Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with fine

Looking at fine art without visiting the gallery

vespr1610 — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:14:45 -0800

What is the best way to view fine art without visiting the gallery? I'm studying fine art, and I need a way to look at paintings without visiting the gallery or buying expensive giclée prints. I'm not happy using a computer screen - too small, screen glare..etc - so I'm wondering what the alternatives are.

I've been thinking about buying a slide projector, apparently this is what Picasso did. I've never used one before, do they produce a good quality image? Does anyone know where I can get hold of fine art slides?

Any other ideas would be much appreciated.

Can you beat a San Francisco parking ticket if it has no VIN number on it?

roxie110 — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 19:28:06 -0800

Can you beat a San Francisco parking ticket if it has no VIN number on it? Can you beat a "blocking sidewalk" ticket in San Francisco if they say "can not read" VIN number, even though it was readable? Or any other way... :) This is one of those lovely "pulled into boyfriend's driveway leaving plenty of room in front of car for pedestrians to walk by, ran upstairs for 3 minutes, came back to find a ticket--even though it was 8 at night in the middle of nowhere in Outer Sunset." All the other identifying info on the ticket is correct--including the gasp-inducing fine of $100.

Any advice would be appreciated.

fine art photography prints?

mcsweetie — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:42:13 -0800

A local gallery has expressed an interest in displaying some of my photographs, but there's one problem: I don't have any prints! Need some advice on DIY fine art photography printing. I want to treat my works as though they belong in a museum (whether they really do or not) so I want to get them rendered the same way a proper, world-famous fine art photographer would. I'm willing to spare no expense (within reason, I'm an art student "living" on unemployment). here are my questions:

1. what kind of paper and printing combination will give me the best-looking, most-resilient output?

2. how should they be displayed? mounted or framed? or is there another preferable method?

3. I do my shooting with a d80 so the raw, uncropped shots are roughly 16x10, but I have one piece that's 50x33. anyways, how large can I push the former and still keep the print looking nice and sharp?

4. to maintain their value, I'll probably go with a limited run type situation as opposed to an on-demand type deal, but how limited is the norm? 5? 10? 25? 1? and what are some good rules of thumb for deciding on a price?

I wish they'd just look all this stuff up for me instead of asking all these questions. They're going to do a background check anyways!

Arbac — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:31:13 -0800

How can I find out how much I paid for my speeding tickets back in 2001 and 2002. In California. So I'm applying to take a bar exam this coming July, and they ask an insane amount of questions. I'm supposed to list any traffic violations I have that had a fine of $200 or more. I requested my driving record from the DMV, and I have a list of my tickets. I only have two, but it doesn't indicate what the fine I paid was, so I have no idea if I have to list them.

Is there someway I can look up how much I paid for each ticket? I tried looking up the cvc section I violated, but it doesn't list a fine amount.

I have a ticket for violating cvc 22350 and another for cvc 22356B. I have a docket number for each ticket and a court number if that helps. Where can I find this information?

Thanks!

Please help lead-foot Liquado locate leniency

liquado — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:34:59 -0800

Ontario speeding ticket advice: How can I best plead my case tomorrow to the JP? Long story short: I got a ticket for going 125km in a 90 zone (don't get me started on the situation -- asshole cop when I was a perfectly-behaved victim). Fine is $265 (ouch).

I fully acknowledge that I was travelling too fast, and should have been going slower. Travelling to a meeting four hours away, I had been stuck behind two prefab house/wide load trailers for 40 km previous, on a winding, wilderness highway, and out of frustration, put the hammer down when I finally was able to pass. Add to it that I was on a downhill when he clocked me. Bottom line? Still my fault, but it would have been nice to get a bit of leniency.

My driving record is quite clean (a 15km over ticket last summer, other than that, no accidents, etc. in the last 7 years), and I plan to plead guilty with an explanation. I've never been to court, before a judge or JP, and am looking for some advice on what they are going to listen to, or want to hear.

(The one positive going for me is that the JP on the bench could be a very good friend who I've done work for in the past, but I don't want to count on that for anything.)

YANML, but I'm grateful for any advice.

Will US immigration make me pay old parking tickets?

xanthippe — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:15:06 -0800

Very old parking tickets/fines and US immigration... do I have to pay up when I come home? I am a US citizen, but left about 3 years ago and haven't gone back to visit since. When I left, I gave my car (registered in my name) to a friend who managed to generate some $700+ of parking fines in New York before finally disposing of it in a manner which is not entirely clear to me - I believe it was eventually towed to a junkyard by the police after being abandoned for some time on the streets of Brooklyn. I suspect, however, that the State of New York, given the opportunity, would claim I owe them a big chunk of cash for this.

Question: if I come back to visit the USA, is this going to turn up in my file when I'm going through immigration or any other likely situation? If so, would this happen anywhere, or only in New York? (In other words, should I avoid flying in or out of JFK?) Do these sorts of fines go away after some time (if so, how much) or remain and accrue interest forever? How can I be most confident of this not being an issue on my visit?

Fine dining with no reservations?

jon_kill — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:58:06 -0800

I'm looking for examples of fine dining restaurants that do not take reservations. They can be anywhere in the world. If they take reservations for lunch, that's fine, but they should have a policy of not taking reservations for dinner service. If you know what system they use instead, a little bit about that would be appreciated. Thanks!

I can't dress myself!!!

bolognius maximus — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:25:18 -0800

What to wear? I don't want to commit a fashion faux pas... I am having dinner at Charlie Trotter's in Chicago this weekend. But I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl, with little experience 'dressing up'. I thought that I could wear this really nice black dress I have, but should I wear black tights/stockings, or a color? Are black shoes ok, or would I be violating the spring dress code? Or do I need to go out and start fresh? Any helpful thoughts on fine dining?

Dermatologists (or those who go to them) help me prevent & treat wrinkles (details inside).

mintchip — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:04:27 -0800

Dermatologists (or those who go to them) help me prevent & treat undereye wrinkles (details inside). I've been a die-hard sunscreen user for years, and I'm also fanatic about staying out of the sun. Consequently, people always guess I'm almost a decade younger.

However, newer sunscreen formulas always manage to get into my eyes and are extremely irritating so lately I've stopped using sunscreen around the eye area. Also, I tend to squint a lot when I smile.

ALL of a sudden(!) I just woke up with fine lines under my eyes...and they are getting worse.

My questions are thus:

1. Are there sunscreens that absolutely won't irritate the eye area?
2. If I learn to stop squinting when I smile will it make any difference at this point?
3. Is there any treatment that will really fix the fine lines? Do lasers really work and if so, how much do they cost? What about topical treatments (OTC, prescription, etc.)?

I know this might seem silly, but humor me please. I've been wearing sunscreen 365 days/year for years, so obviously I am hoping to slow Father Time.

Northfield's finest have nothing better to do...

allkindsoftime — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 06:38:29 -0800

North Chicago suburbs speeding ticket with a CA drivers license. To plead guilty or not? Just off of North-bound 94 late last night, I realized I had gotten off an exit too early and took a road parallel to the freeway to head up to my hotel. Unfortunately I was doing freeway speed in a 35mph (Northfield, IL, fwiw).

He said he clocked me at 46mph and then paced me up to over 70mph. He first said 80mph but he realized I was contrite and really didn't think I hit even 70, so he wrote me up for 65 in a 35, or 30 over (31 would have involved handcuffs apparently). The actual description on the ticket says "Speeding (Paced) 65/35."

My options:

A) Plead guilty, pay $95. Conviction is reported to the Sec of State for entry on my public driving record. No court appearance.

B) Plead guilty, pay $135, go to traffic school, no court appearance or public record entry.

C) Plead not guilty, request court hearing.

Please note that I have a California drivers license - I've had other out-of-state tickets where I've paid the fine and never seen anything show up on my CA record. That said, I work here in IL on a weekly basis so my main concern is that they keep a state record and I get in bigger trouble the next time I get pulled over.

So, two questions:

1) Which of the three options, and why?

2) Do they keep a state record on out-of-state licenses that should make me consider an option other than A (which I'm currently leaning towards)?

Can I keep ignoring this thing?

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:25:11 -0800

Is there a statute of limitations on a red-light camera ticket fine received in California and not paid? I recieved a red-light camera citation via mail from the City of Beverly Hills in February 2000 (Wilshire & La Cienega), back when I was a dirt poor college student (my justification for not properly paying this of course.) I ignored the initial documentation due to my frustration and lack of money and shortly thereafter the fine went up to $400+ dollars, and after that was taken up by a collection agency.

Seven years later, I receive notices from this agency in the same orange and white envelope, however they arrive only about twice per year. I've never received a phone call from them to collect the debt and I've gone into the DMV multiple times to renew my license, and pick up personalized plates and such, and they've never prevented me from doing these things or mentioned I have anything on my record (I've also obtained a copy of my driving record.) The documentation from the court/collection agency has included threats regarding the prevention of license renewal, so I'm not sure if this is obviously false. Also, a delinquent payment/collection file has never appeared on my credit report, on all three agencies (I check semi-annually.)

Although the collection agency still contacts me regarding this debt (if it known as such), does the statute of limitations regarding debt apply in this case? Has anyone else obtained red-light camera violations in the City of Beverly Hills or surrounding areas that have not paid them and not incurred severe consequences?

Red Light, Green Light!

trixare4kids — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 15:52:22 -0800

How much is the fine for running a red light in Oakland, California? (Alameda County). I've searched around but can't find a definitive answer. I got pulled over for running a red light today in Oakland, California. (My first time getting pulled over and I about passed out from the adrenaline rush.) I gunned it on the yellow and didn't quite make it. I don't usually do that, but um yeah, I did it this time. I was wrong, I know I was wrong and he caught me fair and square. He was incredibly polite and respectful about it and I didn’t argue with him. I actually said, “Ok, I think that’s fair” when he said he was going to write me the ticket. As it turns out, he let me off with a warning saying he had something more important to get to. Whew!!

But.. to ensure I don’t do it again, I think it’s important to know exactly how much my complete stupidity would have cost me.

P.S.
Dear Oakland Police Officer: Thanks for being so nice and even bigger thanks for letting me off with a warning! I really needed the break today. Also, hi. You were damn cute. Ahem.

Is using a fork with sushi considered impolite?

birdlips — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 12:14:32 -0800

It is considered rude/wrong to ask for a fork with sushi or other Asian foods? Mostly I get a little embarrassed when I go to a nice sushi restaurant and someone in my company asks for a fork. I am wondering if it is an insult to the chief or restaurant owner to ask for a fork or if I am just looking too much into it? Would it be more polite to use fingers than to use a fork?

VengeanceFilter: What's the legal status of RPAs on UK trains?

so_necessary — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:18:35 -0800

What is the legal status of Revenue Protection staff on British railways? So, I had an annoyingly painful encounter with a Revenue Protection dude at a train station the other day. I am now indulging in the great British pastime of writing grumpy letters about it.

One of the things that struck me as unusual is (after much interrogation, and general ass-hattery) that he "cautioned" me and "read me my rights" (You have the right to remain blah blah etc...) which I'm pretty sure he doesn't have the power to do. To clarify, he was working for South West Trains and in their uniform (he wasn't a policeman) and as far as I have been able to work out, he could ask me to leave, or ask for my name and address, but that's about it.

So my questions to you are:

1) Do revenue enforcement people on British railways (South West Trains in particular) have the authority to caution and/or detain people - particularly people who've repeatedly offered to pay their fare?

2) Isn't pretending you can do this when you can't a bit wrong? Does it have an associated offence or scary legal term that I can namecheck?

Help me deliver a well-informed and authorative smackdown! Thanks!

tv to teaching

Shanachie — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 11:28:56 -0800

I work as an Editor Producer in cable news. I've been thinking about moving on so I can have more time with my family, holidays, etc... I'm interested in teaching fine arts at a university level. I have over a decade spent in television but I don't have a masters. I am willing to earn one. Has anyone out there made this transition?

Help me debunk...

ObscureReferenceMan — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 12:33:29 -0800

I would like to track down a local rumor with an Urban Legend feel... I work next to fairly large local company. Practically every day, the CEO arrives & leaves via helicopter. The rumor is that every time he lands or takes off, he pays a fine to the FAA. The rumored amount of the fine ranges from $1,000 to $20,000. How do I find out the truth? Checking the FAA site has not helped. This article (scroll down to "Long Island Towns Place Restrictions on Noisy Helicopters") seems to indicate that FFA regulations on helicopters are less restrictive than fixed-wing aircraft, but... So what? Can anyone provide more info? Or point me in a direction? Thanks!

What do I tell my boss when they try to take money out of my paycheck?

onalark — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 14:18:39 -0800

What's the proper way of telling the company I work that I won't stand for being fined out of my paycheck? (On behalf of an anonymous MeFilterian) The job I work for involves billing our vendors in a way that, if not done perfectly, results in a chargeback. I've heard rumblings from the higher-ups that if "chargebacks become a problem, we're going to start charging employees out of their paychecks". This job has recently moved to being my responsibility (I just started the job several months ago), and as I'm just a beginner, a few mistakes have been made that are totally my fault. And I'm certainly doing all I can to improve and get better every day. Accepting fines out of my paycheck was *never* part of my contract, or job description, and I want to be prepared with what to say if they point the finger and say they're gonna take my money. My first inclination is to say, go to hell, I'll quit before you take a dime of my money. The company is doing very well financially, by the way, and I take home less than $20,000 a year.

to pay or not to pay

kewlio — Thu, 14 Jul 2005 11:17:32 -0800

I rented a car on a recent trip to Ontario, Canada (I live in the US) and got a parking ticket. I paid the rental cash but I guess the rental company would have the credit card number I used to make the reservation What would happen if I don't pay the fine? Is the rental company (Avis) going to charge me? Will they send me a bill in 10 years asking me for payment and interests?

Congestion Charge Fine in London

ascullion — Mon, 13 Dec 2004 21:41:55 -0800

If you fail to pay the congestion charge in London, how long does it take for the fine to come through? 'A friend' may have done this a few weeks ago, and he/she is now wondering if they got away with it...

US Customs Trouble

elwoodwiles — Mon, 06 Dec 2004 13:09:52 -0800

A friend of mine had some trouble with US Customs after traveling through Europe. As it turns out, Lush soap may violate US drug laws. Customs evidently took her soap, tested it and showed it contained trace amounts of THC. She was detained for five hours, threatened with imprisonment and fined $500. So my question is thus: Is Lush in anyway liable if they are putting marijuana in their products without proper labeling? Is there anyway to appeal or contest the US Customs fine? Has anyone had a similar experience? I should add that the bar of soap in question was originally purchased in Germany around two years ago. I should also clarify that the soap is actually some kind of shampoo bar. She has used the shampoo bar when traveling because it's compact and hassel free. She's taken the soap across the border three or four times and this is the first time anyone bothered her about it.

Printer for fine art on OSX

jpburns — Sat, 23 Oct 2004 14:13:35 -0800

What's the best color printer for "fine art" printing, using OSX? I might consider color laser, but a good inkjet would also be acceptable. [More Inside] Things I'm looking for:
1/ Good tonal quality, especially on plain paper.
2/ Fairly wide paper sizes, if possible.
3/ Reasonable price of consumables.
4/ Postscript a plus.

I especially appreciate suggestions on printers that you actually have experience with...

Thanks!

Where do SEC fines go?

Fupped Duck — Tue, 18 May 2004 05:35:52 -0800

So Lucent got fined yesterday, to the tune of mamny millions of dollars, byt the SEC for the criminal euphemism of Account Irregularities.
Like other high profile SEC investigations, why do they always mention the fine, but never discuss where the funds go?
Are they used to offset the defrauded investor's losses? Or does the gov't turn the investor's loss into it's gain by keeping the fine for its own purposes?