Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with howto

hello, world (of programming)

papayaninja — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:37:27 -0800

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? I am looking to learn how to program. I don't have any ideas as to what I want to program, I just want to learn something for the sake of having a new skill and having fun. I'm sure the ideas of what I could do with any language will come when I have some idea how they work. There are plenty of other questions about which language to learn first, but they all have some purpose in mind, whether a specific program that needs to be created or to become a better employee and so on.

If it matters: I dual-boot Ubuntu and Windows Vista. I have previously used OpenSUSE 9 and 10 and have installed just about every other major distro at least once. I have reasonable competence when it comes to the Linux terminal. I'm a rising senior in high school and I am planning on focusing a lot on academics this year, so something easyish and fun is preferred. I have very limited experience with Visual BASIC. I wrote a text and button based choose-your-own adventure story with it for a school project and also a Twister caller so I could play by myself or with a small group of people. My dad helped with that last one, but I understood it at least. My friends ask me for computer help.

Finally, now that I know which language to learn, how do I learn it? Books? Websites? Podcasts? I'd be willing to spend a maximum of 30 dollars on books, though ten bucks is much appealing...

Thanks.

How do you make something that improves the acoustics of an auditorium?

n8stew — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:04:08 -0800

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. I'm a science teacher trying to make our school's auditorium more functional by reducing the echos which make it hard to understand most performances. I plan on writing a grant to cover most of the cost but I really need help figuring out what and how I would make these sound traps.

I'm reading, I'm learning and I'm enjoying it. Pick two?

Ookseer — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:56:56 -0800

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? It seems most of the "I'll tell you how" books that I read are either authoritative, but dry as dust or have so much personality that it undermines what they are trying to say, either by being so casual or clever that you can't take them seriously, or so in love with the subject that they seem hopelessly biased.

So what books have you read in the self help/guidebook/how to genres are both authoritative and a joy to read?

Taking recommendations on any topic. If I can get a good read from a subject I'm not even interested in, that's exactly the kind of book I'm looking for.

How to read PDF files on Amazon Kindle?

omaralarifi — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:30:24 -0800

How to read PDF files on Amazon Kindle? If your answer in which I have to convert it to whatever file type(s), then please guide me in step by step process (in details if possible) to fully read PDF files in my Amazon Kindle.
Thanks

The Economics of Financial Domination

divabat — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:18:21 -0800

How do financial dominatrices make their money? A comment on AskMefi some time ago talked about financial dominatrices, and I've been fascinated by their business ever since. From what I could gather, all they have to do is put up a website saying "You worship me! Give me money and stuff because I know you want to!" - and it works. One site had her Internet bills paid off. Many ask for regular tithes and offerings, and have application processes.

How does this work? From what I could tell, the buyers don't actually get anything back for their cash - it's up to the dominatrix if she wants to give them something or not. (Usually they don't bother.) It's not like she's selling pictures or anything (though I did see one with videos) - it pretty much seems like they're paying money because it gets them off.

How does one get established in the financial dominatrix business? Is there some sort of Financial Dominatrix Directory where they get listed and people just scroll through to see who they like? How do they get attention, and how do they get people to pay? Are there any male dominators, or any women that would pay for such "services"? How would you keep your identity secret to collect cash (and avoid a situation like this mess - link NSFW)?

If you would like to comment anonymously, send me an email at dominatrix.economics@gmail.com.

Using a wireless access point as an AP client

kchristidis — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 07:56:24 -0800

Connecting with your own wireless access point (AP) to another one that provides access to the Internet -- help me figure out the basics here. My neighbour upstairs owns an AP (it's the D-Link WDL2100AP). He wants to put it in use when his own Internet connection is down, so that he can temporarily browse the Web via other APs in the area that are open to acess (a site survey shows several).

Problem is he doesn't know how to do that; I was asked to help -- I can hack my way through wireless routers & static IPs, etc. but wireless access points... I'm not too savy with.

I've read the WDL2100AP's manual (zipped PDF file) and searched Google for possible set-ups, but I'm still left with lots of questions.

I obviously need to set the AP (the "local AP") to "AP Client" mode and point it to another open (un-secured) AP (from hereon referred to as "remote AP"). I guess it would also help if the remote AP served IP addresses automatically (DHCP) -- let's assume that's the case here.

On the local AP front, if I'm to enable the "DHCP server" option (so that machines on my side) can get IPs automatically from it, any hints on what the values for "Gateway", "Wins" and "DNS" should be? (screenshot)

[Note: the local AP also allows me to enable the "DHCP client" option but that would be a no-no, I think, since -- as the Quick Install Guide (zipped PDF file) suggests -- I can only access the AP's configuration page when its IP is set (statically) to "192.168.0.50", the Subnet mask to "255.255.255.0" and my IP (again, statically) to "192.168.0.x". So, "DHCP" client is probably better "disabled" right?]

Finally, (assuming again we're dealing with a remote AP that's open to access and serves IP via DHCP) is this how it's supposed to work? i.e. pair the computer with local AP, set it to "AP Client" mode, choose a remote AP and you're done -- you've got access to the Internet.

Or am I missing something? (And I can't help but wonder: what happens if the remote AP doesn't serve IP address via DHCP? How do I have to adjust the local AP's settings?)

Thanks a ton for reading this far -- and thank you in advance for your help and any clarifications you may have (I'm pretty certain I've got several things wrong in my description above).

DIY Ping Pong 101

roofus — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:10:31 -0800

What should the dimensions and surface of a DIY ping pong table be? I am intent on making a table tennis table top. I need help choosing the right material, and deciding if it's OK to vary from the official dimensions.

The official rules don't specify the exact surface of the table. Various recommendations suggest either Masonite, or MDF faced with melamine, or chipboard faced with melamine for the surface. Is any one of these preferable? If I buy a sheet in an odd colour, will I mess it up by repainting it green or blue?

The official dimensions of a table are 2.74 m (9 ft) long by 1.525 m (5 ft) wide. If I cut the table from a single 2.6m sheet of MDF (for economy), effectively shortening each side by 7cm, will that detract much from the playing experience? How easy is it to cut melamine faced MDF without making a jagged mess of the melamine edges?

How do I reposition myself and jumpstart my life?

t2urner — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:03:01 -0800

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? The short(-ish) version: I was initially diagnosed as being severely depressed several months before beginning law school. Meds didn't help--and we tried several. I'd be fine for a couple of months, but would then crash. The crash left me feeling more depressed than I'd felt before taking the prescription meds; I also suffered anxiety attacks, an inability to concentrate for any length of time...all of which just killed me academically.

Before you ask: scholarship and financial aid issues kept me from taking a leave of absence; all I could do was to try and soldier on and hope things would improve. They didn't. Friends, acquaintances and professors who weren't aware of what was going on would occasionally give me the "What the #@$% is going on with this guy?" look, which I noticed in the manner of someone thinking, "I'm about to be punched; this is going to hurt" a millisecond or two after fist meets face. There was a half-hearted suicide attempt; there were several lengthy conversations with therapists and the Dean of my school, who ended up encouraging me to hang in there, just get across the finish line, you'll feel such a sense of accomplishment at having completed the task given everything you've gone through...and to tell the truth, for one brief afternoon (commencement day) I actually had that feeling. I hadn't done well at all, but I hadn't quit, either. But looking back at it, I wonder what, if anything, I accomplished by crawling across the "I have a law degree from one of the top ten schools in the country" finish line.

Because here I am, a few years later, and...it looks like the medical profession is finally beginning to figure out what has been--is--wrong with me. Some combination of a mild form of MS, chemical depression, and sleep apnea . Those of you in the know about these things are raising your eyebrows at this point, because you know that some of the neurological bits and pieces that mark MS can also be indicators for sleep apnea; the sleep apnea can be the cause of many of the symptoms that can also lead to a diagnosis of depression, et cetera. Is it one? Is it the other? Perhaps all of the above? On the one hand, I kinda sorta have an idea as to what's going on. On the other, I'm more confused (and frustrated) that I don't have a single definitive answer. But I'm getting there. I have a good doctor and two neurologists who seem to be brimming with "I can't believe they didn't figure this out earlier" confidence, and so I'm hopeful that I can get my life back on track--"back on track" meaning that I can start being as productive and mentally aware of things as I was before the bottom dropped out.

Which brings me to the career question. The combination of my having been absent from the legal world altogether since law school and the grades received while attending law school more or less precludes my becoming a lawyer. I went through the usual slew of law firm interviews before, during and after my third year of law school. I'd make it to, say, the visit the firm stage of things when someone would finally say something along the lines of, "You're obviously [fill in the blanks with intellectual compliment here]...what happened during law school?" Well, how do you answer a question like that---how do you tell a potential employer in an area where your brain is the most important tool of the trade that yours was broken for several years, but that it's better now, and you can do the work if given the opportunity? I'm not sure if I can.

So I'm thinking of doing two things: [1] taking the Bar Exam in July, and [2] taking the GMAT. Doing the former is more for personal reasons than anything else--I want to prove something to myself--; doing the latter, I think, will allow me to leverage myself into a consulting position somewhere, jumpstart my career, and allow me to prove to potential employers (via that wonderful piece of paper known as an academic transcript) that I'm normal. I've always been the mediator/arbitrator/counselor in a given situation, professionally and personally; I'm thinking that an MBA with a concentration in something along the lines of change management is the right way to go. And given the economy, this might be the right time to retool/retrain and be ready for whatever comes next.

All of this, of course, assumes that over the next few months I begin to come back around medically. I'm making plans, which I suppose is a good thing. Somebody out there has to have experienced something like this. But even if you haven't, I'd like an opinion or three: am I out of my mind to be thinking like this re: professional planning? Comments? Suggestions?

Please keep the snark to a minimum, thanks.

How to work with a heavy bag?

Manhasset — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:34:28 -0800

Newbie--never thrown a punch before--wants to work out with a heavy bag... So, someone just donated the following to me:

Century Vinyl Water Core 70 lbs Bag
Boes Leather Bag Gloves
TKO Wrist Wraps
300lbs Heavy Bag Spring Coil

But I've never thrown a punch before or done any boxing drills. I've read past Ask Qs regarding heavy bags but they don't really mention the basics of throwing a punch.

I don't live anywhere where I can take any lessons. How would you recommend starting? Are there web sites with good videos for newbies so that we don't break our wrists?

My goal is to build muscle/lose some weight, increase stamina/endurance.

Thanks!

How to teach myself computer science?

petah — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:41:54 -0800

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. Starting with freshman year from college, I always considered changing my major to Computer Science but I never acted on it, and now it's a bit too late for me. I took C classes when I was younger, but it was mainly as a hobby.

If you're self-taught in the field of computer science, I'd love to hear from you. If you're university trained, even better. I'm relatively self-motivated (I know it's not easy to teach yourself these concepts), and have 2 semesters of experience in Java. (I know, I know.) I want to learn it all.

E is fine, needs more how.

StrikeTheViol — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:10:27 -0800

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.

I get the big picture, now how do I break it down?

cdmwebs — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 06:43:38 -0800

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? I'm not a programmer in the traditional sense; I guess I'm a wannabe. Everything I know is self taught and I've never worked in a team environment. I love the open source model and want to contribute for a couple of reasons. One, to give back and, two, I want to learn more about programming as a group.

I've done pretty well in the scripting languages (PHP, Ruby, bash, etc), but I've always stumbled when it came to real programming (C, et al) and I want to break through. I have some ideas in mind for projects down the road and would like to learn how to build curses based apps, specifically. I guess the language could vary, but I assume most are written in C or C++. I can check out source, but I usually find myself overwhelmed.

Any ideas? Buy a book? Go to school? IRC? Googling either leads me to the kernel itself or some uber-specific topic like Java. I found this question, but it seems to be for someone who's already a programmer looking to break in. I think I need a hand holder to walk me through the baby steps to the open source world first.

Yves Klein's sponge reliefs - how to?

ClarissaWAM — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:49:27 -0800

I want to make a sponge relief à la Yves Klein, but I don't know how. So I have a friend who loves Yves Klein, and I want to make a "sort of" sponge relief for her. Yves Klein sites (understandably) don't seem to have "tutorials".

All I've got so far is "buy sponges, cut them to shape, glue to canvas and paint blue" which is a bit dire. (NB the canvas I intend to use is only 30x30cm - it needs to go on a plane.) I'm open to anything and everything (even ideas vaguely inspired by Klein - as long as the intention is clear).

Semi-bonus question: I am not too concerned about the colour itself, I'll make my own - however if anyone has a "OMG I saw this paint that totally reminded me of his blue," I'm all ears.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Pipe command output, but keep the error code

ChrisR — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 14:55:15 -0800

How do I get the correct return code from a unix command line application after I've piped it through another command that succeeded? In detail, here's the situation writ small:

# mycmd_that_fails | postprocesor_that_succeeds

# echo $?

0

And, what I'd like to see is:

# mycmd_that_fails | postprocesor_that_succeeds

# echo $?

1

The obvious solution was to capture the output of mycmd_that_fails into a file and then pipe it through the postprocesor_that_succeeds, but since my command is a build script it's nice to see the progress as it runs. I'd rather have the postprocessor operate on the command as it runs than after the fact.

Does anyone know how to accomplish this?

Reseting a PC to English from Chinese

wowbobwow — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:03:37 -0800

How can we reset my mom's old PC laptop from Chinese to English? I will be visiting my mom for the holidays and would like to fix her computer problem while there. She loaned it to a friend from Hong Kong who set it to Chinese and now we can't get it back to English. The icons in the start panel and desktop are gone (gray squares now) so it's all Mandarin characters.... From the sound of it it should be a simple solution, but she's taken it to a number of computer repair places who can't figure it out. Want to save her from the goons at Geek Squad, and earn good karma as well. Thanks!

I've got all the time in the world, and nothing to do with it.

hamhed — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 23:37:47 -0800

How do you try new things? Lately I've noticed that my life is pretty boring. I wake up, go to work, come home, watch hockey while I endlessly refresh web sites or play video games, exercise a bit and then go to bed and read until I fall asleep. My life has been like this with small variations for as long as I can remember. I want to do new things and meet new people, but erm, I have no idea how.

To make things a little more difficult, I moved to a new city (Costa Mesa, CA) about 6 months ago. I'm not really familiar with the area and most of my friends are prohibitively large distances away.

My current interests are programming, video games, hockey, and pulpy science-fiction/fantasy novels.

How do I find interesting new things to try? And once I've found something that interests me, how do I actually go about doing it?

Quick, en-lighten me!

ChrisR — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 12:26:55 -0800

How do I set up Quicken without ending up with a negative balance at the end when I import historical account information? I've got Quicken 2007 for Mac, and I'm trying to import all of my old account information (from TD Canada Trust, if that makes a difference). This would seem to be straightforward, except that the end result of these imports is that I have a negative balance; it starts all of the imports from a $0 balance, despite the fact that my balance at the start of the import was much higher than that. Moreover, I can NOT change what Quicken sees as the starting balance on the accounts. This has been the blocker for me when I've tried to track my finances this way before, but I don't want to give up this easily again. So, can someone walk me through the right way to start using accounting software like this with historical information, in a way that does not result in my going mad?

Newbie warning: Much of the terminology in dealing with accounts ("reconcile"?) is unfamiliar to me. I may require some hand-holding.

Thanks in advance!

How do we break up as smoothly as possible?

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:09:41 -0800

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. It's looking pretty inevitable at this point.

I know that other members have been in similar situations, so I'm appealing to the collective experience of the HiveMind. I know that I'm going to have to get an apartment, figure out a schedule for time with my daughter, get the utilities squared away and all that, but I'm sure that there's no end of things I'm not thinking of, and I'd like to be prepared.

Common property includes a car, two computers, and ten year's worth of stuff. No house though.

So, what can I expect? What fussy details blind-sided you when you went through this? All input is welcome.

It's easy as riding a bike. I want to believe!

iamkimiam — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 10:12:13 -0800

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? I'm looking for answers along the line of when to ride on the street, when to ride on the curb, where to lock the bike up and how, what not to wear and how best to carry stuff, braking tips, biking ettiquette, etc. These are all things that don't seem to be written down anywhere, but everybody pretty much picks up with experience. Except me, of course. I'd like to NOT learn the hard way! Please help me.

Picture of my bike is here: visible.
Other helpful background info: I am a small girl (5' tall, but I haven't even figured out how to adjust the damn seat yet!), I live in semi-sketchy part of Oakland, and *I knew how to ride a bike for about a month when I was six, but then my parents took it away and I was never able to ride again. Otherwise, I'm normal, active (lots of other sports in the mix), and happy (except for the bike part. But I don't want to hear "your parents took your bike away, us MeFites think you need to go straight to therapy!")

With your help, I hope to be out there confidently biking along soon! Thanks!

How to be a badass?

trim17 — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 21:14:41 -0800

How does Clint Eastwood light matches on his stubble? I am really not cool, and learning this talent would make me cool. Thanks.

How to Achieve a Clean Face and a Clean Scalp?

WCityMike — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 14:10:09 -0800

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. First, whenever I shave my face and neck, I always seem to leave a slight stubble behind: enough so that the skin is slightly rough to the touch, and is not colored the same as "normal" skin, but not enough that we're talking outgrown hair. In the area of where a mustache would grow, there sometimes seems to be to be stubble "coloration" without any feeling of stubble. I would instead like to have an utterly clean shave -- in other words, the shaved face resembling the coloration and texture of skin where hair does not grow. How do I go about that?

Second, I have decided I really don't care for where male pattern baldness is taking my hair, and am planning to shave my head clean at some point in the next month. I am wondering if anyone has any advice on this, or any anecdotes. Did you make the same decision? Did you regret it, or did you enjoy it? Good change in your life, or bad? If you decided to "go back," how long did it take you to regrow? How did people react? Minor or major changes in your daily routine? Etc., etc., etc. ... just looking for a primer on the experience, basically.

I'm using a Gillette Mach 3 sport razor and Barbasol aloe shaving cream.

How can I set up Bugzilla to receive bugs via email?

Deathalicious — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:46:51 -0800

How can I set up Bugzilla 3.0 to receive bugs via email? Yeah, I know, email_in.pl. But how. That is, how can I invoke email_in.pl -- how can I set it up so that something is actually being piped (or whatever) to email_in.pl whenever a message is sent to the correct bugzilla address? I assume I need to set up an MTA; how can I do this? I've scoured google and can't find any information on how to get the MTA set up, or even if Bugzilla is already set up to listen on a certain address, or anything. The documentation that comes with Bugzilla assumes that you somehow magically know how to pipe the email to Bugzilla. This is exactly what I don't know.

I'm running on a RedHat Linux box, and have root access so I can install whatever MTA runs your fancy.

If anyone out there has actually set this up, I desire your config files or whatever.

Incidentally, this work is for a very nice, friendly, and inoffensive non-profit organization in support of the arts. So your help is not going towards the promotion of evil or wanton profits, in case you have an issue with that.

And to forstall any derails: yeah, I know XXX is a much better project management tool, but I did my research and for what we need Bugzilla is what we have to go with. The email in feature seems really great and was a major selling (metaphorically speaking) point, but until I get it working Bugzilla is dead in the water. Thanks for your help.
PS: Yeah, I know perhaps this might be better posted to a specific forum, but I trust the answers of MeFites more. Furthermore, I figure if this hasn't been answered on those forums yet it's not likely that I'll have any luck. I'm hoping a MeFite has done this setup before and is feeling generous.
PPS: This is your chance for fame. As far as I can gather, a lot of people want to set this up but there is no actual information out there. If you can post something good, this page will be where everyone gets their setup information! Your chance to win Nobel Prize is assured!

how to get started providing a service via SMS?

k7lim — Tue, 15 May 2007 14:32:08 -0800

i would like to develop services that receive and send sms (text messages). how can i get started, playing around with my ideas? i would like to write services that receive and send sms (text messages). how can i get started?

if i could also receive and send mms, that would be great.

i found this question: but am not necessarily looking to get a shortcode. do i have to have a shortcode to provide service? are there groups of people that share a shortcode? i cannot afford the $500/month fee.

is there any SMS sandbox that I can play around with?

i already have deployed some various automated voice services that SEND sms by splicing together a phone number's email address (all cellphone numbers have an email address associated with them, so i simply take the callerID from the call and ask the caller for their carrier).

i definitely want to be able to take requests via SMS

Tips on managing 20-somethings

psmealey — Fri, 11 May 2007 04:37:13 -0800

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? So, I'm starting a new position on June 1 managing product development of a website for a major international brand.

In this job, I am inheriting at team of 6 young people (skill sets: production, design and technical), ages 20-29. I am about 15 years into my own career, and have some pretty extensive experience managing people in their 30s all the way through their mid 50s, but never have I before worked with a team so young. Having read a great deal on managing the so-called "net-Gen" of late, I'm a little skeptical that things are so different for this generation than they were for my own and those that came before, but this seems to be the general theme, so I cannot ignore it.

I would characterize my style as laid back, but demanding when I need to be, always attempting to build consensus, but happy to push people in a direction when consensus breaks down. I have always received high marks for mentoring people through difficult tasks, and if I have a weakness, it is that I can be a bit too empathic at times. I have in the past let connivers take advantage of my good nature, and in those situations, have had to double back to re-establish the manager/line employee relationship.

The team has been somewhat adrift with only a part time manager for the past 6 months (and a terrible, disorganized manager in the 6 months prior to that), so my boss (a company board member) has indicated to me that they need structure and strong leadership to refocus them. Implementing those things have always been a strong suit for me, so I am confident in my ability to do that, but it would be very helpful to me if people could offer any tips/advice specifically working with technical and creative members of this generation. Thanks in advance for the help!

How to videos

KimikoPi — Thu, 03 May 2007 12:56:18 -0800

What type of "How To" videos would you want to see on the Internet? I love "how to" websites on the Net, but wish there were also short n' sweet free videos with the same content.