Activity from arco

Showing comments from:

Displaying comments 1 to 50 of 408

Ask post: How flexible do I need to be to become an academic librarian?
Whether or not you have to move to find a job depends almost entirely on where you live. Here in DC, there so are many colleges and universities (and other, specialized research libraries) that there are almost always opening of some sort. In Pittsburgh, where I went to library school, there are only a handful of academic libraries, and therefore the job market is really tight.

I agree with the above comments that the key is to work--volunteer or paid--in a library... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 9:43 AM on September 30, 2008

Ask post: Help me see some of Europe!
My wife and I are planning a trip to Europe in the spring, and one thing I've discovered thus far is that if you want to use the really cheap airlines (Ryanair, etc), be sure to note the baggage fees. Sure, your airfare between cities might be $25 total, but the extra fees (especially the per-kilo baggage fees) can easily add up to hundreds of dollars. It still might be the best option for you, but caveat emptor.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 1:14 PM on September 29, 2008

Ask post: File recovery on Windows XP
Not sure if it would work in this instance, but it wouldn't hurt to try Recuva.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 1:37 PM on September 18, 2008

Ask post: Because lonely academics are cute
Thirding Wonder Boys. It's like a far superior version of Smart People, set in the same city (Pittsburgh). When you watch it, look for me: when Michael Douglas's character comes home at night to find a massive party going on, I'm the guy on the left walking down the middle of the street in the snow. (It's right after the Howard Johnson's scene.) I'm also in the audience of the literary festival at the end of the movie, but you'd have to know where to look.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 10:18 AM on September 18, 2008

Ask post: DCFilter
Stop by the Washingtoniana Division of the DC Public Library, located only a block of Chinatown. If anybody will have books, articles, and photographs, it will be them.

There's a similar collection at the Gelman Library at GWU, but you may have to be a GW student to access it. Double-check the site to make sure.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 7:07 PM on September 17, 2008

Ask post: (Un)connecting Domains
FYI: Using the tool linked by [@I][:+:][@I] above (from YouGetSignal.com), I found 13 domains hosted on the same Dreamhost server as one of my domains. But I own none of these 13, and none of my other domains show up on that list. YMMV.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 3:04 PM on August 20, 2008

Ask post: Age discrimination in UN hiring?
Yes, they want people who will make this a career, and to that end I think entry-level officials sign a 30-year contract (if I remember my conversation with my UN-worker friend correctly). I assume this is the reason for the age cutoff.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 11:30 AM on July 21, 2008

Ask post: 1987 Washington Times access needed.
I don't have an answer, but perhaps someone at the Washingtoniana Division of the DC Public Library does.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 10:27 AM on June 25, 2008

Ask post: Extra deaths in Shakespeare's Hamlet?
I don't have an answer for you, but I would suggest contacting the Folger Shakespeare Library (here's their Ask a Librarian form). A researcher there might be able to give you some leads.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 1:10 PM on June 16, 2008

Ask post: Online reading room help
Might drop.io work?
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 2:22 PM on May 12, 2008

Ask post: Drumline music?
The drumline stuff is a bit buried, but you may like !!!'s "All My Heroes are Weirdos".
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 7:32 AM on May 12, 2008

Ask post: What are the most interesting issues in your field?
Some very interesting things are going to be done in the coming years using GIS tools and techniques to study historical events such as the Holocaust. Nobody's quite figured out where it's going to go, to my knowledge.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 11:47 AM on May 11, 2008

Ask post: .mov file converter + format advice please
The free version of Any Video Convertor can easily convert your file into an .mpg format, which you should be able to load into Movie Maker for editing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 11:04 AM on May 11, 2008 marked best answer

Ask post: Help me help my videos!
Windows Movie Maker?
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 2:30 PM on April 25, 2008

Ask post: Beard, or no beard for my wedding?
You could try both: some pictures with the beard, then--after a quick shave--some without. You could also throw in some mad muttonchops or a fu manchu if you have the time. Imagine the future awesomeness of having three different looks in your wedding photos.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 10:06 AM on April 23, 2008

Ask post: "Hang on...what am I doing?!"
"The Good Old Days": The Holocaust As Seen by its Perpetrators and Bystanders, edited by Ernst Klee, Willi Dressen, and Volker Riess.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 12:19 PM on April 1, 2008

Ask post: Where can some Buddhist families find land to buy?
There are lots of places in West Virginia, near a city like Morgantown or Charleston, that meet your criteria. (Aside from the "East Coast" bit, of course, depending on how you define it.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 2:03 PM on March 27, 2008

Ask post: CAY-muss, de-LEE-yo, NAY-bo-koff, PROWST
Most of these (and many more) can be found on the Library of Congress's Say How? page.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 9:04 AM on March 26, 2008

Ask post: German Children's Books and World War II
I am unaware of any studies that took that particular approach to explaining Nazi Germany, but as Razzle Bathbone said you may want start with Kamenetsky's book. The first chapter, "The Roots of Children's Folk Literature in Pre-Nazi Germany" provides an overview of the development of children's literature and other German writings (such as folk stories) for children in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Later chapters outline how the Nazis subverted this tradition to their own... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 10:30 AM on March 21, 2008

Ask post: Weekly meetings are the SUXORS
Have you considered a (private) weblog? Twitter may be a little too precious for your needs.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 11:52 AM on February 29, 2008

Ask post: Where should I travel to if I don't want to sightsee?
This may sound totally off the wall, but how about Las Vegas? There are hundreds of hotels, many of them pretty cheap but still nicer than your average Holiday Inn. Moreover, people are used to minding their own business in Vegas, so nobody would look at you funny if you said you just wanted to hang out alone in your room for two weeks. And with all the buffets and decent, inexpensive restaurants there, you wouldn't have to eat the same crappy room service food every night.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 10:16 AM on February 25, 2008

Ask post: Need help keeping an eye on the internet
I assume you read Eater SF.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 10:07 AM on February 20, 2008
Have you tried Update Scanner? Or, if you want to pay for it, Check&Get is very good. These programs will alert you when a site is updated.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 10:22 AM on February 20, 2008 marked best answer

Ask post: Restaurant recommendations in DC?
I'm sure you'll get many, many recommendations, but the first place that comes to mind is Gordon Biersch at 9th and F streets, which offers several options for private functions. But I would suspect that most of the nicer restaurants in DC would have similar spaces. Find out your boss's favorite place(s) and call them.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 7:22 AM on February 20, 2008

Ask post: Inexpensive all-day spa near NY or DC?
I have heard great things about the spas at Berkeley Springs, WV, which isn't too far from DC.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 9:59 AM on February 14, 2008

Ask post: Distilling Pittsburgh to its very essence
I'm sure others will tell you all you need to know, but I wanted to mention that Pamela's in Shadyside (and Squirrel Hill, and a few other locations) is the best breakfast restaurant I've ever visited, bar none. You also might like the Church Brew Works in Bloomfield.

After you visit Jerry's, go up to Gullifty's for dessert. You'll thank me later.

The Chihuly exhibit at Phipps might be worth your time, if you're into Chihuly. The nearby... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 12:28 PM on January 17, 2008 marked best answer

Ask post: Big BIG Books
Did you ask a children's librarian?

Check the links at the bottom of this page.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 11:49 AM on January 15, 2008 marked best answer

Ask post: you CAN always get what you want...
Do you want songs about selfishness or songs about greed? They can be two different things.

"No Compassion" by the Talking Heads.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 8:18 AM on January 14, 2008

Ask post: Online financial resources
I'm seconding The Simple Dollar, which is consistently the most informative and interesting personal finance weblog I've come across. Get Rich Slowly is also excellent, but if you can only read one I suggest you go with The Simple Dollar.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 11:13 AM on December 30, 2007

Ask post: that 70's southern california brownish-orange sun-soaked soft-focus style
Is Robert Bechtle the kind of artist you are thinking about? His work is more Northern California-based, but his paintings are what I think of when I hear "1970s California."
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 2:17 PM on December 7, 2007

Ask post: What are the most intellectually stimulating podcasts?
Depending on your interests, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's Voices on Antisemitism podcast series--which has featured interviews with people as diverse as Cornel West, Errol Morris, and Shawn Green of the Mets--might be interesting. Even if it doesn't sound some something you would get into, I recommend giving it a shot.

(Full disclosure: I work at the Museum, but not in the division that develops the podcast series.)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 2:20 PM on November 20, 2007

Ask post: Books about Burma?
I wasn't in the correct mood for it when I tried to read Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin, but if I were traveling to that country I would definitely read it. The Amazon page also includes a few other recommendations.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 2:06 PM on November 19, 2007

Ask post: Can anyone remember the name of a book from my childhood?
Number the Stars has nothing to do with Siberia. Besides, it was written in 1989.

Check our annotated bibliography of children's books about the Holocaust to see if any of those titles/summaries rings a bell. If not, let me know and I'll look into it. I should be able to figure this out if nobody else here has any ideas.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 11:33 AM on October 31, 2007
Was this fiction or nonfiction?
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 11:37 AM on October 31, 2007
Pater Aletheias might be right, although that link is off. Here's the summary of The Endless Steppe from OCLC: "During World War II, when she was eleven years old, the author and her family were arrested in Poland by the Russians as political enemies and exiled to Siberia. She recounts here the trials of the following five years spent on the harsh Asian steppe."

It was first published in 1968.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 11:40 AM on October 31, 2007

Ask post: U2 Drums Howto?
No source for this (yet), but I remember reading at the time that Larry discovered a unique, smaller snare drum in Australia (I think) that he then used for Achtung Baby and maybe Zooropa. I'll try to confirm this...
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 11:59 AM on September 25, 2007

Ask post: Big girls don't cry
Instead of treating the symptom (the crying), perhaps you can address the underlying problem of receiving criticism in those situations. The book Difficult Conversations may help. I know it sounds a little hand-wavy, but several people I know swear by that book.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 2:39 PM on September 24, 2007

Ask post: Please help me find where this WW2 soldier is buried
Perhaps a librarian at the Robbins Library in Arlington, MA, can help. They may have local newspapers from the time period.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 2:57 PM on September 23, 2007 marked best answer

Ask post: Great view of airports
Gravelly Point Park sits only 400 feet from the runway at Washington National Airport.

The most extreme example (scroll down to see the pictures) I can think of is at Maho Beach on the island of St Maarten.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 12:11 PM on August 10, 2007
No, this is not photoshopped.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 12:13 PM on August 10, 2007

Ask post: Help me be a cool older cousin in DC!
Once you're done at the Library of Congress stop by the Folger Shakespeare Library next door. They have a terrific exhibit right now about Shakespeare in American Culture.

And the college visit is a great idea. If she's still getting a feel for colleges you can show her a variety of different campuses so she can get a feel for the difference between an urban school (GWU) and a more secluded campus (George Mason), and large school (U Maryland) vs. small (Trinity, I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 1:12 PM on August 7, 2007

Ask post: Hire me. Please?
I can't really help you much with the job, but if you need a break drop me an e-mail and perhaps all of us can finally have the long-awaited Silver Spring meetup people have been too lazy to plan. Welcome to the neighborhood! Now get a job.

(i kid i kid!)
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 6:41 PM on July 30, 2007

Ask post: Playlist suggestions, world/lounge/techno
Thievery Corporation, perhaps.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 11:10 AM on July 18, 2007

Ask post: Books for someone who loves Hornby and Perrotta
Hornby has a young adult (YA) novel coming out soon called Slam. I picked up an advance copy at the American Library Association conference and I have to say I liked it better than any of his other novels I've read, although the fact that it's written from a YA perspective may not float your boat.

And I'm thirding Russo.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 2:40 PM on July 11, 2007

Ask post: What would make a good "negative anniversary" gift?
Get a nice, leatherbound journal that you two can use to record the year leading up to (and including) the wedding. All the mundane details, nervousness, excitement, frustrations, etc., may become valuable memories someday. This assumes that you would take the time to actually enter details as they happen...
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 4:49 PM on July 7, 2007 marked best answer

Ask post: Babymoon in Charleston: please suggest eats and sleeps
Just to clarify, do you mean Charleston, SC, or Charleston, WV (or some other city)?
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 8:37 AM on July 3, 2007

Ask post: How not to be anal about finding a good career
Have you ever worked in a library? I hope this doesn't sound dismissive, but the job requirements are a LOT more extensive than just a love of books. If at all possible, get a job in a library, or just volunteer in your local public library, so that you can see what we do up close. There are lots of web sites like becomealibrarian.org that offer insights, but I think after a few months of being in a library every day you'll know for certain whether it's right for you. Then you can look for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 3:55 AM on June 23, 2007

Ask post: last minute tickets to 930 club?
Craigslist.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 9:08 AM on June 20, 2007 marked best answer
Specifically.

Good luck, and be prepared to pay for them.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 9:09 AM on June 20, 2007 marked best answer

Ask post: Best program to get your downloaded movies to play on your DVD?
Why do you assume this person is downloading pirated material?
posted to Ask Metafilter by arco at 6:30 AM on June 20, 2007