of VB Script. There was nothing in there that gave me much of a clue on what I should use. I also tried running the VB script from the command line but nothing was outputted.

Can anyone offer any insights into what I need to do to work out what the proxy server name would be? Failing that, what else can I do?

My computer doesn't like to think too hard

lpctstr; — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:25:38 -0800

Why are my high CPU load applications crashing? Lately whenever I run applications which uses a lot of CPU, they randomly crash in 0-2 minutes. These are application crashes and not system crashes.

They are extremely consistent and reproduceable so I can't even finish the tasks. I have been able to do these tasks in the past with no problems.

I've seen this in:

1) Transcoding my ripped CDs to flac
2) Compressing large folders

What can be the problem? I consider myself tech savvy am would be willing to try anything.

One thing that may be related is I had bad ram (memtest failed) last week and I replaced it with the same model of ram from Frys (memtest passed). I also tried eliminating the pagefile but the application crashes still persist. I'm on Windows XP SP2.

Graduate school help

Aanidaani — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 07:31:55 -0800

I'm currently looking at materials science PhD programs and I'm having some difficulty locating magnetic materials groups. My interests lie in volatile and non-volatile storage, which is a pretty broad area. Can anyone suggest schools to look at? I've spoken to some of my professors who study magnetics and the schools they've recommended (Stanford, UCSD) seem promising. I want to find some other options, but it seems like most schools don't do much magnetic storage work. Does anyone know of any places (other than the above and Carnegie Mellon University -- my undergrad) that study magnetic data storage?

Another area I find interesting is phase-change storage memory, but research on this is done mostly outside the United States. Are there any groups (other than businesses) that study this in the U.S.?

UK Visa Application Advice - UK & Japanese citizens

mairuzu — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:24:52 -0800

I am a British citizen, my fiance is Japanese. We are getting married in Japan in August. Immediately after the wedding, we are planning on going to the UK Visa Application Centre in Osaka to apply for a spouse visa to allow my (by then) wife to re-enter the UK and work. I will then return to the UK towards the end of August and she plans to return in September (once the visa has been approved). Can anyone who has been through or knows about this process offer any advice, experiences or opinions? Specifically, we want to know:

- How realistic are the time-scales for processing (they estimate between 1 & 3 months - is it more likely to be 1 month or 3?)
- How easy is it to book an appointment at the Visa Centre?
- How busy does the centre get? (Can we just turn up without an appointment?)
- What sort of documentation is it best to take? (evidence of genuineness of relationship etc.?)

Many thanks in advance

Applying for a government job (what to reveal in the application and more)

mintchip — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:19:52 -0800

Applying for a government job (what to reveal in the application and more) I'm interested in applying for a government job. The job application asks you to reveal any time you were let go from a job within the past five years.

I had been let go from one job, but I was only there a short while and considered the decision "mutual" since they one let me go after I told my supervisor--twice--that I was unhappy with the position. I was able to collect unemployment. I realize it might seem "wrong" to hide it, but frankly the position just didn't work out and I don't want it to hinder me going forward.

1. If I don't reveal this, how likely is it to be found out?
2. If I do reveal this, is it likely to keep me from being considered for the position?
3. Any tips for getting into a state/local government job? Does it help to have connections? The application process seems quite formal so I'm not sure how having connections would help.
4. Anyone here have a state/local government position? How do you like it?

Thanks!

Inserting XML into an HTML document

five fresh fish — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:44:25 -0800

I wish to insert a namespaced XML document into an (X)HTML web page. The "XML Data Island" trick is verboten. There appears to be two ways of accomplishing this. Both continue to elude me. The first method is to use JS to fetch the XML document and then run a traversal on the document, re-creating its nodes as nodes appended to the insertion holder element. The second method is to use XSLT to not-transform it, but merely replicate it directly into the holder element.

The source XML document is Docbook with namespaces, so the TITLE element doesn't collide with XHTML's self-same element (otherwise I get a validation error). This XML will then be styled using CSS.

I've been exhaustively researching and toying with this for the past week. It seems to me to be a perfectly natural thing to want to do, yet for the life of me I have not found a pre-made solution.

I spent most of today working on the JS solution, and I think I've nearly grokked it, save a few stumbling details. But as I was driving home it struck me that (a) this is going to be unbearably slow for any large document; and (b) a simple not-really-transforming XSLT might do the trick.

Anyhoo, I'd like to hear some ideas for ways of solving all this. I'm a rank newbie at the whole JS/DOM thing, but familiar enough that I'm more or less successfully muddling through it through judicious use of the internets. Feel free to post code, etc; at this point any info I can get that'll help me struggle through this is welcome¹⁰⁰.

Send me back to skool

sambosambo — Sun, 11 May 2008 13:00:07 -0800

How does a 25-year old college dropout go about getting a fresh start at a new university? I dropped out of San Jose State about 2 years ago. I want another shot at getting my degree, but I have no idea how to go about choosing a school to attend.

I chose San Jose State mostly out of fear and laziness, as it was the closest and cheapest university that I was accepted into. After an on-again-off-again relationship with the school, I eventually dropped out. It's been 2 years now, and I have a better idea of what I'd really like to study, and have glimpsed what the future holds for me without finishing my education.

For a number of reasons, I don't want to go back to SJSU. The top reason being that it just wasn't a good fit for me. The second reason is that given the amount of credits I'd have to makeup I'd simply prefer to use the time to start over again rather than play catchup.

I'm very open and would love to get away from the SF Bay Area and California, so how do I narrow my choices and find schools that will fit me?

Screen sharing apps?

xammerboy — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:39:47 -0800

Does anyone know of good, free, and easy to use screen sharing applications? We use MeetingPlace where I work, but it doesn't work often. Is there a simple screen sharing application I can use that works for multiple people? Ideally, this would work across company VPNs, be free, and be easy to install and use.

About 90% of my job depends on me being able to work with others in real time on a shared screen. Help me MeFi, you are my only hope! :-)

Please help me get into a top tier law school.

tinatiga — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:39:07 -0800

Any tips on how to up my chances of getting into a top law school? I'm shooting for UCLA or UC Berkeley. I'd like to focus on Intellectual Property rights with an eye toward representing content creators.

I did my undergrad at UC Santa Cruz majoring in Film Theory and I think my GPA was around 3.5. It was a big department and I didn't form relationships with any professors or TAs there. I've worked for several years at a big entertainment company specifically in their IT department. Everyone loves me at work.

I have an LSAT prep book and will be enrolling in a prep class prior to taking the exam.

I also have a slightly tear-jerking background. I'm an almost fully divorced battered wife returning to school (I'm 25). And I'm also a first-generation college graduate.

Is there anything else I can or should be doing to to increase my chances of being accepted for the 2009 school year?

dealing with a low GPA on grad applications?

slow graffiti — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:51:42 -0800

Ways to mitigate a low undergrad GPA for grad school applications? I finished my undergrad degree with only a 3.1 overall, but more like a 3.8 in my major. Unrelated/silly classes that I shouldn't have taken for a grade are mostly the things bringing my GPA down, and it's up to the committees to decide how big a deal that is, but there is one low grade that is of major concern; I did not do that well in stats. I know I need stats to do research and I'll have to take much harder stats to get my PhD, and if I don't do something about that grade, my application will go straight to the trash. I'm confident that I can handle stats, but how do I demonstrate that? If I take stats again from a community college at night to get an A, will that be dismissed because the CC course will be seen as easier? Are there any other options for demonstrating that I'm capable of the work and not as prone to goofing off now?

And as for the personal statement- do I mention that grade in particular? What do I say? I think the best response would be to say "I did lab work and published later in school, which taught me much more about applied statistics than that huge undergrad GE course."
Is there anything else I can do besides highlighting my research and acing the GRE to make up for a really inconsistent transcript?

In an OOP world, what's the best way to handle a lot of sequential code?

grumblebee — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:19:40 -0800

Design-pattern (programming) question. I'm working on a huge app (many thousand lines of code), and one of the most complex parts of it is the initialization logic. There's a ton of code that needs to run sequentially and only once.

Currently, I'm handling all of this with singletons, but I wonder if there's a better way.

Here's the basic framework now (in pseudocode).

MainInit.getInstance().init();

/* inside MainInit's init() method... */

DataManager.getInstance().init();
CommandManager.getInstance().init();
GraphicsManager.getInstance().init();
... etc ... //maybe 40 more calls like this

This seems pretty straightforward and easy to maintain. I don't have any real problems with it. But it's sort of off-the-top-of-my-head. I've never worked on an app that needs so much initializing before.

Since it's not really about objects -- it's just about tons of code running in sequential order -- I'm not sure of the best, tried and true method of breaking it up into manageable chunks. And I can't find much about it in my Design Pattern books.

I'm cool with non design-pattern solutions, too. I know patterns aren't for everything. I just need a really good way of organizing this sort of code.

Are lawyers just vampire money-pit evil people?

Brockles — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 09:30:18 -0800

Wanted: Most expedient and financially prudent way to apply for permanent residence in Canada. I can't find any specific questions or direct help in the various government websites for my particular circumstances, so am looking for anecdotal evidence or a person in the know:

I have a work visa in Canada, and I have been here since October 2006. I am English and I have a very specific and technical job here that I am extremely well/over qualified for, with 15 years employment in the field. I'd like to apply for permanent residence, and have had quotes in the region of $2.5 to 5K for the process from immigration lawyers. At the moment, that is quite a lot of money to me, although I could save that without major hardship if I had to.

So questions are as follows:

1: Is there any advantage in turn-around time going with a lawyer? (please quantify answers). How long does either take?

2: I can't decide how likely I am to screw up the process if I don't use a lawyer (my work permit took two goes to go through when we tried to do it ourselves) so am weighing cost/arse-factor of just getting it done over not paying $3K or so. Any experience?

3: After having got a work visa, and having had lawyers offer to take my case on (expressing, as they would, high chances of it being successful), are lawyer supported applications a reasonable certainty?

4: I've heard rumours that there may be difficulty extending my 2 year work permit - which seems nonsensical to me. Is there any truth in this? The difficulty revolved around needing a few months gap between visa expiry and additional applications, which seems stupid.

5: Does it make it any easier that I am already employed and living here?

So. I am essentially looking to take the right decision for reliability of application. I also want to get this over and done with.

Can anybody help with this?

How do I pick a professional looking domain name?

dcbarker — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:22:25 -0800

Help me pick a professional domain name for email. All reasonable combinations of my name are already taken (the same goes for GoogleMail addresses). I'd like to avoid firstnamelastnameUK01321@googlemail.com if I can. I'm going to be using it mainly on CVs. So, because my real name (any reasonable combination of it..) is taken and I can't get my real name on GoogleMail, I'd like to pick a reasonably professional domain name (a .co.uk) to handle all of my email. That way I can just have firstname.lastname@mydomain.co.uk

The problem is.. Every domain I think of seems to sound like a lame social networking username or a dot com bubble company name. It'll be used on job applications, recruitment services and CVs. Nothing much else as I'd like to keep it separate from everything else.

I want to avoid getting a friend to forward mail from an already established domain for the same reason I'm not going to use one of my existing domains - I want a little self-contained email domain for work stuff.

I'm not so much looking for actual domain name suggestions - I'd really like advice on how to pick a suitable domain.

So, any ideas? Thanks!

How long is too long?

Four-Eyed Girl — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:18:28 -0800

I am applying for psychology instructor positions at community colleges and have lots of cover letters to write. What is an acceptable length for these cover letters? I've been told that I need to address each minimum/preferred/desired qualification, skill, & ability listed in the job descriptions in the cover letters. In doing so, my letters end up being 3 pages long, and this seems kind of long to me. Do letters this long get dismissed, or are letters several pages long acceptable in community college applications?

Looking for virtual notecards?

JakeLL — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:22:04 -0800

I'm writing a research paper. I'm looking for an application that will not only allow me to write multiple notes about each source, but will also allow me to organize these notes into the structure that I plan on writing my paper. Something GUI where I can just click and drag to put them in order. I searched previous questions and came across http://ask.metafilter.com/81362/How-to-organize-scientific-article-pdfs . While Zotero seems very close, it doesn't seem to allow me to just organize notes regardless of the source it's coming from.

Also I would prefer the ability to see a fair amount written on multiple notes at a time. Something like GoogleNotebook, but more functional. Maybe I'm looking for virtual note cards? I'm open to suggestions if you know of a program that might help, but isn't exactly what I'm looking for.

Thanks!

LAMP/Windows Comparisons

kirkaracha — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:27:41 -0800

I'm looking for good, neutral, non-dogmatic comparisons of LAMP and Windows for building and hosting database-backed web applications. Comparisons of cost, security, stability, and maintenance would be especially helpful.

Advice about applying to graduate school while abroad

andoatnp — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:07:22 -0800

I'm looking for information for applying to grad school while abroad. (PhD programs in Political Science/International Relations). I graduated from college in spring 2006, and I'm planning on applying next year (Fall '09) to start in Fall 2010. I'm also considering going to Israel in July and staying for about 10 months, and I want to make sure this won't impact my grad school plans in any way. All I've really done so far is had 3 professors write letters of recommendations that are on file at my undergrad school. In Israel, I would have to take the GRE (which is offered regularly) and do my personal statement and applications for the schools I'm applying to.

Is there anything else about the process that I'm not realizing that would make doing an application while in a foreign country particularly difficult? I tried googling, but all the results I got were about going abroad as an undergrad to prepare for grad school or grad schools that feature an abroad component.

I would almost certainly not be able to visit any of the schools I'm applying to, which I'm ok with in terms of picking a school because getting a real physical feel of the campus isn't important to me, but is that an expected part of the process, and would it weaken my chances if I can't visit anywhere I'm applying to?

Does anyone have any experience applying to a PhD program while abroad, or receiving applications to a program from someone that was abroad? Anything that I should do in advance to make things easier for me when I'm abroad? Thanks!

perhaps i just need a better mouse.

verisimilitude — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:25:37 -0800

I'm looking for a software app that helps me follow instructions for other computer procedures. Sounds complicated? Well what i am looking for should be really simple.

I am trying to learn various programs (SPSS at the moment) and find step by step instructions on the webpages of benevolent souls really useful. Perhaps I'm monumentally lazy but I find clicking back and forth from SPSS to the webpage really irritating. I'm sure its a simple task to make my mozilla browser stay in the foreground, but I cant figure out how.

In searching for a solution it dawned on me that there should be an even better way forward. I propose a simple app that allows me to select (like PrtSc) a set of instructions from a webpage, then pins this text in a lightweight easy to move and modify window that stays in the foreground. That strikes me as a good idea, so I am some bright spark has already bettered it.

Is there an international money transfer service with an API that supports transfers to Vietnam, Sri Lanka?

tnoetz01 — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:24:02 -0800

I'm designing an online application for a large number of users, and I'm looking for an online service to automate payments to international destinations using some sort of API or batch process. The service needs to support transfers from the U.S. to India, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Since PayPal doesn't yet support transfers to Sri Lanka or Vietnam (only from), it's not an option.

I didn't realize being a criminal was still a requirement!

mhz — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:24:38 -0800

What exactly is a police 'clearance letter,' and how do I go about getting one? I'm getting my Australian Citizenship (by descent), and after going through the paperwork for a millionth time, I realize that I'm short one document. I already have the FBI rap sheet (I'm clear!!), but now I see I need a clearance letter from my local police.

What is this, how do I get it, how much will it cost?

All of this is in NYC, under the jurisdiction of the NYPD.

While we're on the subject, if anyone has anything helpful to add re: my application, thanks very much in advance

Help me remember this Free Custom Ringtone site!

Maia — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:32:39 -0800

What is the name of the website that allows you to upload mp3's to its site, converts them to ringtone format, and then text messages them to your phone for free (after a delay) or immediately (for a donation)?

Small mac app idea wanted

jasminerain — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:30:33 -0800

Are there any small Mac applications that you wish existed but doesn't? I need to make a Cocoa application for a class in a few weeks, and I get to choose the application. I'd really like it to be unique and useful. It has to be small enough to be doable in 3 weeks, but it's okay if it's a large project as long as something fairly impressive can be accomplished towards the goal in 3 weeks (in other words, something with a small core functionality and possibly many features on top). I wouldn't mind continuing to work on it after the class is over.

Also, if you have an idea but it's kind of a large project, go ahead and post it anyway.

I'm not looking for anything that'll make money, but it would be nice if the project is useful to more than a handful of people.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Personal Statement Woes

tickingclock — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:33:32 -0800

Applying for a university summer school program, which requires a personal statement of 150 words. What could I say with such few words? I am applying for a rather competitive university summer school program designed to train undergraduate students interested in pursuing graduate studies in the cognitive sciences. Most of the application is fairly standard -- a transcript, a letter of recommendation, &c. -- but I am stumped at the personal statement, which has a rather restricted limit of 150 words!

The personal statement field asks for "academic experience, research experience and interests, [and] career plans" -- I have no idea how I could describe all of those in 150 words or fewer. This is particularly difficult because I am in a rather unusual multidisciplinary program that is not really offered at other universities, so it takes me a few sentences to even describe my undergraduate degree, never mind explain my interest in it and why my education is appropriate for the summer school. Furthermore, having a lengthy description of my academic background prevents me from delving into my involvement with research projects, which are very much related to topic of the summer school -- although, I suppose the letter of recommendation from my supervising professor could probably cover that fairly well.

The application form does not ask for a CV, nor does it have a section for attaching other documents, so I am not really sure of how to best discuss my academic and research background outside of the personal statement section. It does, however, have a free-form "other comments" section, whose purpose I am not entirely sure of at the moment.

I really, really want to accepted into the summer school this year and I feel that improving my personal statement would definitely help. Last year, I wrote one or two sentences tackling each of the categories listed in the personal statement; I was not accepted into the program. To be honest, I thought my personal statement was rather boring and did not express my aspirations very well -- it gave a rather dry overview of who I am as a student.

How could I best tackle the personal statement? Should I be enthusiastic? Should I focus on one aspect of the personal statement, such as my research aspirations, and rely on my letter of recommendation to describe other relevant experiences? Should I go crazy packing my background information in the "other comments" section? How do I limit myself to 150 words and yet still stand out among other applicants, many of whom are likely more qualified and interesting than I am? I should add that I have a rather dry, boring writing style, which really does not help my cause.

Most of the advice that I found on the internet seem to be geared towards longer personal statements, in which there is more wiggle room for being interesting. I'm really not sure of what to do. Ask MetaFilter, please hope me!