Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with recommendations and gifts

What is the gift/token of appreciation etiquette for teacher recommendations?

KWittman — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:15:01 -0800

My oldest, a HS senior, is applying to college and we are asking teachers to complete recommendations. Would it be permissible to include a note and small token of appreciation for each teacher in advance of the recommendation? We were thinking of including for each teacher a note of thanks in advance for their time, and an area business discount card that is being sold by one of the school district's sports teams as their fundraiser. The cards cost us $10 each, which we are happy to donate to the sports league. There is no cash value to the user of the card unless or until it's used.

We would obviously follow up with another token of appreciation at a more appropriate point later in the year, but we wondered about the ethics of this. Personally I feel they have enough demands on their time, and a token like this would be appropriate. But, the thought "in advance" of the recommendation brings pause. The "B" word, to wit.

Of course, we never do see the recommendations. What does everyone else think?

Sudoku masters, what are your favorite challenging sudoku books?

macguffin — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:00:44 -0800

PuzzleFilter: What books would you recommend for a sudoku addict who's already worked through a "fiendish"/"super fiendish" sudoku collection and would like to try more challenging puzzles? There seem to be a zillion sudoku books that are available. Please help me narrow down the selection, based on a few other things I'm looking for... I'd like to give someone a book of sudoku puzzles, but would appreciate help from sudoku experts since I'm not a sudoku fan myself. Some quick background:

She's mentioned that she enjoys really difficult puzzles, and I know she's finished "New York Post Fiendish Su Doku" by Wayne Gould -- the puzzles in there are labeled "fiendish" or "super fiendish."
She also has "Let's Play Sudoku: Over the Edge" by Will Shortz -- the puzzles in there range from "difficult" to "beware: very challenging" and she's said they're about the same level of difficulty as the other book.
She has tried the difficult-level puzzles from free online sudoku generators and websites, but apparently they are not as hard as the books she has.

I was thinking of getting a book that includes a few puzzles in the "super fiendish"/"beware: very challenging" difficulty range and a lot of harder puzzles that she could really dig into.

Some additional criteria for an ideal book, based on what I remember about her preferences:

Doesn't have tiny print and has room inside the puzzle grid boxes for pencil marks.
Has relatively decent paper quality that can withstand pencil marks and erasures with a plastic eraser without becoming messy. e.g. the Will Shortz "Over the Edge" paperback has fairly rough paper that isn't too suitable for this sort of thing, while the "New York Post Fiendish" book has paper that's thin but has a smoother surface.
Puzzles are logical and don't require guessing.
Only contains difficult puzzles (i.e. not a mix of easy, medium, hard).
Doesn't have to be super lightweight and portable, but ideally it shouldn't be something you have to lug around (not heavy, and not too big).

I noticed the "Mensa Absolutely Nasty Sudoku" series (ranging from levels 1 through 4) by Frank Longo, and "Second-Degree Black Belt Sudoku" also by Longo. Based on the reviews I've read, it sounds like the level 3 and 4 books are maybe the toughest books out there -- would you agree? Still, I'm not sure which of the four levels would be most appropriate. It would be really helpful to know where all of these Longo books (or any other books you can recommend) fall on the general difficulty scale when compared to Gould's "super fiendish" or Shortz' "beware: very challenging" puzzles.

(The "Mensa Absolutely Nasty Sudoku" books also sound pretty nice in quality, with more puzzles than a typical paperback, plus spiral binding and slightly larger pages, albeit with two puzzles per page instead of one. However, my local bookstore didn't have the Longo books so I couldn't tell if the puzzle boxes were smaller than the Gould book.)

I'd really like to avoid giving a book that might be too easy or too hard and have it turn out to be something that she won't enjoy. Also, it would be nice to know about the really tough books for future gifts. Thanks for your help!

Christmas Shopping for 18-year-old

croutonsupafreak — Thu, 23 Dec 2004 18:52:32 -0800

You're an 18-year old guy six months out of rehab with a creative mind and a severely disfunctional family. You've got a GED and a job in sales. You're going to be spending Christmas with your aunt, because you're mom is too messed up to deal with you. What two or three things do you want for Christmas that can be bought for roughly $20 each?

GiftFilter

jmgorman — Sun, 19 Dec 2004 09:35:51 -0800

My SO and I need gifts for our families. Of course this is really late and we are kinda broke. [+] We moved to a new house in a new city and are experiencing an (adjusted for cost of living) income reduction. Because of the breadth of both of our families we thought it might be more practical to buy gifts for each for all to share on Xmas day (will have to send by mail). My family = 3 brothers + parents, her = sister + mom + new husband. Any Ideas?

Weaving-related gifts

puppy kuddles — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 12:33:27 -0800

My mom has recently graduated from obsessive knitter to obsessive weaver. Any weavers out there with good weaving related xmass suggestions in the way of books or other weaving related swag?

Help finding a cool Christmas gift for my wife

fenriq — Tue, 07 Dec 2004 14:26:44 -0800

GiftFilter: With Christmas coming up, I'd like to do something cool and special for my wife but am having trouble figuring out what that cool and special thing is. Anyone have some cool ideas? [MI] Her tastes run towards the practical but she's been hinting about jewelry (something I know nothing about and really don't see the point of). I want her to know that she's incredibly special to me as my wife, my best friend and mother to our son.

She likes making things but doesn't have alot of free time these days. Another thing to consider is that she's been exhausted alot lately because of the little boy so something to help her out there would be nice too.

Money is a factor but not the most important factor.

Cosmetic Gifts for a Teenager

JDC8 — Fri, 03 Dec 2004 17:29:52 -0800

Ladies, I'd like suggestions on what cosmetic items are essential and what brands would be appropriate for a 15-year old girl. I drew her gift card from the charity tree and I need help.

Gift for 13-year-old Boy

mecran01 — Mon, 22 Dec 2003 13:17:12 -0800

What can I buy my 13-year-old nephew for $15-20 that doesn't suck? He's into computer games, magic the gathering, ps/2 and isn't all that athletic. He's a little sheltered, and when I asked him if he wanted a throwing star or a bb gun, he replied, "you had better check with my mother about that."