Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with pack

how to pack shoes for shipment

anya32 — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:42:02 -0800

how do i pack my shoes for cross-country shipment? i'm moving and need to pack about 10 pairs of shoes. unfortunately i no longer have the boxes. any suggestions on how to keep them safe from the dreaded "squish" and "smoosh"?

Why don't the fastest times win?

bluefly — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:15:10 -0800

Why don't competitors in marathons start the race all in one pack? Why are there different start times for elite runners? Why don't they decide the winner just on time alone? So, I was reading about the Nike Women's marathon and the Chicago marathon last year where the people who ran the fastest times didn't technically win because they weren't in the elite pack (I think they were given some sort of consolation prize/designation). The argument being that they were running essentially a different race since they didn't start with the leaders who couldn't judge how far ahead/behind they were and adjust their strategies accordingly. I get this. But why have two different start times anyway?

How to pack silk?

susanvance — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:57:17 -0800

What is the best way to pack a silk dress without wrinkling it? I'll be flying to another city soon for a formal event, and will need to pack a silk dress in my carry-on suitcase. This is the first silk item I've owned, so I'm pretty clueless. If folding it, I'd need to fold it at least once lengthwise and crosswise - or should I roll it?

I'll of course hang it up and try to steam it in the bathroom during my morning shower once I'm there, but what can I do to avoid wrinkles in the first place? I won't have access to an iron or steamer.

Thanks for any tips!

How to get an Alesis Micron to run on batteries?

Mali — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:23:48 -0800

Is there any way to modify or use an external part to get an Alesis Micron to run on batteries? Here's what I'm trying to do. I currently have a Korg MicroKORG, and I like it quite a bit, but the keys are just too damn small. What I'd like to do is upgrade to an Alesis Micron, since it's similar and sounds better and has full sized keys, but it doesn't run on battery, and this seriously hampers my ability to run around on stage like an idiot with it live. Is there anything that I can do to modify the Micron to run on batteries, or is there any sort of pack or product that uses batteries and emulates an AC adapter that I could duct tape to the keyboard? Thanks!

How to avoid the tourist/waiter look?

the luke parker fiasco — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:21:07 -0800

O Hive Mind, point me to a fanny pack/belt bag/handsfree totage system that doesn't suck. Yeah, I know, the phrase 'fanny pack' is pretty irredeemable, and the last time I saw a 'belt bag' it was being sold at a Renaissance Faire ... however, I just spent a week in Budapest, and saw several locals walking around with some manner of fanny pack/belt bag type system that never seemed to be offensive, and occasionally somewhat stylish (the tourists, of course, were another story). I'd love to find something like this for short jaunts/longer walking trips, but my Hungarian is abysmal and all my Googling has failed me. Perhaps I don't know the right phrase to look for?

External Laptop Battery Pack

jwiener — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 20:28:08 -0800

Is there a way to reuse an apple powerbook g4 battery to power a macbook pro? I know that it doesn't fit, but I'm hoping there is some kind of external pack that can accept and charge a powerbook battery but which can power a macbook pro. Any ideas? In november, I bought a core 2 duo macbook pro because my powerbook died. I have 2 powerbook batteries, though. Obvioulsy the powerbook batteries don't fit in the macbook pro. I'm wondering whether or not there is a device which will fit a powerbook battery and which you can plug into the wall to charge and which has a magsafe adaptor on the other end. I know this is a tall order, but I travel a lot and it seems a waste to get more batteries for the MBP if there's a solution that involves my 2 old batteries. Also, are there any other external battery solutions that might have more capacity than a standard mbp battery? One that might be a better buy?Thanks.

What's so great about Sinatra?

holdkris — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:25:19 -0800

What was (is) so great about Sinatra? I have heard lots of the songs, seen a few of the movies, read a few stories. I just don't get it.

I need service pack to connect to the internet, but can't connect to the internet without serivce pack..

slipperywhenwet — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 10:53:11 -0800

I need a direct link to service pack 2. I found one last night, but for the life of me can't find it again now. it was a direct link to an .exe living somewhere on download.microsoft.com -- I need it to patch a new machine before connecting to the internet.

RMAs have me foaming at the mouth

reishus — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 06:00:25 -0800

What's the best way to RMA a hard drive without the original packaging? I have a Maxtor drive I have received an RMA for. I need to send it back to Maxtor but I don't have the original packaging. Their guidelines say that I must pack it in a secure cardboard box, padded by rubber foam with at least 2 inches on each side. The drive needs to be secure in the box and to not move at all.

I don't know where to buy such items or how to make sure they'll fit my hard drive snugly. Has anyone done this? Will FedEx do it for me? Any suggestions?

pack to exe

xteraco — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 05:27:13 -0800

i'm looking for a utilitie that does exactly what Molebox does, that is, pack all your resources into a single executable... preferably one thats free

How can I carry all my stuff without jamming my pockets, or wearing a fanny pack?

scrawlyman — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 22:57:11 -0800

I carry too much in my jeans pockets--cell phone, keys, wallet--but it's stuff I need pretty much all the time. Is there another way to keep it all on me, without, like, wearing a fanny pack?

i would like to manage my package

|n$eCur3 — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 12:27:19 -0800

In light of the recent release of google pack, is there current windows software that periodically updates my entire software collection? The only example I can find is through debian (and possibly other flavors of linux). Using apt-get, debian can determine the updates for every software package on a linux system. Does this exist for windows?

It would save me about 45 minutes every day, as I am somewhat OCD when it comes to keeping my computer up to date. Also useful... is there something that can do this for hardware drivers?

Examples of inapporprite answers for this question include: use a mac; switch to debian.

I need to buy some time installing office SP2

grafholic — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 09:54:53 -0800

Office 2003 SP2 grief - it cannot install and i want it to quit trying to install for a few days. Here's the situation - my previous company got acquired by another company and IT touched my work laptop. They installed/modified various things, mainly for networking as well as creating a new profile in wondows.

Then Office 2003 SP2 came out a few days later - downloading it wasn't a problem but I'm unable to install it. It tries to, but fails. I suspect this is due to office being installed into my previous profile, then now some of my personal files stored under new profile. I'm unclear exactly what the IT/IS did, but I'm 95% certain installation failure is due to creation of new profile.

What's worse - windows update keeps trying to install Office SP2 every now and then, and during that time, my entire machine freaks out. I can't move my mouse, keyboard input is either disabled or enters something i didn't intend to input, switching between applications slows down, music streaming through iTunes gets skipped then audio gets corrupted. This happens every 5-10 minutes for duration of 30 seconds.

I shot an email to IT/IS but because they're trying to convert 5k+ employees laptops/desktops, they're quite swamped. I even had my manager tell IT/IS the importance of this issue, and they have only managed to change the priority from 5 to 3 (7-10 days wait to 3-5 days wait.) This is affecting my work and performance and I am having one of the busiest week right now - the performance of laptop is really affecting me.

I'm thinking uninstalling/reinstalling office would help, except the CD/installer is in the possession of IT/IS. Sigh. I don't have time to transfer files to my mac desktop machine. So I'm thinking my only option is to tell windows update/office update to quit trying to install for a few days - so far I have not found a way to do that and I wondered if anyone might.

This is driving me insane.

Short People Need Bags Too

moooshy — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 21:07:58 -0800

BagFilter: Can anyone recommend a backpack for short people? I am short and most backpacks are too long for my torso. I am looking for a bag to carry to work and school. I am 5'0'. Most bags are designed for people with some length on their torso and then either hurt or look funny. I tried messenger bags, but these are also kind of large. Any bags for short/petite people?

Nicotine bingeing

Keyser Soze — Sun, 20 Jun 2004 21:11:06 -0800

I can go all day without smoking a cigarette if my mind is on something else, but when I have them I go through half a pack to three quarters of a pack a day. Is this normal? I know that some people lack a way to properly break down nicotine in their bodies, requiring less smoking per day. Does this have something to do with it?