Longtime lurker, first post. Could you help with some ideas for a white elephant gift exchange party with my coworkers. The company is a fairly conservative large corporation. The gift needs to be secular, inoffensive, good humor and under $20. Last year some popular gifts were Snuggie, Dilbert calendar and so on.. Food/wine seems to be ok but not popular. Any trendy gifts for 2010 or techtoys will also help. Thanks much.
posted by whistle
on Dec 3, 2010 -
24 answers
I once had brown hair. Over the past ten years, it changed to grey and then to white, with very fast change during stressful periods periods in my life. After recently using a dermatological shampoo for seborrheic dermatitis, it's changing back to brown. Is this normal, why might it be happening, and might it be a problem?
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posted by Ahab
on Dec 3, 2010 -
16 answers
I am looking for the whitest sketching paper available. I don't know how whiteness is measured, some say bright white some pure white, and it is hard to compare online, so I am seeking your hand on experience.
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posted by convex
on Nov 29, 2010 -
7 answers
I'm looking for a specific type of program. Brainstorming/note taking/tag cloud-esque Windows software, preferably allowing the user to enter short pieces of text then drag them around and link or group phrases or words together. A replacement for a physical whiteboard where short ideas would be jotted, reworked, and linked together haphazardly, where short phrases and words can be stored and inspiration gained from their juxtaposition.
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posted by fire&wings
on Oct 9, 2010 -
5 answers
Photoshop function to display multiple versions of the image with different color casts.
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posted by jcdill
on Oct 8, 2010 -
3 answers
I've got some vegetable tanned leather which I want to turn into my own made to measure sports bag. I want the bag to be white. Is there such a thing as white penetrating leather dye?
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posted by Sourisnoire
on Oct 6, 2010 -
2 answers
A month ago or so a bit of water made it into a corner in my carpeted basement floor and subsequently dried. Now, in that same area, it looks like someone sprayed some white shaving cream on the bottom of the wall. Is this mold (I assume yes)? If so, what's the best way to treat it? If not, what the heck is it?
posted by evadery
on Sep 4, 2010 -
4 answers
How do you get brown spots out of white furniture?
We have white dresser drawers that we just bought my daughter. They are high end wood dressers from a company called Pulaski. There is some kind of laminate on it because it is very smooth. We put a CD player on top of it and on the bottom of the CD Player there are little rubber like pads on it so that it will not scratch furniture. It is a common, regular CD player and the pads look common enough. Our own clock radio in our bedroom has the same kind of rubbery pads on the bottom. So anyway, it has been very humid, and within a week of buying this expensive set, I saw brown stains in the shape of the round rubbery pads on the dresser. How do I get them out?
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posted by lynnie-the-pooh
on Jul 21, 2010 -
6 answers
I'm taking a quick trip to NYC and the cheapest flights I can find are to White Plains.
How difficult will it be for me to get from the White Plains airport into the city (my hotel is on Park at 26th)?
Thanks!
posted by tmharris65
on Jul 10, 2010 -
7 answers
Why do we say "red, white and blue" to describe the American flag? Who, or what, decided that order?
posted by Lucinda
on Jun 14, 2010 -
18 answers
I'm trying to remember the name of a band, among whose defining aesthetic characteristics was the prominent use of a band-wide? uniform including white pants and/or a white belt. Probably 80s? Maybe New Wave?
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posted by cortex
on Feb 19, 2010 -
29 answers
Looking for a good flatscreen TV, 42" or thereabouts... and white. I haven't been able to find anything that size that isn't in industry-standard black. Any suggestions?
posted by Riki tiki
on Dec 2, 2009 -
8 answers
Help me find images of handsome, manly men in white sweaters. I'm trying to convince my husband that a white sweater is as versatile as his dour browns, blacks and grays. If they are layered with shirts under or jackets over, all the better. Thank you!
posted by B-squared
on Nov 6, 2009 -
28 answers
Can you help me not freak out about my suddenly spiking blood pressure? This is related to birth control and anxiety. Also looking for methods to calm myself down in anticipation of a reading.
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posted by rachaelfaith
on Oct 10, 2009 -
8 answers
Shooting a black and white 16mm film. It's my first (an "exercise"), and I'm not yet sure of the stock.
How do different colors show up when filmed w/ BW film? My specific concerns: how best should I costume my actors so they remain dynamic when photographed (ie. nice deep blacks or pure-ish whites; avoid grey)? Esp: how can I costume them to keep them distinct from the background (grey/brown garage walls). Let me know if you need more info to be helpful; thanks meta people.
posted by barfmann
on Sep 14, 2009 -
8 answers
Do you know a low-cost white label video solution with privacy settings that hide the video from the public but allow you to embed the video where you want?
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posted by ialas
on Jul 21, 2009 -
3 answers
What does the blue flag with a wavy white line (horizontal, I believe) represent?
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posted by sicem07
on Jun 25, 2009 -
4 answers
Where can I pick up Black and White film in Lima, Peru? There´s an abundance of photo processing shops with colour film but can´t find anywhere which sells black and white film (Fuji Neopan, Ilford etc) or more specialised slide film.
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posted by ashaw
on Apr 21, 2009 -
0 answers
What medical procedure (assuming it is a real one) is depicted on the cover of the Penguin Classics edition of Patrick White's novel
The Vivisector? (
This link goes to the Amazon page for the book. Not for the squeamish.) Try as I might, I can't make much sense of this image.
posted by Prospero
on Apr 15, 2009 -
5 answers
My glasses have black plastic frames and they turn white when wet from water or sweat, how can I get them clean?
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posted by BugsPotter
on Mar 23, 2009 -
2 answers
We're two people working on a complex project, and we're sending each other sixty emails per day, everything from brainstorming to future ideas to testing notes to expense tracking. We're burning out fast, and need to shift planning and discussion to project management software (web-based, please).
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posted by jimmyjimjim
on Feb 21, 2009 -
13 answers
When I google my own name the first entry is from WhitePages.com which is displaying my address and phone number (I have a landline). I don't want it displayed!!!! How do I get rid of it??
posted by xm
on Jan 14, 2009 -
7 answers
How does the U.S. presidential transition at the White House actually occur? Who does what where, when and how?
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posted by webhund
on Jan 8, 2009 -
6 answers
Need photography help in the Kansas City Metro area. I have no photog back ground so I need some advice. I have several old black and white negatives from the 1940's. They need to be developed and printed. Then I want to archive them on cd's. The size is
6 1/4 inch by 3 1/2 inch. Any recommendations? Thanks
posted by Upon Further Review
on Jan 7, 2009 -
9 answers
What do I need to know when choosing a wall-mounted projection screen for my living room?
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posted by cortex
on Dec 20, 2008 -
9 answers
Is there a firefox addon, or anything, that can change professional white webpages to a darker color? All this trendy white space bugs my eyes!
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posted by Citizen Premier
on Nov 30, 2008 -
10 answers
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?
posted by The Card Cheat
on Oct 21, 2008 -
5 answers
How does one get clear, bright white healthy "eyeballs"? You know the white area around the pupil, or whatever you call it!
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posted by gttommy
on Sep 18, 2008 -
11 answers
I have been teaching myself guitar over the past few years and I still don't understand how to structure and play a guitar solo. Let's say I am playing a simple blues progression (I-IV-V) ...I have taught myself the blues scale... but when do I play what note? And do I need to move the scale up/down the neck in time with the progression. I want to be able to noodle an original solo... not just copy something already recorded.
posted by punkfloyd
on Sep 10, 2008 -
18 answers
I am at a new job with restricted internet access. They have a list of white listed sites, but no one seems to know what sites are on the list, and I can't ask anyone because the company uses a third party solution and their website doesn't have a list of the sites..
Is there a program that will determine what sites are on the white list by brute force?
posted by Infernarl
on Jul 14, 2008 -
9 answers
SO setting the more pressing questions aside, I'm having an evening of wine and conversation with my former educational director and always friend...Wine is the libation of choice...
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posted by dawson
on Jun 29, 2008 -
13 answers
Why does the water from our kitchen sink come out white? It appears to be thousands of tiny air bubbles and they eventually clear up a few minutes after I pour a glass of water. But what causes this? I'm assuming its safe to drink because its just air (and this is what I tell all our weirded out guests) but really...why?
posted by minicloud
on Apr 9, 2008 -
5 answers
