Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with red

I'm going to bloody well fix this Xbox myself.

Frasermoo — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:11:33 -0800

Help me fix my Xbox 360. I'm looking for documentation on a tried and tested fix for the red rings on the 360. Having been through multiple consoles, I've decided to try the X clamp fix myself. Has anyone here done it themselves? What instructions did you follow? Was it successful?

Help me get rid of this lingering pimple!

hotdiggitydog — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:55:31 -0800

Help me get rid of this pimple! I've tried everything and it hasn't gone down in the week I've had it. I'm male, if it matters. The pimple showed up on the tip of my nose, I believe, last Saturday. I didn't touch it for a few days until it started hurting a lot, so I made a mistake and tried to pop it. I couldn't. After squeezing it, it got red and swollen and since then I tried not to touch it. For some stupid reason, I decided to put Vaseline on it, hoping it would clog up and I could puncture it. It actually went down after the first night I applied Vaseline on it, by some divine miracle, and after that I've been applying toothpaste religiously every day and night (I've been home all Thanksgiving weekend).

When I woke up today I saw at the very top of the pimple there was a tiny red (well, darker red, since the pimple is all pinkish/red) spot, like there was bleeding/bruising and a white spot in the middle of that, though it might just be toothpaste I couldn't get off. It hasn't developed a white head this entire time. The skin over the pimple seems stretched out, if that makes sense. Also, it doesn't hurt anymore.

The pimple is extremely visible: red, swollen, and right on the tip of my nose. I want to get rid of it by Monday, when I have to go back to work/school. I'd rather not pop it, but if I should for quick results, I'd rather do it today so I have a day for it to heal tomorrow, and so I can possibly cover it up with makeup (I'd need tips on that too).

So what now? Do I pop it? Apply more toothpaste and wait? Also, when the skin around the pimple is looking dry, do I need to apply lotion or something?

Sorry if this post seems a bit jumbled, I just need this thing gone fast.

A little help, eh?

I_Love_Bananas — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:48:28 -0800

Help me find a Canada hoodie... ... for an Xmas gift. I am sure it's anime or manga-related, since that's her world, but my niece asked for specifically a red hoodie with a white maple leaf for Xmas. I cannot find one anywhere.

I need online options only! As long as it gets here by Xmas, I can order from anywhere that will ship in time. It can also have the word "Canada" on it, but it needs to be red with white, no other color options. THANKS!!

Up, up, down, down...

LSK — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:58:02 -0800

Having an issue with a dance mat on PC - down button works, but left + down and right + down don't. I'm using Red Octane's Ignition 3.0 dance mat (for Dance Dance Revolution games) on Windows Vista using the USB plug. While all individual buttons operate properly, if I press left and down at the same time, or right and down at the same time, only left or right (respectively) is read by the computer. Is this an issue with the hardware itself or is it something that can be addressed within the OS?

It should be noted that this isn't the more common opposite-axes issue; left + right works properly, as does up + down.

Do the Frenchs really make a better red?

fantasticninety — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:13:10 -0800

I find that French red wine has a very distinctive body and aftertaste. Is this truly specific to French wine, or have I not found some equivalents elsewhere in the world? I'll be very specific in my observations.

Much wine I've tasted has had a nice nose, and even a nice initial hit in the palette. However, it's once the wine goes towards the back of the mouth that it is easy to spot the difference between French wine and other countries.

Once the wine hits the back of the palette, non-French red wine starts to break up, and the individual elements start to separate in the sense that one can almost feel the water separate from the alcohol and from the flavours. It's not a pleasant experience. I find it especially disagreeable the sensation of the water separating from the wine, if that makes sense.

Secondly, with the aftertaste, there is often a kind of bitter or sharp nose that comes back through the palette. I find with French red wine there is sometimes a tannic hit, but rarely that sharp reflex. If anything, sometimes it feels slightly gravelly, or earthy.

Ok, so these are some vast generalisations, and I've definitely drunk crappy French wine. My main sample regions from France are St. Emilion and Cahors, but by no means only these areas.

To summarise, of all the wine I've drunk from around the world, I've yet to find non-French wine (except for some nice Italians) which avoid those two main pitfalls listed above.

This is defiinitely not just exaggeration or hyperbole, or whatever. I would super appreciate any input from other readers who have made an effort to really analyse red wine and especially some of the distinct characteristics between new world and old world wine.

I'll add, that one other nice thing I've noticed with some French wine is a kind of floral richness which isn't just sweet, but full. Some French has a nice round tone or ovalness to it, but others have this very full and rich palette to it. Again, I've yet to find this elsewhere (except for the richness part which I've found sometimes with Italian reds).

Disclaimer: I've never drunk a bottle worth more than a 100 dollars (give or take) and I'm ignoring stuff cheaper than 5 bucks.

Thanks!

Is there a regional airport that would make it easier for me to get to Red Bank, New Jersey

Dave. — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:16:15 -0800

Is there a regional airport that would make it easier for me to get to Red Bank, New Jersey as compared to going into the dreaded Newark Airport (EWR)? I know that Red Bank is only 30 miles south of Newark ... but for obvious reasons (flight delays, traffic, etc) I would like to avoid it. Unfortunately, I can't come up with a better alternative. Any thoughts appreciated, thanks!

And if it matters, this is a flight leaving 11/1 and returning 11/6 out of Jacksonville or Gainesville, FL.

Have 125 romance novels. What can I BUILD them into?

Quarter Pincher — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:47:53 -0800

RedGreenShowFilter: I've got a bunch of crisp paperback romance novels I've scavenged from dumpsters around town, and I'd rather turn them into something than read or try selling them. What can I build using them? I'm thinking clear box tape instead of duct, so the corny covers will still be visible. Bonus points for something handy. There's about 125 of them, at 4.25" x 6.25 " x (varying thickness, avg .75"). I can get hundreds more at local used book shops for less than $.50 each.

No idea too crazy, as long as it's feasible with 125 books, or more within reason.

That pretty much eliminates a giant Gundam, alas.

How do I get a job in the field of disaster relief?

tr0ubley — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:39:36 -0800

How do I get a job in the field of disaster relief? I have felt a lifelong drive to help those people in the greatest need. I would really like to work in the area of disaster relief, perhaps internationally. Currently I am a scientist (wildlife biologist) and a volunteer firefighter/EMT, so some of my skills are tangentially relevant. What can I do to make myself marketable in this field? I am looking at this as a five-year transition, so I would appreciate any advice about schooling, volunteer organizations, and job direction. Thanks!

Blue and red roofs in Beijing?

molecicco — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:45:41 -0800

Look at GoogleMaps over Beijing. About a quarter of the buildings have rooftops that are red or blue. And the color is really strong in comparison to everything else. Has the image been colored, or are they just painted? Either way... Why?

Plus size bride in a panic!

evilcupcakes — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:06:14 -0800

Please help me find a red dress for my wedding day! I am looking for any online stores that sell ethnic or peasant-style clothes in plus sizes and I am running out of time. I am DESPERATE at this point. I had originally selected a lovely red embroidered ensemble at eshakti.com for my Norse themed wedding this August. By the time I was ready to order it, it was gone. Crap. So, after a great deal of shopping, I found another outfit on the same site that I actually liked better. Problem solved, right? NO. I had to wait until I got paid today to buy it, and now THIS outfit is gone! I am devastated at this point. The wedding is in 5 weeks and I am running out of options.

I am looking for a red dress or blouse and skirt, full length in a peasant-y or ethnic style. This was the blouse I had in mind, but they are out of my size now. Anyone know of any similar stores?

Auburn drapes

mwhybark — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:58:46 -0800

Wild hair, related to this. I am of truly unknown Northern European ancestry (closed adoption). My hair was brown with auburn highlights before charging on to grey over the past couple years. My abundant beard was always about 30% bright copper red. Am I a redhead gene carrier?

Making an mp3 from a Youtube video

cashman — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 18:05:07 -0800

I'm trying to make a high quality mp3 of the first 3:41 of this yt video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWz-x7YMVCk I have bass-increasing headphones and in them the song sounds great. But the mp3 I made is missing all of that. I tried to use audacity and acid to make mp3s of this video that sound good - capture the bass and the song in general. I can't do it without it sounding 'quiet' or alternatively, clipping. Can someone get me a high quality mp3 of this video of Red doing his live beatboxing?

My email's in my profile.

Is drinking Red Bull before a cardio workout a dumb idea?

Senor Cardgage — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:06:43 -0800

Is drinking Red Bull before a cardio workout a dumb idea? For the last year, I've been doing a pretty strenuous weightlifting regimen on my upper body mondays, wednesdays and saturdays. I would like to start doing cardio/ab work on the remaining days. Mainly I want to add cardio in as a means to get my own natural energy/stamina levels up so that I wont have to rely as much of caffeine or energy drinks throughout my day or (more importantly) when I go dancing on the weekends.

I am 34, naturally pretty energetic anyway and have very little body fat. What my hope is it that cardio will give me a marked increase in energy.

Now, here's the conundrum: when I do my lifting regimen, I usually have a sugar-free Red Bull beforehand just to get my wherewithal up. If I do this for cardio (say the running incline machine) will this be like "cheating", and will it lessen my gains? Is it a bad idea to mix Red Bull and cardio anyway?

Note: this may be a really dumb question, but humor me.

Fire down below!

Anonymous — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:58:27 -0800

I am a girl with incredibly sensitive skin. Help me stay free of rashes AND hair "down there"... or convince me it's not worth it (men, please reply). I've tried waxing. I've tried shaving. Epilator? Check. It doesn't seem to matter what method I use, I ALWAYS get a rash.

Sure, it looks good for about a day, or even a week. But my skin is insanely sensitive, and I inevitably get a horrible, painful, scary-looking rash, especially along the edges where my groin and my legs meet. These rashes last 3-7 days.

I have had two long-term relationships where the guy didn't care down about having hair down there, so cool, I trimmed it. I'm single. Every time I am single, I feel OBLIGATED to be hair-free. So I try, but no method seems to work AND be non-irritating.

So far I have tried all of the following:

1. Using a new razor and sensitive skin foam after a bath
2. Professional waxing
3. Home waxing
4. Plucking all the hair with a rounded set of tweezers to avoid wax irritation
5. Nair (dear god never again lol)
6. Electric razor
7. Tend Skin and variations of that stuff
8. Clear deodorant
9. Only wearing skirts/dresses, no tight pants
10. Only shaving in the direction the hair grows
11. Epilator (yes really)
12. Exfoliating the area by every means possible

I feel like I want to have sex in the future, hence the grooming. But I can't always predict when sex will happen! So, guys... if you were going to have sex with a girl and there was some razor burn, primarily obviously on the... um... edges, how grossed out would you be? What if the girl had an STD test and showed you she was disease free, would that reassure you? Is a little hair better than no hair at all and a few red bumps? Ugh I feel so undignified even asking this. Help.

This is embarassing as hell. Throwaway account: embarassingashell at gmail.

Hidden I Am Legend Scene?

charlesv — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:45:45 -0800

Weird scene in I Am Legend [spoiler inside]? While watching I Am Legend a few weeks back on HBO, during the scene where Will Smith is in his lab with the dog, there was a very short (1 second or so) cut so a shot of a bunch of people standing around in the dark in what looked to be red togas. I was watching on TiVo and managed to rewind to show the wife that I was not losing it.

It reminded me of the hidden scene the Apocalypto trailer.

Has anyone else seen this? What the hell is it? Is it on purpose, or just a fluke of HBO or TiVo? It managed to make an already disturbing scene even weirder.

Killed Me Some Ants!

cjorgensen — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:16:52 -0800

I set fire to a colony of tiny red ants. Now they have gone away. Why/how did this work? So I had a dead spot in my yard, went to check it out, and there a colony of the smallest red ants you could imagine.

I threw some little wood chips and some yard waste in-and-amongst them, and set this on fire.

Now, this was no bonfire we're talking about. You couldn't have even roasted a hotdog over this fire (well, maybe one). Now I have a bare spot in my yard (was pretty much already there), two holes you could put a pencil down, and no ants.

I really wasn't expecting this to do anything. I remember as a kid a neighbor did this to a beehive, of ground living yellow jackets, using a gallon of gasoline. This caused a huge explosion! A deep hole in his yard, and the bees buzzed around the fire and died, but the next day they were rebuilding.

Mine wasn't nearly as intense.

I've had problems with ants before, tried using poison (to limited success), but this is like they packed up and moved on!

Any ideas why? I really doubt it did more than scorch the surface and kill the ones currently outside. So why did they pack up? Is this a solution for other kinds of ants?

Yeah, I know, I am evil. PETA is outside my door right now asking if my cat is ok. I can live with killing them. Just amazed this worked.

My love for you is like a red, red nose...

Phalene — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 11:41:40 -0800

Rosacea management: care and hiding of a sometimes red face? Several questions all on one topic inside. I have moderate rosacea that afflicts only my nose. The antibiotics removed the surface damage, curing the bumps so I'm merely pink instead of red, inflamed and spotty, but discovering that I have an incurable tendency to flush in a disfiguring fashion means that I want to know the best ways to manage my condition on the other hand I don't want to live my life trying to avoid everything that could cause a rush of blood to prevent a flare up. So:

1) My dermatologist gave me a huge long list of things to avoid based on 'typical' rosacea suffers. Most of these (hot baths/showers/exertion/sun) certainly turn my feet red, but seem to improve my facial redness by fading it. Cold, allergens and surface bacteria seem to be my triggers. How to cope? I’m Canadian, so avoiding the whole winter thing is a non-option.

2) As a contact lense wearer, I find that eye irritation causes me to flush a little bit. How can I minimize this until I can get laser eye surgery (in another 2 or 3 years)? I would swap back to glasses, but the difference in vision between contacts and glasses is for me, considerable. How can I keep my eyes less inflamed, and thus my nose healthy?

3) As a female I want to wear makeup. What lines and brands of foundation/concealer/powder/etc should I look for, that I can use to cover the pink, when I don’t want to look cute and windblown, which have a good track record for sensitive skin? It’s no use hiding the pink only to turn it red with a flare up.

4) The ‘if left untreated’ pictures are ghastly and some things I’ve read say that getting worse is normal. Do I have a future of looking like boil covered raw meat, or do people generally do okay and this is those extreme pictures you typically find in medical texts? Similarly some sources say going into remission is possible (ie Wikipedia). How complete is that remission?

5) On the internet, rosacea seems to be a topic prone to voodoo cures and conflicting information. While interesting reading, what are the best rosacea resources? Non-flakey (ie actually has studies for their ‘emu-oil’ cure ideas) are best.

6) Socially speaking, how do I deal with nice people asking about my skin affliction (ie ‘You have a cold?’) or idiots humming ‘Rudolph’ in what they think is taking the mickey out of me, but is making my self esteem wither? I mean asides from screeching ‘Christ, what an asshole?’

7) I'm 22, and it seems to have started at 20. What gives? I thought this was a middle aged lady disease? Is this something to follow up on? Or is is just genetic luck of the draw, given that my mother has a pink nose too?

8) Anything else I should know about rosacea?

What's the best place to view the Red Bull Air Race in London?

ajp — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:39:49 -0800

What's the best place to view the Red Bull Air Race in London? Buying tickets to the London Red Bull Air Race is apparently daft, since it gets totally crowded and the view isn't great. I'd like to see it clearly, from an uncrowded spot. It can be from a distance, as long as I can see most of the course.

One possibility I'm considering is renting a hotel room for one of the days. It would need a good view of the river. If anyone knows of such a hotel, that would be great.

I see red, I see red, I see red!

ClanvidHorse — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:08:01 -0800

Where can I find really cool RED kitchen equipment? I am looking for something really cool for a kitchen. There is only one thing that it must be: bright, vibrant and red in colour.

It could be a kettle, toaster, salad bowl, cutlery, crockery or anything else as long as it's red. I have a budget of £50-70 and it would need to be something that I could get in the UK or delivered here. Although, normally a fan of vintage gear, I am not sure how appealing this would be as a gift when it relates to kitchen equipment, however, I am open to all suggestions.

Bonus points for things that are well-designed and very cool looking.

Ta.

Red sky at night AND morning? Must be Mars!

jwells — Wed, 28 May 2008 17:47:31 -0800

I want to reconstruct Phoenix Mars lander pics in color. There are five B&W images of the same scene with the wavelength in the jpg headers (445, 485, 533, 604, 753nm). How do I combine these? There's an explanation and combined color wheel here. Funny thing is, I don't get what they get with GIMP and RGB (604, 533, 485). There's too much red and it looks darker. What am I doing wrong?

Origins of red blur in MiniDV video?

limeonaire — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:08:36 -0800

Question for my roommate about red blur in shooting MiniDV video. Here's his question:

I've noticed in my work shooting MiniDV video that often, areas of intense red will blur at the edges. If I turn down the exposure when shooting, however, this effect can be minimized. Why do certain reds blur like this on MiniDV?

Due diligence: I've heard that this is not specific to my camera or MiniDV, but rather to video in general. Is that the case?

Also, in case it's relevant, I shoot on a Sony TRV900, though I've experienced the red blur problem with other cameras as well.

Some people I've talked to have suggested that it's a CCD issue, that perhaps the "red" light sensor is more sensitive than the other two. Others have suggested that it's a question of how red is specified in PAL. One site I found suggested that it's a YUV issue, since in the YUV color space, one green pixel's matched with half a red pixel and half a blue pixel, leading to noticeable red blurs and less noticeable (but still somewhat apparent) blue blurs. I don't know which of these claims is correct, though.

Why is Red Sacred?

Edelweiss — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:56:43 -0800

I'm trying to reconcile the significance of red cloth to the natives in Eirik the Red's Saga. Can anyone point me in the right direction? In the Saga, the Vikings are confused about the natives' interest in red cloth, which the Vikings consider worthless. My gut tells me that the natives consider the color red sacred, but I'm not having any luck at finding any scholarship to prove it. I've tried searching the obvious keywords in Google Scholar and JSTOR.

Where might I find authoritative evidence that red would have been considered sacred or valuable by native North Americans?

selling Red Sox memorabilia

Dcotton — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:13:54 -0800

how would one sell of an extensive Red Sox memorabilia collection? A family member recently died leaving behind a few filing cabinets of Red Sox memorabilia.I am not even sure what is in there but "people who know" say he was a serious collector. We are not in a position to hawk this stuff item by item on ebay or anything but would like to sell it for a reasonable amount as the proceeds would be going to an elderly person who could use the money. I have no idea where to start. Does any one know someone reputable who might assist us?

Does the Home Team always win?

brent — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:04:07 -0800

Where can I find out if the Boston Red Sox won/lost on Marathon Monday on the years the game was played? Wikipedia, Baseball Almanac, Reference season long results but the 3rd Monday in April varies year by year.

Best strategy for buying Red Sox tickets mid-April

ldenneau — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 14:04:33 -0800

Wife, kid and I are going to Boston in mid-April for the Marathon, and we'd like to take in a Red Sox game since kid is a huge fan. We are not regular MLB ticket purchasers though. Should we buy tickets now at 2X list price from a broker, or wait until closer to game day and hope the price drops? Are weekdays less likely to sell out? (teams on the schedule are Rangers and Angels, and it's Marathon weekend).