Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with underwater

Selling an underwater house?

antipode12 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:15:48 -0800

Previously I was considering bankruptcy, but now I'm considering selling my house. My fiancee has left, I have $50k in CC debt, student loans, and a mortgage that is under water by $15-25K. Renting it out will only cover 2/3 of the mortgage/taxes/ins., and nowhere to live. I'm thinking about selling it, but what happens if I sell for less than I owe? Also, I'd be responsible for the realtor's fee (4-6%= appx. $20-25K). Add those together, and it's 30k to 50k to SELL my house and get out from under the mortgage. What happens to the balance that I would owe? Thanks!

Unda the sea

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:01:30 -0800

What to do about an 'under water' (financially) home? I knew my home had dropped in value since I bought it, like everyone else's, but when I called the other day to inquire about refinancing, I found out it dropped much further than I thought. It's now worth $10K less than my mortgage. Now I can't sell it without taking a beating.

So, is there anything I can do besides suck it up, keep making mortgage payments, and hope the property value picks back up again? I've heard some vague talk on the radio about stimulus relief programs for people with homes that are "under water" like this. Does that relief mostly come in the form of better refinance rates or is there something else to it?

Underwater kids computer game?

keribear — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:06:35 -0800

Another Old Computer Game Filter: Underwater treasure finding for kids circa 1995? Help! So my memory has waned a lot more than I thought. I have fond memories of playing this computer game at school with my friends when I was 12 years old or so... but I think the game was actually aimed at younger kids, maybe 8-10 or so. All I really remember about this game was that you swam underwater (you may or may not have been a fish, in fact) and searched for lost treasures. I think there were three treasures per level, maybe? And there were rainbows - lots of rainbows. A pretty froofy game, actually - we girls played it to kill time, but the boys thought it was just ridiculous.

I have no other hints, except that it would've been played on an IBM machine - probably Windows 3.1. I've seen Metafilter identify some really obscure movies & games - and I REALLY hope you guys can help! Bonus points to anyone who can tell me where I might download it or a similar game. Thanks! :)

Is there help out there for landlords who want to avoid foreclosure?

karmagirl — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:16:44 -0800

I'm a landlord who's completely underwater in her mortgage, has a job but just received a pay cut, and has tenants but the rent doesn't cover the mortgage payment. Can I get help even though it's no longer my primary residence? Or will I have to become another statistic and go into foreclosure? I became a reluctant landlord when I had to move out of the state for my new job and wasn't able to sell my house. I found tenants and have been renting the property for a year and a half, but the rent is $800 less than my mortgage payment. I'm charging as much rent as the market in that area (northern VA) will bear. The house is worth half as much as I paid for it in 2006, and I'm underwater in my mortgage by about $150,000. I have not purchased another house, and am currently a renter myself.

I have a good job, but my entire company just went through mandatory pay cuts to try and survive. I've racked up quite a a lot of debt (other than the house) trying to survive myself. It's gotten to the point where I just can't afford trying to hold on to that house anymore. If I could at least get my mortgage payment to be as much as the rent that's coming in, I could probably hold on. But since I'm labeled as an "investor", not a primary residence homeowner, I can't get my lender (or anyone else that I've found) to even listen to my predicament.

I want to do the right thing, especially when it comes to the tenants (I have no desire to screw them over). I don't really want to add to the housing market disaster by adding another foreclosed property, but I may not have a choice. It's a huge amount of debt that I'm not sure I should risk trying to hold on to. Is there any hope or help out there for someone like me? Are there any companies that can help me renegotiate the terms of my mortgage, even though I don't live in my house anymore?

Where to develop underwater camera film?

roxie110 — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:46:28 -0800

Where should I get my underwater camera film developed in San Francisco (or by mail, if there's a good option)? I bought one of those cheap underwater cameras for a trip to Mexico, but don't really want to get it developed at a drug store like Walgreens or Rite Aid. But because it's a cheap camera, there are probably only a few good photos on there, and I don't want to spend a fortune for 20 blurry fishlike photos. Any suggestions for a happy medium? Thanks!

Software to create underwater (topo) maps

flixz — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:01:09 -0800

I wat to create a detailed map of dive site including elevation data. I'm looking for a straight forward simple cartograph software which allows me to create these underwater maps. I'm using a mac. Windows tips are also most welcome.

Pressure on people - people on streets

pickingoutathermos — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:21:04 -0800

Mechanical Engineers: calculations for sealing an underwater enclosure ? I'm designing an underwater enclosure for a movie camera, made from 1/4" Aluminum tubing. One end will be welded shut, but the other will have a removable cap with a gasket squished between two mating surfaces.

Assuming a maximum water pressure of 300psi, how do I calculate the required clamping force to keep the gasket seal in tact ? I can't quite wrap my head around the free body diagram....

New Jack City

theyexpectresults — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:32:46 -0800

What is the (english) name of this diving technique? I know the Japanese name. I am trying to find the name of the technique used by police divers (frogmen) when searching an underwater surface for bodies (or anything else).

It involves anchoring a buoy to the centre of the search area. Then a wire is tied to the centre buoy line and swept around in circles by several divers. The seabed is like a clock face with a line of divers pushing one of the hands around.

In Japanese, this has a very specific name, ジャックシティ. This is difficult to google for since it basically reads "jak city" and hence turns up crap like this.

I think it is more specific than (or different to) a "tight wire search".

Thanks.

I remember the album cover, but what's the title and who's the artist?

The Card Cheat — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:14:35 -0800

Years ago I had one of those "greatest album covers" books, and there was one (a jazz LP, I believe) that featured a gorgeous black and white photo of a woman floating in a lake or river, wearing a white dress, with only her face above water (the photo was taken benearth the surface, so her face wasn't visible). There was no writing of any kind on the cover. Anyway, I've been trying to find out which album that is for years now (the book is long gone), to no avail. Does this ring any bells with anyone?

I am a nose breather! Help me not be!

fogonlittlecatfeet — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:08:39 -0800

How can I breathe from the regulator underwater while taking my mask off!?? I am taking SCUBA lessons... we have had 2 pool sessions and one of the tasks we have to complete is swimming and breathing underwater using only the regulator and removing our masks.
I CAN'T KEEP THE WATER FROM GOING IN MY NOSE AND DOWN MY THROAT.

I have been practicing and can go under and, if I am very still, I can keep the water out. I might even get a breath out of the regulator but more than one or two and I am gagging and sputtering.

It is hard enough to do just sitting there but the bubbles I exhale go up my nose and ruin whatever I am doing to keep the water out.

They keep telling me "You are a nose breather, just don't breathe through your nose"... but I am not doing it on purpose! Believe me I don't like how it feels when it goes in there.

I am trying to figure out how to separate my nose from my mouth breathing! Please help!
If you have any tricks of the trade please pass them along.
Did any one have this problem and over come it? How? I want to dive! But gagging on water makes me want to shoot to the surface which is a major no no! I panicked once in the pool and bailed. Next Sunday we are diving in the springs (at Weeki Wachi) and it will be a lot deeper than the swimming pool. Im getting nervous and anxious about it which is a shame because this was such a fun thing to begin with!

underwater point-and-shoots summer 2008

johannahdeschanel — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:50:38 -0800

Anyone know of a good, cheap (< 300$) digital point and shoot with above average underwater shooting capabilities?

What are the best books on and of underwater photography?

kwaller — Sun, 04 May 2008 20:12:21 -0800

A great book about/of underwater photography, for the gifting? The giftee is a talented amateur photographer who'd like to branch out--and into the deep. He's working on getting good housing for his digital SLR, and the boyfriend and I would like to provide some inspiration. We're looking to spend around $40–75.

So I'd like to find two good books: a guide with solid tips for underwater photography, and a gorgeous coffee table book, maybe concentrating on the Caribbean.

Does the hive mind have any suggestions? I've perused Amazon, but first-hand experience would be fantastic.

le grand bleu

6am — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:52:39 -0800

How do you learn to hold your breath underwater for longer?

force fins vs. force fins

luriete — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 14:26:37 -0800

Are Force Fin-brand "slim fins" just as good for recreational SCUBA diving and snorkeling as the standard "original/dive" model? I like all the adjustable options of the slim fin, but I am wondering why every vendor - not just the examples on Amazon - show the more customizeably and sturdier looking slim fin as being $10-$20 less expensive than the original/dive model. If anyone else has other suggestions, please do post. I got my certification with this type of fin and always liked how comfortable they were and how easy they made beach entry and exits, and how easy they were to pack. Force Fins are expensive but it looks like I can get a pair for $50 or so on ebay, if I buy used. Also, I notice that many on that site are labeled as for fishing, but look like the normal dive model (??).

Underwater Love dance mix?

Constant Reader — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 06:26:28 -0800

I give up. I've been searching for months for a remix of the song Underwater Love by Smoke City. The version I'm looking for was on an electronic/dance compilation a friend had bought in Spain in the late 90s. I'm not even sure if this version was done by Smoke City. The original song is slow and lovely, but I want the fast danceable version. Any info or leads would be appreciated.

Peering into the depths of AskMe

Popular Ethics — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 21:17:54 -0800

Attention optics geeks: Will a flat water/air port affect a lens' minimum focus distance? I have a very specialized lens application at work. We need a long telephoto zoom lens (>500mm) which will look through a flat port into a tank of water. I have found a lens [pdf] which meets all of our specs except for one - the minimum focus distance is too long (5m, we need to focus as close as 4m).

I know that the water/air port will increase my effective focal length by about 33%. What I'm wondering is whether the light-bending power of the port might also reduce the minimum focus distance from the manufacturer quoted air-value.

(This isn't my area of expertise)

Name that mid-eighties DOS game

slightlybewildered — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 14:40:55 -0800

What is this? Mid-late eighties DOS game. In space or underwater. Little submarine or spaceship guy, cruising around a platform/maze type environment. There are teleports with codes to move between some areas. x Purple/blue/white/black colour palette. (similar palette to Alley Cat which I also played at my friend's place at the same time, along with Captain Comic)

How do undersea cables terminate?

phyrewerx — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 22:41:56 -0800

How do undersea (and trans-ocean) fiber optics communication cables and trunks terminate? Do they rise out of the beach like a giant mass and snake into some building or does it branch out under sea and connect underground? Question kind of prompted by curiosity about this outage.

How do undersea organisms manage it?

Rothko — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 22:04:47 -0800

So I was watching BBC's Blue Planet documentary, a chapter of which covered deep sea life... If the underwater vessel capturing all the film footage needs to be pressurized to keep from being squashed from the external water pressure, what physiological differences allow organisms that live that deep to survive without also being "squished"?

Where does underwater basketweaving come from?

zardoz — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 00:51:29 -0800

At least since I was a kid, there's been the joke/expression "underwater basketweaving." Namely as a joke college major: "What's your major?" "Underwater basketweaving." What is the origin of this expression? Anyone know?