Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with strong

Durable School Backpack

Srudolph — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:43:03 -0800

My son needs the most durable school backpack we can find. He is a sophomore and for reasons that pass my understanding, doesn't use a locker, but carries all his books and his laptop with him all the time. He needs a seriously heavy-duty backpack that will last longer than a couple of months.

He doesn't need any bells and whistles -- no extra pockets or straps or rings for hanging things or zippered compartments. It just needs to be killer strong and large enough for six classes' worth of textbooks. And a laptop.

Any suggestions? THANKS

Curiously Stronger

cazoo — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:16:59 -0800

Where can I get the best (strongest) mints in the world? I've been sucking on Altoids since forever. I'd like to change my game. Once, I was told by a friend who was working in Japan about these mints that were so strong that they made his eyes start to tear. Does this ring a bell? I know nothing more about them.

Of course I'm not limited to finding just these Japanese mints. Any other suggestions to replace my Altoids are welcome.

Do you want to destroy strong women?

adamfaux — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:19:02 -0800

Is the inclination to "destroy strong women" common among men? I have a friend who has done a lot of therapy and who has realised that he has a desire to "destroy strong women," which he claims is quite normal among men. I have never heard any friends of mine say this before (I would count myself among "strong women" and I would count his female friends in this category, too). This is an intelligent, emotionally honest person in an artistic field.

I wonder if such a person would actually (subconsciously?) act on such a desire, or if knowing it would prevent him from doing this. Obviously this is not something a person who doesn't know the individual can answer, so my question to the community is: Is this a common feeling among men? Or would you take this comment to be somewhat startling, as I did?

Books about strong, intelligent, interesting 20-something women?

wsquared — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:03:27 -0800

I read a lot of young adult lit with great female characters. But I'm not a teenager anymore and would like to find something analogous for 20-something women. So, where are the books about young, intelligent, humorous and/or interesting women? Novels, short stories, memoirs and essays welcome. More information about what I've already read inside. I've read all of Curtis Sittenfeld's books and LOVED them. Ditto with Melissa Bank and Megan McCafferty. Jennifer Weiner also writes women well, but they skew a bit older. I also loved Shopgirl by Steve Martin. The Secret History by Donna Tartt would fit the bill if it focused on Camilla instead of Richard.

While I enjoyed the Shopaholic series and Sophie Kinsella's other books, I'd prefer to stay away from this side of chick lit. Or anything involving babies.

YA authors I enjoy: Sarah Dessen, E. Lockhart, Cecil Castellucci, Sara Zarr, Maureen Johnson

I also like Dave Eggers, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Safran Foer and Nick Hornby, but they mostly write about guys.

An Obscure 1972 Tune (Virginia hold on)

bob4analog — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:26:06 -0800

An Obscure 1972 Tune "Virginia hold on" Not too long ago, someone else had asked what this song was on this site. I've also been searching for it as well, so I thought I'd repost the question.

The year was 1972; It was on the radio around the time of 'Summer Breeze', 'Heart of Gold', 'A Horse With No Name' and 'Rocket Man' but obviously wasn't a big hit. I don't think it was merely regional in scope, but I'd heard it more than a few times back then on the local stations in New Mexico.

Here are some lyrics from the last verse and chorus:

When that train pulls around the bend
I know my friends will all be waiting there for me
But my welcome home won't be quite complete
Until I meet the girl I've traveled home to see

Virginia be strong,
For I won't be long,
Virginia hold on.

You'd think the name of the song would be in the chorus line, but this isn't the case from what I've searched. I've searched literally everywhere and still nothing.

Anybody have any clue who did this...or what the name of the song was?

bob4analog@yahoo.com

What is the strongest Wireless Accent Point that I can buy?

chime — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:49:42 -0800

What is the strongest Wireless Accent Point that I can buy? I need to cover about 100m radius inside a single building at a manufacturing company where we have lots of big machines running constantly. I would prefer one strong device over a mesh of 6 as the wireless barcode scanners we have apparently have some trouble switching from one AP to next smoothly. If it's impossible to have a WAP device with this much coverage, then what's a good WAP I can buy that will mesh well.

I have 6 LinkSys WAP54G (Firmware Version: 3.04) and they constantly cause the barcode scanners to connection or lock up.

Strong real females in movies

sparrows — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 07:20:50 -0800

Pamela Landy, in the 2nd and 3rd Bourne movies, is an uncomplicatedly powerful female character and I'm looking for other fiction movies with similar characters. (Inside I explain a little more what I'm looking for.) I don't have any spoilers inside for the Bourne movies, and please avoid spoilers for any movies you recommend, thanks! I know there are MANY different kinds of strong female characters, but just for this question here's some of what makes Landy such a straightforward character to me:

- She's not a fantasy or bioengineered character (like Trinity or River Tam);
- The central focus of the movie isn't her unusualness as a female (as in GI Jane, etc.);
- We see no indication that she gets her power because of backstabbing or evilness.

Landy happens to be high-ranking on paper but I'm definitely also interested in everyday people who have similar qualities (like Mace in Strange Days).

Please, no spoilers for any movies in this thread!
I know it could be hard to discuss a character without mentioning, for example, whether or not she survives the movie, but that's what I'm asking. Thanks!

Recommend some music for the heartbroken.

jalexei — Thu, 30 Sep 2004 10:55:14 -0800

Music for the Heartbroken (MI) A dear friend’s fiance is no longer her fiance, and she’s having a bit of a rough time – As a small token, I wanted to make her a fun CD with tunes of strong women shedding the ogres in their lives, but I’m a bit stumped beyond a kick-ass Sleater-Kinney track or two. Any songs you can suggest would be greatly appreciated. Any genre is fine.