Why do these coworkers need to know this? *Do* they need to know this? wackybrit is right that if they don't need to know (and obviously aren't curious enough about the topic to seek an explanation on their own), they're not going to end up remembering anything you teach them.

If you can frame your education campaign in terms of WHY your coworkers need to know about DNS (as opposed to education for education's sake), it'll help make the time you spend on this worthwhile.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:42 AM on September 16, 2008

I had a bilateral mastectomy a couple months ago after an early-stage cancer diagnosis, and can share my (still early) thoughts on dealing with breast cancer:

At the beginning, everything moves VERY fast. Detection, diagnosis, choosing treatment, surgery flew past really fast, before I'd even begun to emotionally process any of it and then everything switched into slow motion after surgery. Feeling better took forever and that was very hard to accept when everything else... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 1:30 PM on August 11, 2008

If social bookmarking STILL doesn't make sense after everyone's explanations, I recommend Commoncraft's Social Bookmarking in Plain English.

(Commoncraft is great for getting people like your mom or your boss to grok this crazy web stuff.)
posted to MetaFilter by katieinshoes at 7:38 AM on August 1, 2008

Some HD cams can downconvert (is there a more specific term?) and playback their tapes as SD. I'm pretty sure I've worked with a Canon HD cam that could do this. You'll of course lose quality, but you'll be able to get the content if you don't absolutely need it to be HD.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 4:50 PM on June 21, 2008

It feels wrong to give *everyone* a best answer, but you've all been helpful. Thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 3:15 PM on May 6, 2008

I use The Flip to switch between a Mac and PC. No flakiness except that when I switch to my PC, it takes a few seconds for the PC to recognize the USB mouse and keyboard.

And sometimes I can't find the clicker when it gets buried on my desk. And one time I dropped it in a glass of water and worried that I'd fried it, but it was fine.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 3:13 PM on May 6, 2008

At the moment, it's not just you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 2:48 PM on March 27, 2008

I use binsearch.info pretty regularly and am 95% happy with it. One annoyance: it's unsearchable late on Sunday nights when it goes down for maintenance. And that seems to be the time each week when I'm in a downloading mood.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:36 AM on February 16, 2008

My sister has a 2001 Jetta that had bizarro syptoms (check engine light when nothing is wrong, dashboard instruments acting downright possessed) for quite some time. The eventual diagnosis was that she had an after-market stereo that wasn't VW-compatible. Replacing it with (a more expensive) compatible one fixed everything. Other people are mentioning the radio being an issue, too. It sounds unlikely, but I'd start there.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:18 AM on February 15, 2008

I know nothing about leases or cars or California law, but on an episode of Cartalk, a caller with a similar issue (leased car failing in alarmingly dangerous ways) was told that most states have a lemon law for leased cars. They said if you bring the car in a certain number of times (3?) for the same problem and the dealership is unable to fix it, they have to let you out of the lease or give you a different car...or something like that. I've forgotten the details.

But... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 7:07 PM on January 13, 2008

And in response to unixrat, please don't try to photographically document your car stalling while in moving traffic. Your original question suggests that you don't have a death wish.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 7:08 PM on January 13, 2008

It's not going to even be worth the face value at this point. EE bonds are bought for half their face value and take a while (a decade-ish?) to mature to face value -- although they keep maturing for longer than that.

To get the cash, take it to a bank. You'll have to fill out the form on the back of the bond. Early next year, the bank will mail you a tax form for the interest earned and you will have to pay taxes on it.

If you don't need the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:25 PM on January 7, 2008 marked best answer

Finish the degree and then do Teach for America. (TfA is pretty competitive, but with the incredible demand for math/science teachers, you've got a good shot.) They'll help you get teaching credentials wherever you're placed.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:10 AM on December 28, 2007

Also worth reminding her that transmitting secure info (like FTP passwords) over an open wifi network is probably not a good idea.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 9:02 PM on December 11, 2007

First off, see and allergist ASAP and get a prescription for an EpiPen. (It might make sense to stash one EpiPen at your girlfriend's and one at your place or your car.) Because your reaction is getting more severe with each exposure and because the next step after hives is often your throat swelling shut, you need to be armed to deal with a more dramatic reaction.

Like you, I've got contact dermatitis to one or more chemicals that I can't really identify. And like you,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 5:24 PM on December 11, 2007

I am a former cheap Target bra buyer. No more.

Like commenters above, I ended up going down a couple band sizes and up a few cup sizes. It means I'm not going to find my size at Target, so I've ended up buying all my lacythings online lately. You're lucky to have some more options since you're in a big city.

I'm a big fan of Figleaves. Not only do they have bras that come in larger sizes, those bras were designed to actually fit those larger... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:58 AM on November 24, 2007

I've done a very tiny bit of crochet, and quite a bit of knitting.

Knitting may be a wee bit trickier than crocheting, but I've seen PLENTY of complete morons learn to knit successfully, so I'm convinced anyone can master the essentials with a fair bit of practice.

As others have said above, you're going to find a greater, more stylish variety of patterns with knitting. It really comes down to what you want to make. If you want to make basic hats... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:59 PM on November 19, 2007

My mom works at a lab where they do drug testing. When people come in for a test with a shaved head, they end up plucking a pube. It happens all the time and it really sucks to be the person that has to, uh, acquire the sample.

So if you don't want them finding a usable hair, shave everything. Although at the point that you don't have a single hair on your body, it's a pretty clear admission of something to hide.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 9:04 PM on July 23, 2007

No kitten wallpaper, but userstyles.org has a couple of metafilter styles.
posted to MetaTalk by katieinshoes at 6:34 PM on June 16, 2007

Have you considered Soundslides?

I work at a newspaper where our photographers and reporters love, love, love Soundslides.

It's very easy to create custom HTML templates that the swf is embedded in, but you can also download the flash component and customize that, too. And there's a support forum if you or your graphics guys want guidance.

It may not give you quite the degree of customization you want,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 7:35 PM on June 5, 2007

I have the same problem and have learned to wash everything I buy before I wear it (and don't forget to wash new sheets, blankets, gloves, etc.). I've never ever had a problem with anything that's been washed.

I went to an allergist and he said with things like this, it's really hard if not impossible to track down the exact chemical that's causing your hives, so your best course of action is to be proactive and wash everything.

A few things I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 9:03 AM on April 8, 2007

Sorry, no coffee yet. That should be "As I see it, there are two questions here:"
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 6:16 AM on April 3, 2007

I have no interest in going to court or getting in a big fight with my landlord. He's doesn't go out of his way to be a dick, but he's made it clear in the past that in situations where only one of us can win, he's not interested in hearing my side of the story. "Conversational gambit" doesn't work with him because he doesn't listen to me beyond the first sentence.

Why I want to leave early is a long story, partly involving him misrepresenting the awesomeness... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 6:34 PM on April 3, 2007

I grew up in Wichita, Kansas. I learned all those songs like "Miss Mary Mac" at the local Girl Scout camps. I'd think summer camps bringing in kids (and camp counselors) from different towns/states is probably a big way that a lot of these things get spread across the country.

I learned the "slug bug" game and how "jinx" works on the school bus (I walked to my elementary school, but in the summer we rode a bus to our summer program with kids... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 4:21 PM on December 3, 2006

It always smells funny the first time you turn on the heat. It's dust in the ducts/on the radiator/etc. singeing. Usually doesn't last beyond the first dayish (or even a few hours).
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:15 PM on November 5, 2006

In some places, leaving a referendum vote on your ballot blank still counts as a "no" vote. I'm not sure how common that is, but it may mean that it doesn't matter whether you check the "no" box or not.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 6:54 AM on November 5, 2006

You might look into Skype In. You get a regular (not 1-800) phone number with voicemail. Fees are per month rather than per call. And crazy cheap.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:31 PM on October 5, 2006

This won't help, but it's happened to me. And my sister. On stable machines with no other problems, with no explanation, no software crash before the songs disappeared. Me on a Mac, her on a PC. I lost most (but not all) of the tracks from the Garden State soundtrack (and everything else was fine), she lost tracks from the first several artists starting with the letter "A." Annoying as hell, eh?
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 10:33 AM on September 10, 2006

How small is your group?

I went out to Clinton Lake (overflow camping area) with a decent sized group of fellow college students, and the park ranger harassed us all night. Told us we couldn't have alcohol out there (not that he saw any), told us the campground was only for families and not parties, told us we were too noisy (we weren't that loud and it wasn't that late), etc.

I'd vote for a rooftop (worked for me), but that depends on whether... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 7:37 PM on September 4, 2006

While close to 'traditional' Q&A columns, why not have a male and female address the question, from their gender's perspectives.

They did this in my college paper. It was terrible. The columnists were consumed by trying to say something other than what members of their gender might stereotypically say. They ended up saying things that either (a) were very failed attempts at humor or (b) were offensive and thoughtless.

It... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 5:36 PM on September 1, 2006

BTW, "Pickles"?? What's the matter, Kansas, Marmaduke too secular for ya?

I work at the paper that did that survey. We're currently testing some potential replacements for the four strips that we decided to cut after seeing the results of the first survey.

This afternoon, I got to look through the reader comments so far. I was surprised at the lack of consensus, but the most common responses seemed to be... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by katieinshoes at 5:05 PM on August 22, 2006

If it helps at all, I know exactly how you feel, right down to obsessing over that one last accusation he hurled at me.

Meeting up with him? Well, I couldn't do it. Hearing him say "I'm sorry I was an asshole all those years ago" wouldn't take away the hurt and self-doubt he caused. But maybe hearing an apology would help you.

And if he still is an asshole, well, then it's good that there's distance between you.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:25 PM on July 25, 2006

Are you in college now? What are you studying?

I just finished undergrad with a journalism degree. I've spent the last two years in our student-run TV newsroom. The kids who did weather for our newscast were meteorology majors and also had to take all of the main j-school prerequisites (which they usually hated).

So if you're still deciding where to go to school, look for a university with both a good meteorology program and a j-school with a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:05 AM on July 16, 2006

They're really serious? This isn't an elaborate, badly done spoof?
posted to MetaFilter by katieinshoes at 6:25 PM on April 22, 2006

Advice by proxy (from my go-to guy for music advice):

Well, s/he could listen to KJHK, or check out our awesome website. Also, I didn't see My Morning Jacket, Broken Social Scene, The Sounds, The Lashes, Rogue Wave, The Coral, Laura Veirs, Fruit Bats, Josh Vanderslice, Solex, Nada Surf, Koufax, Spoon, The Cloud Room, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, Death Cab For Cutie, Wolf Parade, or The Faint mentioned.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 12:36 PM on April 13, 2006

Also metacritic.com.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 12:39 PM on April 13, 2006

On the archive page, there's a (strangely animated) "Guidelines" list in the sidebar. It not only specifically forbids plagiarism but also requires contributors to openly correct their mistakes. Underneath that part are email links for the blog's two admins. Has anyone alerted them yet?
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 5:11 PM on April 8, 2006 marked best answer

My mom's a microbiologist, and while these worms aren't exactly micro, she often had to identify them when doctors sent them in to the lab.

In 4h grade, she got me a preserved Ascaris to take to the Trading Post guy when he visited my school (do they do that anywhere other than Wichita?). I explained what it was, he didn't really understand, but I talked him into giving me 200 points for it. I traded my points for a peacock feather and some shiny rocks.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by katieinshoes at 7:20 AM on March 5, 2006

Did your ethernet ever work?

I suddenly had the same problem on my Powerbook and it turned out to be a broken pin inside the ethernet port. I had to send it in to get the part replaced. It was expensive and sucky.

If none of the software-related fixes work, you may need a network card like fvox13 suggests. I suspect that'd be a lot cheaper than getting a faulty part replaced.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 4:49 PM on February 28, 2006

I echo the suggestion for Wordpress -- I've used it for exactly the sort of thing you're talking about. They have a hosted service now.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 12:53 PM on February 25, 2006

Since you mentioned you're looking at Lunarpages:

I've used them for a few years, and have been generally happy (and hey, it's cheap). And then this weekend, something mysteriously bad happened to the server one of my sites is on. I got an email after it was already offline, letting me know they were doing an emergency server migration. The server was down all day, and when it was back up, I discovered that they'd restored with a three-day-old backup of my database --... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 7:23 PM on January 26, 2006

I was three when my mom got pregnant with my first sister. Admittedly, I don't remember much about the pregnancy except that I was hoping for a brother.

I do remember that I threw her a birthday party as soon as my parents brought her home from the hospital. I invited all of my favorite stuffed animals and arranged them all around her, then sang Happy Birthday a whole bunch.

I was a bossy kid anyway, but it was fun for me to have something to be... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 6:38 PM on December 14, 2005

This may not be helpful, but would it be possible to use fake flowers? Depending on what they're made of, they would absorb your flammable fluid of choice better, spark less, burn more evenly, etc. Just make sure to avoid ones with wires in the petals.

Since (depending on flower and sale prices) they're possibly cheaper, it could allow for some more trial and error before you blow your project budget.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:30 PM on December 11, 2005

My grandpa could do this too. I only remember him performing this trick once, and it was for my cousin and I when we were about 10. We examined the cards for several minutes afterwards, there weren't any kind of markings or differences. Grandma swore she didn't know how he did it either.

I'd decided it's some kind of grandpa-only magic, but I'd love to hear a practical solution, too.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:19 PM on December 11, 2005

I've got a pair of pink ballet flats from Payless, and while I get a ton of compliments on them they scuffed quickly and aren't so cute anymore. So you might avoid the very cheapest brands (if you're willing to spend more than $15).

Like everyone above has said, it should be incredibly easy to find this style of shoe in almost any store. Try DSW if they have a store near you -- they've got cheap prices and great selection. I'd stay away from anything overly-decorated... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 7:48 PM on November 28, 2005

Putting her in a job-threatening position is a bad way to start off a relationship.

Wait.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 6:49 AM on October 28, 2005

I work at the university TV station in Lawrence, KS. To get mugshots, we have to go to the county courthouse and fill out a request form. Then they print off their jpegs for us -- but they won't email us the same files. Go figure.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 6:17 PM on October 20, 2005

Ditto u2604ab. (And I'm a university student here in Lawrence.) Students don't vote for city council. I'm the only one I know who voted in the last city election.

Some concerns specific to Lawrence: Right now, everyone on the city council except Sue Hack is part of the very popular "progressive" coalition. I forget what their official coalition name is. Hack gets elected as the token "less liberal" figure, and she's in until 2009.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 10:04 AM on October 17, 2005

Something else to consider: Would the vibration of the motorcycle and the bumps in the road do harm to a computer? Especially if he's considering doing this on a regular basis? And what if it starts raining while he's driving around?
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 9:11 PM on October 11, 2005

Regarding group work: DO NOT do group work because you've been told it's a good idea. DO NOT do group work unless you are absolutely sure of its merit.

I've had way too many teachers, TAs and profs alike, who regularly break us into groups to discuss the day's topic simply because they've been told we learn better this way. We end up talking about what an ass the teacher is instead of doing what we're supposed to.
posted to Ask Metafilter by katieinshoes at 8:11 AM on October 9, 2005