Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with switching

Starting over with a new laptop, how best to stay organized?

pseudostrabismus — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:50:58 -0800

I'd like to know the best way to move a selected group of files & applications to a new laptop, and advice to help ensure that my new Mac doesn't get bunged up with duplicate & improperly deleted files like my old one did, with its inexplicably full hard drive and crammed iTunes & iPhoto folders. This is rather lengthy, geared to the slightly moronic layperson (me), and has 6 sub-questions inside. My old laptop quickly filled up & slowed down. I tried to back up & delete unused files, but later I'd find the same files still tucked away on the machine, not deleted after all. Also, when I first imported files from my old PC to my then-new G4, for some reason a lot of files showed up as "locked" on the new computer. Many of them (just word docs & jpegs, nothing important or complex) were nested into folders (from how I'd organized my old computer)- and try as I might, I could never get them all unlocked to delete them. It was such a pain in the butt.

So I have a new laptop now (thank you, Santa!), and I want to avoid all the problems from last time. Hence, I have some questions. And as you will soon discover, I'm not particularly computer-savvy. Plus I'm inexplicably intimidated by computer jargon. So simple explanations would be really appreciated here!

The potentially-relevant stats:
The old one is a 12" PowerBook G4, purchased in 2005, running OSX 10.4.11
The new one is a 2008 MacBook (aluminum body & glass screen) running OSX 10.5.5
I have a 1GB USB memory stick and a 500GB external firewire drive.

Okay, so here are some really obvious questions:

1. What's the best way to transfer many selected files from my old box to the new one?
I don't want all the files from the old machine- just the ones I'm currently using. And I particularly need to avoid accidentally moving copies of locked files to the new machine- which is tricky as they're all nested deep into folders and I can't find them all. In fact,

2. How do I ensure that I never again have any "locked" files on the new machine?!
Is there a default for this? I don't even know how they all got locked in the first place, and although I know you can select specific files & folders, then hit "Get Info" and select "Unlock", my files are nested deep into various folders, and that command doesn't unlock individual locked files nested in folders- believe me, I've tried!
And I can't just delete the locked files, either- that leaves the originals locked where they were AND adds locked & therefore undeletable duplicate files to the Trash, thereby doubling the number of locked files, aargh. I don't want to go all the way to the end of each tentacle and unlock the files one by one- there are hundreds.
Is there an easier, blanket way to unlock them all?

3. How do I transfer programs I downloaded from the web?
VisualHub is the main one I'm concerned about since it's discontinued.
But I'd also like to keep my paid copies of Net News Wire, VLC, Transmit, and Minuteur.
Also, I acquired a few other programs from friends (Final Draft, Photoshop). Is there an easy way to move those over, too?

4. How to transfer drafts of iWeb pages?

5. When I get going on the new computer, how best to keep the files streamlined on that machine?
I noticed that I was losing a lot of disk space to:
a) duplicate, "locked" files, as above
b) extra copies of photos & videos I downloaded from my digital camera- they all went into iPhoto, which was fine, but then there seemed to be other copies (?) floating around in the "Pictures" folder, and in other places.
c) iTunes songs. In the past, I would try to delete them in iTunes by selecting & dragging to trash or hitting delete, (like I used to on Windows Music). And then, after "deleting" them, I'd be annoyed to note that I didn't free up any disk space... because the files were still sitting in my Music folder. Obviously my limited PC skillz didn't transfer really well.

6. Is there an easy web tutorial that shows how you're supposed to manage iTunes?

Oh these are such dumb questions. I'm embarassed. Sorry, smart computer people. This is seriously not my forte. If you ever need help with something I'm good at, like public speaking or feng shui or crossing your eyes or something, I promise to be soooo nice when I help you! THANK YOU.

Coming from an art-school background, I have none of the requirements for a CS grad school. Am I hopeless?

amileighs — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:15:24 -0800

How do I start a MS in Computer Science with no applicable background? My Background:
Throughout high school (mid-late 90's) I was a computer nerd, often blowing off my homework to stay up all night learning about TCP/IP, Linux, OpenBSD, and generally hacking around with the vague intention of doing something computer-related.

After high school I took a job as a phone-monkey for Dell and MSN and after a year and a half doing customer service and tech support I was completely disenchanted. I recoiled at the thought of sitting in a cubicle for the rest of my life, programming enormously bloated software just to further some giant corporation, so knee-jerk enrolled in art school (a second passion) and was accepted. Mistake #1

I was a major in New Media, where I had a blast. Our department was in its first year and was beyond tiny- just eight people. Our teachers had no background in the field, so each of us basically taught our selves with little to no guidance from the professors. Some taught themselves 3d modeling, others more graphic design focused.

I spent the next three years teaching myself Max/MSP, ActionScript, and some minor circuits/sensors/robotics. My focus was on AI, mainly on Genetic Algorithms and Neural Networks for use with music, video, and text processing. I did all of the research myself, as my college was focused on fine arts- it didn't even require a math course at all. Eventually I realized that I was having a blast coding, doing research, and algorithm design to deal with large sets of data; and that I had little interest in the 'artwork' nature of it all.

I left college a semester early to move to New York and learn about the art. Mistake #2. Now I've been here for two years and I realize that the art world is not what I thought it would be and I would desperately like to go back to doing Computer Science research, with a focus on AI and Machine Learning.

I'm a great autodidact and I've spent the past months re-acquainting myself with the field, learning things like Python and SQL, doing some data-mining exercises, brushing up on my math, and making a few projects on the Google App Engine. I'm definitely sure I want to do this.

My Questions:

- Should I take the CS GRE in addition to the regular GRE in order to show I'm committed?

- I have a semester's worth of credits left to full to (finally) get my art degree, and my school will accept CLEP tests and/or CS courses taken at a local school. Should I take the CLEP tests like Discrete Mathematics, Info. Systems & Computer Applications or would it be better to get an 'A' in the actual class?

- After I have my prerequisites taken care of, is it OK to go to a lower level university for an MS, and then go somewhere better If I want to do a Ph.D ? Or is it more common to start off with a Ph.D immediately?

How to crack into the nonprofit sector?

cranberrymonger — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:47:26 -0800

How to crack into the nonprofit sector? I graduated with a BA in Psych/Soc in 2007 and am now taking classes to complete a certificate in Nonprofit and Voluntary Management. Since graduating, I have been working full-time at a financial company in Toronto, Canada but would prefer to find a job elsewhere.

I have years of volunteer experience (various front-line work at at nursing home, homeless shelter, writing for a social advocacy website). I currently volunteer at two women's centres but have never worked full-time for a nonprofit.

I know the "nonprofit" sector is incredibly varied and I'm not entirely sure what area I'm interested in... but I think it would relate to research, social justice, women's issues or other social services. I have no interest in being a social worker but would rather perform some "behind the scenes" functions.

Hive mind, tell me how to accomplish this! What is the best way to get work at a nonprofit with only a year of unrelated work experience? How did you get started? What are your tips? If you recruit for a nonprofit, what skills qualities do you look for?

A career counsellor suggested I apply for grant writing... how does one get selected for such a job without experience?

Parents and Mac switch, regarding Excel

wumpus — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 09:52:00 -0800

My parents just bought a MacBook to replace their ailing old PC laptops. They do their business management in Excel 2003 on those machines, but want to switch to 2008. This process is apparently an exercise in frustration. I got this note from my dad:
"We (mum & me to some extent) NEED help... tutorial, functional cross reference or something the like to make the adjustment from ms excel for pc to excel for mac. The adjustment is proving very painful for use with business stuff so I need to solicite your help for transitioning."

I already suggested querying mactopia & other forums, but can anyone recommend any other resources for this?

Switching. Do I want a Macbook or Macbook Pro?

catatethebird — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:47:12 -0800

What will best suit my needs: a Macbook, or a Macbook pro? (I know there are many similar questions on here already, but I want info for the most current systems, and for how I will use it.)

I am switching from a PC, this will be my first Mac. I play games only occasionally, but I usually have a browser (Opera) open with about 15-20 tabs (yeah, ADD) and several other applications, such as YM or AIM, Word, iTunes, Last.FM, perhaps Photoshop, etc. So, no really heavy-duty music or photo editing, but I like to have a lot going on at once. I will be taking it to school with me most days, so I want it to be sturdy (more worried about internal durability than cosmetics.) Size is not so important to me compared with speed/power.
Is there a significant difference between a 2.4 GHz and 2.5 or -6 GHz processor?
I’m considering a refurb. Anything to watch out for?
Know of any secret deals I could get? (I am a student.)
What else do I need to know?

Looking for replies from those who changed careers to enter public education.

4ster — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:21:42 -0800

For a friend: If you have ever changed careers to become a public school teacher, I would love to hear your story, especially if you were already at the "married with children" stage of life when you made the switch. Are you happy with your choice? Do/did you regret it? What happened that you didn't expect? What was it like. Answers to any of or all of those questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, as always.

Please point me to resources to better understand "switching" in BDSM.

Forktine — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 10:42:14 -0800

Please point me to resources that describe the phenomenon of "switching" by some BDSM participants. Some of the answers to this question reminded me of how I wish I better understood switching in BDSM. (For the curious: Wikipedia, one description, another.) I'm not asking, "how can anyone be that way?" or if it is "normal" -- as far as I'm concerned, if it makes you happy and no puppies are harmed, all is good. I'm curious because although I am kink-friendly and have been so for a long time, almost all of my direct experience, and most of the depictions I have seen in books/films/etc, are of people comfortable staying in one role.

The question: I am looking for descriptions of how it feels to switch between such different roles, how the dynamics of this can work within a relationship, and how these roles get negotiated. Basically, I'm asking "how does switching work, in real life?"

In addition to whatever direct descriptions get provided here, I would particularly appreciate suggestions of thoughtful and well-written blogs, articles, essays, or forums that address this issue, as well as novels and films. Gay/straight/bi/other are fine. The only literary example I can think of is the main character in the Story of O, who spends the first half of the book as a submissive and transitions later in the book into more of a dominant role; there must be others that address this in a more grounded and contemporary sort of way. A lot of what I found via Google was very jargony, very play-party oriented, very formulaic; I'm looking for more nuanced and rich descriptions that get at the contradictions, compromises, and complications of living that identity.

If you aren't comfortable replying here, you can send me a MeFi mail, or send an anonymous email to the address in my profile. (I have read the previous AskMe questions with the "bdsm" tag, which have hints to this but don't address it directly. Google searches haven't produced the exact results I am looking for, either, aside from the links I gave above -- if you are providing answers via a search, please give pointers as to how you got there.)

Is there a name for this?

msali — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:56:44 -0800

Is there a name for this multilingual phenomena? I was recently introduced to the concept of code switching, and inspired by another question posted earlier today, I decided to ask about something that I experience frequently, and wanted to know if someone can put a name on it (I am looking at you, Languagehat).
When recounting a story I have read, television I have watched, or a conversation I have had, I frequently have a hard time recalling what language I read, watched or spoke. For example, I could be telling a friend about a story I read on the internet, and when queried about what country/language the story came from, I simply cannot tell.
For the sake of background, I should note that I am actively and passively trilingual (I am a translator, hence the frequent use of various languages). I use/write/consume all three languages on a daily basis, thereby leading to a bit of confusion as to which language I am actually operating in. I hope this isn't too vague, but I wonder, what is it called when you don't know what language you did something in? I thank you in advance for any and all elucidations.

Come to the CMS

acro — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:32:25 -0800

How to convince web designers to move from Photoshop-ImageReady to [insert favorite] CMS? Several web designers I know use Photoshop-ImageReady workflows for their web publishing. OK if everyone used the same web browser as them, otherwise gaps between the 'sliced' images and slow page loading times are the norm. Thanks metafilter.

Fast user switching a pain with a Mac Mini

dance — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:03:10 -0800

Fast user switching on a Mac with a custom keyboard layout Hi,
I have a family set up with a new Mac Mini. Re-use of existing monitor, keyboard, mouse - everything works as advertised save colour calibration of the monitor.

The problem is, in order for the keys (e.g. the forward slash, tilde and @ symbols) to be correctly mapped to the keyboard button labels, I found it necessary to download and implement a custom keyboard layout. This works great - but as soon as fast user switching enters the fray, things go to pot. The appearance of the login window changes the current input language to the system default (Apple's version of a UK keyboard) and it doesn't then reset to the user's preference on login.

I have logged this as a bug with Apple but I have no idea how long they'll take in fixing the bug and I'd really like my users to be able to fast user switch. It's much more convenient for them.

Does anyone have any idea how I can get around this? Possibly with DoubleCommand? Is that a global or per-user solution, and is it still giving kernel panics under Leopard?

Thanks a lot!

Tell me (a girl) how to sex up my partner like he wants: with me in charge!

Anonymous — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 23:31:23 -0800

My partner wants me to dominate him. That's totally not my style, and his pickiness makes it harder, but I'm trying my best, and it's working! Up to a point. (NSFW text inside.) I know a lot of this stuff is sensitive -- I completely understand, since I'm the shy, quiet type, and IRL I don't discuss my sex life at all with anyone I'm not having sex with -- so you can e-mail me at tryingtotop at gmail if you don't want to answer publicly.

I've known for quite awhile, and I made it clear to him from the very beginning, that I'm submissive in that I enjoy having my partner take charge. I also found out, with him, that I really enjoy being spanked and bitten and similar not-very-painful fun. He's okay with some of that stuff, but not with tying me up (something I want to try). When he's been in charge, he hasn't yet done anything more hardcore, really, than biting me and calling me names (which I don't like but he does).

Over the same months, he has been encouraging me to take charge of the situation. It's not that I don't initiate (I totally do -- I have a high sex drive and I'm clear about it), but it's very hard for me to forcefully take command -- which, of course, is what he's slowly revealing to me that he wants. It's really hard for me, mostly due to my nature, but also because even if we were both 100% vanilla, the sexual power would still be all on his side: he is older than me, he has tons more experience (he is my first partner), and he can physically overpower me.

Also, he is really picky about what he likes in that area. He also doesn't want to discuss kink -- he wants it to come up spontaneously in the middle of sex sessions, because (his explanation) what we might say no to normally could sound like a great idea when we're turned on. This means I have to walk a fine line between being creative and careful -- when I misstep by trying something he's not into, he gets grossed out and turned off, and shuts me down hard. As discouraging as that is, it's not something I can blame him for; I'd get turned off if he brought up a kink that grossed me out.

Anyway, I've found some things that seem to work, although the menu's pretty limited by his pickiness (list below). For example, we can make out while I undress him, then I can order him to sit apart and watch while I slowly strip and touch myself. (This alone represents a huge advance for me -- I do not like to order people around.)

Trouble is, when it comes time for him to get into the picture, everything goes haywire. The moment he touches me, I turn into a giant jelly -- moaning for him and totally at his mercy. I melt completely. Whatever toughness I have conjured up disappears. Obviously, that's no good for him -- he wants a girl who will sit on his face and ride him brutally without regard for anything but her own pleasure, but he's got a girl who, the instant she lowers herself onto his face, turns into a whimpering, begging mess. When I start going soft that way, it doesn't matter that we got to that point because I ordered him to lie down, hold still, and shut up.

So I guess my question is actually a couple of related questions. First, how can I overcome this? I'm sure it's related to my inexperience, but I've been doing this with him for a few months now and the way it affects me isn't lessening at all.

Second, what else can we/I do? "You sit over there and watch me" only goes so far. I mean if that's the setup for the third time in a row, he's got to be pretty bored with it by then.

Things I have established he is not okay with (aka really hard limits): pain, including mild discomfort like ice cubes; restraint, even light stuff with scarves; humiliation; anything nonsexual (e.g. making him do household chores); anything long-distance or outside of an encounter (e.g. telling him not to masturbate for a week); anything whatsoever going up his ass.

D/S-ish things I am sure he likes: me physically dominating him (being on top, sitting my full weight on him, physically forcing him to do things) -- tough because he is stronger than me; me ordering him around; (the idea of) me peeing on him -- I am not into it but okay with it, and trying, but it hasn't really worked yet (shy bladder I guess).

Other stuff I know he likes, in rough order: 69; eating pussy; being rimmed -- doesn't happen, I will play with his ass, but not with my mouth; blowjobs -- this totally makes me feel like the in-charge amazon he wants to see, but my mouth is occupied so I can't talk about it; playing with my butt (his fingers and tongue, nothing bigger yet) -- but this makes me feel super-submissive; dirty talk -- I am not good at it, although I am not embarrassed to try I seem to word things wrong.

Other technical stuff: We do not have PIV or anal sex, and we do not plan to (we are both 100% okay with this). We have not yet tried tittyfucking, intracrural sex, or other forms of outercourse -- I would totally try them (I love dry humping, so I feel like that bodes well), but I'm not sure how he feels about this stuff. Right now we deal with oral, oral, and more oral (and he also uses fingers and vibes on me). Sex is super-marathon -- when we see each other, it tends to be for 15-20 hours at a stretch, and in that time we take breaks pretty much only to eat, nap, and talk.

So how can all these preferences combine in some way that works for him and leaves me in charge?

Last question, I swear: I really want to call him names, but what? When he takes charge, sometimes he'll call me slut and whore (both of which I really dislike and consider very inaccurate, and they make me worry that's how he sees me) and bitch (which I dislike less, I guess since it doesn't specifically relate to promiscuity). I have been clear and told him how I feel; he doesn't get it, but says he'll try to stop, but when he's about to come it's not unusual for him to forget. I want to call him names partly so he realizes what it's like for me, but also because if he likes it, I want to try to understand why so maybe I can learn to like it too.

But due to years of cultural weighting, calling a guy a slut or whore is more likely to elicit laughter than shame. Can I still call him a bitch, or would that be weird? Is there anything else I can call him instead? "Slave" or "servant" or whatever would be way too hardcore for us (I definitely would not want him to address me by title as "mistress" or whatever). Also, he's not into humiliation, so I can't make fun of his (big, beautiful) dick or (highly developed) oral skills. Basically I want something to tack onto the ends of commands: "Get on your knees . . . bitch." Would calling a guy "bitch" work in that context? What else?

Thanks, MeFi -- again, you can privately e-mail tryingtotop @ gmail if you don't want to answer here!

Windows XP can't keep its windows straight!

chrominance — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 20:42:21 -0800

Bizarre Windows XP behavior: when switching between applications, sometimes more than one window will pop to the foreground. Huh? This is easiest to explain by way of an example. Say I've got Azureus, Firefox, Thunderbird, Winamp and Explorer open, and Firefox has focused and is maximized. If I switch to another application, say Winamp, the expected behavior is that the Winamp window appears on top of the Firefox window.

What often happens, however, is the Winamp window PLUS another application window both get raised above the Firefox window. As a result I'll get, say, Winamp on top of Azureus on top of Firefox. This odd behavior occurs regardless of what application I'm switching to or switching from, and the second window that gets raised to the foreground is also random (so in the above example, it could just as easily be switching from Thunderbird to Firefox, and bringing Winamp to the foreground as well). It is hard to reliably reproduce this behavior, and there seems to be no common cause.

This behavior seems to be specifically XP-based; Windows 2000 always acted predictably when it came to window management. Because of the nature of the problem it's really hard to Google, so I haven't even found any indication that this sort of thing happens to anyone else. Having only recently switched to XP from 2000, this has become my number one pet peeve about XP. It especially makes it hard to, say, read code documentation in a browser window and write code in a text editor at the same time—often I'll switch to the text editor, only to find Thunderbird or Azureus or Explorer now blocking the browser window for no apparent reason. Help!

Connecting an Xbox so it comes on automatically

gfrobe — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 08:20:13 -0800

When I had a Playstation, I could just turn it on and it would appear on the TV. I now have an XBox hooked up to the same TV through the same scart connection, but have to cycle through all of the inputs on my TV to get the XBox screen to appear. Is there a way to make it automatic like it was with the Playstation? Same goes for turning it off. When I turned off the PS2, the TV would come back on. Now, when I turn off Xbox, I have to repeatedly hit the input button to get the TV back. I haven't changed any settings on the TV since switching the games so am curious if this is a limitation of the Xbox or am I perhaps missing a setting somewhere?

switching dad

andrew cooke — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 09:47:57 -0800

help my dad (and me) feel happier about a mac (or otherwise). my dad is retired, but works part time as secretary (or chairman or something) for an industry organisation. he uses his computer (a dell running xp with ms office) to write letters and manage a few spreadsheets.

he's looking to get a new computer, and the budget he's allowed runs to a 17" imac (the flat screen one). i'm suggesting that he shift to a mac because i think it will be easier to use and more reliable in the long run, but i'm not 100% convinced (and neither is he). he's used to windows and his neighbour, who helps him out when things go worng, is used to windows. i am the other side of the world (in the future, with a mac, i'm hoping i will be able to ssh in and help fix things myself - he has a permanent net connection).

so i was wondering, is there a page/site anywhere for people who know very little about computers, who can explain whether this change is worthwhile? something i can show him. we've already decided how to move his files across (with a usb memory stick thing) and expect appleworks will be able to read the documents he has, and to save docuents in rtf format so his audience can read them.

does that make sense? personally, i have a couple of linux machines and a windows/linux thinkpad, but my partner has a powerbook, so i'm not apple-illiterate. onealternative would be a sony with a similar form factor (computer in flat screen) running xp.

sorry this is rather rambling. any relevant tidbits appreciated. to emphasise, this has to be information for someone who's not that clear on the difference between an operating system and an an application, or what a "file format" is (no offense, dad, just trying to get useful answers!).