In softball/baseball, what areas of responsibility do the different umpire positions have? What tips or tricks should I know when I'm umpiring on the field? [more inside]
posted by CancerMan on Oct 20, 2009 - 11 answers

I am clueless in the laundry room. I know nothing about stain removal and very little about sorting, what settings to use on my washer, what needs to air-dry, how to prevent things from shrinking, etc. Teach me how to do laundry like a grownup! [more inside]
posted by beandip on Sep 19, 2009 - 30 answers

Lazy Last Minute Dinner Help: So I forgot it was my turn to cook dinner and all I have in the house are some scraps of cooked meat (chicken, lamb) and a bottle of Loyd Grossman's pre-made Korma sauce. How can I jazz this up while using up the scraps in my cupboard? Preferably stuff I can add while it simmers? [more inside]
posted by The Whelk on Aug 30, 2009 - 6 answers

What's the best way to brute-force a microSD card into my new Blackberry (that apparently has a defective slot.) [more inside]
posted by frenetic on Aug 17, 2009 - 5 answers

What is the easiest way to share data from MySql to a web page on Windows [more inside]
posted by kewlio on Aug 4, 2009 - 4 answers

What are some good resources for learning to work with old tyres - crafting them into products and designs? +or could you explain the basic processes? [more inside]
posted by Not Supplied on Jul 31, 2009 - 7 answers

I recently moved to Phoenix and am lucky enough to have a swimming pool in my backyard. It's perfect for water aerobics but not so much for swimming, as one end of the pool is much shallower than the other. I'm looking for good instructional water aerobics videos. Any suggestions? I haven't found much on the web so I'm ok with buying something if it's highly recommended.
posted by alist on Jul 2, 2009 - 7 answers

How does one become a Traffic School teacher in California? I think it's a wonderful institution (which makes drivers here better) and I'd like to be a part of it. [more inside]
posted by Rash on Jun 10, 2009 - 1 answer

I'm a girl with very fine, very straight, waist-length hair and for the past few weeks I've been abiding by a self-imposed rule where I do not wear it the same way two days in a row. I'm looking for ideas for hair-styles and, preferably, links to videos that explain how to do them. [more inside]
posted by Juliet Banana on Jun 8, 2009 - 9 answers

How can I make my own green tea extract (or concentrate)? [more inside]
posted by magnoliasouth on Apr 28, 2009 - 4 answers

I need help with building a false floor. [more inside]
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith on Apr 16, 2009 - 6 answers

How can two people bend rebar against their throats? In addition to a video link, there's [more inside]
posted by lhauser on Apr 3, 2009 - 11 answers

Recommend the best way to self-learn to draw trees and nature. [more inside]
posted by peripatew on Mar 31, 2009 - 15 answers

FlickrFilter: What can I read to better understand Flickr and get more out of it? Where is the manual? [more inside]
posted by pbh on Mar 21, 2009 - 9 answers

What are some good compendiums of subsistence-level skills/resources available online? [more inside]
posted by generalist on Mar 7, 2009 - 3 answers

do you know how to get off spoke.com? [more inside]
posted by kewlio on Feb 23, 2009 - 9 answers

Can you point me an easy explanation of encryption technologies? [more inside]
posted by devilshgrin on Feb 2, 2009 - 9 answers

The grocery store no longer supplies my regular brand of rice milk. Tips or suggestions for making my own? [more inside]
posted by kamelhoecker on Jan 27, 2009 - 7 answers

What kind of clothing should I wear to de-emphasize my wide shoulders and muscular arms? I am a 25-year old female, and I have a very muscular upper body. I don't lift weights or anything, but my shoulders and arms have just always been defined. People in the street ask me if I am a professional swimmer. I am becoming very self-conscious of my shoulders and arms, and wondering what kind of tops would work for me. I already know that spaghetti straps are a no-no. Also, no matter where I buy tops, they are ALL too short, because I also have a long torso. So, I am constantly flashing my stomach, there is always that thin strip of skin visible between my top and my pants. Please help!
posted by esolo on Jan 25, 2009 - 36 answers

Store-bought-style baked tofu at home: how? [more inside]
posted by acridrabbit on Jan 4, 2009 - 8 answers

This is Mr. Messy. My 5 year-old son wants to be Mr. Messy for Halloween. Any ideas on how to make this costume?
posted by Sassyfras on Oct 13, 2008 - 20 answers

You've moved to a town very remote from any of your established social circles: you have no best nor casual friends nor any romantic relationships. You go into one or more meetings of utter strangers with whom you know you share some common interest (OneBrick, a Mefi meetup, a Meetup.Com thing, or something else entirely). What do you do — specifically, pretend I've got Asperger's here (no offense to those who do) — to take things from the level of "just an amiable conversation" to an actual friendship? [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Sep 25, 2008 - 27 answers

Help clean my clock! I need suggestions on how to safely remove the convex glass on a vintage ad clock in order to clean the inside and get the bugs and dirt out, then reassemble it. [more inside]
posted by kuppajava on Sep 25, 2008 - 0 answers

I've unexpectedly found myself playing timpani for a local open orchestra. Any tips on tuning/technique? [more inside]
posted by primer_dimer on Sep 25, 2008 - 6 answers

What should my first programming language be, if I just want to have fun? And what are good books or websites for learning said language? [more inside]
posted by papayaninja on Aug 17, 2008 - 45 answers

Can anyone offer me some suggestions for how to make a relatively inexpensive sound trap (i.e. like those echo reducers that large auditoriums have). Info about materials, shapes, etc. would be helpful. [more inside]
posted by n8stew on Aug 9, 2008 - 3 answers

I'm looking for recommendations for guide/how to/self help books that have a casual, up-beat style without compromising the authority of the text. Do you have any? [more inside]
posted by Ookseer on Aug 4, 2008 - 7 answers

How to read PDF files on Amazon Kindle? [more inside]
posted by omaralarifi on Jul 21, 2008 - 6 answers

How do financial dominatrices make their money? [more inside]
posted by divabat on Apr 23, 2008 - 9 answers

Connecting with your own wireless access point (AP) to another one that provides access to the Internet -- help me figure out the basics here. [more inside]
posted by kchristidis on Apr 19, 2008 - 6 answers

What should the dimensions and surface of a DIY ping pong table be? [more inside]
posted by roofus on Feb 25, 2008 - 5 answers

A series of interrelated mental and physical illnesses turned my life (and the time I spent in law school) into what can best be described as an out-of-body experience. Four years later, I'm beginning to come out of it--I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not an oncoming train. It's pretty obvious (to me, if not to a few people who believe in me and/or my talents) that finding a position at a firm is out of the question. Which leaves another question: am I out of my mind to think that I can, via the magic of another graduate degree, reposition myself and get the career I'd hoped for before the psychological bottom fell out? [more inside]
posted by t2urner on Feb 9, 2008 - 14 answers

Newbie--never thrown a punch before--wants to work out with a heavy bag... [more inside]
posted by Manhasset on Jan 25, 2008 - 10 answers

I want to teach myself computer science. I know that teaching myself is far from a university education on the subject, but I'd like to try. How can I teach myself? What are books/lectures/tools/websites/anything that I could use to do this? Covering everything from the programming languages themselves, to algorithms, software development, and the mathematics background necessary for this. [more inside]
posted by petah on Jan 12, 2008 - 22 answers

I'm looking for multisubject howto info: deeper than eHow, less crafty than Instructables, more detailed than videojug, that isn't dead like SoYouWanna. Any single field's resources are fine too, so long as they are on the net. Thanks.
posted by StrikeTheViol on Jan 2, 2008 - 3 answers

I love the whole Linux idea from start to finish. I've been using it for a year now, full time, and I want to go deeper. How do I contribute? [more inside]
posted by cdmwebs on Dec 26, 2007 - 19 answers

I want to make a sponge relief à la Yves Klein, but I don't know how. [more inside]
posted by ClarissaWAM on Dec 5, 2007 - 3 answers

How do I get the correct return code from a unix command line application after I've piped it through another command that succeeded? [more inside]
posted by ChrisR on Nov 24, 2007 - 22 answers

How can we reset my mom's old PC laptop from Chinese to English? [more inside]
posted by wowbobwow on Nov 2, 2007 - 8 answers

How do you try new things? [more inside]
posted by hamhed on Oct 31, 2007 - 16 answers

How do I set up Quicken without ending up with a negative balance at the end when I import historical account information? [more inside]
posted by ChrisR on Oct 13, 2007 - 4 answers

I'd like to know what to expect when my girlfriend and I break up. We've been together for nearly 10 years and we have a four-year-old daughter. I've been through breakups before, but never with so much time, energy, or property involved, not to mention a child. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 10, 2007 - 15 answers

At the relatively old age of 29, I've decided to relearn* how to ride a bike. Bicycle, that is. What are the unspoken (ha!) rules and things I should know? [more inside]
posted by iamkimiam on Sep 19, 2007 - 36 answers

How does Clint Eastwood light matches on his stubble? I am really not cool, and learning this talent would make me cool. Thanks.
posted by trim17 on Sep 9, 2007 - 20 answers

I could use some shaving tips, with regards to two specific questions: (i) how to achieve a much closer facial shave; and (ii) tips, anecdotes, etc. on headshaving. [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Aug 15, 2007 - 28 answers

How can I set up Bugzilla 3.0 to receive bugs via email? [more inside]
posted by Deathalicious on Jul 23, 2007 - 4 answers

i would like to develop services that receive and send sms (text messages). how can i get started, playing around with my ideas? [more inside]
posted by k7lim on May 15, 2007 - 5 answers

Can someone with experience managing younger people (20-29), or young people with experience being managed, offer some helpful tips and some things to be mindful of? [more inside]
posted by psmealey on May 11, 2007 - 30 answers

What type of "How To" videos would you want to see on the Internet? [more inside]
posted by KimikoPi on May 3, 2007 - 11 answers

I just bought a big grill for my new backyard but I'm feeling bad that my wife does all the grilling (she's an amazing cook). I'd like to help out more but I don't know where to start. Are there any really basic books on how to get started cooking on a gas grill? Everything I find online is a cesspool of ads or nonsense, so I'm asking here. [more inside]
posted by mathowie on Apr 22, 2007 - 35 answers