Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with chaos

Help me create order out of electronic chaos

janecr — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:22:10 -0800

My electronic life is in total chaos - I have multiple copies of word and powerpoint files (usually all with the same name) on four or five different USBs or varying ages, a network drive (in multiple places), a laptop, work pc, and ifolder. I need to sort it all out! Is there any software that can help me find multiple versions of the same file across all these different places, work out which is the most recent and then delete/archive the rest? Going forward, what is the most sensible way to start again with an organised structure for file management and keeping everything synced between various computers (have a mac at home and pc at work)?

Where to get Madame Chao's DVD?

griphus — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:45:11 -0800

Does anyone know where the get physical copies of Madame Chao's video art? The Ancient Chinese Cathode Ray DVD, specifically. Does anyone remember the "Madame Chao's" ("Madame Chaos?) videos that used to air on BCAT on Cablevision (in NYC) late nights in the late 90s/early 00s?

It was ridiculously noisy, epilepsy-inducing video art, with samples of old Chinese wǔxiá movies and The Simpsons (here's some I found on youtube WARNING: NSFW, gory violence, disturbing imagery etc.)

I used to work in a store in the E. Village where we had unlabeled copies of a couple of "episodes," with the tape just long enough to hold an episode and "Madame Chaos" scrawled across the top, which makes me assume these were originals. Unfortunately those are now gone (as is the store.)

So does anyone have any info at all on how to get some physical copies? My Google-fu is weak, their website seems to be all sorts of broken (on purpose?) and the Myspace page is unofficial

One village, many interpretations of the Hallelujah Chorus

QIbHom — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:09:12 -0800

20+ years ago, I heard a recording of the Hallelujah Chorus done by an English village on WFCR. It was horrible. I'd like to hear it again. My memory was that the recording was played every Christmas morning and that a previous DJ had found it somewhere. The story was that some English village invited everyone with an instrument or a voice to come, handed out the sheet music and played with no rehearsal.

It started out ok, if off pitch, then completely deteriorated before a trombone player blared out the "And he shall live..." part and got everyone back together. There were vocals, too, I think.

Anyone know anything about this? Or where to get a copy?

What happens when you're the last nonprofit gal standing?

vindyloo — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:51:31 -0800

NonprofitChaosFilter: The grants fell through, and I'm the last full-timer in an office of 2. What's the most ethical thing to do when I'm the last employee left, there's no money left, and I've become the director's right-hand gal? I'm working for a nonprofit that's just barely able to patch itself together. Nine months ago, I started off as the communications manager, but as of today I'm covering everything from booking plane tickets to washing dishes. Should I tell my boss that I'm unhappy in the midst of chaos, or just wait it out until I find a better job?

The first week I was hired, our office manager quit due to funding issues (her hours having been cut back to 8 per week--whee!). She was replaced by a part-time intern who, although quite a scholar, has no real background in office management. Another volunteer is covering payroll and accounting, and this person barely returns phone calls. Creditors are calling. The office is a wreck. We're chasing after grants to keep the boat afloat. To say morale is low is an understatement.

The executive director is a very hard-headed innovator who has kept the organization afloat for over 15 years. He's known for his creative drive, his sense of humor, his generosity, and his mercurial temper-- he flies off the handle, makes snap decisions, and defies the board (AKA his friends) in the name of keeping the organization (all 2 of us, ha!) alive. Today, it's just me and him in a small office. Every day, it's a new financial crisis--lots o' screaming on a regular basis (not directed toward me, just toward funders/grantors/creditors), coupled with episodes of crying and swearing. I'm 33 years old, and this is not working for me.

I took the job because the organization is involved in multimedia community work that I was very inspired by, and that I was very interested in learning more about. However, the environment has deteriorated to the degree that it's impossible for me to learn much more than scattershot last-minute grant-writing and creatively-strung-together curse words. I'm burned out and ready to move on.

The director is leaning on me a lot these days, and now that I'm the lone staffer, the expectations and demands are very high. Despite his propensity to anger, I honestly like the guy--he's got a hilarious sense of humor and he has been very generous and caring to me during this time (paying for lunches, including me in social events, remembering birthdays, etc.). Is there anything to be gained by being honest with him about how the dicey and chaotic financial situation is affecting me, or should I wait until I find another job, and then break the news? (I've been searching for work since this started to unfold ...)

Find a book about a teen who reverses entropy

Axle — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:41:59 -0800

Need help finding a book I read as a teenager. It involved teens with weird powers including the power to reverse entropy. In the novel, there were a group of teens that gained strange powers (I think because of a supernova or something). Of these powers, two stuck out to me as being really cool. One kid gave off an aura that made things grow. Everything, including bacteria and mold would grow, so he couldn't stay for very long in places because he would quickly degrade and muck up any room. I remember that another kid got shot in the leg, and since they were hiding from the government or something, he was forced to cut off the kids leg and let his powers make it grow back.

The other kid I remember was the focus of the book, because he had much greater powers. He could bring people back from the dead. And he reversed entropy. For example, grains of sand would form patterns, and locks would lose their randomness and eventually unlock. He could also destroy or heal (mentally) someone with a word.

There's also one last person I remember, who was some sort of really rich entrepreneur who wanted to do good, so he got the two kids together to bring back everyone who had been killed at a concentration camp during the Holocaust.

I recall reading only one book, but it seemed like it was part of a series. I'd really appreciate any hints as to what this series is called, because my google-fu can't turn anything up.

?

regicide is good for you — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 10:28:52 -0800

Please help me remember a quote... it's about the need to be ordered in parts of one's life, so one can be spontaneous in the rest... I have the feeling it would be really easy to search for on the web if I could remember any of the words. I seem to recall it being someone reflecting on their personal need for organization, and I believe it was some sort of artist or writer who said it.

Ring any bells?

Brain's Ability to Extract Meaning Amid Typos?

jimmyjimjim — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 09:22:14 -0800

A year or so ago, a popular meme circulating via email was an illustration of how the brain can read through text with egregious typos. It was a passage rife with reversed, ommitted, or superfluous letters, but was perfectly readable. Can anyone come up with it? Thanmks!

Chaos Control Needed

dejah420 — Sun, 13 Mar 2005 19:10:08 -0800

I admit that I am the daughter of Chaos. I seem to have zero organizational skills when it comes to objects, use of space, and clutter. I would like to hire someone to come organize my house, create a logical system whereby things are stored, and walk me through clearing the detritus of my mad packrat tendencies. To whom do I turn for this sort of skill set? The problem is that I have a very large house that has virtually no storage areas...and I'm obsessive with the collecting stuff. The house was amazing as a showroom, but is totally non-functional now that we've got a toddler, dogs, cats, and slackers. There must be some profession that deals with the hopelessly chaotic and provides some order and organization. (Also...shelving...if they could bring shelving, that would be nice.)