Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with shiny

I need to find shiny sparkly clothes.

jhighmore — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:24:23 -0800

So my friend has some sort of overdeveloped magpie region of her brain and loves sparkly shiny clothing (think sequins, covered in glitter). Where can I find something extra special for christmas for her? Skirts, tops, dresses - hell, even pyjamas or accessories. I would love your ideas of where to purchase such sparkly items. UK-based is very preferable. Budget of £50 but preferably a bit cheaper. Thank you all in advance!

Please to be buying my contract thanks.

By The Grace of God — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:39:25 -0800

What's the best way to transfer my Vodafone contract so I can go get me a nice shiney iPhone 3GS? So I have been bit by OO SHINEY and I want to get out of my Vodafone contract. I have a Blackberry Curve (not the wireless sort, the grey no-wifi sort) and 9 months remaining on my contract. I pay 40 quid a month all inclusive and that includes my phone, text, 500MB of internets and free email/facebook from Blackberry. I also have a Vodafone Satnav free subscrip that expires in September this year.

I would like to transfer this to someone else. Is there a depot or clearinghouse for this? I've posted to my facebook advertising the contract (and offering 50 quid thanks for taking it) but maybe there is somewhere good online to do this with a low possibility of being cheated? Voda credit checks the new recipient so identity fraud would be the only risk, yes?

I am aware that lots of folk get MUCH shinier Blackberries for about ten quid cheaper per month than I do now but maybe someone wants a 9 month contract? I could offer up to 100 quid thanks-money I suppose..

Vodafone cancellation crew said they would be able to take 5 quid a month off my tariff, plus the bolt-ons (500MB internet and the RIM subscription) can be cancelled at any time, although one would need to keep the RIM I think.

Any other suggestions on getting out would be great - I am told they charge £230 cancellation fee on top of the 9 months' charges to get out at Voda, so transfer far superior to cancel..

Photographing bright shiny things

ninazer0 — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:17:24 -0800

Photographing shiny things: help my light this stuff nicely and take a good photo that isn't blurry. Some basic info. I am using a Canon Eos DSLR 400D. I only have an EFS 18-50mm lens, on-board flash and I'm using a tripod, just general house lighting with variable amounts of sunlight, and I have access to a small light-tent and various bits of shiny or mat card. I am trying to photograph large pieces of polished silver jewelery on a black background.

My problems are that I'm finding it hard to get an in-focus shot and (probably related) getting a clear shot where the polished silver isn't unevenly over and under exposed. Because I don't have any good lighting, I've been trying to use mostly natural sunlight with a reflector and light-tent, not using the flash and hoping for the best (which isn't working).

Re: blurring, I assume that the auto-focus is getting confused with the multiple shiny points and I'm about to try switching to manual focus, but I foresee a large amount of time being spent futzing around because - even though things look sharp in the viewfinder (and even after zooming in on the on-board screen), they don't look particularly sharp when I download the pix and view them on my laptop.

Re: lighting, the polish on the silver is giving me a headache. Parts of the piece look great, but others are faded, too dark, too light or blurry. I'd use the Macro pre-set but it wants to use the flash which is horrible, and I just don't know enough about f-stops and ISO's to do it myself.

Before I start over again and waste more time, can anyone please give me some helpful hints to make this slightly less painful??

A Cure for Shiny Key Syndrome

WalterMitty — Mon, 26 May 2008 11:05:45 -0800

How can I avoid shiny keys syndrome on my computer keyboards? This relates to the patches of smoothness that seem to appear on often-used keys after a few months of consistent use. On every keyboard I've used, after a few weeks of heavy use, there always seem to be certain keys which exhibit an odd, shiny smoothness compared to other keys. It is clearly because these keys are the most often used. The spacebar, for example, has a patch of shiny smoothness on the right side where my right thumb usually lands when I'm hitting the spacebar. The ⌘ key on my keyboard is pretty shiny too. In contrast, rarely used keys like "Esc" or the F-keys are in pristine condition.

It's most obvious on black keyboards but the shiny patches are also quite evident on white keyboards if viewed at an oblique angle. They keys themselves function normally, they're just really... shiny.

My question is, is there any way to avoid the development of these shiny patches short of using a keyboard cover? Is it because the top layer of plastic has been worn off by my fingers or is it an accumulation of grease and oil and dirt? Can it be "cured"?

This isn't a very well-phrased question, so if anyone has any clarifications to ask I'd be happy to make them.

Make plastic look new?

ooklala — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:21:23 -0800

How can I clean the plastic of a cellphone that has become matte again without ruining it? On my phone the place where your ear goes, and the keys are now shiny from ear oil and fingerprint oil/sweat. I personally make sure that my hands are not greasy from other things when I touch the phone and have had it for only a few months. What can I do to stop this shininess problem?
Also, does my obsession of never ever having hands that are the least bit greasy (from things like french fries, etc) touch my phone actually doing anything? Will the grease just "wash out" or does it harm the plastic? If the oil does not do it, what does?

Uses for a tablet PC

backseatpilot — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:09:04 -0800

Bought a tablet PC, now what? I just got the HP t2000z tablet, mostly because of the "Ooh, shiny!" factor, but also because I hate touchpads and I figured using a pen would be a better input device for my intended uses (light word processing and internet appliance). When it arrived, I found out the tablet screen was made by Wacom! Cool, it's got the pressure sensitivity and everything. So... what neat stuff can I do with it that is easier than/not possible with a traditional laptop?

I figured I'd start editing my photos on it and I saw an old thread gushing about OneNote. What else do you typically use your tablet for? Any software I should pick up that utilizes tablet functions? How about games that benefit from the pen input?

What causes magpie thievery?

farfaraway — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 15:36:36 -0800

Why do magpies collect and hoard shiny objects?

Ooh, shiny! And strangely maple-scented!

randomination — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 06:50:55 -0800

How do I buy an engagement ring with a Canadian diamond in the UK? We are in London, and my girlfriend is from the true north strong and free. (Oh, OK then. Toronto.) Can anybody recommend an online or reality-based jewellers' that could source a Canadian diamond for us and create an engagement ring?

Or would it be a better idea to buy it in T.O. and take it home?

{
include('explanation of why we want a Canadian diamond');
include('explanation of why we want a diamond at all');
}

Thanks!

Making a Bathtub Shiny Again

mcstayinskool — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 08:38:27 -0800

What are your experiences with bathtub refinishing/reglazing? I have a porcelain bathtub that is dull and stained, and I'm thinking about having it reglazed/refinished/rewhatever to have it white and shiny again. I'm looking for input from people that have had this done and whether they were happy with the results.

Googling comes up with lots of information on this, but I'm finding everything is written by companies that provide the service, who obviously have a vested interest in convincing me it work and is worthwhile.

Shoe Shine Technique

rorycberger — Mon, 20 Sep 2004 11:12:59 -0800

The other day at an airport I got my shoes shined, and midway through the process the guy pulled out a small blowtorch and gave my shoes a quick cook. Anybody heard of doing this? What does it do? Is it good/bad for the shoes? Are there other secret/crazy methods for polishing shoes? What's the best way to make my shoes shiny?