Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with super

i love u smartwool!

leotrotsky — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:31:22 -0800

Super efficient/awesome clothing &/or gadgets that have changed your life? I finally bought a lightweight soft wicking wool undershirt and it's a revelation. I can't believe that it took me so long to realize how much BETTER they are than standard cotton or synthetics. Does anyone else have any similar recommendations?

Super Bowl Repeat Frequency

glenngulia — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:47 -0800

What's the correct analysis of the frequency of repeat Super Bowl winners? Help provide me some facts/perspectives to prove my point to my friend (or prove me wrong, I guess...). This is a statistical question, really:

I'm a Steelers fan, my friend isn't. In discussing the upcoming NFL season (a little early, I know), I state that the Steelers have got to be one of the favorites heading into the season. He responds with "well, you pretty much know they're not gonna win because repeating as Super Bowl champs is so rare".

I counter with my opinion that it may not happen all the time, but it's not that rare.

Teams have repeated a Super Bowl champs 7 times: Green Bay in the '60s, Pittsburgh 2x in the '70s, San Fran in the '80s, Dallas & Denver in the '90s, and New England in the '00s.

There have been 43 Super Bowls, but we both agree on using a denominator of 42, since the Super Bowl 43 winner (Pittsburgh!) has not yet had the chance to repeat.

My friend's perspective is that since repeats have only happened those 7 times, thus 7 out of 42 (1 in 6), that repeats are rare.

My perspective is that out of those 42 Super Bowls, 14 wins were part of team's back-to-back win performance, so you have to count both wins, not just the 2nd, to analyze the frequency of this event. Thus, 14 out 42 (1 in 3) Super Bowl wins are part of teams' back-to-back Super Bowl winning events. And therefore, it's not that rare.

Who's looking at this from the correct perspective?

SETI@home questions and options

monkeywithhat — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:34:32 -0800

For a while I have been using the SETI@home screensaver. I do not know much about computer science but my understanding is that the purpose of the program is to create a virtual super computer by breaking up packets of information and then sending them out to all of these computers all over the world which then run them through the program and send back the information. So you end up having the same computing power as a super computer through a large number of home computers. I think this is a fascinating concept but I have 3 questions: 1. How much additional energy does this utilize? I mean is my computer now using the same amount of energy as when it is normally running? 2. Do limits to this system exist? IE what can this kind of system not do that a super computer could? 3. Anyone know of any other programs like this which allow your computer while you are not using it to be searching for knowledge?

Replacement eyeglasses 1.67 Super Thin High-Index Lenses

boby — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:36:30 -0800

What happens to my eyeglass lenses overtime? I buy replacement eyeglass lenses from an online company using my old frames and 1.67 Super Thin High-Index Lenses. After about a year of use the lenses suddenly get splotchy and clouded. I use only a soft cotton cloth (an old t-shirt) to clean them. It's not scratched. I don't get any anti glare or scratch resistant coatings applied when purchasing a new pair. I've used 2 different companies with the same result.
Am I doing something wrong or is one year the life expectancy of 1.67 Super Thin High-Index Lenses?

DIY when apt's super & landlord don't?

timnyc — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:53:59 -0800

My main gripe are the dirty hallways. I rent a 1BR in a 32-unit apartment building in Brooklyn. The rent is well below market and the location is good, but the building isn't properly looked after. The super and landlord and by-and-large my neighbors just don't care. What's the best approach? I have a great deal -- my rent is less than half the market rate and I like the neighborhood. I'm not moving anytime soon. I'm sure many of my neighbors feel that you get what you pay for and don't rock the boat. But I want to make the best of things.

Three issues...
1. Our hallways are almost never swept and mopped (maybe 2x/year for mopping). They are disgustingly dirty. I've called our landlord, who's actually a friendly guy, but he does nothing. I've spoken to the super, who says he'll get around to it. Last time I watched as he mopped only one of six floors. He says he has a bad back, but he should hire someone. I've told him this. I've told the landlord this. Nothing. More generally, the building's just falling apart. The buzzer system doesn't work, a paint job's needed, there are periodic roof leaks that are badly patched, etc. Should I hire someone for cleaning and/or other fix-it jobs? Can I deduct the cost from my rent? I'm inclined to think my laisser-faire landlord wouldn't care.

2. People smoke in the hallways and drop their buts on the ground. When I see someone doing it, I'll sometimes nicely ask them to stop, but it doesn't do any good. One complication: the building is one-third white middle class and two-thirds Puerto Rican lower middle class/poor. And the smokers are Puerto Rican. The consensus culture of the building permits smoking (and littering of buts, candy wrappers, beer bottles, etc.). But it's illegal and gross, right? I've asked my landlord to put up signs, but nothing. I'm told that the thing to do is organize a tenants association, but I'm not sure I'm up to that kind of major effort. And I don't get the feeling that the neighbors would be into it. Is there any other way? Should I put up my own signs? Call the City? I'm hopeful a regular cleaning would help.

3. Sort of a separate issue, but I'm without a lease (as are at least some of my neighbors). I've been asking in letters, phone and in person for about 2 years and nothing. On the upside, no rent increase. But I'm worried about how I'm protected against being evicted without compensation in case the landlord decides to sell the building. Am I right to be worried? What should I do?

"Most Likely to be a Super Villain" photo - ideas for a clever costume?

howgenerica — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 23:32:22 -0800

My senior class voted me 'most likely to be a super villain' for the superlative section of the yearbook. I need to throw something together to wear in the picture, and I was hoping someone could help me. People are expecting me to come up with something really good, and everything I can think of is a little mediocre. Can you guys think of anything funny/ cool for a high school girl dressing up as a super villain? Thanks!

Safe way to remove dried super glue from lid of aluminum Macbook?

CharlieChu — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:03:56 -0800

Help! I had some super glue drip onto the lid of my Macbook Pro. Is acetone based nail remover a wildly dangerous thing to try to use on the aluminum surface of my precious laptop?

Mini Cloud Computer

yellowbkpk — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 19:30:06 -0800

Can you recommend a cheap way to build a computing cloud? Ok, maybe a computing breath of warm air on a cold day... I'd like to have some on-demand computing power to play with. Right now I'm thinking I'll use the systems to render tiles for OpenStreetMap, but maybe I'll use it for protein folding or maybe I'll donate it to my alma mater and have their computer science department use it for something fun and exciting.

I've got the following in my Newegg.com cart:

ECS AMD690GM-M2 AM2 AMD 690G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813135049

Transcend 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model JM800QLJ-1G - Retail
Item #: N82E16820208321

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Brisbane 2.2GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO4200DOBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103243

Can anyone find a better balance of cheapness and speed?

I'm planning on buying parts for 2 machines to start with, using USB flash or network booting for storage and OS.

How about power? Is there a way to power multiple motherboards from one PSU? It sure seems wasteful to have N (very inefficient) PSUs running when one high capacity PSU should be able to power all two or three CPUs.

Nasty Landing

Aghast. — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 11:20:52 -0800

In between trash days -- Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday -- people in neighboring apartments deposit their trash on the first floor landing, outside the door to my apartment. I expected the super to put a stop to this practice but it turns out he condones it. I asked him to fix this and he said he'd try but I'm not sure he will. There are no trash cans or anything, just trash bags piled up. Is this against any NYC codes? How should I proceed?

Batman's super power. Discuss.

TwelveTwo — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 22:41:51 -0800

What is Batman's super power? For bonus points, what is Darkwing Duck's super power?

Football squares history

brent — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 14:09:44 -0800

Where can I find the Super Bowl squares history and final scores for the Super Bowls?

Replacing my Honda "H"

Juicylicious — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 16:35:13 -0800

I just bought a 1999 Honda Civic Ex coupe. The front grill "H" emblem was missing. The salesperson ordered one and told me that it was easy to replace as it affixed with double sticky tape, or something like that. The H arrived, but . . . The salesperson was wrong. It appears that the the entire bumper and part of the air conditioner must be removed to install the emblem. I don't feel confident to do it myself and I'm not going to pay someone else to do it. I called the salesperson. He told me to "superglue it." Does this sound plausible? Both the emblem and grill are shiny plastic. What brand of glue would sustain rain, snow, heat, humidity and freezing cold?

Keeping a harmonious relationship with your super

dogmatic — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 13:03:30 -0800

I've been living in New York for only about six months, and was a bit surprised when one of my friends asked if I tipped my superintendent. He told me after the fact that upon your first meeting, you should tip anywhere from $50-100 (and possibly more) to ensure any of your needs are met further along the line, in addition to providing a small tip whenever any small bit of work is done in the apartment. Am I alone in never hearing of this practice? Do you tip your super, and if so, how much?

Do you tip your building's super during the holiday season?

Capn — Wed, 22 Dec 2004 08:03:27 -0800

Do you tip your building's super during the holiday season? Your postman? How much. I'm interested in practical advice on the local customs in Toronto, but stories from around the world (Hamilton, Scarbrough, Oakville, etc) invited too.