Is it summer where you are, possibly a humid summer, and you have the air conditioner on? Air conditioning drops the humidity indoors considerably, and if you're used to going outdoors during the day then it can definitely make the shock worse. Wreaks havoc on my sinuses.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 5:47 PM on July 22, 2008

The band used for 3g in the US is not the same as the one used in Europe, to my knowledge. In other words, you could take a US one to Europe, but you're probably not going to get 3G service, just EDGE or good old GPRS.

Annoyingly, AT&T also uses a different band than T-Mobile in the US, I believe. I'd double-check since I am basing this on what I read a couple years ago, in regards to 3g.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 9:29 PM on July 13, 2008

I would almost bet that the problem Bibliogeek linked to is to blame.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 8:34 AM on June 13, 2008

You swallow saliva, breathe, blink, and do a number of other things that are at least partially controlled by the autonomic nervous system all the time but they only really become evident when you think about them. When your mouth is held open for a long time and disrupts your swallowing, or you lose other distractions because you're lying in bed, then you're more apt to consciously control these actions.

You're the same as everyone else.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 12:47 PM on June 5, 2008

I would like to congratulate you for writing a well-worded AskMeFi post, tossing an Achewood quote in as your anonymized email, and being willing to confront this situation instead of letting it continue to get you down. You may not realize it, but you've already succeeded in attaining a level of self-awareness that many people never reach.

What you can do is this: Come up with a vision of how you would like your life to be, and take the steps to get there. You do not... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 12:37 PM on June 5, 2008

Pick a service like Expedia, Orbitz, or one of the other popular ones and compare flights. If there are any regional carriers you think might be somehow cheaper, check their websites, but it's likely their flights are already listed at the same price at one of these travel sites. Book as soon as possible. If you have to rent a car, then an airport further away might be worth it. If you can rely on local transportation, then get as close as possible to your destination since it'll likely be... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 5:33 PM on June 4, 2008

FWIW, using a Macbook Pro (2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB memory, standard issue Apple laptop hard drive) I can encode a movie from a DVD to the iPod preset in about realtime, if not better, depending on the options I've checked in Handbrake . I'd say you're CPU-limited more than anything.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 9:35 AM on May 27, 2008

The official US government word on the subject.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 8:41 AM on May 9, 2008

Note that the bundled copy on a Software Restore disc might not be immediately obvious, either. In the past, I've used Pacifist to get the Omni installers out of the main bundle structure, if I remember correctly.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 2:46 PM on May 8, 2008

You could check imdb, where there are pictures of Eric Godon and he appears to be a separate actor, and individual, from Udo Kier.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 2:28 PM on May 7, 2008

ignignokt's link seems to be to something completely unrelated, but I can attest that I used ZiPhone on my iPod touch on Windows and it works fine with my Mac.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 11:44 AM on May 1, 2008

Coupons aren't "free advertising," they're just plain old advertising. They use both a visual advertisement and price incentive to try to get customers to purchase a product. A successful result for running coupons in a local paper wouldn't be the successful redemption of a lot of coupons, it would be an increase in sales proportional to the advertising budget spent.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 6:29 AM on May 1, 2008

I hate to be the only one taking this track, but have you considered treating the actual problem instead of its causes? It sounds like you're getting up to go to the bathroom once or twice but it's not hurting your sleep. The real problem here isn't that you're getting up, it's that it's bothering your girlfriend. Is it because she hears you get up, or because it disrupts the bed? Looking into a mattress that doesn't transmit as much movement to where she's sleeping, putting a rug on the floor... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 8:40 AM on April 30, 2008

I had a much, much earlier edition, but I remember the Deitel & Deitel Java book to be decent.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 11:28 AM on April 23, 2008 marked best answer

If I type in a partial URL like "amazon", normally I'd expect my browser to figure out that I meant amazon.com and go there. And indeed, it worked that way until about two weeks ago.

This is pretty inefficient. Your web browser is making a DNS lookup for "amazon," which could resolve either to a local machine or to a really odd domain, and when it fails your browser was smart enough to try tacking on a ".com". Now, your... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 11:01 AM on April 22, 2008

My apologies, I didn't mean to be condescending, but I missed the following paragraph (which really puts a weird spin on the situation) and if this is an issue with your ISP's DNS server, then routing your DNS traffic elsewhere or switching providers may be the key. In any case:


I have two Macs running 10.5, connected via cat-5, and one Mac running 10.4 connected via wifi, all running into the same old-ish Netgear router (which has current firmware)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 8:41 AM on April 23, 2008

And this is really reaching, but the "caching negative DNS responses" issue mentioned by wyzewoman might actually be helping your wireless connection. I've had old-timey modem and wireless connections consistently miss DNS server responses due to packet loss, causing really erratic behavior.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 8:44 AM on April 23, 2008

I have a cheap Griffin iMic I use at work to get around audio hiss issues, and it's pretty cheap. It won't do any amplifying of the signal, but it'll definitely sound cleaner.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 9:04 AM on April 22, 2008

It varies based on how your body digests beer and long-term consumption.

Anecdotally, a painter I met through a friend who was likely a habitual beer drinker (i.e. beer alcoholic) had the tendency to smell like beer when he would sweat. We swore that he must have been hiding a can of beer somewhere, but he really did just smell like beer any time he'd start perspiring.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 8:05 AM on April 21, 2008

My company has a rather small 5 person + 2 testers dev team that works on a BI like solution with a web interface in JAVA.

I would like to ask, although it is probably impossible to give a general answer, how much time do you think it would take me do become a JAVA programmer decent enough for production work for a webapp?

Java, it's not an acronym, but I'm just nitpicking there.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 12:20 PM on April 17, 2008

When I think "guy who doesn't smoke but has cigarettes handy," I think of those guys at nice bars or nightclubs who sit in the restroom and offer you a towel, cologne, or a cigarette. An infamous gentleman would always offer a cigarette if he's having one (and if he's kind, abstain from smoking should company prefer) and always have a light for anyone he might be standing around. Carrying a lighter would be preferable -- and less jarring to others -- if you're a non-smoker. You're a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 7:52 AM on April 15, 2008

I know this is an aside, but:

sararah, Iowa Public Radio doesn't play classical on all of the stations. KUNI (which does broadcast in much of the state) plays the news/talk shows all day, although their FM signal is weak in many areas so the AM station is a good fallback.

Juicylicious, if the official policy is that streaming audio isn't allowed over your company's internet connection, than it's likely they'll crack down on whatever site you may... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 8:37 AM on April 14, 2008

I'd echo that article that bibliowench mentioned. In the absence of Wii Fit and other games meant to give you a workout, you're going to notice that the better you get at a game, the less exercise you'll get while playing it. As munchingzombie implied, if you're not used to it or are compensating for inefficiency with the controls you'll flail around a lot, but the movements are much more controlled and minimal the better you get.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 7:01 AM on April 14, 2008

At this point, I am of the belief that there is one right belief and if you believe in the wrong thing....there goes your soul.

Every person I've talked to who has found a new religious belief, or even those who have the beliefs that I respect the most, have one thing in common: doubt. It might be my own bias, but I think those beliefs that are unexamined, untested, are those that are the most important.

Religious beliefs... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 12:15 PM on April 8, 2008

fwiw, I have a 2004 Mazda 6 that just went over the warranty period (50k miles). I've had it serviced at the dealer 90% of the time, but never had them fill out any pages in the manual, and occasionally got an oil change elsewhere. Unless there's evidence of abuse or tampering, I doubt any dealership is going to void your warranty due to an incomplete history. To be honest, you could probably get up to 21k miles with nothing other than the occasional oil change and still be fine with your... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 9:58 PM on April 7, 2008

What's more, the burden of proof that you have failed to properly maintain your vehicle is on them, not you. While a dealership could make ridiculous claims, the parent company is going to look upon them poorly if you complain up the chain, considering there's less than two years of average wear on this car.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 9:59 PM on April 7, 2008

Crusties. Crust punk.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 2:33 PM on April 7, 2008

Look here guys, my grandfather, who is 82ish, has his own musky, slightly gamey smell. The guy has been a farmer since he was born, his family has lived on the same road for at least three generations, and my grandmother passed away earlier this year. This man has every right to be who he is, and in my eyes has earned the right to smell a little musky. When he washes his clothes, he uses a wringer washer. When my mom grabs some of his stuff to bring back to my parents place to launder, as she's... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 8:51 PM on April 7, 2008

I think the boilerplate response I learned in college is "..and please feel free to contact me if any further opportunities open up in your (business | department | area)." It's pretty common to interview at a company but later be offered or called back to interview for a different job.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 7:36 AM on April 4, 2008

Because they have a very limited musical background so anything sounding like something other than white kid indie rock sounds like the only other ethnically influenced music they know?
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 6:54 AM on April 4, 2008 marked best answer

You've heard of "friends with benefits."
You've heard of "ex-girlfriends."

Have you ever heard of "ex-girlfriend with benefits?"
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 2:35 PM on March 31, 2008

For truly rich applications, utilizing a lot of data, I do not see an end to desktop apps. I'd imagine the immediate winners for marketshare will end up being .Net (particularly C#) and Cocoa on Mac OS, especially once a number of developers pick up Cocoa post-iPhone development.

Silverlight and Flash are great and have their place, but I think that it's a limited niche. The cross-platform functionality available and visual widgets can be faked-out or partially recreated... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 12:01 PM on March 13, 2008

"Cool" is more about exclusivity than anything else, and being at odds with another cultural segment. What's "cool" for youth-at-large is going to be that way because the rest of the population, namely adults, aren't at all interested in it. Likewise, there will be groups of kids who backlash against popular youth culture and find their coolness in a particular niche.

If you want what's genuinely uncool, then you want what's instantly accessible,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 1:40 PM on March 11, 2008

I realize that you might be a responsible young lady who's more mature than her years, but you're 20 and you've already dated a guy with cancer, a guy with autoimmune disease, and a guy who has gone through a crippling divorce? I realize that none of these things are a reason to not date someone, in that everyone has their issues and baggage, but this sounds like it could be a pattern.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 8:54 PM on March 9, 2008

Well, if you want more Diane Warren cheesy songs, you could use that Aerosmith song from Armageddon she wrote.

Then again, you could also realize that her oeuvre pretty much makes me want to go deaf.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 6:54 AM on February 28, 2008

I plan to include my diet for a typical week, along with amounts of protein in each item/amount I've eaten so she can see I don't have just one or two protein sources, but that everything I eat has protein in it and that I'm fine.

Isn't this good enough? I have known "vegetarians" who really do eat mostly junk food or lean heavily on a subset of vegetables that they like. Picky eaters make for crappy vegetarians or vegans, and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 12:49 PM on February 20, 2008

Do you still have your computer configured to use the proxy? That would explain the erratic behavior.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 9:23 AM on February 20, 2008

They both know me well enough that they're aware I'm not quite from the normal spectrum of monotheism, and used me as an example that every worthwhile human being shares the belief, not just them, in God.

So neither you nor your friends are completely comfortable in your beliefs. These comments are either made craving your validation or just as a bonding "us versus them" type of thing. You need to be confident enough to assert that no,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 1:09 PM on February 13, 2008

You mentioned that he doesn't hide his little online personas and has even sent you a link to a website where he's played out a false identity. What was your reaction? If anything, it does sound like he's trying on roles, but it might be as simple as you saying "I think it's mean-spirited that you manipulated these people, and it could be dangerous to reveal your information."

Acting out online tends to be a thing kids do just because they can. It's a crummy... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 7:33 AM on February 11, 2008

Well, it depends on two factors:
1. What was the work? Was it related to tooth decay, jaw position (i.e. corrective dentistry needed to move teeth), or periodontal concerns?
2. Was each dentist addressing the same concerns?

I have no idea why you're spreading out exams instead of buckling down and getting an exam done with an estimate of what work to be done, and then seeking out a second dentist for a second opinion. Sometimes corrective... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 12:19 PM on February 8, 2008

Also, if you've had long hair for 14 years, it's going to be a little weird for a while after you cut it -- I say this as a guy who had long hair for five or so years. You might want to give it a week or two before it goes back to normal.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 2:12 PM on February 4, 2008

No idea, but I'm in my mid-twenties and remember playing that as a game when I was a kid by trying to make my way across the room by walking on whatever was left on the floor -- pillows, books, etc.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 8:58 AM on February 4, 2008

Wasn't the hotel also only in 2046 and not In the Mood for Love? It was the setting for the former, but I don't believe appeared in the latter.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 7:01 AM on February 4, 2008

Well, it may depend on which school, but a quick google of the right info came up with this page on FSU's site. Each school should have a similar policy explaining residency.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 10:08 AM on January 31, 2008

Disclosure: I do not own a hot air balloon, nor do I fly one. But I did crew for one for a few years and am relatively familiar with their operation.

From my experience, you're talking about two different types of commercial ballooning: advertising and passenger rides. I know in some areas giving a ride when you're flying a balloon meant for advertising is frowned upon, as the advertiser (especially if they own a stake in the balloon) could be liable for anything that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 8:54 AM on January 22, 2008

Sure, just open Terminal and do:

cat filename1 filename2 filename3 > resultfilename

That'll dump the info from all three files into one.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 6:41 AM on January 21, 2008

You do very likely have an anxiety problem. Does it necessitate medication or therapy? Very possibly, but in the meantime, ask yourself: What can you do to feel happy about your life the way it is, right now?

I'm still guilty of a handful of these things, with the exception of the job-jumping. At some point I decided that having a stable, well-paying career where I have a reasonable amount of accomplishment and satisfaction was something to hold on to. Find something... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 7:05 AM on January 17, 2008

A pharmacist friend mentioned that Loratadine trials showed that while standard doses will alleviate allergy symptoms in a reasonable percentage of individuals, it takes a larger dose to work in the rest of the population -- and that larger dose is enough to cause drowsiness.

In other words, in the dose required to work for many people, it does cause drowsiness.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 12:30 PM on January 15, 2008

From my recent listening, although I'd recommend most work from these artists:

Cendre by Christian Fennesz and Ryuichi Sakamoto
Harmony in Ultraviolet by Tim Hecker
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 12:03 PM on January 7, 2008

ROU_Xenophobe's pretty on the mark as far as this goes, with Student of Man not far behind. The current system creates a system of early caucuses and primaries that narrow the field and indicate how a small portion of the general public responds to candidates who opt to campaign heavily in a handful of states.

What if, for example, I want to vote for Joe Biden, but a husk of Iowan corn farmers decide otherwise?

Well, first... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mikeh at 1:00 PM on January 2, 2008