Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with filters

Grinchy Spam Filters

crapples — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 06:38:06 -0800

Christmas Email Conundrum: How exactly do Spam Filters work? We have produced a short Christmas video for our Christmas Card this year. We're putting it on youtube and sending a link to all of our friends and family. Right now I have 97 email addresses that the link needs to go to. What I would like to do is put all 97 addresses in the BCC field and only my wife's address in the To: field.

My question: Is the email likely to be marked as Spam by several/most/any of our 97 friends? Are there standard BCC rules/limits to the main spam filters out there? Is there anything I can do to minimize the likelihood that our "card" will end up in Junk boxes?

Thanks!

Using multiple canister filters?

BritishGas — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:34:22 -0800

Is it possible to connect two external aquarium canister filters in the same closed loop? I have two eheim filters, with one being about 2x the lph of the other. If I put the more powerful filter after the less powerful one would this set up work?

Hate the govenment, not the people.

dawson — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:35:13 -0800

Relaying potentially 'subversive' information to a friend in China via email. How can I best go about it? Would IM be better? Youtube is one of the new sites that are blocked. Can I somehow embed vids in email? How can I tell him about getting around the filters (in public cafes) without arousing suspicion? It's not like I'd be denied another visa or he'd be hauled off to jail, but it is a touchy situation, and I've found it's not cool for an outsider to speak disparagingly of governmental policy, even if the native Chinese does.
Bonus: if you are currently in China and can offer solutions. I have always been able to get around the filters there, but, only by using my own machine and downloaded software.
It occurs to me I probably shouldn't use china as a tag?

Overall size of SLR lens and/or filter market?

UMDirector — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:06:03 -0800

I am looking for an estimate of the overall size of the SLR lens market (U.S. or world) and/or market size for filters (polarizing etc)...my google-fu has failed me! If either of those fail then maybe the overall market for ANY aftermarket camera attachments, modifications....(can you sense my desperation?)

Should I get an ionized air filter?

Avenger — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 02:53:04 -0800

Should I get an "Ionized Air Filter"? I have allergies. I've heard glowing reports about Ionized Air Filters (the sharper image brand first among them) being the Filtered Messiah of allergy sufferers. I've also heard that they don't work, are useless and even harmful from the Ozone they emit. Who do you think is right here? Do you have any personal experiences with Ionic air filters? Good/bad?

Also, the air is quite ridiculously humid here in Houston (I'm a transplant, can you tell?) so I'm wondering if it would help if I got a de-humidifier?

What say you, hive mind?

DIY Neutral Density filter?

sidereal — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 07:18:58 -0800

Photography: How to make your own DIY Neutral Density filter? I'd like to make my own neutral density filters at home. They are sold at the photo store, but are a little pricey. Has anyone successfully attempted making their own neutral density filter, no matter how silly it looks?

To be honest, I'd rather think that it was unintentional.

Afroblanco — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 21:17:50 -0800

What's up with that annoying fast-motion digital effect that's been popping up in movies the past few years? I think it's supposed to make things look scary, but it really has the effect of making everything look like a bad Benny Hill comedy. Is this something that directors do to their movies on purpose, or is it a byproduct of some sort of digital processing? The only examples that I can think of from the top of my head are "28 Days Later" and "the Sixth Sense." However, I know that I've seen it in a number of other movies the past few years, including ones that aren't even supposed to be scary.

It didn't really bother me too much in 28 Days Later, because it made the zombies look like they were moving super-fast, and I figured that it was intentional. However, in "the Sixth Sense," it just didn't seem appropriate at all.

My question - is this effect done intentionally? A dude at my work thinks that it is. My roommate thinks that it's used in scenes that are so tightly choreographed that they need to be filmed slowly and then sped it up to make it look normal. I think that it's probably intentional, but, like most digital effects, makes the movie look totally ass. What do you think?

Filter filter

LeLiLo — Tue, 30 May 2006 06:06:42 -0800

I shot a roll of print film (Kodak Gold 200) using the wrong filter (80a instead of polarizing). Can it be fixed in the developing — like when you push b/w film — or later, in the computer?

Keeping a kid on-task

lhauser — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 20:12:21 -0800

My teenage son is way too involved with IM and a MUD, to the exclusion of his homework, and it's turning into a real problem. He needs the Internet for his homework, so we don't want to cut him off, just restrict some of the services he's over-using. But our DSL modem won't allow us to implement the restrictions we need. Our modem is an Actiontec GT701-wg, and it has no parental controls and won't allow me to block specific ports. I'd be happy to consider another hardware firewall that could sit between the internal network and the Internet, or even software (though he's certainly capable of cracking software protection). I'd like to be able to restrict services by time of day.

Our son has ADD (with its attendant focus problems) and isn't into "questionable" websites. The computer is in the living room and we see all that happens. This isn't a matter of trust, but a matter of priorities and cooperation.

How can I bypass my school's packet filter?

SuperCoolZane — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 19:56:16 -0800

Is it possible to bypass a packet filter in order to log onto AIM from my school's network? Filtering is combination URL filtering via Sonic Wall and packet filtering via Packet Hound. We have tried proxies but have been met with little success, we need a simple lightweight solution.

Roll-up cigarettes: Do you use a filter?

timyang — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 03:55:37 -0800

Roll-up cigarettes: Do you use a filter? I'm just learning to add a filter to my roll-ups. It's a bit fiddly. And I'm wondering what your experiences with it are and whether it's worthwhile learning. I've been told that by adding a filter, the smoke will be less carcinogenic. To me, at least. Thanks for the input!

Copying message filters between Thunderbird mail accounts

Big Fat Tycoon — Thu, 25 Nov 2004 15:25:30 -0800

Is there a way of copying message filters for one Thunderbird mail account to another? I have a ton set up, and want to apply them to another account without having to do them all over again manually. I imagine there must be some config file that I can cut and paste to do this? Dur, nevermind. I figured it out myself.

Reommend Nikon D70 lens, filters and accessories.

cyniczny — Wed, 24 Nov 2004 12:45:37 -0800

Which lens, filters, and accessories would you recommend for a Nikon D70 digital SLR camera? My husband bought the kit with the Nikkor AF-S DX 18- 70 mm F3.5 - F4.5G lens bundle when this camera first came out. He's a relative novice with digital SLRs and now that he has the basics down, wants to expand his skills.

Since Christmas is coming up, I'm looking for some ideas. He mostly likes to take nature/outdoor shots. He does have a good tripod, so other suggestions from those more experienced with equipment would be appreciated!

Point and shoot film camera suggestions

specialk420 — Fri, 15 Oct 2004 13:15:43 -0800

camera filter - i am looking for a cool little vintage or new standard (film) camera, an aluminum clad, small and nifty point and shoot... recommendations?

What's the best spam filter?

specialk420 — Thu, 09 Sep 2004 21:07:44 -0800

spamfilter - whats the latest hot ticket... i've tried cloudmark - and liked it.. what else do people recommend these days?

Rejecting bogus "mail returned" email

inksyndicate — Wed, 28 Jul 2004 09:26:07 -0800

Spam-a-lot: Are there spam filters that can reject phony "Mail returned" virus e-mails by comparing the "failed" address to what you've actually sent? Such hoaxes are dominating my daily spam quotient, despite my use of spam-blocker Razor. But it seems like these would be easy enough for a program to detect.

Infrared with Canon Powershot?

luriete — Mon, 28 Jun 2004 16:58:54 -0800

I have a Canon Powershot s50 digital camera which I dearly love. Is it possible to take infrared shots with it? I had a infrared filter for my old nikon fm slr, which, when used with infrared film, worked very well. I assume there must be some way to mount the same kind of filter on the digital camera, but will the sensor pick up the resultant filtered infrared image?

What's the deal with waterfilters?

mecran01 — Thu, 18 Mar 2004 13:26:25 -0800

What's the deal with waterfilters? They're either sold like razors, with overpriced cartridges, (Pur) or offered through cheesy networks of multi-level-marketing that look like something from the Davinci Code.

After doing some googling I got interested in aquasana then discovered they were spamming usenet as recently as 1999. That sets my spider sense a-tingling.

I have yet to find an unsponsored site with reviews of filters, but Dr. Weil suggests a combination of charcoal and KDF for most filtering needs. Is there any reliable information out there, or do any of you have positive or negative experiences?

We're looking for something that will fit under our sink and make our highly mineralized well water taste good. Filtering out toxic crud is an added bonus. Thanks in advance!

addendum: This site (the NSF) has some good data, but no price-per-gallon.