Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with compact

My stubby amplifier...

rleamon — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:12:01 -0800

Home amp filter: Shallow cabinet, 5.1-channel, three-input-HDMI, two-zone, good-quality amplifier-receiver -- does it exist? The missus and I just moved into our remodeled house -- the custom bookshelves are only 12" deep, so my 16" deep Denon amp that does most of what I want juts out unacceptably.

Is there such thing as a 13" (or less) deep, 5.1 or better surround, three-input-HDMI amp/receiver, that can play to two or more zones (i.e., 5.1 in the living room and 2 only in the kitchen?).

Fuel efficient, fun-to-drive hatchbacks for < $4500

pilibeen — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 05:27:45 -0800

Which hatchback should I be looking at? Plus: diesel vs. gas engines... So I'm looking to trade in my boring wagon, and get something more fuel efficient, compact, and fun to drive. Ideally this would be a hatchback - but I'm also considering the idea of a compact pickup truck.

I'm not really sure where to start my search. I know that I like the Subaru Impreza Outback (though bad gas mileage), the Honda Civic hatchback, and the VW Golf.

My ideal vehicle would have good fuel economy: 30/mpg +, manual transmission, fun to drive, have room for stuff. Any other vehicles I should be considering? Thoughts on what I'm already interested in?

My budget is no more than $4,500.

Also, I was wondering what the general opinion of diesel engines is. Are they much worse, emissions wise, than gas (even with the Golf TDI getting 50mpg)? Outside of biodiesel and veggie oil conversions, is it a total sin to own a diesel? Keep in mind my budget...I'd probably be owning a late 90's/early 00's vehicle... I'm also interested in the idea of biodiesel or veggie oil conversions.

Thanks!

Should we bother with a dishwasher and a portable stove?

tavegyl — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:35:23 -0800

Should we look into compact dishwashers and portable gas stoves for our newly rented flat? We're soon to move to a lovely new flat which has one glaring flaw: an electric stove. I can't abide them, but the flat isn't hooked up for gas. Is it practical to have a small countertop propane or other kind of compressed gas stove for wok cooking? Would our landlord object? (We don't want to scare him off by asking but I suppose there might be insurance issues). We don't have a balcony or outside space, just large windows some distance from the open plan kitchen. Any recommendations would be gratefully accepted.

As a reward for finding this lovely place we're also thinking of buying ourselves a slimline or compact dishwasher. I've read through the earlier posts, but -- any recent recommendations or contra-recommendations from the UK? We're skint, and would prefer something inexpensive but which doesn't leak all over our solid wood floors. Our usual dishwashing load: 2-3 each of dinner plates, quarter plates, mugs and bowls plus cutlery and cooking implements. Should we bother? Should we risk Gumtree?

Lollipop Fields and Robot Makeovers?

thebellafonte — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:10:31 -0800

Can anyone identify these cartoons? One about two poor kids who dream of a world made of food, then wake up to a feast in their kitchen. Another about a young couple at a future world/technology expo where they see instant houses, get groomed by robots, and ballroom dance? I had a VHS tape as a kid with a few cartoons on it.
Here's what I remember from the first cartoon:
Brother and sister living in poverty. They stand outside of a baker's (?) window and lick their lips, which the baker sees. Baker goes over and starts whispering to town butcher (?). Mother feeds them cake for dinner, and it's hard so the kids dip it in milk. They ask for more food, but there isn't any. Mom starts crying on table. She tucks them in, their blankets look like swiss cheese. They have this mutual dream in which everything is for eating- lollipop flower fields, possibly some carnival rides made out of cheese wheels and things. They wake up and realize it was only a dream. Then they go to the kitchen and there's a huge table full of delicious things to eat. The baker and the butcher are there. The boy stabs himself with a fork to make sure he isn't still dreaming.
Second cartoon:
Follows a young man and woman as they make their way through some sort of future world expo. There is a bullet train that takes the people to the expo, which is in a tall, rounded skyscraper. Inside, houses are being built very quickly by machines, and a stork flies by and drops a baby in one of the chimneys. The man sits in a robot chair that grooms him- shave, haircut, etc. And the woman steps into some sort of mold that gives her an hourglass shape and a cute dress. I think there's also some robot thing that puts lipstick on her and curls her hair. They go dancing in a ballroom. Oh and I just remembered that they each dance with a robot partner before dancing with eachother. Then they go up to a machine, press a button, and a block falls out. The block unfolds itself and is a totally awesome car. They get in and drive away.

I think about these cartoons more in my adult life than I'm willing to admit.
I'm 23, but I think they're from the 40s. Maybe 50s.

Any help as to identifying them or an idea of where to get a copy would blow me away.

Why do "specialty"-shaped compact fluorescent bulbs take longer to come to full brightness than CFL bulbs in the more standard helical shape?

Juffo-Wup — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:05:19 -0800

Why do "specialty"-shaped compact fluorescent bulbs take longer to come to full brightness than CFL bulbs in the more standard helical shape? Having recently moved into a new house, I bought two different kinds of n:vision 14 Watt compact fluorescent light bulbs. One kind starts out quite bright when turned on, but the other is quite dim when it turns on and takes 30-90 seconds to reach full brightness.

The bulbs that brighten quickly are the standard CFL bulbs that are in the shape of a helix. The specific bulb I'm referring to is this one.

The bulbs that take longer to get bright are these A19-shaped bulbs.

From examining them, it appears to me that the A19 shaped bulbs are simply the regular type of bulb with a plastic shell around them. But if this were the case, I don't see why the A19 bulbs would take longer to reach full brightness.

I bought four of each type of bulb and the same thing happens with all eight. I know that colder temperatures can make CFL bulbs take longer to brighten up, but none of these bulbs are in a warmer place than any of the others.

For what it's worth, I have also noticed that globe shaped CFL bulbs at others' houses seem to take longer to get bright than regular CFL bulbs although I don't know what brand/etc those were.

Any ideas?

Where can I find a functioning digital compact cassette deck in Austin, TX?

bitterkitten — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:57:41 -0800

Where can I find a functioning digital compact cassette deck in Austin, TX? This is not DAT, folks, for those who don't know. It was the 'competing' format along with minidisc that lost.

I had a deck I bought in perfect condition that just died, having not been used the last couple of years, which I had been planning to use to dub a bunch of things onto my pc. Unfortunately, the audio is totally gone from every output, and I figure the cost to fix it would be stupid high (assuming anyone could fix it).

I know I can buy one on ebay from someone in the UK, but I'm not that desperate yet.

Anyone?

Thanks!

CFL - Cold, fugly luminescence

metajc — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:35:58 -0800

Are there some specific CFL models that will light just like my old soft incandescent light bulbs? I bought a bunch of CFL bulbs but my girlfriend won't let me turn them on because they look kind of heinous -- blue and pretty fluorescent like a university lab or the morgue.

I / we like that warm, yellow-white, incandescent glow of 40 and 60 watt GE bulbs. You know what I mean. Anybody had any luck finding a certain brand / wattage that mimics that particularly well?

Small car for those with cold winter butts?

nancoix — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:53:55 -0800

Is there a Japanese car -- subcompact or compact size -- that has heated seats as an option? (I can't seem to find one among the new models.) If not, why not? We Northerners would certainly pay for this feature, but it looks like you still have to get up to the Accord/Camry size before they are an option!

Wi-FI camera

Amby72 — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:17:37 -0800

How to use Wi-fi or eye-fi flash memory in my compact flash based DSLR. I have a Sony Alpha 100 that I love. I want to use an eye-fi card or something similarly wi-fi to facilitate the uploading of photos wherever I am. The camera uses Compact Flash. I see you can get an SD to Compact Flash converter. Just curious if it would work, or if it would break hamper it so it doesn't work. what do other people do, besides just normal transferring with the card or a cable?

Compact dishwashers: any good?

wsg — Fri, 23 May 2008 08:01:42 -0800

Compact dishwashers: are they any good? Which one is best. We are remodeling a house. There are only two of us. We want a built-in dishwasher, but we don't need a full-sized one. A full-sized dishwasher will take us a week to fill up between washes. I recently discovered compact dishwashers. There are several to choose from in my price range.

Haier

Avanti

GE

Danby

Frigidaire

She wants one with deep racks for wine glasses.

Does anybody have experience with any of these? Do they suck? Which is best? Thanks!

A dim question.

eschatfische — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:46:15 -0800

Let's say there are two identical light fixtures, on two identical dimmer switches. One fixture has two 15W dimmer-compatible compact fluorescent lights, the other has two standard 60W incandescent bulbs. The dimmer switches are turned just beyond the "off" position to the "dimmest" position (identical on both dimmers). What will the difference in power utilization be between the two fixtures?

Broken compact fluorescent bulb

LobsterMitten — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:07:06 -0800

I broke a compact fluorescent light bulb in my bedroom. Rudimentary cleanup, but I'm must go to bed, and my husband's already asleep in there. I saw the scary "leave the room for 15 minutes" mercury warnings on the government cleanup page. Anybody know the science? How bad is this? Some shards in the carpet. I've cleaned up the shards I could, probably still dust in the carpet; I've opened a window. Suggestions for more cleanup in the morning? Range of "how bad is this"? If it's bad, what will happen (what should we watch for)? No kids or pets involved.

Is a Leica worth it's price tag?

BorgLove — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 08:51:27 -0800

Any casual photographers using a Leica D-Lux 3? My Canon SLR is just too big to schlep around the place so I'm looking for a compact I can use on an everyday basis. I'm no photographic genius or anything but after years of using a Lomo, buying a 'regular' compact like a Canon would only make me feel like a tourist. My search has brought me to the Leica D-Lux 3, but in lots of ways it seems like a more expensive version of any other compact, particularly its Panasonic counterpart, to which it is identical apart from the casing and the lens. If you use one, can you tell me what is special about it (apart from the brand name) to justify it's price?

Other suggestions would also be welcome!

EnvironmentalismFilter: Incandescent Bulbs!

sirion — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 17:12:16 -0800

EnvironmentalismFilter: What's the most environmentally responsible thing to do with working incandescent bulbs? Ok, I want to be more environmentally conscious and reduce my carbon footprint, so I'm planning on switching to compact flourescent bulbs. Well what do I do with my old incandescent bulbs? How about my *new* incandescent bulbs sitting around the house?

Floppies have given up the ghost, but Ghost won't give up the floppies?!

Sinner — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:48:07 -0800

Floppy disks? Are you kidding me? I haven't used Symantec Ghost in a long time, but am forced to at the moment. Even back then, floppies were on the way out, and now they're flat-out gone. But as far as I can tell, Ghost still absolutely flat-out requires you to use floppies (which can then be transferred on to CDs) in order to function. Am I right? And if I am, isn't this absolutely insane?

Outlook Express Ruined My Life

mert — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 08:29:06 -0800

My outlook express kept suggesting I "compact" deleted messages to save space. I finally acquiesced, and now the messages in my inbox and every deleted message from the last year are missing. Any idea whether they're recoverable?

Advice on a good compact flash card reader.

cahlers — Sun, 18 Sep 2005 09:22:04 -0800

Advice on a good compact flash card reader. I bought a new digital SLR yesterday, a Canon 20D. I also bought a 1GB Lexar 80X WA compact flash card to go with it.

I'm looking for the best CF card reader. How fast is USB 2.0, say, to download 100 pictures to my Mac Powerbook G4? Is the difference in price worth it to buy a Firewire reader? I've looked at dpreview.com but haven't found any good articles discussing this question.

Is there a one-click memory card copy utility?

TuxHeDoh — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 13:47:34 -0800

Can anyone point me to a utility that will copy all the images from my camreas memory card (compact flash) to a directory in the My Pictures folder with the creation date. So all the pictures taken on 7/1 end up in a folder named 7-1-2005. I want it to be ea one-click deal. I'm currently using the zoom browser that was included with my powershot. I'm almost positive it could be done with a batch script, but my scripting knowledge is very little. If someone can point me to a scripting tutorial that might be helpful with this, I'll check that out as well. Thanks.

Commuter car recommendations

Doohickie — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 09:31:16 -0800

Recommendations for a commuter car. I plan on buying a new car by the end of the year. Since I have the time, I would like to think this through and get the best value for my money. My ideal car is affordable ($15-20k nicely loaded including pwr windows/locks, cruise control, CD player & auto trans), gets good gas mileage (>30 mpg), will fit a 6'-2" frame, will last 100k+ miles, and is a wagon or hatchback. Not ready for a hybrid, yet. Cars I am considering:

Domestic nameplates:
Ford Focus ZX5
Chevy Aveo Wagon
Dodge Neon
Chrysler PT Cruiser

Euro nameplates:
Cooper Mini
VW Golf

Japanese nameplates:
Scion xA
Toyota Corolla
Toyota ECHO
Nissan Sentra
Mazda3 5-door
Honda Civic

Almost Japanese (i.e., Korean):
Kia Rio Cinco
Kia Spectra5
Hyunda Elantra 5-door

This car will be replacing a Ford Aspire (made by Kia) that has served me very well. I'm just curious about other people's experience with these cars and their recommendations. Also, are there any cars I should add to the list?

Best Fast and Ultra-Compact Digital Camera as of May, 2005

rafibodill — Tue, 03 May 2005 10:07:53 -0800

Looking for an extremely fast and ulta compact digital camera for my traveling. I want to take as much photos as I can, I do not intend on printing them. I want a camera that could be slipped inside my pocket and be turned on quickly, to shoot a picture fast when I see something I want to remember. The price range can be anywhere up to $500, small, and minimal lag for on-the-road shooting. I went to "Wolf Camera" to see some cameras hands-on. I tested the Sony DSC-T3 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7, they were pretty fast and compact, I really like the image stabilizer on the DMC-FX7, but I didn't like the lens movement on power on/off, therefore the Sony DSC-T3 power on/off speed seem better, although for action photos the DMC-FX7 will probably do a better job.
Are there any other cameras I should consider? Please help me make the best choice.