Lasik FTW. I had it less than a year ago and it's probablydefinitely the best $3500 I ever spent. I was very nearsighted (and astigmatic) before the surgery and now I've been glasses-free for 10 months (and loving it).

A caveat, though -- avoid PRK unless you're some sort of extreme athlete who regularly gets direct pokes in the eye, or your doctor tells you it's absolutely necessary due to eye shape or whatnot. A friend of mine had PRK and he tells me it was quite... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 11:27 AM on December 17, 2007

$60k is not a lot of money in the New York area. It probably goes a lot further in Dallas (as you already know). At $60k you will have to share an apartment -- or find something ridiculously small -- if you want to live comfortably and put a little money aside. Also I don't know where you're from, but perhaps you've not experienced a New York winter. If you're from the southwest, it's a non-trivial consideration too.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 2:48 PM on December 16, 2007

I wasn't really suggesting that living in Manhattan is expensive -- everyone knows that -- but I used to live in Hoboken and the least I could have paid to live comfortably by myself in a place where I could expect not to have six-legged roommates was, in 2001, about $1500/month. I'll admit that this was just before the dotcom bubble burst, though. I also had to pay around $5,000 in broker's fees and security deposit before I got the keys (combined, I can't remember which was how much).... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 3:01 PM on December 16, 2007

cklennon - in that case I say definitely go to New York. It's a more interesting place by far, you'll always have stories to tell around the table at Thanksgiving and when you have a few years' experience under your belt you'll find there are a lot more advanced opportunities for someone in your field.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 3:11 PM on December 16, 2007

You really need to make sure to check that your computer isn't using bittorrent and isn't infected with spyware or other malware, as has been mentioned. Also newer versions of bittorrent come with something called "Bittorrent DNA" which is a bit (I said a bit!) like that "shadow network server" that kazaa used to install, and which adds a lot of network traffic through your computer. Be sure to deinstall that.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 2:43 PM on December 16, 2007

Maybe you should sleep around with more girls without taking it too seriously. It doesn't sound like a good answer to the question, I know, but I've recently been in a situation where I took things too seriously too quickly and the woman involved told me to back off -- and that the reason things weren't working out was that she had more less-serious experiences than me. When I sat back and thought about it I had to agree with her.

So in conclusion -- don't take things... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 2:40 PM on December 16, 2007

3-button, single-breasted dark gray or black suit. You can probably pick one of those up at Men's Wearhouse for pretty cheap. If you want to buy only one suit, this will do for practically all occasions.

For summer, you can make it a light gray/black.

I'd recommend having suspender buttons installed, I always like to have those personally.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 7:50 AM on December 19, 2006

"As a result of this problem, I've dropped out of college to pursue more clients to stem the tide of debt that we started to accumulate. I don't hold it against her, but I see no relief in sight. What would you recommend I do?"

Clearly you're committed to the relationship to the point where you're effectively mortgaging your future for the sake of the couple. Have you confronted her directly with things as you've put them to us... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 5:46 PM on December 14, 2006

The Ferry Muckers.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 7:56 PM on December 8, 2006

Thus spoke Zarathustra or Beyond Good and Evil (Nietzsche), or perhaps Leviathan (Hobbes).
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 7:51 PM on December 8, 2006

You should probably get a second gigabyte of RAM if you want Vista to run well.

Also I just looked up the specs on your board from the ECS web site, and it doesn't mention any sort of onboard video, so I'll assume you meant a video card with 256MB of video memory...
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 7:57 PM on November 10, 2006

MAC address registration is so stupid in so many ways...

1. If you have a relatively recent laptop, your laptop probably has two MAC addresses, one for the wired port and one for the wireless.
2. It takes about 10 seconds to change the MAC address either of your network adapters (or both) transmit.
3. Every single ethernet adapter adapter out there -- whether it's built-in, PCI, USB, PCMCIA, etc. -- has its own MAC address.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 6:54 PM on November 8, 2006

Cool! thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 1:59 PM on November 7, 2006

You can start with HP dv200t from the HP store, then customize the specs (top Turion x2 CPU, 2G RAM, DVD-RW DL) and it'll be cheaper than the one you mentioned. In fact you can then equip it with 2 12-cell batteries and it'll still be $50 cheaper.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 7:55 PM on October 25, 2006

You might be able to open the RAW files from the 30D with Lightroom (a free beta until March). Yes, I realize it's a workaround...
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 5:19 PM on October 24, 2006

I recommend the Century Southern Tower at Shinjuku station. It's right next to the train station and a really nice hotel located on the top floors of a skyscraper. The views are fantastic.

In Kyoto I stayed at the Gimmond, which is a very, very ordinary business hotel, but much less expensive. I've heard good things about the Okura.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 4:50 PM on October 23, 2006

Incidentally you might also want to take a day trip to Hiroshima. Granted its memorial museum is not your average light-hearted tourist destination, but it's definitely worth a visit. Nearby is the temple island of Miyajima which I highly recommend; its ferry is accessible via the Hiroshima tramway.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 7:25 PM on October 23, 2006

People may be people, but generally it's a woman who tries to strongly encourage her (male) partner to give up all his non-couple-or-family-related acquaintances.

That's one annoying thing. When men do the same with their girlfriends they are considered "suspiciously jealous" and thought to be over-possessive.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 9:08 PM on October 22, 2006

I guess I just don't generally think very much of someone -- be it a man or a woman -- who wants a couple to become like one person. Granted I'm not a young man and this may color my opinion, but if each partner has gone 20-30 years before meeting the other one should be able to assume that he/she has his/her own interests, friends, opinions, etc. and that they aren't going to just disappear because you've started sleeping with the other person. Yes, a relationship is going to mean certain... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 9:26 PM on October 22, 2006

Jealousy is indeed a pretty bad one, but there are plenty of jealous men out there as well.

Funny thing -- a girlfriend once accused me of being jealous... and ten minutes into that argument admitted that she had made the accusation to "compensate" for her own jealousy of a common friend. I really don't have a clue what that "compensation" system is like, but it's got to be seriously messed-up.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 7:10 AM on October 23, 2006

Bad credit will definitely bar you from working as an accountant.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 8:51 PM on October 12, 2006

"got" implies action, while the "was" construction is inherently passive.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 4:53 PM on September 8, 2006

It's my understanding that the bag collapses because your sucking the air out actually causes *negative* pressure inside the bag, so I would have to say that yes, it would still collapse, while the sucking is going on.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 4:47 PM on September 8, 2006

LCDs were a big no-no in prepress prior to integrated color management (like Adobe Gamma for Windows and ColorSync for the Mac); the case for CRTs is not nearly as strong now. By using Adobe Gamma I can easily produce photos using my LCD that look great color-wise when displayed on most devices.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 3:33 PM on July 3, 2006

A kefir yogurt could do the trick. There are many flavors to choose from, and I definitely notice a difference in my "awakedness" about 10 minutes after consumption.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 10:34 AM on June 27, 2006

Choose something that you like and won't make you wheeze. Remember that you're the one who's going to be smelling it all day.

Personally I like Gucci Rush, it has a nice sandalwood scent to it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 7:51 PM on March 8, 2006

I prefer to think of it this way -- people suck, so really there's nothing wrong with misanthropy.

Except babies. You should always smile at babies and small children; the real world will get to them soon enough so you might as well give them a break while they're still small.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 9:12 PM on March 6, 2006

anonymous posted "How can I escape the 'friend trap'?"

Don't put yourself in that situation to start with. Once you're in the "Friend zone" there's no escape.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 8:02 PM on March 6, 2006

You could buy a Ferrari Enzo, drive it from point a to point b where you resell it at a hefty premium. That shouldn't be too hard, since there are only 399 of them (or is that 398 now?) and there will never be another one made.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 7:57 PM on March 6, 2006

Call me cynical but whenever I see a stranger walk towards me on the street I completely ignore him/her nowadays. 6 years of living in the New York area will do that to you -- you'll literally have heard them all by the end, and a good 95% of the stories are complete bullshit.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 7:44 PM on March 6, 2006

More to the point, though -- it was my experience in the US that doctors would give you a number of free samples of medication if you looked like you'd have a hard time paying for it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 7:46 PM on March 6, 2006

Why don't you just withdraw the money using your debit card at UK ATMs? There's hardly a place you can go to now where you couldn't do just that. There's also a lot less risk of your spending a chunk of your purported vacation being detained and questioned by the DHS.

Alternately you can buy a bunch of AMEX traveller's checks and cash them at AMEX offices in the UK. If your bank has a branch or office where you're going (some of the larger banks do) you might be able to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 7:41 PM on March 6, 2006

Following on this logic, why not have four bottles of wine in one sitting once a month? Or eight every two months?..
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 9:44 AM on December 4, 2005

Spoiler alert!










"To Serve Man" is... a cookbook!

Well now I've gone and spoilt that "Twilight Zone" episode for everyone.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 11:04 PM on November 5, 2005

teece writes "The closer I get to a survival situation, the less I need my glasses."

Ain't that the truth... when I had my big car accident it took me 10 minutes to notice that my glasses had been whipped right off my face. That's adrenaline for ya.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 10:21 AM on September 10, 2005

If you don't like alcohol you can try those "non-alcoholic" beers with .5% alcohol/volume perhaps?

Alternately you can try drinks mixed with flavored vodkas, which have less alcohol than regular vodkas. My favorite is strawberry stoli + diet pepsi.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 8:03 AM on September 10, 2005

Mass-produced American light beers (Bud light, Coors light, etc.) won't overwhelm you with the taste of alcohol... or beer, for that matter. It sounds like a snark, but taste-test a Bud light versus, say, a Stella Artois, and you'll be shocked at how true that is.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 9:07 AM on September 10, 2005

You may be unable to breathe out easily depending on the position you're in while falling, and that might cause you to pass out.

Of course that would take a while to actually happen -- at that point being unconscious wouldn't be nearly as important as the fact that you'll soon hit the ground at very high speed.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 1:59 PM on August 17, 2005

Buy it, or risk regretting the savings later...

Doubly so for Apple hardware, which can be quirky and not easily user-fixeable.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 1:55 PM on August 17, 2005

Try Web 2 FTP.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 1:49 PM on August 17, 2005

I'd second the "start a career in bankruptcy" advice. I'm not sure if you need to be a lawyer for that; most of the people I know in this field are in fact accountants. The trick is that they get paid first when handling cases :-)
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 1:45 PM on August 17, 2005

Another thing -- when interest rates start rising you'll see more and more houses being repossessed by banks from victims of these adjustable rate mortgages that seemed like such a good idea at the time. If you have a big enough nest egg, use it to buy repossessed properties for cheap with the intention of selling them for higher prices once the market picks up again. This does, however, require some patience.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 1:48 PM on August 17, 2005

Definitely invest in a high-end Zojirushi if you eat rice frequently (3+ times a week). That's what I did, and it's well worth it. I find that I do have to add slightly more water than indicated, but it's never even come close to burning rice, even though I sometimes leave it in "warming" mode for a whole day.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 9:40 PM on August 16, 2005

You definitely need a good, solid tripod. Secondly you should consider investing in a 300mm macro zoom lens (that's always produced the best results for me). The strength of the tripod is very important because that sort of lens will make your camera very front-heavy, and this gets worse as the lens gets extended (obviously).
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 2:09 PM on August 11, 2005

Isn't Chelsea vs. Arsenal somewhat of a Derby game? I would have thought it was a very obvious one!
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 2:02 PM on August 11, 2005

Don't be afraid to buy a refurbished item. Likelihood is that it's been tested more than a new current-line item. Maybe I've just been lucky, but so far all my refurb laptop purchases have been trouble-free -- the only laptop I've had problems with was a Powerbook I bought back in 1988 whose screen died (but which Apple somehow fixed amazingly quickly).
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 1:46 PM on August 11, 2005

oops, that would be 1998, not 1988! No such thing as a 1988 Powerbook!
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 1:48 PM on August 11, 2005

Any torrent search engine will also have lots of the most garish and annoying ads in many forms. er, so I've been told.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 5:19 PM on July 15, 2005

I found that there is a huge difference in funk between different brands of sandals. In my particular case OP sandals are pretty much stink-free, but Nike ones are the worst -- when I went to Europe last year I literally had to put the sandals out on the balcony at night, and wash my feet and powder them as soon as I got to the hotel room.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 4:49 PM on July 8, 2005

There may be a few factors at play here.

First thing -- change the default DHCP range, because of the possibility that someone else near you may have the same brand router as you do. Interference could cause your good network signal to be interpreted as unusable, causing the laptop to switch to another network. I would suggest 10.10.10.0, which is also a "private" address (there's another "private" range but I can't remember what it is just now).... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clevershark at 5:33 PM on July 6, 2005