Is there a resource that lists and explains the various effects one can use to accessorized speech, such as altering pitch, speeding up, slowing down, etc.? [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on Dec 23, 2009 - 5 answers

Book recommendations: Recently I have discovered that I really enjoy a certain type of flawed character in television shows. Think Gregory House on House or Dr. Cal Lightman on Lie to Me. Wounded inside with a tough smart exterior that push people away with sarcasm or slight jerkish behaviour. Help me find examples in literature so I can continue my current obsession when I shut the tv off. [more inside]
posted by beautifulcheese on Nov 25, 2009 - 47 answers

I'm scared of what my personality is coming to be. I recently broke up with my wife that I love but had no passion (kissing) with (2.5 yrs). I feel like I've controlled her a lot, do not want her to express a lot of her own self because I am very meticulous and strategic about my words, how I talk, how I present myself, etc. I think that's the same thing that happened with my ex girlfriend of two years. They love me for who I am, I'm a fun loving guy, good looking, good personality, morals, understanding, extremely caring, etc, but I'm wayyy too much of a presence and seemingly controlling to my loved ones. [more inside]
posted by Vandal on Oct 31, 2009 - 46 answers

Looking for fictional female characters originally written as men. [more inside]
posted by sively on Oct 23, 2009 - 42 answers

For a person who enjoys deception, what are some games, sports, hobbies, or pastimes that they would be especially drawn to? [more inside]
posted by charris5005 on Oct 13, 2009 - 26 answers

Performers, presenters, actors, dancers, models, all related: How do you get over awkward facial expressions and not look stupid? [more inside]
posted by divabat on Sep 4, 2009 - 4 answers

I am in search of a literary character... Here are the stats: Female, happy, feisty, very feminine, straight forward, unmarried in her 30's- and no shame in that position, no bitterness, genuinely happy for everyone else around her, socially not the norm but does not see that she is out of the norm, naively happy... does not have to be a classical character but must be a strong character. Thanks!
posted by MayNicholas on Aug 22, 2009 - 27 answers

Writing an Asperger character : how can I get to know enough about Asperger's syndrom ? Please bear in mind that I live in Belgium. [more inside]
posted by Baud on Jul 6, 2009 - 13 answers

I'm supposed to dress as a movie character for an event. My lazy plan is to wear a tuxedo and say I'm James Bond. Who else can I be? [more inside]
posted by Stylus Happenstance on May 16, 2009 - 18 answers

70s style character intro freeze-framey thingie? [more inside]
posted by drjimmy11 on May 16, 2009 - 7 answers

Scene Suggestions Filter: Please suggest scenes from modern movies or plays, for two female characters, where one or both have an "impediment"- cognitive handicap, physical disability, or intoxication. More specifics included. [more inside]
posted by pseudostrabismus on May 4, 2009 - 12 answers

Has there ever been video game characters in a theatre play ? [more inside]
posted by Baud on Feb 4, 2009 - 8 answers

My favorite part of Rock Band is creating different characters and choosing crazy outfits, face paint, and tattoos. Are there any games that have very detailed character creation? How about any that focus solely on the character creation? [more inside]
posted by agropyron on Jan 19, 2009 - 27 answers

Which Belgian character orders spaghetti and a Duvel at L'Estaminet in Bruges? [more inside]
posted by theiconoclast31 on Jan 13, 2009 - 4 answers

I'm trying to remember a film I saw in which a character, possibly engaged in some form of criminal activity (though equally likely not), speaks only one sentence a day. This sentence tends to be aphoristic in nature. What is the film?
posted by Hermit on Jan 7, 2009 - 8 answers

Looking for a compact Chinese character frequency chart with English pronunciation key for Cantonese. [more inside]
posted by querty on Jan 5, 2009 - 0 answers

Can anyone point me to a British equivalent of Studs Terkel's work? [more inside]
posted by laumry on Nov 13, 2008 - 11 answers

I need a way to remove one character from a fixed width file, and put a zero in another spot to compensate. How would I get this done? [more inside]
posted by deezil on Nov 11, 2008 - 9 answers

How can I fix my broken computer game? I'm playing the Sims 2, and it hangs during the character creation process. The website's forum advice was essentially that my graphics card was causing the problem and to return my laptop if I could, but I'm surprised. My four year old Toshiba laptop never had this trouble, for all it started giving me dreaded 'Low memory' messages near the end. [more inside]
posted by Phalene on Oct 19, 2008 - 11 answers

How can I test and build up my strength, tenacity, and courage. As far as I can see, there are limited opportunities to test my mettle in the corporate world ( besides calling out some a**hole in the boardroom ). I am looking for things to do that will put me to the test and see what I am made of. I am thinking along the lines of CrossFit, 'Man vs. Wild', high stakes negotiation, or skydiving. The only time I can really remember being tested was a fight in 10th grade and the hazing I went through in University. How can I earn a badge of honor when I spend most of my time in a cubicle. I would prefer answers that would not involve the risk of certain death, although I wouldn't mind getting the living sh*t scared out of me. I also wouldn't mind pushing my mind or body to the limit. I am willing to travel, spend money, bleed, and cry.
posted by kaizen on Sep 24, 2008 - 51 answers

I recently heard a rumor that Carl Gustav Jung would rape female patients and hypnotize them so they would have no memory of the attack. Is there any truth to this, or is this the sort of story professional rivals spread to discredit his ideas?
posted by bunky on Sep 14, 2008 - 10 answers

Help me find examples of literary criticism adopting the Jungian idea that all the characters are aspects of the same person. [more inside]
posted by leibniz on Aug 29, 2008 - 22 answers

Help me identify the author of this quote: "It is not hatred that is wrong; it is hating the wrong thing that is wrong. It is not anger that is wrong; it is being angry at the wrong thing that is wrong. Tell me your hatred and I'll tell you your character." I've been stumped by someone in my house. :) Thanks!
posted by Delfena on Aug 3, 2008 - 3 answers

I like singers with strange voices. I don't like novelty songs (e.g. Betty Boop) and I don't like "songs" that are so avant-garde that they're basically noise (e.g. someone screaming into a microphone). So I'm not looking for strange music. I'm looking for traditional (melodic) music sung by singers with non-traditional singing voices. Examples of what I like: Joanna Newsom, Leon Redbone, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Elaine Stritch. [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on Jun 22, 2008 - 106 answers

You have been weighed and found wanting. Really? Show me. I need an example in popular culture or film. [more inside]
posted by rubberfish on Jun 19, 2008 - 29 answers

Are there any OCR programs that can read Syriac? [more inside]
posted by perpetualstroll on Mar 14, 2008 - 3 answers

Looking for fictional deaths which might be described as 'sublime'. [more inside]
posted by leibniz on Mar 5, 2008 - 51 answers

I am having difficulty figuring out whether our arguments are normal in a relationship or whether they're poisonous. [more inside]
posted by gadha on Feb 23, 2008 - 64 answers

An individual already possessing strength, intelligence, and skill is recruited and developed by the Government in ways that fuck up his/her mind but give him/her superhuman abilities. She/he eventually turns and uses her/his abilities to bring about the downfall of those who trained her/him. I'm looking for movies that have characters like this. Movies like this that I've already seen and enjoyed include Serenity and The Bourne Ultimatum. [more inside]
posted by A dead Quaker on Feb 11, 2008 - 38 answers

What are some examples of actors "playing themselves" (not someone purposefully featured as themselves, but someone whose personality is so powerful that it overwhelms the character he/she is supposed to be playing)? For instance, some people say that no matter what movie he's in, Jack Nicholson always plays "Jack Nicholson." Other people say the same for Robert DeNiro or Clint Eastwood. I'm looking for some actors and roles that are the embodiment of this notion.
posted by amyms on Jan 10, 2008 - 119 answers

"Forum" (Sondheim)Filter: What's my motivation? [more inside]
posted by I_Love_Bananas on Jan 4, 2008 - 4 answers

Where is this idea from? "You can be a connoisseur of anything, even driveway gravel" I have this paraphrased idea in my mind that I swear I read somewhere. However, I can't seem to remember its source. [more inside]
posted by k7lim on Dec 3, 2007 - 3 answers

Is there a way to set the keyboard character repeat rate to zero in Ubuntu? [more inside]
posted by zouhair on Nov 29, 2007 - 6 answers

Is there a way to set the keyboard character repeat rate to zero in Windows? [more inside]
posted by Cool Papa Bell on Nov 28, 2007 - 2 answers

I just finished reading Scott Smith's "The Ruins" and loved it. I want to read more books like this (and his original "The Simple Plan"). Basically, I want all the suspense and horror, but the people have to seem real to me. I don't have to like them, I just want to know what they are thinking/feeling/fearing so that they aren't just numbers on some gorefest scoreboard. Bonus points if the author is semi-prolific, so I have choices for further reading. Help me, hive mind!
posted by misha on Oct 19, 2007 - 14 answers

Help me ascertain the correct job title for a character I’m writing who deals in high stakes international finance. Difficulty level: I have a limited understanding about stocks, bonds, or securities. [more inside]
posted by np312 on Sep 14, 2007 - 8 answers

Did I do something to mess up character encoding in firefox? [more inside]
posted by juv3nal on Sep 9, 2007 - 5 answers

ID anime character Does anyone happen to know who this anime character is and what anime game (or perhaps show) she is from? It appears to be from KID productions which is a game creator but can't seem to find anything more than that. My daughter (the anime fan) has been trying to find out who the character is and wanted me to see if any mefites knew the character. Thanks. Photos of character are here and here .
posted by GlowWyrm on Sep 7, 2007 - 2 answers

Any way to search for English web pages that contain specific Chinese characters? For example in Google when I set my preference to English pages only and then search for Huamei with the characters 话梅, I get mostly all Chinese pages. [more inside]
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts on Jul 17, 2007 - 9 answers

Do you know of any films where the protagonist is not only unsympathetic, repressed, emotionally closed-off, etc, but does not change his personality throughout the course of the film? Bonus points for films based on a real person/story. [more inside]
posted by np312 on Apr 26, 2007 - 85 answers

How can I strengthen my integrity and virtue? As I have become older, I feel that I am not as virtuous as I would like to be. I am moving into leadership roles at work, and also into parenthood soon, and I feel it in important to exercise my moral muscles. Is my upbringing going to dictate how virtuous I am as an adult, or are there things I can do to stand more upright in character?
posted by kaizen on Apr 19, 2007 - 27 answers

I'm reading through some instructional material regarding the French language from About.com, and am running up against some inconsistencies in the way accented characters are being rendered in Firefox. Some pages render correctly, and others do not - the accented characters are replaced by question mark characters (these pages render correctly in Safari). Why would there be a difference between pages like this?
posted by DandyRandy on Feb 21, 2007 - 2 answers

Who would sacrifice their reputation for the sake of the world? [more inside]
posted by Sticherbeast on Feb 14, 2007 - 71 answers

"Therefore a gentleman sends a man to a distant mission in order to test his loyalty..." What are some modern ways in which to discover others' true character? [more inside]
posted by mjklin on Jan 26, 2007 - 43 answers

Any recommendations for children's books featuring little girls? [more inside]
posted by frecklefaerie on Jan 13, 2007 - 37 answers

What is a typical excellent grad student like as a person? I'm not interested in grades/GRE scores. My concern is with character, personality, work ethic. [more inside]
posted by Eiwalker on Jun 28, 2006 - 26 answers

XML Character Woes: I'm getting the error Reference to undefined entity 'ldquo' (and 'rdquo, etc) when I try to open my XML files with IE or Firefox. Can you help me fix it? [more inside]
posted by miniape on May 25, 2006 - 9 answers

What is involved in, or how would you write, "a letter of reference stating the applicant's high standard of character"?
posted by NotMyselfRightNow on Apr 20, 2006 - 7 answers

Probably easy question about PHP and unicode (UTF-8) and RegEx. I'm trying to modify a php webcalendar (VTcalendar) to allow Japanese text in calendar postings. I've found all the variables to get the UTF-8 headers, and so japanese text manually inserted into pages appears fine. But, there's an input validation thingy I don't know how to modify. (short snippet inside) [more inside]
posted by planetkyoto on Mar 29, 2006 - 4 answers

Where to find illustrated body parts to mix to create infinite character position/attitudes ? [more inside]
posted by vincentm on Mar 14, 2006 - 5 answers