Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with quick

Gettin' Outta Dodge...

jara1953 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:17:48 -0800

Hellllllp !No passports. Quick getaway to a sunny, quiet beach for a frazzled, stressed, tired 50's couple next week. GF an I want to split from NYC for 5-7 days. Too much information on the google and this is close on the green, : http://ask.metafilter.com/140953/Where-to-go-for-a-short-vacation-in-the-Caribbean. Thanks.

A start menu for Windows 7 where I type "i" for Internet and "f" for Firefox to open that browser?

oxit — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:12:54 -0800

A start menu for Windows 7 where I type i for Internet and f for Firefox to open that browser? Prior to Windows 7 I was using the classic Windows start menu to access most of my software by pressing only three keys on the keyboard:

1. the Windows key, then
2. a key for the folder, e.g. (I)nternet, or (O)ffice, then
3. a key for the application, e.g. (F)irefox or (I)nternet Explorer.

Typing a part of the name in Windows 7's start menu is a lot slower, more cumbersome and error-prone.

Is there a solution to have this in Windows 7? There are many start menu replacements out there, but none I've seen does this. Can you help?

How to make Quick Parts more intelligent in MS Word?

Ridge — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:58:19 -0800

I want to automate a Word document for some sales drones. I'd love it if I could check for when a Quick Part field ends with an "s", and if so insert just an apostrophe as opposed to apostrophe then "s". But how? Here's the sitch: Sales need a template they can use that's been automated to within an inch of its life. So I've used Quick Parts for a field called [Company] like so:

If [Company]'s requirements...

They can edit one instance of the [Company] field and it auto-updates across the whole document. Which works great, right up until said [Company] name ends with an "s", eg:

If Ridge Services's requirements...

They send out a lot of these documents, and I don't trust them to reliably check every one for instances of "Ridge Services's" and correct them all (even though Word helpfully lets you know via its spelling error red underline).

So, is there any way to check what letter [Company] ends with, and if it ends with any letter other than "s", insert an apostrophe and then "s", but if [Company] ends with an "s", just insert an apostrophe?

And if so, how?

Oh, and it has to work across MS Word 2007 PC, and MS Word 2008 Mac. Ya know, just to complicate things...

PPS: I hate Word

Cheap + Healthy + Quick = Impossible?

sciencemandan — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:30:26 -0800

I'm starting grad school and will be living in a residence hall with shared kitchen facilities. I need your ideas for quick, cheap, and healthy meals. I am going to be living alone, but I won't have my own kitchen. There is, however, a shared kitchen for the entire floor to use, so I have access to a stove/oven, but I won't be using it all the time.

I would really like to eat healthy, and I will have a refrigerator/freezer, a microwave, and a toaster oven in my room. I also picked up a hot water kettle, and I'm thinking of buying a food steamer as well.

I need food ideas that are cheap, healthy, and quick to prepare. I'm definitely okay with ideas that involve making a large batch of [fill in the blank] and freezing individual portions. Any creative tips on how best to do that would also be appreciated. I'm not vegetarian/vegan, but I'm not altogether opposed to the idea of going that route if it would be cheaper, so get creative with your ideas. Ideally, I'd like to have a list of staple foods that I can run to the grocery store and pick up.

Can you save remote desktop connections to log in to different user accounts?

Mokusatsu — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:36:27 -0800

Is it possible (in Windows Vista Ultimate) to save remote desktop connections to the same computer but for different users? i.e. have icons in my quick launch menu which log me in with a click to user1 or user2? I have a computer which is used for several specific purposes, accessed only by remote desktop (i.e. it sits in a back room and is rarely used in person).

I want to be able to quickly access each of the individual accounts by saving an RDP file and then shortcutting to that from my quick launch bar.

So I enter the credentials for user1 and "save as" the RDP file as username1.rdp and drag it onto the quick launch bar.

Clicking on this RDP logs me in to user1's account.

Then I open remote desktop again, enter the credentials for user2 and save username2.rdp.

When I click on username2.rdp, I get instantly logged in to user2's account.

So far so good.

But if I close that and click on username1.rdp, I get logged into user2. If I manually change the credentials by opening remote desktop and enter the credentials to user 1, username1.rdp will on the next attempt log me into user1's account, as does username2.rdp.

So saving a connection doesn't save the credentials, it possibly saves the computer I'm logging into, but not the user.

Am I doing it wrong or does an RDP file just not contain credentials? Is there some way I can set it up so I can one-click log in via several icons to any one of several accounts?

Inspire My Weekly Dinner Menu !

duckus — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 15:51:46 -0800

I need more quick, healthy, dinner suggestions, but I am Picky, Picky. I've perused many a thread here about this, and am hoping to catch something new with a smaller net. Spicy is the key here. If it tastes good with my rooster sauce it will be a keeper. What I love:
SPICY !
Chipolte in Adobo Sauce
Rooster Sauce (Sriracha) ** This is Key.
Vegetables, (frozen or mixed bags)
Black Beans
Egg whites/Eggs
The occasional chicken breast

What I don't like:
Lentils
Peas
Water Chestnuts
Pork
Beef
Pasta

What I've been eating because it's FAST and Tasty:
Fried Brown Rice with Vegetables (and egg whites)
Chili - (with chips, cheddar and sour cream which I should probably stop doing because of the de-healthifying effects).
Some roasted vegetables with a Boca Burger mixed in a corn tortilla with Salsa.

What say you MeFi ?? Anything I can add to my weekly menu? What smack-in-the-forehead dish am I missing?

LA - Eyeglasses lenses in an hour (or a day)?

seeka — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:50:08 -0800

Where in Los Angeles can I get eyeglasses lenses (a fairly difficult perscription, at that) in an hour, or a day? Bought great frames at Old Focal's in Pasadena, but need lenses! ASAP! Thanks Meta!

Made-in-advance cracker-like pizza crust recipes?

sdis — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:08:17 -0800

Quick Pizza: What is the fastest way that I can have a pizza-resembling thing in my mouth without buying anything premade? Rules allow for pre-making things at home, as long as those things keep and don't take up too much space. Last passover time, I had a box of matzo in the house and realized that if I dumped tomato sauce and cheese on top of a matzo, and stuck that in the toaster for 5 minutes, suddenly I had a pizza-resembling thing in my mouth that tasted awesome and took care of lunch. Unfortunately, matzo is *really* *expensive* out here.

So, basically, I could use some pre-made crust/large cracker recipes that are good and don't get stale rapidly (I.e., where I could spend a sunday and make enough crusts for 2 weeks, and at the end of the 2nd week, they're still actually usable). Bonus points for not requiring refrigeration/freezing (our fridge/freezer is 4 feet tall, total).

Thanks!

Is eating a dollar burger from burger king and a cup of water healthier then not eating?

Nighthawk3729 — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:03:15 -0800

Is eating a dollar burger from burger king and a cup of water healthier then not eating? I've heard the best way to eat is by having 6 small meals a day. Sometimes I eat an apple, a yogurt, some carrots, maybe snack on a bag of chips. When I was coming home yesterday, I thought about getting a whopper junior and a cup of water. I usually have one if I'm going to be going out for a bit, just to tide me over, but this time I would be home in an hour and maybe eating again within another.

But I wonder, is it healthier to eat a dollar burger [it is protein with a dash of vegetables and bread] and maintain the 6 meal a day ideal, or is it that unhealthy. I don't usually eat fast food, but for a quick fix, is it healthier?

Steamed Rice with what?

bigmusic — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:12:56 -0800

Steamed Rice with what? I'd like to use my rice cooker more often. I'm looking for recipes that take five to ten minutes that I can add / pour over / serve next to my steamed rice. Bonus: What are some things I can add to the rice cooker as the rice is being cooked to make it a one pot meal?

How to spend a minute of free time?

macsigler — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:20:29 -0800

I work at a call center, and have very short breaks in between calls, but it's frequent enough to get a little boring. What kind of productive ideas do you all have for something I could do? I've tried reading a book, but unless it's very simple with not too many words on the page, it's easy to lose my place.
I'm not a good artist. I can't really think of anything to write about.
I can't do homework that's very technical (i.e. math/science) since I get interrupted by the calls halfway into the problem.

Any ideas?

Need an hour of trippy video, stat!

stenseng — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:44:21 -0800

Help! I have five-ish hours to locate, download, and burn some source of psychedelic imagery/video for a friends' show in Seattle. Think Electric Sheep, only less screensaver, more burnable to dvd. I'm looking for about an hour of trippy colors/shapes/textures to burn to a dvd, to be projected behind a live show. If I *have* to, I'll bring my laptop and run Electric Sheep on screensaver, but I'd like to eliminate the element of chance computer malfunction/lack of vga input/etc. etc. that happens at a live venue. Anyone know where I can download fairly hi-res trippiness on the quick?

Fast Web Development Tool Needed

jurczyk — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:10:51 -0800

What's the best web site builder software for a non-beginner? I know there are a lot of applications out there for beginners who don't want/need to learn HTML, but I want to create a number of basic sites (20-30) quickly (within a week) and then edit the HTML, do some SEO for each, etc.

Desired features:
- choice from a number of templates
- ability to easy add content (text, graphics/pics, multimedia)
- ability to eventually expand the site to develop more than 100 pages per site (i.e. I don't want an application that limits the number of pages in a site)

I'm open to either
- a standalone web site builder application (e.g. http://www.ewisoft.com/)
- a hosted application (e.g. HostGator's built-in Web Site Builder)
- a traditional CMS
but the speed to create a site is the most important feature for me

I use HostGator for my hosting and Dreamweaver 8 for my editing/design/development.

Thanks in advance.

eggs are yucky, what isn't?

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:09:11 -0800

What is a good breakfast? My boyfriend and I had a "fried egg on a piece of whole-grain bread" breakfast for the last year or so. It was quick to make, filling, not sugary, and seemed to have a good nutritional profile for the start of the day. Also, the ritual of frying the egg and making the toast was fun.

I've never really liked the idea of eggs all that much, but just somehow got over my dislike for a year. Now eggs have started grossing me out again.

What is another good breakfast for two that is not too heavy, not too sugary, good nutritionally, and relatively quick in the morning? (and has some degree of ritual beyond popping open the top of a yogurt container)

Please help my sister laugh for Christmas.

brain cloud — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:01:57 -0800

Need funny, easy-to-finish books, that aren't moronic. STAT. Getting a really, really late start on my sister's Christmas present (but it's ok...she understands). Currently she's a stay at home mom with a sub-6-month-old. My sister is super smart, highly educated, and needs a book, or books, that she can breeze through and entertain her in those moments when the baby is sleeping. She doesn't want to think, she wants to laugh and pass the time. Any suggestions? If you've ever read a book, laughed the whole time, finished it in a weekend and passed it on to the first person who seemed interested, I would love to know about it. I'm drawing blanks, since any of the books that I have read fitting this description, were referred to me by my sister or vice-versa.

Help this impatient person learn how to cook from a book.

mintchip — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:50:25 -0800

Help this impatient person learn how to cook from a book. I don't know how to cook. I am extremely lazy in the kitchen and want to learn to make good, tasty meals that require a MINIMUM of preparation* and utilize as many shortcuts as possible (e.g. frozen veggies, pre-made stir fry sauces, etc.).

I love vegetables, chicken and fish but don't eat red meat. I prefer ethnic flavors such as thai, indian, asian etc. I'm thinking learning some stirfry techniques might be a good place to start, but I'm open to other ideas.

What are the best cookbooks for me to try? In addition to a lack of cooking technique, I also know very little about basics such as stocking my kitchen. Thanks!!

*Ideally 10 minutes or less.

Moneyfilter: How can i earn a little money on the internet?

freddymetz — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 03:27:28 -0800

I'm a student looking to earn a bit of money on the internet. I feel that i have enough spare time and that i could use it productively. I'm thinking of things like for example doing surveys for 5 dollars an hour and the sort.
Something i can do as a 16 year old without qualifications (one year till i graduate in germany)

NYC, Halloween, easy ideas for costumes

priested — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 20:29:07 -0800

Costume ideas, Halloween, NYC... traveling light, help???? will be in NYC on business the weekend before halloween and have been invited to a "halloween" party/ scavenger hunt in Brooklyn... any suggestions for a costume that does not involve bringing a bunch of stuff in my luggage? doesn't have to be elaborate...bonus points for anything I could buy in Manhattan before I catch the subway to the party...
gracias...

Another lame medical question

smcniven — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:07:39 -0800

MedicalQuestionFilter: Thumbnail looks like a tectonic plate. Should I go see the doctor? (Warning: Not for the squeamish) I can't believe I'm asking a medical question on Metafilter.

On Monday I had a workplace accident, where I sliced through the my thumb with a box cutter. The knife went right through the fingernail horizontally as well as flesh on one side of the thumb. I went to the emergency room, where the nurse had a look at it. She super glued the nail together along the cut line and then bandaged up the thumb. She then told me that when the bandage comes off in a few days to put clear coat nail polish on it to keep it from snagging on things.

I took the original bandage this evening and had a look at the nail. I had thought that the 2 nail sections would be fairly flat but instead it looks like the top section of the nail has shifted on top of the lower portion.

My question is this: I'm pretty sure that the top part of the nail is shot (and will be replaced by the growing lower section). I just want to know if I should be worried about the appearance (like one tectonic plate sliding under another) and go back to the doctor or just let nature take it's course.

Additional information: I cleaned around the wound area and everything looks ok. There is no pain except when I accidentally bump the thumb into something.

my wife is pregnant; we need easy healthy things to cook.

BigBrownBear — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:50:01 -0800

my wife is pregnant; we need easy healthy things to cook. on the weekends we make great thing: homemade pastas & pizzas, fresh fish, stews, etc. but during the working week we don't have the time or energy to prepare elaborate dishes.

any suggestions for things quick and easy (that will also be good for the bun in the over)?

How do I fast track my way into consulting?

gttommy — Sun, 27 May 2007 04:49:21 -0800

How do I fast track my way into consulting? I'm 24 year old male doing a combined Software Engineering/Int'l studies in Chinese degree. I'm interested in getting into Business consulting within 1-2 years, and believe I have the transferable skills to do so, just not the experience & qualifications.

Things I have considered:
-apply for graduate positions within a large company to work towards software/IT consulting then find a way into business consulting (seems a little tedious)
-go for business analyst roles and wait for an opportunity
-find a managerial job, if possible, and put into resume then apply

Please suggest ways to get into business consulting asap!

-------------
My only work experience is pretty much only around 17 months experience as a paid intern programmer at 2 different software companies (no longer employed by either).

Yes I have tried the search but all I found were questions related to career dilemmas.

Low carb, low cholesterol, low time. What to eat?

gnomeloaf — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 11:00:00 -0800

One person has high cholesterol. The other has type 2 diabetes. Both have no more than 30 minutes to cook and eat together. What do you recommend for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? I should add that one hates fish, and both like spiciness/heat.

Yes, I intend to continue looking through the vast landscape of cookbooks, recipe databases and health communities. But AskMe food threads rarely disappoint, and I'm hoping you all will have some inspiring ideas, even in the face of this juxtaposition.

Magical Patent

schnee — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 14:20:46 -0800

I need help finding the patent for David and Dania's quick change act effect. These two have been discussed, both in the Green and in the Blue.

I don't want to know how this act is done, as this has been discussed in the previous link.

They were on Oprah today and David mentioned they have a patent on the 'effect.' I tried some searches in Google's patent search and haven't come up with anything. Can someone else find it?

Quick, MeFi I need a dog park to go to in Yokohama, Japan, anyone, anyone???

nintendo — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 20:18:13 -0800

Quick, MeFi I need a dog park to go to in Yokohama, Japan, anyone, anyone???

What kind of foodstuffs should I provide to the people helping me move?

donajo — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 13:53:59 -0800

What kind of foodstuffs should I provide to the people helping me move? I need ideas for a quick, non-messy, no-cooking-required breakfast and lunch to set out for my super-fantastic friends who are helping me move on Saturday. One of them is allergic to wheat, which means that doughnuts (for breakfast) and pizza (for lunch) are out.