Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with protocol

How to create a custom Java protocol handler?

worldshift — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:36:36 -0800

Is there an easy (no programming!) way to create a custom protocol handler for Java on XP? I'm using the Java-based mindmapping application FreeMind, and I want to create hyperlinks within it to notes in EverNote. EverNote supplies links to notes that can be used in other applications, but when I click on one of these links in FreeMind, I get the following Java error message: This URL is malformed! java.net.MalformedURLException: unknown protocol: evernote

I've spent a lot of time Googling "protocol handler", and it seems as if there should be some way to simply register a custom protocol handler for an application like EverNote - but I can't find instructions to do this non-programmatically anywhere.

Ideally I could simply edit a Java registry somewhere, and add a custom protocol handler for EverNote that would point to the EverNote executable.

Can anyone help me with this?

Keep my happy hour from becoming sad.

rouftop — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:14:35 -0800

What's the best way to organize a happy hour at a bar? This is probably the silliest question I've asked, but I've never done something like this. I just want to set up an informal have-a-beer at a brewpub with my classmates. I'd consider it a success if we got somewhere more than 8 people, but since I'm planning it for the same day/time as class had been it wouldn't surprise me if the number swelled up to twenty.

What's the right protocol? Do I have to contact the bar in advance with a head count? Is it better to just hang out a the bar or try to get tables? Do I need to bring name tags? Are we going to piss off the usual crowd if we overcrowd the bar?

wedding shower thing

frosty_hut — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 10:24:59 -0800

Wedding shower faux-pas, how to recover? I was recently invited, via a group email, to a wedding shower for another person at my part-time job. I've been there a year, and I've chatted with this woman a couple of times. I'm not one of her good friends obviously, but I was invited to a shower for the girls. I knew I wasn't going to be able to attend, but I planned to get her a gift.

Well the date of the shower came and went, and in the meantime I hadn't given her anything or even emailed her to say what was up. In my own defense I was terribly busy, and it just slipped off my radar. I think she and the other girl who set the thing up are upset with me, but it could be my imagination. Anyway, when I realized that I'd forgotten to RSVP, I put a card wishing her well and some candy in her mailbox (I'm a part-timer who works the evening shift, and I never see her).

I feel like both she and her friend who set the thing up are pissed off at me, and I'm very frustrated with myself--here I am trying to do my job and stay under the radar as a newish employee, and I'm just starting to feel competent about technical things in my position, but already I'm screwing up socially. It doesn't affect my paycheck, of course, but it makes me unhappy.

I never can manage to get into the swing of the girl vibe at work, and I'm beginning to resent that this is a part of what I'm expected to do. With two jobs and no way to get around except by bus at the moment, it's hard for me to keep many social committments, so I tend not to make them. When I get invited to something as a matter of course, like these showers that keep happening for people I barely know at work, it's like I've been placed on this conveyor belt and a clock starts ticking, and suddenly I'm under the gun to either RSVP and/or think of a suitable gift, and/or buy a gift, or tell the person I can't make it, or some combination of the above, and this time I messed up and they just didn't hear from me at all.

Did I screw up to the point that I deserve ostracism? (I don't have hard evidence of this, just a noticeable coolness on the part of the lady who sent out the invites). Should I go talk to the bride-to-be and apologize for not RSVPing?

How to say thank you to a musician

frosty_hut — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:07:33 -0800

What thank you gift to present to an unwilling interviewee? I'm trying to arrange an interview with a pretty famous artist in the classical music world. The guy is averse to interviews, I've been told, and if he agrees to meet with me, I'd like to give him something as a thank you. I'll give him an audio file of our interview as a matter of course, but I wanted to present him with some sort of thank you gift in addition to that.

Thing is, I don't know anything about this guy personally. I thought of bringing him a big bouquet of flowers, but that's more the kind of thing people do after a performance. I have no idea what he can or can't eat, can or can't drink, etc. Any ideas would be appreciated.

BTW: He's a pianist and the most famous member of a chamber ensemble that he founded decades ago, but he hasn't performed with them since the late seventies. The occasion is their reunion concert, and he may never perform with these guys again, so it's a pretty historic occasion.)

year end bonus protocol

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:13:06 -0800

How do year-end bonuses usually work? How do year end bonuses usually work? Is it separate from your paycheck, or is it the sum value of the last paycheck of the year? Also, if it is separate, are taxes taken out?

I was quoted one amount, which I thought was in addition to my regular salary. Hence, a bonus. I got just got my paycheck for the last of the year - I think. Nothing is ever explicitly labeled in a small company. This amount deposited was more than my usual paycheck but less than the purported bonus. It actually calculated out to approximately the quoted bonus, after taxes. But I did not receive my regularly scheduled paycheck. So if indeed its all just a lump sum, that's really disappointing because it amounts to very little above what I was already expecting -- my normal paycheck. Keep in mind, we're not Goldman Sachs here so the bonus isn't mindboggling but it would have been a really nice to put some money into an IRA.

Wondered what the usual protocol for the ye bonus was. Is there even a protocol?

Thanks,
Looking A Gift Horse In The Mouth.

When "Thanks for the grub" doesn't quite cut it.

the luke parker fiasco — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:26:34 -0800

How do I properly thank an Ambassador? I'm a Peace Corps volunteer who was invited (with the rest of the in-country volunteers) to the Ambassadorial residence for Thanksgiving dinner. Now, I'd like to send a thank-you message on behalf of my group for the invitation, but don't really know how to proceed beyond that.

Is there a protocol (beyond using titles as opposed to given/family names) that I should be observing? Preferred/suggested verbiage? A specific level of formality? This is a world I've never inhabited before, and am uncertain as to how to approach. Suggestions greatly appreciated.

AP Stylebook? I don't need no AP Stylebook.

SashaPT — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 04:21:11 -0800

Journalistic standards aside, should I use my subject's first or last name in a magazine profile? I write and edit a college magazine and I'm working on an alumni profile for the upcoming issue.

Throughout the first draft of the piece, I've referred to the subject by her first name (as in "Mary is the vice president of blah blah" rather than "Jones is the president of blah blah").

I know that goes against AP style and "real" journalism, but part of me wants our magazine to be informal and approachable. It's not the NYT. On the other hand, I want the magazine to be a good reflection on the school. I also want to be respectful of my interview subject and I'm wondering if I just think of her as "Mary" because we are acquaintances outside of the interviewer/subject relationship. (I'm also checking myself on the whole "Hilary" factor and hoping I'm not calling her "Mary" just because she's a woman.)

What perhaps further complicates the situation is that the profile also discusses her brother, who is kind of famous to the point where he would be known to many by his first name, and her husband, who shares her last name and also has some public recognition. So in one article there would be references to Mary Smith Jones, her brother Gary Smith (but he's just "Gary," no last name required) and her husband Tommy Jones. It seemed less confusing to the reader to use first names, but I also don't want us to look like a hick rag.

Your thoughts? My email's in my profile if you'd like to contact me offline.

Replying to a formal invitation

ascullion — Wed, 23 May 2007 02:38:36 -0800

So, I've been invited to a party at my country's embassy later this week. The formal invitation asks me to RSVP, but I don't do this sort of thing very often, and I've got no idea what the right protocol for a response is. Anyone got any idea?

I hope their first child be a masculine child

joaniemcchicken — Mon, 21 May 2007 09:35:01 -0800

I have just been "schooled" by my Long Island in laws about what I am expected to give, in cash and gifts, for my neice's upcoming wedding. I was apalled, and am wondering if what they keep calling, "wedding protocol" is TRUE or some white trash, goombah way to get guests to finance the wedding. Background: Irish, Catholic, grew up in Bay Ridge with Italians. Very class and money conscious, but not very classy. They informed my SO and I that it is long time wedding protocol to: 1: Give an engagement gift from a place they are registerred at. 2: Give a CASH gift equalling the amount of the cost of our dinner (over $100) and, a WEDDING gift, also from the registry. My mother-in-law, who is 86, in ill health and living on a shoe string has been told that she should buy the bride and groom an entire place setting which comes to $800. ASIDE from the $100 cash gift and the engagement gift.

I learned that they are planning on inviting 400 guests, and that the cost of the wedding will be covered by the expected cash gift from each person.

I have been told this is customary, and all my apoplectic looks and the ire of my SO and my mother-in-law have not CLUED them in yet that this seems classless, greedy and not at ALL real wedding protocol.

Am I wrong? I have never, in any part of the US I have lived, and in my 50 plus years, heard of ANY of these wedding "etiquettes." If this is protocol for some tiny part of the US, please tell me, and even if it is, please help me craft a suitable reply that will let them know what I think of these bizarre, mafioso kind of wedding expectations.

How to highlight a referral on a job cover letter?

Manhasset — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 09:14:08 -0800

I am applying for a job at a place where I have a professional contact who has okay'd me to use him as a reference. However, since references are at the end of a resume, I want to ensure that this fact is highlighted to the HR department (the person is very high up in the company). ... I thought it would be a good idea to highlight his referral on my cover letter but I have no idea how to do it without lying. Ie, I thought that I could mention that the man told me about the job, but he didn't. I thought I'd ask him if it was okay to say this, but don't want to apply to a job by asking a higher up there if he'll cover my lie. I also don't want to be a pest as him offering to a reference is extremely generous considering I haven't seen him in almost a decade.

I have applied to this company multiple times in the past (without the reference) and have never gotten a phone call. I don't want them to say, "Oh, him again!" and immediately dump the resume.

What should I do? Any suggestions for how to word a letter to highlight his referral?

Where can I find global traffic stats broken down by protocol?

k7lim — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:32:04 -0800

I'd like a picture of just how much bandwidth the various TCP/UDP protocols (FTP, HTTP, NNTP, BitTorrent) take up along some large sample. Percent distributions would be fantastic. Anyone know where to get this data? My kung-fu helps me not.

Can a browser pass HTTP requests the same as BitTorrent?

hulette — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 15:58:54 -0800

Is there any reason why standard HTTP requests can't work the same as the BitTorrent protocol? It seems like this would allow websites to avoid the "slashdot/metafilter" effect when traffic surges to an individual site and overwhelms the servers. Seems like this could happen on the client side, with enabled web browsers passing requested data the same as a torrent client. I don't know enough about the underlying technologies to determine if this is a stupid question or not, so please be gentle as you take me down a notch.

Should I be posting this anonymously?

RustyBrooks — Tue, 17 May 2005 09:17:02 -0800

Does my reverse engineering a protocol for a poker website constitute a violation of the DMCA (or any other statute?) So I play a little online poker, and as a programmer, I write stuff related to it. I wrote, in particular, something that takes hand positions and makes analyses of them, things like, what are the odds of improving your hand in the next draw, how many possible hands out there beat yours, etc. Since this is no good if you constantly have to be entering data into it, I fooled around with figuring out how to get the data directly from the poker client while you're playing.

Turns out this is pretty easy. Anyway, in the course of doing so, I *thought* I had discovered a huge security hole in the protocol. Turns out that I was wrong.

But. What if I was right? Is what I did illegal? (reverse-engineering the protocol of a website's poker client). There is not really a moral dilemma here for me. If I was correct, I was planning on notifying the poker website -- but not if doing so would get me in trouble.

Clarifying remark: the client uses openssl encryption. To get around this I modified my version of the ssl library, in a manner that is compatible with the terms of the openssl license. Once the encryption is removed there is no further obfuscation or encryption of the data stream.

Further clarifying remark: all the data sent to "my" client is either public data or intended for me, as far as I can tell, that is, it's either remarks about game play "Player 2 folds" or "2clubs dealt to the river" or it's telling me private things about myself, like the cards that are dealt to me. For a short time I thought you could get info about other players from the protocol, but you can't.

What number am I in line to the throne?

uk_giffo — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 08:54:15 -0800

What is the protocol for establishing who's next in line to the British throne? I understand that being an actual royal may get you into the Top 20 or so, but how do I find out if I'm 13,000,000th or 40,000,000th, or maybe not even permitted to rule this noble land for one reason or another in the case that there were some kind of Establishment-culling freaky accident? I'm not optimistic that I'd get the call in such a case - I'm British but I don't even think you have to be a citizen, after reading in the newspapers a few years ago that George Bush Sr is a distant cousin of the queen and actually 913th in line. Anyway it would be nice to find out, so I'm asking metafilter.

Curtsy for the Queen?

Asparagirl — Tue, 01 Mar 2005 15:01:07 -0800

What is the proper etiquette/protocol for Americans greeting or addressing non-American people of title? Does one say "Her Majesty" or "Your Highness" or "Lady So-and-So" or other formalities, if one comes from a country with egalitarian and anti-monarchist roots and beliefs, where the non-recognition of titles is even a part of the Constitution? How about the whole curtsying thing? Where is the line commonly drawn between being polite to someone and being true to personal and national values? I suspect that Americans will more likely use "Elton John" than "Sir Elton John", especially in print media. But what about the frequency with which we refer to "Lord Black" over "Conrad Black" or even "Mr. Black"? Or (incorrectly) calling her "Princess Diana"? We seem to be full of contradictions.

Furthermore, what do American presidents do when meeting a member of a royal family? Are they more solicitous when meeting a British royal, because of our "special relationship" with Great Britain, or do they take care to be more perfunct, because our existence as a nation is based on denial of their "Divine Right of Kings"?

(This question was inspired by the upcoming Charles and Camilla nuptials and their accompanying will-she-be-Queen hoo-ha, which made me curious. I have absolutely no contact with any royalty or peerage, and probably never will outside of 19th and early 20th century British novels.)

Question number 14456

gummo — Wed, 26 Jan 2005 15:16:48 -0800

If I have two XP machines on the internet in different locations, and each machine is running a virtual PC version of Windows 98, is it possible through some use of a tunneling protocol or whatever, to make those two virtual 98 machines appear to be on the same local network? In other words ...(more inside)

Question number 14008

ShawnStruck — Fri, 14 Jan 2005 10:00:11 -0800

What can/should you do for a co-worker in your department who only has a few weeks left to live, and is already at the hospital?

Even if you aren't particularly close, one has the feeling one should do something. But what?

Question number 13133

dabitch — Sat, 18 Dec 2004 09:55:46 -0800

Why do people hide their http_referer? [+MI]

Question number 10621

Espoo2 — Fri, 01 Oct 2004 23:53:47 -0800

How can I get Firefox to open links I click in IM windows instead of Avant Browser?