Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with unanswered

Song lyric: "No deposit, no return"

ikkyu2 — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:00:42 -0800

Remembered song lyric: "No deposit, no return." What song? So back in the 70s I was hanging out in a hip swinging bachelor pad - sunken living room, shag carpet, Steely Dan on the hi-fi - and I dimly recall hearing a song on the radio that had the refrain, "No deposit, no return." It was a male voice, and the style of music would have fit right in on a radio station that played the Bee Gees, Abba, E.L.O., or Earth, Wind, and Fire. I remember liking the song because I recognized the phrase from my Coke bottle - I was 7 years old, maybe younger, at the time - and because it was sort of a wistful song.

Surprisingly, Google hasn't helped me figure out what it was. It definitely wasn't Skyclad, Black Flag, or Sheena Easton, and I don't think it was PWEI or the Justin Heyward track that Google popped up.

Anyone know what song/artist this was?

configuration of vista breadcrumb bar/firefox second tab row

lrodman — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:15:34 -0800

Is it possible to trim Vista Breadcrumb sections so that the breadcrumb bar doesn't clip off most of the path in long titles? I.e. anything over say, 10 characters gets cropped, so that long paths can be shown? Also, is there a way to fix the glitchy second row of tabs in firefox? I want the second row of tabs to have the same height as the first, so that graphics don't go all screwy.

Is it possible to disable the Windows XP Slideshow Folder View

lrodman — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:41:44 -0800

Is it possible to disable the Windows XP slideshow folder view, or at least set it to not be default? I want to do this without disabling custom folder views; I know I can set all folders to display a certain way (I like tiles), but I'd like to be able to give some folders their own custom view settings (i.e. I like showing my mp3 folder as detail view with custom columns)

What type of story wins the Toronto Star's short story contest?

winston — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:27:37 -0800

What type of stories win the Toronto Star's short story contest? I mean, beyond what's in the Star's rules and guidelines -- does history show a bias towards a certain subject matter or style, etc.? The judges are from the Humber College creative writing program -- does that mean there are any types of writing that are especially in/out of favour?

Code Coverage reporting with .NET 1.1 without NCover

blue_beetle — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 13:34:32 -0800

Suggestion for Code Coverage reporting with .NET 1.1, now that NCover has become commercial, and closed source?

Is it possible to export an .ics file from iCal containing just today's events from specific calendars?

jack_mo — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 11:28:39 -0800

Is it possible to export an .ics file from iCal containing just today's events from specific calendars? I assumed I'd be able to do this with Automator, but it doesn't have any actions for exporting from iCal.

So is there a way to do this, perhaps with Applescript? I've tried Googling to no avail - there seem to be plenty of scripts to export todo items in various ways, but nothing regarding calendars for a given date that I could find.

Alternatively, is it possible to make a new 'daily' calendar containing all today's events from specific calendars (and nothing else), which I could then export manually? Again, I can't get Automator to do this - the New iCal Events action won't take input from Filter Items in iCal or Get Specified iCal Items.

I'm running iCal 3.0 on OS 10.5.

Publicly available databases involving terrorism and war

proj — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 08:49:28 -0800

After hearing this story on NPR this morning about the Harmony Database of al Qaeda correspondence, I began wondering what other public databases like this exist out there that are ripe for analysis and picking apart. I'm looking specifically for things like this related to the "War on Terrorism" and the Iraq War, but older stuff would be good too.

What is a good "art cheer" for a K-6 art teacher's classroom?

sciurus — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:02:05 -0800

What is a good "art cheer" for a K-6 art teacher's classroom? My friend is a brand new K-6 art teacher. She's trying to come up with a good art cheer/chant/motivational thing as a part of getting her kids into the art-making mode. I figured querying the hive mind for a bit of creativity might help her out. Thanks, yo.

Do you recognize these songs?

salvia — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 02:38:50 -0800

Do you know any of these songs? Do these lyrics sound familiar? I've been trying to re-create an old lost mix tape and there are a few songs I can't find on Google. I don't know their title or who sings them. Do you recognize any of these?

Song #1: Funk jam band probably from Asheville or Boone, NC, circa 1997. "Easy days, easy ways... You must make your own life easy and then your days will be bright and free, hey!" (Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band? Possible, but none of the song titles on that album sound right.)

Song #2: A woman giving a speech over a hip hop beat. Heard on UC Berkeley's KALX in December 2002. "There are the party goers, and the party throwers. Let me explain the difference. The party goers are like 'oh girl did you hear about the party?? I'm gonna go, gotta get me that new blouse, it costs about five hundred dollars.... The party throwers are like 'I'm gonna rent me this big hall for five thousand dollars. It fits a thousand people, and I'm gonna charge twenty dollars a person, and I know I'll fill it up cause if you not there, you just, square. And I'm gonna crank up the temperature and make it real hot! They'll be sweating! And right about when they get reeally thirsty, I'm gonna bring out some bottled water. I'm gonna charge three dollars a bottle. 'Three dollars a bottle, that's too much!' 'Well, if you go out, you can't come back in.'"

Song #3: Upbeat, sing-songy male voice with backup females. Folk radio show in 2002. The gist of the song is "...if you can't afford the rent, there's a solution to be found.... that's right, Self Storage!" "Doo wop! Eight bucks a month!" "So if you're running out of dough and if your nest egg isn't hatching, if you're [something something something] and your [something] isn't [something]. Just put yourself in storage." "Eight bucks a month!"

Anything ring a bell?

sometimes you feel like a nut

DenOfSizer — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 03:54:19 -0800

How can I make boiled peanuts using my rice cooker? And other unusual things not indicated in the operators' manual? I have a tiny little kitchen in NYC and don't want to buy a bunch of gizmos, but a rice cooker is pretty essential to my life, but how can I maximize my counter-top appliance's potential? I love boiled peanuts but 4-7 hours of stove top cooking both appalls and frightens me (don't handle committment well!) and I'm not looking to get a crock pot. Wild theories as well as tried and true tricks appreciated!

How can I print a USPS media rate shipping label?

nitsuj — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:38:06 -0800

How can I print a USPS media rate shipping label? Using USPS.com, the cheapest I can ship a package via the click-and-print label creator on their website is Priority Mail, which is about $3 more than <1 lb media rate. why doesn't the usps allow me to print off a media rate shipping label from their website? i use swaptree. when i generate a shipping label through their website, it's at media rate via usps. so i know it's possible. why can't i do this? i'd use swaptree to print the label if i could, but they allow it when a trade has been accepted, and i need to ship non-swaptree stuff. This thread says that Paypal does the same thing, but I don't have paypal.

Am I missing something on the USPS site, or is there a third party service that will allow me to print media rate shipping labels?

Thanks!

Editing MP3 tags with Explorer

danb — Sun, 27 May 2007 07:44:50 -0800

For a friend: How do I get the option to edit the mp3 tag in Windows Explorer with right clicking and going to Properties? In Windows, when I right click on an mp3 and go to Properties > Summary > Advanced, the option is greyed out. In the Properties > Summary > Simple I am given the option to give the title and leave a comment. But that is all. I am the computer owner and I have given myself full administrative rights for the account I am using.

What is this grotesque, possibly German short story?

bubukaba — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 17:53:30 -0800

Help me remember the name and author of this short story. The pathetic male main character is abused and humiliated by an abusive female character (his wife, I think). The culmination involves some sort of grotesque and humiliating performance by the main character at a party, arranged by the wife. I vaguely remember the author being German (though I could be wrong), and I read it in an anthology, so it's probably by someone pretty well known.

Is the solution for us all to become Peruvians?

grouse — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 07:49:32 -0800

I am looking for a quotation similar to "Ron Paul, who believes the solution is for us all to become Peruvians..." I thought this was in a Molly Ivins column, but the closest I can find is this column, published 13 October 1996 in the Austin American-Statesman:

In the amazing 14th, Democrat Lefty Morris (his slogan is 'Lefty is Right!') faces the Republican/Libertarian Ron Paul, who is himself so far right that he's sometimes left, as happens with your Libertarians. I think my favorite issue here is Paul's 1993 newsletter advising 'Frightened Americans' on how to get their money out of the country. He advised that Peruvian citizenship could be purchased for a mere 25 grand. That we should all become Peruvians is one of the more innovative suggestions of this festive campaign season. But what will the Peruvians think of it?

Have searched for ["ron paul" peruvian solution] on Google, Yahoo, and Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe. Apparently the newsletter was called the Ron Paul Survival Report, but I am looking for a quotation about Ron Paul, not from him. Any other ideas?

Mach Speed Trio Media Player firmware upgrade or reset? Device continuously reboots.

loquacious — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 23:44:12 -0800

I need help with a Mach Speed Trio MP4 1GB media player. Shortly after purchasing it has begun rebooting continuously. I'm looking for any or all of the following as pertaining to the cheap-ass SigmaTel-chipped MP3/SMV media player known as the "Mach Speed" "Trio" 1GB MP4 Media Player (recently available from Fry's Electronics):

1) The main manufacturer's website, with support/driver links. It doesn't seem to exist. SigmaTel provides no end user support.

2) A firmware updater for this device and/or chipset. The Win98 and video conversion utility was included on my min CD, but not the firmware utility. (Which is indicated in the manual.)

3) Any and all related utilities or advice.

It worked as well as could be expected for a number of days, and has begun spontaneously and continuously rebooting. I've tried formatting the drive, deleting the firmware-created config files, hard resetting and more. I've even cracked the case and inspected the power and battery connections, as well as inspected for obvious shorts, debris or unseated plugs/sockets. Nada.

The device appears to work just fine and very reliably as a drive, but the OS/interface doesn't load when disconnected from USB. (OS will not load with USB/power connected - it's just not designed to do that even when operating normally.)

Disclaimer: I should have known better, but it was shiny and purchased in the form of an on-the-spot gift in shape of "you have X dollars to spend here at Fry's the day after Thanksgiving in less than an hour. Go!" and I panicked.

I like the gadget otherwise, but it seems doomed for a refund. This is the player on Fry's Outpost.

This is the Mach Speed official website, which I just found but contains such a distinct lack of useful support that it transcends the surreal and bizarre.

I need to dig up a song from my memory.

winston — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 13:55:56 -0800

How to help myself remember the words and tune of a song I sang as a child? When we were kids, my siblings and I had a prayer that we sang as part of our bedtime routine. I learned later that my Dad had written it. I recall that others who heard us sing it often commented on what a pretty song it was. When I was in university (1990-95) I could still recall and sing the whole thing and I remember thinking what a nice job my Dad had done in coming up with it.

But somehow since then it's disappeared. I don't remember a single word or note. I think it was 4 or 5 lines long. That's all I've got. My mother, father, brother, and sister remember less than I do. As far as I know, there's nobody else in the world (other than the five of us) who has ever sung this song.

I would like to get this song back. Anyone have some tips on how to prod my musical memory?

Help me find rare Texas rock music

mds35 — Fri, 23 Dec 2005 08:58:13 -0800

Help me find two super-rare 1980's recordings from Dallas/Ft. Worth-area bands: My Three Sons and The White Shapes. In the late 80's and early 90's I used to stay up late taping songs from punk and indie-rock radio shows that were broadcast on KNON 89.3 FM and KTCU 88.7 FM.

On the tapes I made, I have recordings from two bands, The White Shapes and My Three Sons, that I never was able to see perform, and I have never been able to track down actual recordings by them.

Here's what I know about the bands:

THE WHITE SHAPES formed in the mid-80's and played most of the usual Deep Ellum venues such as Trees and Prophet Bar. Their sound was a washed-out, jangly, guitar-based garage-y pop-rock, with harmomized vocals. Kind of a c86-meets-shoegaze with a touch of Husker Du thrown in.

The White Shapes songs that I taped from the radio are called "Crystal Smiles" and "American Spectator."

MY THREE SONS were, I believe, based in Fort Worth. They played venues such as The Axis and possibly The Hop. They were around in the late 80's and possibly early 90's and had a reputation for frequently being too drunk to put on a reliably good show (at least that's what a high school friend of mine told me).

The My Three Sons songs that I taped from the radio are called "Stop" and "Feels Like Fire." Their sound was also characterized by jangly guitars but their music was darker and more agressive, featuring bass-driven melodies, twangy disaffected vocals and a slight psychedlic edge a la early Bunnymen.

It is quite possible that neither band had an official release, but as I heard them/taped their songs from the radio, I know that recordings were made, at least in demo form.

I have been trying to locate these recordings for over a decade. The first place I tried was Bill's Records and Tapes in Plano. No luck. From time to time I check back with Bill's either through email or on MySpace, but I rarely get a response.

I live in New York now, so scouring Dallas record shops is not an option. Occasionally I will email a record store or two in Dallas to see if anyone can help, but to no avail.

I have met people on-line (MySpace, mostly) who were part of the 80's Deep Ellum scene but no one has been able to help me locate a recording or give me names of people who were in those bands.

The closest I have come is meeting a guy who used to book acts for Trees and Prohpet Bar. He remembered each band and said that he used to have their demos in a box in his mother's attic. But when he went in search of them they were not there.

So...this is probably one of the longest shots ever fired on AskMe, but I have seen you people do some amazing things on these green pages. If anyone can direct me to where I can purchase a cassette, LP, or even a CD-R, from either of these bands. I would be much obliged. Alternately, if I could somehow learn the names of people who were in these bands, that might be a start.

Automotive Repair classes in NYC

milovoo — Sun, 02 Jan 2005 13:50:07 -0800

I'm looking for schools that offer courses in Automotive Repair in the New York City area (or even better, Brooklyn), does anyone know of a comprehensive list?

Need to Replace Computer Power Supply Manufactured by C&C Tech Co Ltd.

twine42 — Wed, 13 Oct 2004 07:11:30 -0800

ElectronicsFilter : I've got a knackered power supply in my hands. I need to replace it, but I'm having a hell of a time. Any help would be appriciated. [MI]

Quotation about watching the swirling mass of humanity

uncanny hengeman — Wed, 01 Sep 2004 18:21:35 -0800

Quote help. I'm looking for a quote where a guy talks about being on top of a hill of sorts, watching the swirling mass of humanity below. He says it in kind of a boastful way, how he almost observes with amusement.

My Google-fu isn't working. I've tried dozens of combos of keywords with no luck. (Trouble is, I don't know if I've remembered the keywords properly.)

Find Missing Person in Italy

selton — Tue, 29 Jun 2004 15:53:15 -0800

I want to locate someone: but I only have flimsy search material.

The last address I have for him is from around 1970 in Naples,Italy. I know his full name & d.o.b. I know a few other random details about him (one of his sister's names, his fathers business, his job in 1970 etc.) He has a fairly unusual surname, but common first and middle names.

I've found an online Italian phone directory (pronto.it), he's not listed. He may be dead, he may have emigrated or he may just not be listed.

The geneaology websites appear to be (a scam and/or) dealing with details that are much older than I'm looking for. I've searched on familysearch.org for free but no luck there either.

Can any Italian speaking mefi users tell me if there are any newspapers with birth, death & marriage announcements for Napoli? I've tried using babelfish + "google translate" to read the paper's web sites that I can find, but I can't seem to see anything like that in them.

Question number 7513

Termite — Tue, 25 May 2004 22:58:30 -0800

Single-celled organisms are beautiful when viewed really close. Does anyone know an online gallery of large, high resolution images of protozoa? [c'mon in]

An overview of the situation in Fallujah from an American point of view?

mikeyb — Wed, 12 May 2004 12:49:51 -0800

I'm looking for a single article that gives an overview of the situation in Falllujah from an American point of view. [More inside]

Question number 7014

Masi — Wed, 05 May 2004 01:51:34 -0800

Does anyone happen to know when was the last referendum held in France (a national referendum, not a local one)? I've tried Google, but I probably didn't use the right keywords.

Thanks.