I'm trying to build a library on education issues, especially alternative education and private schools. I'm skipping the dry or textbook-y stuff. What books or publications shaped the way you think about schools and teaching? [mi]
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posted by argybarg
on Feb 8, 2005 -
19 answers
ElectrocutionFilter: Well, my overhead kitchen fluorescent fixture has gone out on me. I flipped the switch, there was a glorious spark, and now nothing. I replaced both bulbs and still no response. The circuit breaker did not blow, so it seems okay. My limited electrical knowledge imposes that it might be the light's ballast—predictably, this is the most expensive part of the fixture.
So I ask, is there anything I can do to troubleshoot and perhaps fix this bloody thing? I'm good with electrical devices, but just really don't know where to start with lighting. Difficulty: I'm a poor SOB at the moment, so that leaves out the electrician. Anyone?
posted by symphonik
on Jan 26, 2005 -
16 answers
Help me with display ideas. I have a collection of probably 40 or 50 small laminated cards (picture backstage passes) that I would like to display in my apartment. I had them all taped to a wall forming one giant blocky collage, but was wondering if there's a better way.
posted by helcat
on Jan 26, 2005 -
16 answers
Futon mattress alternatives? I have a lovely futon frame with a nasty lumpy old futon mattress. I'd like to get rid of the mattress and keep the frame, using it with my air mattress for overnight guests. Does anyone make sofa-type cushions that I could put on the frame to make it more of a couch? Could I make them myself? (+)
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posted by CunningLinguist
on Jan 22, 2005 -
13 answers
HomeImprovementFilter: We are about to start the finishing work on an addition, and we're trying to decide what type of flooring to buy:Laminate, or pre-finished hardwood? We've looked at both, and I think I like pre-finished hardwood better, but I wanted some real-life commentary, rather than my speculation. Any laminate horror stories? Successes? Pre-finished camp have anything to add?
posted by Medieval Maven
on Jan 17, 2005 -
28 answers
What's the plastic wrapper thing on the end of a shoelace called? Usually the first thing to go and almost always requires buying new laces. Is there a company that provides JUST those things?
posted by omidius
on Jan 12, 2005 -
17 answers
Has anyone ever used a home microdermabrasion kit? I'm on Retin-A, it's wintertime, and I exfoliate a ton. I need something to help slough it all off a few times a week. Via Froogle, I stumbled on a few
handheld units that help exfoliate with a little rotating brush, but don't seem to simultaneously vaccuum away the dead skin like the machines in the dermatologist's office--sorry so graphic! Just wondering if anyone's had the pleasure/displeasure of doing this from home.
posted by anonymous
on Jan 6, 2005 -
1 answer
A friend of mine has a very large reggae collection of stuff that's unreleased and wants to start an online radio station. He swears it will be big and wants me to help him pull it off. He's talking thousands of listeners. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing who can tell me what the monthly bandwith expenses associated with streaming 128kbps to around 3000 listeners. The math I did comes out to about 384Mbps, which means we will need somewhere between an OC3 and and OC12. I can't get pricing without contacting a bunch of sales people that I really don't want to talk to yet, so if anyone knows what a monthly port charge for something like that with a petabyte of bandwidth each month would run please let me know. Also any advice from others that are doing such things currently would be great.
posted by daHIFI
on Jan 5, 2005 -
12 answers
Home Improvement: I have a door which isn't fitting into its frame. Basically, the top part is a little too tall, probably 1 cm or so. Is there a tool or method which will allow me to shave the top cm from the door?
posted by chaz
on Jan 4, 2005 -
9 answers
I'm looking for and learning about energy-saving/environmentally-friendly clothes dryer alternatives. My (basement) dryer is inefficient and requires a good 6' - 8' to vent (again, inefficiently) outdoors. I'm thinking of getting a
Spin Dryer, but still
just occasionally using the regular dryer to finish larger loads after the Spin. For the regular dryer I'm thinking of using an
indoor dryer vent, but I'd like to limit the added humidity with a
homemade salt dehumidifer. Anyone have experience making one? Can I just put the indoor dryer vent in a big plastic tub with some road salt to trap the moisture, maybe with some filtration media instead of the tub's lid to allow for some air escape? Or something somesuch? Does this plan sound okay so far?
posted by Shane
on Jan 2, 2005 -
8 answers
Say you've got a domain and a server, but the account didn't come with any POP3 setup. Assuming you're not going to abandon that hosting provider for one reason or another, what's the best 3rd party POP account provider? And is this a huge headache?
posted by paul_smatatoes
on Dec 12, 2004 -
8 answers
Hairline cracks in my house. I bought a new home last year, and it's barely over a year old now, but we've noticed 3-4 hairline cracks (
like this one, which is just above a sliding glass door) around a couple of the windows on the downstairs level. I've lived in a lot of old homes featuring cracks and figured that it was mostly normal house settling and we could easily patch the drywall when it comes time to sell, but my partner thinks it's a big deal and may point to problems with the foundation or construction. So I have two questions: 1) Should we be concerned? 2) If so, who exactly do you call to "fix" it or get to the bottom of it?
posted by mathowie
on Dec 5, 2004 -
28 answers
I'm sitting in my living room watch my dining room light turn on and off, dim and brighten, turn off again, then turn on. I know the house isn't haunted, but what is happening to my light? Should I be worried? [MI]
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posted by pwb503
on Dec 2, 2004 -
12 answers
Let's say you had a wooden box you wanted to turn into a PC case. Where would you buy a metal 5.25" bay assembly? I'm talking about a U-shaped piece of flat metal that will screw onto the wood box wherein a couple of drives can be mounted. There's just way too much noise in Google on this one. Thanks!
posted by scarabic
on Nov 19, 2004 -
7 answers
I'm researching architecturally designed garden workspaces which don't usually require planning permission along similar lines to
this. I know I've seen some really nicely designed examples on the web in the past but I can't seem track them down. Preferably based in the UK, but international examples would be useful for reference as well. Do you know of any good examples, or had experience of putting one up?
posted by gravelshoes
on Nov 4, 2004 -
1 answer
I finally took a spill rollerblading and tore out the knee of my jeans. Does anyone know of any iron-on patch vendors with a
Threadless sensibility?
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posted by o2b
on Oct 27, 2004 -
5 answers
Drywalling: putting up gyproc over an insulated interior wall. From cutting to affixing to mudding, what tips and tricks have you learned? Aside from learning to pay someone else to do it, though I suspect that's ultimately the lesson...
posted by five fresh fish
on Oct 21, 2004 -
14 answers
I have older windows in my home that weren't taken care of properly (layers upon layers of paint, some don't open, broken weights, etc). Window replacement is about a year off, and I'm trying to get my rental unit up to snuff. Is there some good how-to repair advice anyone has come accross for old windows? I have a couple of fix-it books but they only have cursory info and concentrate more on installing new windows.
posted by sharksandwich
on Oct 11, 2004 -
9 answers
Wood trim/baseboards: I would like to replace all of the baseboards in my rental unit. It seems that the baseboards currently in place are made of two seperate pieces (a taller bottom bit(7 1/2") and then a more ornate top piece(2 1/2")). I would like to do as little work as possible, so I am wondering where I could purchase single piece baseboards that incorporate the above two elements (10" tall)? The local Home Depot doesn't seem to carry this.
posted by sharksandwich
on Sep 17, 2004 -
11 answers
I prefer cooking with gas over electric and would like to replace the electric range that came with my house with a new one. But I've also got high vaulted ceilings, so I'm thinking downdraft is the only way to make a hood work. Anyone ever do this kind of upgrade before? [more inside]
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posted by mathowie
on Sep 16, 2004 -
14 answers
I've devised what I believe to be a simple project for myself to help me learn some basic electronics skills. however, being an absolute neophyte, I know not where to begin. [perhaps there is more inside?]
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posted by mcsweetie
on Sep 16, 2004 -
15 answers
Spackling: What are the tricks to spackling and sanding (relatively small, no mesh or such required) holes or dings, getting a nice smooth patch, prior to painting? There are generally little tricks to anything handy, but after all these years I'm still not learning them and I just can't get the
knack. [more inside]
posted by Shane
on Sep 11, 2004 -
6 answers
Screen-printing/Silk-screening: I'm looking to get into it to produce some t-shirt ideas I've had floating around. But I don't want to buy all the expensive equipment. Is it feasible to build your own press, provided with good instructions?
posted by Espoo2
on Sep 2, 2004 -
4 answers
I want to learn how to make simple electronics, like LED controllers that I can hook up to a serial port. Can anyone recommend a book to get started with? [more inside]
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posted by krunk
on Aug 29, 2004 -
13 answers
Really this is my last resort. I recently built myself a new computer (Asus K8N-E Deluxe) and everything's fine except I'm trying to transfer my old harddrive to my new harddrive. I had a slave in the old computer (Asus CUSL2 for those keeping score). It's 40GB and has ALL my important data. I think you can see where this is going. If it's plugged in and running, even set as slave, the computer won't boot. Obviously, more inside.
posted by geoff.
on Aug 27, 2004 -
13 answers
I want to build my next PC instead of buying one off the shelf. Your assistance is requested. (mi)
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posted by chiababe
on Aug 18, 2004 -
34 answers
MetaLegalFilter: So, how foolish/wise is it to patent something yourself?
[read the fine print inside] [more inside]
posted by weston
on Jul 30, 2004 -
9 answers
I am thinking of starting a very small business, but I have a few questions for those of you who have done so before I really make up my mind wheter to go forward or not. [More Inside]
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posted by shotsy
on Jul 29, 2004 -
10 answers
Does anyone know of any book binding machines that will sew pages together? Most simple binding devices used in offices use thermal adhesive or ring binding. I’m looking for something more serious that will sew books together in the manner of traditional bound textbooks and hardcovers. It doesn’t have to be small, but neither can I deal with any giant factory equipment. Something the size of a large office photocopier would be ideal. Does such a device exist?
posted by Meridian
on Jul 21, 2004 -
9 answers
Roofing filter day
My wife has decided that we need a new roof and that we're going to do it ourselves. I'm not opposed to this, well, okay I am, but stilll....
How do we price this out for ourselves? Any denizens or askmefi have any experience in this? We have asphalt shingles now and will stick with same.
My wife says thanks in advance.
posted by damnitkage
on Jul 20, 2004 -
23 answers
BodyShopFilter: I managed to put a big ol' dent in the fender of my 88 Saab. I'm not too upset (anymore) about the dent, but it did put a bulge in the track that my hood runs along. I want to pound the dent out. How do I do it? Do I need a special hammer? Any precautions/tips/tricks? Should I just pay the autobody guy to do it right?
posted by daver
on Jun 7, 2004 -
5 answers
anyone made their own speaker mounts for walls? i can't find any to buy here and am considering what i can make myself (i don't own a welder, but could buy one and have done welding in the past - i also have assorted woodworking/handyman tools). i'm assuming that a fairly rigid mount is important for sound quality, would like it to look good, probably be adjustable for toe-in, and the speakers are fairly large/heavy (b&w 602s2). advice, please.
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posted by andrew cooke
on May 12, 2004 -
7 answers
I'm gearing up to re-finish my hardwood floors this spring. My question is about stains and polyurethanes. Can I use an oil-based stain with a water-based poly coating over it? I can't seem to find any water-based stains, and I want to be able to put multiple coats of the poly down, and I only have about a week to do this (2 small rooms), so I need to take into consideration the quick drying times of the water-based finishes. The guy at the paint store said I could do the oil stain with the water poly as long as I let the floors cure first, but walked away from me when I asked him what that meant. Is a week enough time to sand and finish the floors of two rooms?
posted by archimago
on Apr 27, 2004 -
6 answers
Unorthodox CD scratch repair. 600 wet/dry sandpaper. Has anyone out there had success with this or other bizarre and aggressive methods? ( more inside )
posted by troutfishing
on Apr 20, 2004 -
13 answers
I'm thinking about modifying a standard shipping container to make a small wood shop. Does anyone have any information about cutting through the metal to create windows etc. [more inside]
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posted by jmgorman
on Apr 13, 2004 -
9 answers
Is it possible to build a new laptop into an existing case? {More Inside}
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posted by Grod
on Mar 18, 2004 -
6 answers
ToiletFilter: I'm adding a toilet in the basement of our house. Should I get a low-flow 1.6 gpf unit, or go for a free multi-gallon unit? Can I retrofit a multi-gallon unit to flush less?
posted by daver
on Mar 2, 2004 -
8 answers
You are building a new home. What networking will you provide between your office/computer/router and a media closet in your living space? Between your office and a living room desk? Between that desk and the media closet? Details ?
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posted by Dick Paris
on Feb 3, 2004 -
6 answers
Does anyone here know how to make a homemade Slurpee?
posted by @homer
on Feb 2, 2004 -
9 answers
Have any MeFites had any experience with the services provided through
Pre-Paid Legal? The net is crawling with unverifiable anecdotes and rants, but I'd appreciate input from this community.
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posted by Tubes
on Jan 29, 2004 -
4 answers
Help me! I'm sinking! How can I loosen a *really* stubborn nut that's holding my old bathroom faucet to the sink?
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posted by anildash
on Jan 27, 2004 -
16 answers
I love Almond Butter but here in the UK a little jar that holds about 300 grams costs around £4.00 or $7.00. I decided to try and make it myself. I bought a bunch of almonds, put them - as I was advised into a food processor, using the steel blades and turned it on - what I ended up with was finally ground almonds. I have looked everywhere from google on down and found nothing useful. What i am after is a pure almond butter, with nothing added, like the stuff that comes in the expensive jars from health food shops. Can anyone tell me how to this?
posted by donfactor
on Jan 19, 2004 -
16 answers
Is it possible for me to make my own cheap shoe inserts? They don't necessarily have to be perfect, orthotic, form fitting works of art, just some extra padding. I am tall (6'7) and fat (250 lb.) and sometimes my shoes need a little help. That Dr. Scholl's crap sold at the supermarket for $15 a pop hardly seems worth it, and I have worn out the inserts in some of my existing shoes.
posted by mecran01
on Dec 31, 2003 -
14 answers
I bought a new toilet seat about 18 months ago and the laminate of the inside front is already chipping. While these things aren't that expensive to replace I'd just as soon find a way to cover it up. Can I use plain white paint or will the small but growing?
posted by billsaysthis
on Dec 27, 2003 -
5 answers
