Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with howto

PA divorce with no lawyer = Confusion

assasinatdbeauty — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:21:50 -0800

I'm in the process of filing an uncontested, no-fault divorce from my husband. We just want to get the necessary paperwork over with as soon as possible and sign on the dotted line. Details inside, kept short and succinct for your viewing ease! No kids, no house, nothing to split, just need *our* split to be legal. I filed the initial paperwork, and waited the 90 day period, went back to the courthouse to find out what to do next and no one would tell me, essentially. This was incredibly frustrating, naturally. The law librarian finally showed me a few blank forms in the huge law book and said "it might be one or more of those", so I photocopied them, but have no idea what i'm doing/what I really need.

Any help with what I'm to do now would be much appreciated - we just want to be legally divorced as fast as possible. Lawyers just aren't an option, the money isn't there. Quite literally 0$ to spare.

If it has any bearing, I'm in Southeast PA and we have been living apart since January 2012.

Thank you again!

I don´t want to be pushed or scared anymore! (Details inside)

Matrod — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:17:49 -0800

How can I be more creative, self-motivated and stick to my goals? The title might be a little inappropriate, but I don´t have a better way to describe my situation. Let me explain: I´m a successful 40-year-old male, married, no kids, with 18+ years of experience in IT related matters. Two months ago I landed my dream job: I work for a blue-chip company and I´m really happy with it.

Nonetheless, all my life I have had someone or something "forcing me" to do things: study, be on time, organize my schedule, learn and develop new skills, etc. When I was a kid and a teenager, my parents did this for me. They were very strict and I had to comply. I was a star student at school, but when I started college, I began to fail since nobody was there to "keep me going" and finally, after trying three different majors, I ended up dropping out completely. Afterwards, I manage to get some good jobs thanks to my love and passion for technology and my ability to learn things by myself, but in general terms, I´m very inconstant and irregular. Some of my bosses had to get rid of me since I started everything with lots of energy but after a short time, I simply gave up: lost interest and started to procrastinate, always ending in fights with my colleagues, my boss and finally having to get a new job.

Right now, I´m kind of more organized, but still I almost always need someone telling me what to do next. Fear has always been my main motivator and right now I feel I cannot make a mistake and lose this job, specially now when I´m 40 and the economy is so bad. I´m thinking in re-starting college as well but I´m fearing I will give up in the short term with my motivation vanishes...

My question is very simple: How can I achieve a greater degree of autonomy and self-motivation, as well as improve my initative and creativity to be a valuable employee and keep my job? For the record, I have lots of hobbies (music, kites, photography, reading, language learning, etc.) but I usually don´t stick to anything for long. I´ve been reading a lot of self-motivation books lately, but none of them has rung a bell yet... I´m exploring the CBT approach to see if it fits me.

If you need further information, I´ll be happy to elaborate more.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Show your true colors

travelwithcats — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:02:21 -0800

Sometimes someone important comes into your life (a (potential) close friend / significant other or a long lost relative). How to really get to know them? And if you only have limited time? Can you recommend things to do together or experience together that allow to truly learn about the other person?

Newbie Anchovy Advice

Draccy — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 08:19:35 -0800

I had an anchovy freak-out a few months ago, and really want to give this 'superfood' a new chance. Please help! I've heard so much about anchovy and a few months ago tried adding it to salad. I enjoyed it sometimes, but once ate a bone and was freaked out. Are anchovy supposed to have bone when you buy it in a can? Are we supposed to eat it? I'm also looking for advice on how to prepare it to bring for lunch to work. thanks in advance for your advice! I did see this previous post, but I felt it wasn't really geared towards a newbie: http://ask.metafilter.com/35140/Anchovy-Anchovy-the-Flower-of-Fish

Thanks!

How to continue using an almost new laptop

KokuRyu — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:50:26 -0800

I have an Acer laptop with an i3 chip and the standard amount of RAM, probably 4GB that I bought in 2011. Just over a year after I bought it, and just weeks after the end of warranty, the hard drive died. I'm wondering how hard it would be to buy a new hard drive and install Ubuntu or something like that. Is it possible? If so, how much of a pain is it to set up drivers? Would I have to manually install drivers for nearly everything (USB ports, wireless receiver, etc)?

How do I design and print an 8-12 page booklet?

neilkod — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 10:11:26 -0800

I need to design and print an 8-12 page booklet for an upcoming Bar Mitzvah. I'm looking for word processor and page setup advice to get this done. I'm a Mac user and have Google Docs and Pages at my disposal. Do templates exist to make booklet design and printing any easier? If so, I'm not finding them.

I'm looking to use 8.5 * 11 page side, printed landscape, stapled in the middle.

Ideally I can output to PDF and sent it to a local(or online) printing company - I need about 100 booklets for the big event on the 19th of January.

I need to include Hebrew text (which I copy and paste from online sources example http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0213.htm) and Images.

I'm looking for advice on which software to use, how to set up my 'page setup' options, and how to align the pages, etc.

Learn to knit

k8lin — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 09:16:47 -0800

I want to learn how to knit. Where do I start? I know the basics of knitting using two needles, but that's it - and it's been awhile. I've made quite a few scarves in my day, but nothing more complicated than that. What is the best resource for learning how to knit more complicated things like hats, legwarmers, and sweaters? I also really want to make a big, warm blanket, but I don't think that would be super complicated (it's basically bunch of scarves sewn together with yarn, right?)

I joined Ravelry, but I'm overwhelmed - maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I can't find a basic "so you want to learn how to knit" page there. I'm pretty sure it's for more experienced knitters. I... don't really know how to read a pattern, or how to choose yarn, or how to use circular needles - I might not even remember how to cast on anymore.

I'm looking for a book or two, or really good and detailed blogs/tutorials for beginners. I looked at a few of these knitting blogs from a previous question, but they're not really what I'm looking for.

How do they do that? Learning about drawing and illustration...

jrobin276 — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 18:01:18 -0800

How do they do that? Artist edition... Please recommend how-to's and how I do this blogs/videos etc... I have a BFA in Photography, but am increasingly interested in drawing and illustration. I took some drawing classes years ago, and was pretty ok at it, especially since I was starting from scratch (almost no experience) and it wasn't my major.

I would LOVE recommendations of blogs, posts, articles, interviews, videos (magazines/books ok too) etc... that demonstrate different techniques or materials, that show the progression of a piece from start to finish, etc... in short, that demystify a bit "how they do that"! Not about copying - this is part educational (so online classes/tutorials might be ok), and almost entirely about making myself feel like this is something humans (ie me) can do (with lots of practice). Right now a lot of it seems like magic...

Not really interested in tours of artists' studios, but descriptions of how they work are welcome too... methods, ruts and how they get out, finding inspiration, etc. (example: I like going on long drives or walks to collect ideas. I take the pictures, make hard copies, and lay them out all over the floor like tiles - usually until the wee hours of the morning while drinking coffee and listening to Trip-Hop. I will re-work things over and over, over months; sometimes years.... etc.)

PS: No Bob Ross! ;)

story-oriented video editing resources

kaibutsu — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:14:42 -0800

I'm looking for some really good how-to guides on making videos, especially on documentary style and story-oriented pieces. There are a bunch of great resources for making story-oriented radio pieces at Transom.org. I'm interested in learning more about video, though; I have a basic editing setup at this point and some decent portable equipment. I'm also chillin' in western Kenya, working on a bunch of projects that could use some documentation. What are some good resources on the art of story-oriented video editing?

WordPress, where to start?

radiopaste — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 11:36:34 -0800

Can you recommend a good set of tools, books, blog posts, or videos to get into WordPress? I have functional knowledge of HTML and CSS, but most of my experience is a decade out of date.

So...should we sit down tomorrow at 5:30 to talk about forever, maybe?

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 09:30:07 -0800

How, exactly, did you start discussing marriage with the person you married? I am not asking about how you proposed- though if that is the first time you starting talking about marriage, definitely feel free to share! What I am interested in is hearing how, exactly, you brought up and started discussing marriage* with the person you ended up marrying**. Did you joke about it? Casually drop it into conversation one day? Sit them down to have a Very Serious Conversation about it? Schedule a wedding date in his or her day planner? What form, and how long, did that conversation take?

I am asking for selfish purposes, of course. I love my significant other. Very much. And I've been mulling the idea of marrying them for a while now, and decided that I like the idea. Very much. But! I am having a hard time articulating what is in my head to the outside world. We have actually joked about marrying each other for some time, and we engage in long-term planning, so I know that they are not going to freak out over this conversation (even if the answer is "not right now"). But talking about this is making me nervous, because this seems like a big deal. And big deals make me anxious. And anxiety makes me a little avoidant, because I start psyching myself out and thinking that I shouldn't mess this up or say the wrong thing or bring up the topic at the wrong time. And then I get nervous all over again! The truth, though, is that while I am in no rush and feel that we have all the time in the world, I also would actually like to have this conversation at some point, and don't want to push it off indefinitely.

So: what did your conversation look like? Are there best practices here, or should one just jump in and see what happens?

* I am interested here in hearing about how you brought up the idea of marrying your spouse to your spouse, not about how you brought up the idea of marriage in general, or abstract, terms.

** This question is also open to anyone in civil unions or lifelong partnerships that might not be recognized by current marriage laws.

Best way to upgrade to a Solid State Drive?

Rhaomi — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 13:18:22 -0800

What's the best way to go about installing a solid state drive in a new laptop? (And is this even a good idea?) After six years of solid service from my workhorse Dell Latitude, the combination of wonky ports, depleted battery, slowing performance, and an intermittent Disk Click of Doom has convinced me it's time to finally upgrade. Luckily, I found a great deal on a snazzy new IdeaPad Y580. According to this exhaustive review, it's got everything I'm looking for: decent screen, powerful CPU and GPU, similar form factor, and priced hundreds less than comparable machines elsewhere.

The only real flaw is storage. I've heard phenomenal things about SSDs -- lightning speed, low heat/noise emissions, shockproof, etc. -- and definitely wanted to make one the centerpiece of any new laptop purchase. But the Y580 only ships with a standard mechanical drive, which the review identifies as a significant performance bottleneck in an otherwise speedy package.

One potential solution is to go for the premium model, which includes a 32GB "caching" SSD as a supplement to a whopping 1TB mechanical drive. But I get the impression that such a set-up isn't nearly as responsive as an all-SSD environment -- faster boot-up, maybe, but not a "Best. Upgrade. Ever." system-wide turbo boost. I'd also like to avoid, in light of aforementioned Disk Click of Doom, returning to the relative frailty of physical drives for storing all my files. (And frankly, I don't fully understand how one manages a hybrid set-up. Installing the OS in one drive and media files in another? Where do programs go? It sounds awkward.)

Given these misgivings, what I'd really like to do is just buy a lower-tier Y580 with a small HDD, use the savings to acquire a full SSD separately (256GB sounds good), and swap it in when the new laptop arrives. But this has complications of its own. So here are my core questions:

- What's the most reliable ~256GB drive available today? Not necessarily the fastest -- the difference between SSD models is peanuts compared to the step up from HDDs -- but the one most likely to last at least a few years, given reports of perilously high failure rates in earlier years. Intel is the most respected name and offers a five-year warranty, but they're relatively pricey at well over $1 per GB, so I'd be interested in hearing about other brands with respectable track records (as well as those with high failure rates to steer clear of)

- What's the best way to install a new SSD in a new laptop? Should I clone the stock hard disk to the SSD with a migration tool, or would it be better to just install Windows 7 on it fresh? What about transferring files from my old laptop? What's the process for swapping out the drives themselves? Also, are there any tweaks I should do to the SSD that would normally be done by Lenovo pre-shipment in order to optimize it and prolong its lifespan?

- Is there any reason I shouldn't prefer a large SSD over the hybrid HDD+caching SSD? Apart from sheer cost, obvs. I'm really trying to "future proof" this purchase and get the biggest possible performance leap that will last a good number of years, but if a hybrid drive offers ~90% of the speed of an SSD or avoids some major pitfall, then I might be willing to settle. I'd really like to shockproof my data and reduce noise/heat/power consumption, though, so it would have to be a pretty big pitfall.

Help me find an essay I once read on how to create a toxic workplace/relationship.

JMOZ — Sat, 05 May 2012 18:06:35 -0800

Can you help me find an essay I read on how people keep people in toxic workplaces and bad relationships? I wanted to pass along an essay I remember reading a while back on how people are kept in toxic relationships and workplaces, but I can't seem to find it. I may have read it from a link on MeFi, but I haven't been able to find it searching here, either.

My recollection was that it was almost a how-to guide, with things like, "keep people too busy to think about what's going on in the environment" etc.) I think it was focused on both workplaces and personal relationships.

I've spent a while googling for it, but most of the things I've found seem to be about how to get out of a toxic workplace or a description of symptoms, rather than analyses of the causes. If anyone can help me find this essay, I would be very grateful. Thanks!

I Know Why The Caged Bird Takes Klonopin

Anonymous — Thu, 03 May 2012 06:55:36 -0800

What is my best option when my girlfriend who had a stroke less than a month ago was abruptly terminated by her company? Hi. I'm not necessarily looking for legal advice or answers, just direction. I will try and make this succinct as possible.

On the morning of Tuesday April 10th my girlfriend drove herself to the ER with complaints of horrible abdominal pains. They were having great trouble figuring out what exactly was wrong. She was in the ER for most of the day and later that night was admitted. I believe at first they were leaning towards blood clot (she had flown back from Europe recently) and consequently didn't treat her pain as much as they could have. On the afternoon of Wednesday April 11th her pain increased, she had back and leg spasms, leg numbness and horrible pain in head, neck and back and she was moved to ICU. I drove up at 3:30a Thursday morning. Turns out she had a bleed inside her head, no blood in the brain tissue, but blood in sub-arachnoid, ventricular and cerebral spinal fluid. (Apologies if my medical words aren't accurate enough, I'm working from memory)

Doctors decided not to operate because of possible complications but instead let her body absorb the blood because she didn't have an active brain bleed when they "scanned" her. She was in ICU for 7 days (all about pain management and monitoring vitals), then about another week in the regular hospital (her body absorbed the blood) and is now in a rehab facility. When she moved to rehab we didn't have any definite time frame on how all of this was going to pain out but I personally was throwing around 2 months in my mind and that was assuming she got better. She has eyesight issues, numbness issues, strength issues, cognitive issues, etc. the whole kit and kaboodle.

Throughout all of this it appeared her company was being supportive. They tried to get the information to get her on short term disability right away. They pushed the insurance company to have her do rehab as close to me and her family as possible (she lives 2 hours away).

This week (after 3 days of actual therapy) on the same day she received her short term disability paperwork, she also received a notice from the company that she was being terminated for using company funds for personal purchases. Because of this she is no longer going to be getting her short term disability and her health insurance.

I don't know whether this personal purchases thing actually happened or not. In speaking with friends/family I found out that her father (who died of a stroke before he reached 50) had basically quit taking care of any financial things (depositing paychecks, paying bills, etc) in the few months before he passed. Do people who are stroke prone quit thinking clearly? I'm assuming anything's feasible but I don't know anything about the details of their case against her or her state of mind leading up to her hospitalization.

She has told me that the head of HR hates her because she (my gf) has been pushing for HR to be handled in a more professional manner and I know the CEO of the company started a long vacation when they returned from overseas. To my way of thinking this excuses nothing on her part.

I haven't decided what my ultimate course of action is going to be from a personal standpoint but as of now I told them I would help find a lawyer for them. At first I thought the right type of lawyer would be an employment lawyer because if there is no merit to what has happened then she is being given the shaft. On the other hand if it's even slightly accurate then it seems like an employment lawyer would not be appropriate because they had cause for firing her and the issue with these funds needs to be addressed. Her mom and I have discussed restitution if the allegations are true.

So do we choose a lawyer based on the assumption of innocence (employment lawyer), straight guilt (embezzlement lawyer?), complicated guilt (not being in her right mind) or something else that I'm not thinking of. I don't think my girlfriend is in the right mind to make any decisions about this at this time so, we her boyfriend and family, are trying to do the right thing.

If we pick a lawyer will he/she gather information and, if needed, properly decide "wait, i'm the wrong type of lawyer for you" and get them pointed to someone who is a better fit?

I've spent some time looking at the local Bar Association web site and I'm overwhelmed. I'm just trying to be impartial and do the best I can given the circumstances.

Restaurant-quality desserts?

Bardolph — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:08:06 -0800

Part two: How can I make restaurant-quality desserts at home? I'm a fairly experienced baker and make a lot of desserts. I try to use only highly-rated recipes from respectable sources like Epicurious, and I'm fairly sure I'm avoiding most rookie prep mistakes. Yet I still had a moment of depressing epiphany during dessert (at The Olive Garden, of all places) last week, wherein I realized that not only had I never made a cake as moist and creamy as the one I was eating, I didn't know how to make one that good, even if I tried.

Thus, I am wondering: does anyone have tips on how to take home-made desserts to restaurant-quality levels? I'm especially interested in creams, frostings and fillings, and in regulating the qualities of texture/mouth-feel and intensity. Every single time I've tried pastry cream or custard, for instance, it's had a disappointingly bland eggy flavor without the rich vanilla/creamy finish of commercial versions. Or simple buttercreams will come out with an unpleasantly harsh "raw confectioner's sugar" taste, only to go waxy and unctuous when I add more butter. Or chocolate frostings will end up tasting cocoa-y and lacking the intense chocolate punch of commercial icing.

These are simple recipes, theoretically, so I'm puzzled as to what I could be missing. What does my local Applebee's know about desserts, that I don't?

Boring to 8-bit

bamassippi — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:38:54 -0800

How can I take an image in Illustrator and turn it into an 8-bit-looking image? Was inspired by this design to create something that's quite different.

I want to be able to be able to create a red circle in Illustrator, then turn that circle into a circle that looks like something out of Super Mario Bros.

I also want to be able to change the color of the circle once I'm done with the "normal-to-8-bit" transformation.

I'm no Illustrator wizzard, but I've been using it on and off for a few years.

I have CS4 on a Dell laptop.

Growing food at home. Or trying to.

TomMelee — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:32:38 -0800

Any indoor gardeners or hydroponic fans out there today who could help me out? I'm getting back into hydro after ~10 years out of it. Now there's 10 bazillion websites out there, most that haven't been updated in 2 or 3 years, and I'm starting anew.

I'm starting out with a small aero/aqua lettuce bin, but hoping to put up a small greenhouse in the back yard (I'm zone 6, northern WV) for "other" stuff. The idea is to generate the most food for the least cost.

So...suggestions on greenhouse design, hydro systems, what I should grow, and---really probably most importantly---online communities for discussions/suggestions/tutorials, etc?

(In the past I did moderately successful NFT and deep-nutrient bath.)

Help me make an idea into a book

palacewalls — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:49:51 -0800

I have a great idea for an instructional book, but I know nothing about what to do next... Without getting too specific, it is a yoga book which (surprisingly) doesn't seem to exist yet. I believe it could be incredibly useful for yoga practitioners and teachers alike.

So, what now? Do I make a simple version of the book and try to pitch it to publishers? The art and text aspect of the book is the stuff I can handle (with help from friends), it is the logistical stuff that I am in the dark about. How does one go about making an idea into a product? Is book making becoming like music production, i.e. something I can do on my laptop?

how to find trustworthy and high quality tradesmen in England?

conrad101 — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:28:58 -0800

how to find trustworthy and high quality tradesmen in England? In Particular in or close to Cambridgeshire UK. I've seen a few sites that purport to offer crowdsource reviews of tradesmen but they have a small number of tradesman and few if any reviews which means I can't place too much weight on them. Something like tripadvisor would be awesome as from experience I know that there are so many untrustworthy people doing these jobs.

How do I keep a canvas and leather bag in top-notch condition?

melancholyplay — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:34:56 -0800

I'm terrible at taking care of my things. How do I keep this beautiful leather and canvas backpack in top-notch condition for the next couple of decades? Following are some very basic how-to-take-care-of-a-canvas-and-leather-bag questions. I'm looking for anecdotes, experiences, and brand recommendations for leather care products. A DO's and DONT's list might be helpful.

1. How do I keep this bag in top-notch condition when I'm using it on a daily basis? Should I take the contents out every night to preserve its shape? Should I be hanging up the bag somewhere?
2. Any recommendations for taking care of the leather?
3. Should I carry something to cover it in case of a surprise rainstorm?
4. How do I keep the canvas from wearing out?
5. The bottom is made of mostly canvas, with two leather straps as an accent (I don't think they do anything for the bag's durability). How do I keep the bottom from wearing out? Should I avoid carrying heavy things in it?

Thanks in advance!

How do I get an Oakland Police Department press pass?

ejfox — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 20:55:39 -0800

I'm a resident of Oakland, really close to Frank Ogawa Plaza where a love of things have been going down with Occupy Oakland. Usually I am out taking photos and such, and I was wondering what the feasibility of me getting a press pass was. I found this document which is not very encouraging: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca/groups/police/documents/webcontent/dowd004991.pdf

However, because there is interest in what is going on, I could somehow trade some coverage for the press pass. Maybe this is incredibly naive. I know they probably wouldn't respect it anyway but I'd really like to be as legit as possible so I have can show credentials (which I have already been asked to do a bunch of times) when I stand my ground.

The Hook Up Guide for the Awkward Guy?

Anonymous — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 12:19:50 -0800

How do I make a move and initiate a hook up? Awkward guy in need of help! I currently find myself in the following situation...

Some of my friends(male and females) are trying to convince me that a girl I know is into me, in a 'let's makeout!' way not a 'let's get married!' way. I really want to try and make a move but I just do not know how. To clarify, what I'd like to get out of this is a make out session that could hopefully lead fooling around/sex. And if we both enjoy our selves then maybe some more casual encounters in the future.

How do I:
Create the perfect atmosphere? We have both hung out with alone at each others apartments so inviting her to grab some food and then heading back to my place to watch a movie is not at all unprecedented in our friendship.

Gauge her interest? Is she being flirty or just friendly?

Make that first move? Say that we are both sitting there in the dark watching a movie, now what? I honestly have no idea what the proper protocol is here. This girl probably won't be expecting me to do anything and she may not even WANT me to do anything.

How do we go from two friends on a couch in a dark room enjoying a movie to two friends making out?(If we start to make out, I can take it from there)If only there was a step-by-step guide to hooking up!

(Additional details: Me, my friends, and this girl are all in our early twenties. I've had previous relationships and just got out of a serious one several months ago so I am NOT inexperienced with women, I just lack the confidence and the knowledge to make that first move.)

What is the best dusting tool?

Lady Li — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:35:30 -0800

Haven't dusted in three years. What's a good tool or technique to make this fast and easy? I'm looking for an 80% or 90% solution - don't need to get everything. Except for wiping the dust off the furnace (for fire safety) and vacuuming a few times, we haven't dusted our home since we moved in to it three years ago. I want to get most of the dust off everything, as painlessly as possible. If either of us was 'in to' cleaning it wouldn't have been three years without dusting, so painless is important. My ideal would be some kind of cloth or brush that I can just swoosh over surfaces and maybe not get huge wads of dust-bunny floating down or curling up on the side. Some surfaces that need to be cleaned:

- ceiling (tried a brush but ended up with dust bunnies and cobweb-tangles in my face)
- blinds
- flat and semi-flat surfaces
- flat and semi-flat surfaces with stuff on them (e.g., the electronics cabinet, the top of the refrigerator - can I do 90% of the job without having to take everything down and dust it all individually?)
- carpet (planning to vacuum)
- ceiling fan
- fan intakes - window fan and computer
- tangle of electronics cables

Currently have:
- cloths and rags
- paper towels
- vacuum cleaner without any attachments
- willingness to go buy something (although not a $100+ new vacuum cleaner. Maybe a dust buster or a long-handled brush?)

Not actually trying to start a 'dusting routine' here, although suggestions for things to do every couple of weeks or months that only take a few minutes are OK. Mostly I'm looking for what to do to make the biggest impact now.

Ignoramus wants to learn how to fix a DSLR.

Sticherbeast — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:38:44 -0800

I want to learn how to personally repair a Canon 5D with an internal power problem. What resources should I look into in order develop this skill set? I do not care that this is silly, uneconomical idea. I am also well aware of the fact that developing this skill set will not be overnight. I have a Canon 5D which no longer powers up. I have changed the date/time battery, I have used different batteries and battery grips on the camera, and I have changed lenses several times. To make a long story short, I believe that an improperly mounted lens has caused the internal power supply to short out.

Because I'm quixotic and curious, I'd like to learn how to fix this myself. I've always had an interest in gadgets, repairs, and kludges; this seems as good an opportunity as any to learn some useful skills. I know that I am coming into this project in the full bloom of ignorance, and I fully accept the risk of breaking the camera further and/or wasting my time.

I have a parts catalog and a service manual for the 5D. The service manual is very helpful, although of course it is targeted towards people who actually have some idea of what they're doing.

Has anyone had any experience with a project like this? Are you, yourself, a camera repair person? Tell me what to learn! What books, websites, and best value tools would I need to make the project of fixing this camera successful?

So I'm gonna surf. What do I need to know?

handee — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:36:22 -0800

I want to take up surfing. I live by the sea (for the first time in my life) and I used to skateboard as a teenager, so it seems a good choice of hobby for a fat woman approaching the mid-life crisis and wanting both fun and exercise. What do I need to know? Can I just get a cheap 2ndhand board and a massive wetsuit and go for it? Or should I take lessons? What sort of board should a starter surfer get? Tell me all about the fun of riding the waves...