What are the best obsessively cataloged reference websites from your field? I mean the kinds of places you can go to when things are being reported on in a confusing way, or just seems off and worth checking, where you can cut through the bullshit and easily find either original source material or otherwise solid answers to technical questions.
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posted by Blasdelb
on Mar 18, 2013 -
13 answers
Is there a book (or a way to have one made) that would list all available Linux commands with options and what they mean for any shell I'm interested in learning? (Currently bash)
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posted by InsertNiftyNameHere
on Mar 6, 2013 -
14 answers
The question: Should I provide a lukewarm reference for my recently fired ex-manager to avoid awkwardness? Or should I tell him no, and if so, what is the code language to use? I can't say "Sorry, that won't be possible" for reasons outlined herein.
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posted by anonymous
on Mar 5, 2013 -
40 answers
A friend's life is being ruled by something resembling
ORS, a psychological condition in which you believe you smell like a trash can, move to another city and hide from society. She insists that it's an odor issue, and when everyone tells her she's OK, she writes it off as white lies to make her feel better.
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posted by steinsaltz
on Mar 4, 2013 -
6 answers
Lets say I found an amazing macro photograph of a flower or of an old building and I wanted to do a very detailed graphite drawing of the photo. Am I able to claim this drawing as 'my' artwork? Can I use it in a painting to sell? Does the photographer need to be credited? Do I need permission in the first place to use the photo as reference or should I just avoid all the potential hassle and take my own darned photographs for reference from which to draw?
posted by tenaciousmoon
on Feb 24, 2013 -
9 answers
What are the best resources and references for a novice interested in modern electrical engineering?
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posted by clearly
on Jan 26, 2013 -
13 answers
I am applying for an internship and I want to ask someone to give me a reference. However, I haven't been in contact with them for two years. We parted on good terms. Is it acceptable for me to ask them for a reference still?
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posted by cyml
on Jan 10, 2013 -
14 answers
Which book should I buy to replace the (non-existent) 10th edition of "The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings"?
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posted by avysk
on Dec 26, 2012 -
1 answer
What's this novel? I just got a reference request to identify the book/series that has vampires and "bats with big bladders under their bellies". Vampire books are not my forte. Complete question inside. Help?
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posted by gillyflower
on Dec 10, 2012 -
2 answers
I'd like to know more about a type of photographic route guide used in the early 20th century, definitely in the US if not elsewhere. They're a series of photographs of junctions with an arrow drawn over them. Librarians, map lovers, can you help me?
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posted by carbide
on Oct 30, 2012 -
2 answers
I would like to buy a good book on how to sew. I don't mean a beginner's instructional book, since I can already sew quite well, but a comprehensive reference book that covers everything from the basics to advanced tailoring and couture techniques. I want a sewing book that is the equivalent of
Vogue Knitting, which is revered among knitters as the knitter's Bible. I've come across
Vogue Sewing, and
Power Sewing by Sandra Betzina. Would you recommend either one of these as the best choice, or do you know of another book you think is better?
posted by orange swan
on Sep 21, 2012 -
10 answers
My supervisor/thesis advisor has dropped off the face of the earth as I'm applying for jobs, so I can't count on him as a reference. How bad does this look, should I explain it in writing somewhere, and how?
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posted by anonymous
on Sep 20, 2012 -
12 answers
I need to provide supervisor references for a job opportunity, but I do not have many people I can ask. Need help figuring out my options. Details inside:
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posted by mdn31
on Jul 30, 2012 -
11 answers
I'm a new grad entering the workforce. What's the best way for me to approach busy busy BUSY ex-bosses (so busy they have phone gatekeepers, cuz they're always on the phone with Very Important People) to use them as a reference? I left them on good terms, but it's been at least two years and no contact in between. Several related questions ahead.
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posted by anonymous
on May 4, 2012 -
6 answers
Quick reference etiquette question: Is it weird to use a professor as a reference for a job unrelated to academic studies? What is the best way to ask them?
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posted by vanitas
on Apr 3, 2012 -
9 answers
The way I research (academic or otherwise) is increasingly incompatible with the tools I have. Reams of handwritten notebooks, and hundreds of word docs vs a highly tagged website only add to my self-created confusion.
I'm drawn to Tinderbox software as a possible solution, but as an adamant PC user I'm locked out.
How do you order your research? / How to write-up my PhD now my brain is fried?
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posted by 0bvious
on Mar 16, 2012 -
10 answers
ShotInTheDarkfilter: I need the names of the top 60 or so most common languages in each of those languages.
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posted by tempythethird
on Feb 16, 2012 -
7 answers
"Is it Sybil?" Help me understand this dated reference in a Rita Rudner joke from the early 90's.
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posted by Silky Slim
on Jan 30, 2012 -
13 answers
New Job Filter: My references provided negative feedback, OR I'm possibly being nit-picked by new job's HR? WTF. Now what?
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 17, 2012 -
15 answers
When I finally take the plunge on an eBook reader I want an epic collection of public domain classic and/or important and/or utilitarian books to live on it. I'm looking for a particular sort of resource for this quest.
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posted by nanojath
on Jan 9, 2012 -
9 answers
I have three folders on my Kindle.. Fiction, Non-fiction and Reference. Where do I place 'The Zombie Survival Guide'?
posted by Frasermoo
on Dec 29, 2011 -
25 answers
What reference management options exist for Google Docs? Failing that, what other web-based collaboration tools offer reference management, either built-in or by extension via plug-in?
posted by Blazecock Pileon
on Nov 22, 2011 -
7 answers
Should I ask more questions before saying I'll be a reference for someone who was recently "let go"?
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posted by YukonQuirm
on Nov 17, 2011 -
12 answers
Is there a quick way to gauge how ethical the practices of a corporation are?
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posted by cmoj
on Nov 7, 2011 -
2 answers
Librarians / reference experts: I'm seeking any information in English about Phùng Thị Chính (other than the stub on Wikipedia).
posted by kalapierson
on Oct 15, 2011 -
2 answers
How do you properly reference an online forum post in a masters thesis using APA 6?
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posted by meech
on Oct 11, 2011 -
1 answer
Recommendations for an online Excel refresher course, preferably free, that will make me an Excel
God Master Wizard user compentant enough not to embarrass myself in 72 hours?
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posted by Mitheral
on Sep 29, 2011 -
7 answers
What, if anything, do you do to keep in touch with old contacts when you don't really have any reason (providing or asking for a reference, answering questions, etc.) to speak with them?
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posted by Kurichina
on Sep 12, 2011 -
12 answers
Where's the best place online to gather simple reference lists and charts to transfer to my Kindle 2, likely as PDFs or monospaced text? Stuff like US presidents and World Series winners, with enough basic info on each line to fit the screen's width. Is there a site that specifically has stuff like this for the Kindle? Google searches for "Kindle reference "and "Kindle lists" don't really help. Thanks.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing
on Aug 3, 2011 -
7 answers
Asking for a friend: I've been listening to one of my favourite jazz tunes, “Time for Lyons” played in this case by Lionel Hampton. It's a lovely, dreamy, tuneful piece but I've always wondered about the title. It sure as hell has nothing to do with France... The composer is Gerry Mulligan and I'd wondered it was a drug reference, as in ‘Time for Lines’. Any clues?
posted by scruss
on Jul 17, 2011 -
6 answers
How do I got about getting reference letters? I'm about to enter the professional world and I'm clueless about how to do this because I've only worked in academia.
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posted by garuda
on Jun 16, 2011 -
8 answers
Going from homeowner to tenant - who do we use as references when talking with prospective landlords?
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posted by crazycanuck
on May 19, 2011 -
12 answers
I once found -- on
Project Gutenberg, I think -- a book that tried to exhaustively answer many ordinary questions about how things are made or where they come from. I think it was from the late 1800s or early 1900s. Help me find it?
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posted by circular
on May 3, 2011 -
10 answers
UK employment law question: if an employer gives deliberately poor reference to employee they demonstrably want to keep, what recourse is there?
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posted by motty
on May 3, 2011 -
11 answers
I've been working with SQL and RDBMSes for a number of years, but my most recent job involved no DB work at all. Understandably, I'm a bit rusty. So I'd like to get a good book to help me brush up, and also to learn a bit more about RDBMS technology. What would you recommend?
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posted by Sloop John B
on May 3, 2011 -
3 answers
What books can you recommend that do for their subject what
'A Short History of Nearly Everything' does for science i.e. cover a broad topic in an entertaining and engaging way which is easy for the layperson to understand? I am interested in improving my General Knowledge and want to build a little library of similar books covering topics such as art, film, geography, history, literature, music, philosophy etc.
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posted by wannalol
on Apr 27, 2011 -
35 answers
So what is the current protocol for getting professional references & making sure they're positive? Difficulty: I am still employed and don't want to tell The Boss I'm applying.
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 18, 2011 -
7 answers
What are some awesomely useful appendices, charts, and references that I can add to my home-grown cookbook?
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posted by HenryGale
on Mar 19, 2011 -
21 answers
Help me agitate my course facilitator and change his opinion of wikipedia: What are some wikipedia pages that are edited by authoritative professionals or recognized field experts?
posted by boo_radley
on Feb 18, 2011 -
28 answers
