Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with size

Size matters

Obscure Reference — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:19:07 -0800

How can I print 34 lines of text so that it takes up exactly 6.125 inches? Or equivalently, so that each line is .18 inches. I tried different fonts in various word processors but always ended up a little to large or too small. There's probably an obvious way to do this using some easily available software (preferably free) but I can't seem to figure out what it is.

What are the plans for the new, taller paperback size?

adipocere — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:26:44 -0800

What are the plans for the new, taller paperback size? What are the plans for the new, taller paperback size?

Those of us purchasing paperbacks (not trades) have noted that a portion of these books are coming in a new format which is somewhat taller, but about as wide as they used to be.

A) What is this new, hateful format called? I thought it was *gag* "premium," but that seems to be Penguin-specific.

B) Is this format doing well enough to 1) supplant the original, 2) gamely stick around, or 3) be regarded as a failed experiment?

C) And what is the chance that books published in this format will eventually be published again in the non-hateful size? Obviously, the probability is only an educated guess, not a certainty.

Non-answers: Comments about e-books, PDFs, hardbacks, and those including "just go to the library."

Measure twice, buy once? Now you tell me.

Sweetie Darling — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:59:40 -0800

How much vertical clearance is needed to frame a window opening? I'm pretty sure I did something dumb. I bought an awning window for my bathroom, armed with only a rough estimate of the size of the space. I want the window to go above the tile shower surround, on an exterior wall.

The window is 18 inches high, and the space between the tile and the ceiling is 22 1/2 inches. Is there enough clearance to properly frame out the window? (I've got plenty of horizontal space.)

Possible additional complication? The exterior wall is on the side of the house, which has a Dutch hip roof with a gable on the front.

If I need to buy a new window, what size should I be aiming for? What other information would be helpful to know, for both me and the carpenter (besides "don't be impulsive at Lowe's," which I think I've figured out)?

[If I've messed up and can't use the window here, I'll save it for when we renovate another bathroom, in which we'll be retiling the shower and doing more demo.]

Thanks for the help!

Could there be a planet so big that it is bigger than itself?

blue_beetle — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:02:22 -0800

Would it be possible to have a planet with significantly more surface area than the earth and similar gravity (at ground level) by decreasing its density? I know that gravity decreases with the square of the distance, so does that mean that the earth is in the sweet spot for the size/density necessary to produce 1G? Or could that be scaled up to double or triple the surface area and still have a viable (livable) planet?

BIG B BLACKBOARD

wittgenstein — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:41:58 -0800

The font size on Blackboard is suddenly really big. This does not seem to be a problem at most other websites, though it is also the case at the FLDOE website. I have not changed the font settings in the computer. I turned the computer off and turned it back on (that always works). How can I get Blackboard to smallen the font size? (smallen? ensmall? you know what I mean.)

Best site for refrigerator shopping?

computech_apolloniajames — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:29:30 -0800

Is there a site where I can search for specific refrigerator dimensions? Not cubic capacity, but actual height, width and depth. I need a new frig. And my kitchen has a small sized spot, one that will not accommodate those mega-fridges that are on the market. Is there any website that will let you search according to actual dimensions. Cubic capacity means nothing to me.

Most common web video sizes?

jurczyk — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:17:29 -0800

What are the most common web video sizes? I know that YouTube is 320x240 but I want to produce video in the most popular sizes.

Is there a resource for Web Video stats like there is for browser display statistics?

I need a sexy plus sized costume!

gwenlister — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:58:19 -0800

Hallowe'en filter: Yes, another "help me come up with a costume" idea, only with added restrictions and existing costume pieces to help form it! I have a super lame idea for one but I'd like to kick it up to 11 if possible. Hallowe'en party next week. I want to look awesome (yet still attractive as there will be single men there, ha ha). Looking for hilarious/unique/awesome ideas for a costume. Last year I made a full skirt and boustier out of duct tape, the year before I hand stitched a fish costume.

Restrictions:
- I'm broke and can't afford to put much more than about 20$ into it
- I'm a plus-sized girl. I am definitely not modest or inclined to wearing oversized clothes, but there has to be some level of coveredness in the stomach area. The rest is fair game. The more cleavage the better. ;)

Things I already have that could be used but not necessarily:
- blue shoulder length wig (I naturally have long dark brown hair)
- plasticy/vinyl strapless top
- red plastic tenchcoat-style raincoat
- I have a sewing machine and a moderate amount of skill with it

So... any ideas? The only thing I could come up with was "Girl from the Future".... laaaaame...

Tiny wide shoes?

debbie_ann — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:01:47 -0800

Do cute 5.5 wide shoes exist? I have little tiny 5.5 wide feet, and currently own only shoes from SAS. They are extremely comfortable but far from fashionable. Payless also makes my size, but they are too cheap to be worth it. Otherwise, as far as I know, wide shoes start around a 7. I tried buying bigger heels and stuffing the toes with wool, like a ballerina, but found my toes slipping out. I can also occasionally squeeze into a girls 3 (born) as children's shoes run slightly wider.

Is there any place that makes CUTE 5.5 wide shoes? I daydream about colorful heels and trendy ankle boots but would gladly settle for some nice well-fitting maryjanes & loafers.

Finding proper fit in catalog/online shopping

frobozz — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:37:21 -0800

Is there any way to come close to guaranteeing a proper fit when shopping for clothes online/in a catalog? I would like to be able to buy more clothes online - more bargains, more styles, more choice in general than local retailers, etc. Buying pants without first trying them on is usually ok. But nearly every shirt or sweater I've ordered online has been a dismal failure - one retailer's XS seems to be another's M, things blouse out in ways not shown in the photographs, etc. Since finding things that fit me in stores is time-consuming enough (I guess I don't have a very typical body-type), I guess I was optimistic to think sight-unseen shopping could work at all, but I'm wondering if there's any sort of trick or insider knowledge I should know before giving up on online shopping entirely.

As a web designer, do I still need to aim for under 50kb files?

bristolcat — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:48:35 -0800

Web designers, what is the maximum recommended file size for site designs in this day and age? I'm sitting here putzing around with a website I'm building, trying to optimize images and trim down code and I'm getting frustrated. This site design is for a friend's rock band and it has a lot of imagery and graphics associated with it. I was originally taught to aim for building sites that totaled under 50kbs, but that was in 2003. Here we are five years later and I find myself questioning this, considering how many people must be on DSL or cable internet now.

So, all things considered, can I consider upping my max total to 100kb or maybe even more? I look at other sites and see beautiful, crisp graphics and I'm jealous!

Details that may matter:
-This design is going to be a template for Joomla.
-My client may or may not want to have a streaming MP3 player on the front page, which would obviously add to the size.
-There is a gallery plugin which will show 3-4 thumbnails from a gallery component on the front page.
-I'm going to limit how much content can be shown on the front page - it's a fixed height and any news/tour dates/images will spill over into respective pages.
-The audience for this website is intended to be college age to late twenties. Whether this makes them more likely to have high speed internet, well, I'd have to assume so but I would like to hear what you think.
-This is a tableless design and will be styled by an external style sheet.
-I'm using Photoshop CS3 and Dreamweaver CS3.
-I have a little over half of the images in place so far and the Firefox Web Developer Toolbar is telling me that the site totals 39 KB. It is not attached to Joomla yet. I'd love to bring the quality up on the images that are already implemented in the design.
-I'm planning develop a separate mobile site that loads upon detection.

Any tips for image optimization or code optimization would be very helpful, too.

Thanks in advance!

Mirroring the display on an iMac running windows

hydrophonic — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:52:09 -0800

For a new iMac running Windows XP, I need to mirror/clone the display so it shows the same on the monitor and a projector. The graphics driver (for an ATI Mobiity Radeon HD 2600XT) doesn't support mirroring, but the iMac does it automatically. But the monitor and the projector have very different aspect ratios, and the same screen size gets applied to both. Is there a way to set two different screen sizes? There's nothing under the display preferences. Any third party software that would work?

Is my cat really that big?

gwenlister — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:42:11 -0800

Is my cat the walrus everyone keeps telling me she is? I recently have had a number of people tell me that my cat Rhubarb is an unusually large cat. I had one guy tell me that she is the size of a dog, and that she is definitely the largest cat he's ever seen. Not that she's fat, but just that she's BIG! I thought she was normal but now that I look at her I guess I can see how she is big. I finally measured her and she is 22 inches from head to butt, plus another foot or so for her tail... Is this big for a cat? (She's ~2 years old) What is the average length for a standard housecat?

(ps - you may remember Rhubarb from this question. Yes, she is still just as dumb and clutzy, and yes I still love her so hard I can barely breathe.)

What size distribution of promotional t-shirts should I buy?

rjacobs — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:53:25 -0800

I am an admin for a university English department. I want to order some promotional t-shirts for the department to give mostly to our students, both undergraduate and graduate. What ratio of t-shirt sizes should I buy? I.E. I know I should probably get more mediums than smalls, but does anyone have any good statistics for the average distribution of sizes people tend to like? Bonus points for a link to a page that discusses this issue.

Why does my printer give me a quarter for nothing?

merocet — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:02:00 -0800

I have an Epson R260 that seems to somewhat ignore the size settings that I set in Photoshop. What gives? If I set my image size in photoshop to be 10" x 8" and then print the image, the actual size of the image when printed is 10 1/4" x 8 1/4". Is this standard bleed for this printer or am I missing some calibration setting in the depths of the Epson or Photoshop preferences?

My lovely Bump (humps)

Snoogylips — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:01:39 -0800

I need help finding a maternity dress or nice top to go with black pants in plus size that would work to attend a wedding in June and my baby shower in September or October. I wear a size 18/20, or sometimes a 1X. I am 20 weeks now, so it needs some room for growing this summer. The weather is usually still pretty warm here in September/October So a short or long dress would be okay. Most of the plus maternity dresses I have found are wild prints. I am okay with color, I dont like anything in the plus section of mother hood maternity store online. I might like to wear a nice top with black pants. Where are some places I could check out to find something like this? I would like to spend less than 100 dollars but i want to look as cute as i feel for the baby shower! Thank you.

How small is small according to Diesel?

mpls2 — Sun, 11 May 2008 14:52:20 -0800

How well would a diesel size small button-down shirt fit a 36" chest? I can't seem to find actual measurements for diesel sizes.

Use up to ___ MB of space for the cache

wastelands — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:08:41 -0800

What is the ideal size for a browser's disk cache? I've searched for the answer to this but have never gotten a straight answer. Is there an ideal size for the disk cache? For example, if a browser sets the cache to 50 MB by default, should I leave it like that? If I have a big, fast hard drive, why not allocate 500 GB to the cache? Or does the cache get fragmented or otherwise difficult to search through, so that a smaller size is best?

I suspect the answer is probably, "It doesn't matter much." But, dang it, I'm curious!

The Incredible Shrinking Image

sprocket87 — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:40:16 -0800

How do I resize a very large image to a smaller size yet keep text detail legible? Long version:

I have a document (hi-res Google mape export with lots of small text detail) at the following resolution: 5000 x 7000 @ 72ppi. This is ~70 x 97 inches were I to print it.

I don't want to print it that big. I want to print it at ~25 x 36 inches.

Problem is, when I resize it thus, small text details seem to be illegible on screen (per Photoshop's "print preview", anyway). Of course, this is at just 72 ppi, so I can increase the ppi and shrink the image. But I can't get even, say, 300ppi, as my document would have to be shrunk to a mere 8 inches in height (without resampling).

It appears that I can get it to my desired size of ~25 x 36 at 138ppi without resampling. Is that the best I can do, or is there some other tomfoolery I can try?

Remember, I'm trying to get small text legible after shrinking it. I'm assuming the higher the ppi the better for print legibility, as long as it's not being resampled. Yeah?

Put another way, even if my "shrunk" image @ 138ppi looks hard to read in Photoshop, if I run it off on a high-dpi printer, will it be legible? What should I be aiming for here?

viewing HTML shrunken images

Sparx — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 04:26:54 -0800

On the blue, delmoi pointed out that the images of an online comic had been shrunk via HTML to fit the page. Is there a greasemonkey script or something that would allow those images to be seen fullsize without having to think about it?

How can I print new DVD inserts?

soonertbone — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:47:34 -0800

How can I print a series of .jpg files to exact size specifications? I fear this is going to be a really easy/stupid question, but I swear I've searched and can't figure it out.

Here's what I have:
A PC running Windows XP
A Macbook running Leopard
An HP Photosmart C4280 (NB: An answer to my question that would work this printer would be great, but if there isn't one then I would be open to hearing about other printers that might work.)

Here's what I want:

I have a jpg file. I want to tell the computer to print the jpg file so that when I hold it in my hands, the picture on the piece of paper measures x cm by y cm. That is, I want whatever program I'm using to be able to blow up/shrink the picture to an exact size. Is this possible?

To be more specific, I'm trying to make DVD inserts because a few of my cases were inadvertently broken and the little inserts inside got ripped. I bought a package of Memorex brand DVD inserts, which are scored pieces of paper for easy cutting. The inserts came with a program, but the program sucks and I can't get it to print very precisely on the paper. Both the PC and the Mac versions of this program (Expressit) are atrocious.

So, what's the best way to print these covers?

Normal sized bath towels around anymore?

chocolatetiara — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 05:14:44 -0800

Are there standard sizes for bath towels? I want some smaller sized bath towels. I have several of them from years ago, they measure about 43-44 inches in length, and they are a perfect size. I bought towels recently, and although they are lovely, large towels I still want some smaller ones.

I cannot find this size towel anywhere. I have looked at The Company Store; JC Penny; Bed, Bath and Beyond. It seems like this size towel is not made any longer. One time I had heard that there were only actually a couple of factories in the US that made towels, so that it often didn't matter the tag on them because they all came from the same place.

Most towels I find these days run from 54" to 58", and I have some of those too. But I want the smaller sized ones. Can some one help me or tell me to stop looking?

How big will that kitty in the window be?

MeetMegan — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:41:21 -0800

How can I figure out how long/tall/big my kitten will grow to be? Just got back from the vet's office, and I felt brushed off when I asked this question. Obviously I'll find a new vet, but since my question isn't pressing and Coal is doing just fine, I'm not going to pay for another appointment to find out how big he'll be.

He is about 14" long fully stretched out. He's 18 weeks old, and weighs 4 lbs 15 oz. Is there any way to figure out how large he'll be when he's fully-grown?

Normal, poisson with a twist of outliers.

blue_beetle — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 22:48:57 -0800

Do foot sizes follow a normal distribution?

Low-width keyboards?

chudmonkey — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:39:45 -0800

Can you recommend a nice-to-use keyboard with a relatively low width? Hey Gang! My job involves working shifts at a shared workstation that I don't have much (any) freedom to change, but which is kinda aggravating to me in its layout. The keyboard and mouse sit on one of those typical retractable shelf things under the desk's surface, and the 18.5"-wide keyboard only leaves the mouse a wee space to move in. There is no room on the desk itself to put the keyboard and mouse together, because the obnoxious PC tower and CRT take up all the room not required for work supplies.

Other users of the station leave the keyboard on the shelf and use the mouse on the desk, but this is just so foreign and discordant an idea to me that I can't abide it.

So I've decided to grab my own hardware to use at the station, because I can easily swap out the USB connections while I'm there. I've looked in a few stores and on Amazon, where at least some products have listed dimensions, and now I'm seeking some recommendations to enrich my decision-making process.

Have you enjoyed using any USB keyboard with a width of around 16" or less or a keyboard/trackpad device with a width of 19" or less? I use a Macbook, so I'm thinking Apple's new keyboard might be a nice way to keep things familiar, but I haven't seen one in the wild yet.