As a specific example, let's take Joss Whedon. Buffy (which I never watched) was on WB. It seemed to do well there. He moved over to Fox for Firefly, which they treated like absolute shit, and then canceled. But now he's starting Dollhouse with Fox as well. Perhaps they just made him a great deal in this case, but it seems like this pattern repeats itself. His shows have a strong track record of gathering a very dedicated fanbase. Is that worth nothing to another network?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 8:02 AM on November 18, 2007

The Philips DVP5982 is an excellent upscaling DVD player. At $70, it does a better job with regular DVDs than either the PS3 or any of the Toshiba HD DVD players I've tried.

In my opinion, upscaled DVDs do not "seriously match the quality" of the HD formats, but they do look pretty good, and the difference between playing a 480p DVD on an HD TV and a well-upscaled DVD on an HD TV is definitely noticeable.

While many new DVD players (and all HD... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 5:06 PM on November 15, 2007

That link should have been Philips DVP5982
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 5:08 PM on November 15, 2007

I'm also quite fond of potatoes fried in goose fat. A ~12lb goose should give you somewhere northwards of 48 oz of rendered fat.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 7:24 PM on November 14, 2007

I find the NAMP Meat Buyer's Guide helpful when dealing with these sorts of questions. In addition to the very detailed pictures, it has standard reference numbers for cuts you can ask for which are supposed to eliminate some uncertainty in naming conventions (although I've yet to try this).
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 7:47 AM on November 14, 2007

My personal opinion is that all other things being equal, you should go with Canon.

You can't go really wrong with either of them, but you're setting yourself up for lock-in that only increases over time as you acquire new lenses, and each one you get makes it harder to justify switching over. Even though Nikon seems to have caught up recently, they were chasing Canon for a few years, and I think the scales are likely to tip towards Canon again in the near future. There... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 2:36 PM on November 12, 2007

BTW - I owned a Rebel XTi until moving up to a 40D, and my only real complaint about it (as opposed to additional features I wanted on the 40D) was the low light noise performance at high ISO. Don't get me wrong - it's quite good (and certainly worlds better than your point and shoots), but I found that my f/4 lenses were largely useless for handholding without a flash indoors, because I'd have to shoot at ISO 800-1600, and a lot of those pictures were too noisy to be useful. Comparatively, on... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 6:09 PM on November 12, 2007

Oh, and on the subject of controls - yes, the controls on the Rebel line are super simplified, and not at all optimized for manual shooting. But that comes with the territory of being a transition camera between a digicam and a DSLR. I shot with one for years, and didn't really find it limiting except for fast manual adjustments, but that was fine as part of the process of learning why and when to make those adjustments. By the time I moved up to the 40D, I felt like I really appreciated what... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 6:14 PM on November 12, 2007

It doesn't bother me, I just wanted to know that it was correct.

This page mentions that focusing screens these days are plastic, and consist of "zillions of microscopic prismatic cuts."... It does? I don't see that text anywhere on the page you linked to.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 5:18 PM on November 5, 2007

When you're shooting macro photography, you really need to be concerned with light and stability. Because the image is so magnified, you'll need a tripod. A cable or wireless release helps reduce shake (otherwise you'll have to use the built-in timer), as does a camera body that supports mirror lockup (almost all of the current dSLRs do, I believe, but check). Mirror lockup is important for this - during a normal exposure, when the shutter opens, the mirror which normally lets you see through... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 5:33 AM on October 19, 2007 marked best answer

I don't find the 24-105/4L to be too long on a 1.6 body, but I don't shoot a lot of landscapes. It is an absolutely gorgeous lens, but your body needs to be able to shoot at sufficient ISO to make use of it if you're shooting in low light. It was fine for outdoor use, but I found that using that lens with the Rebel XTi meant that I was often pushing to ISO 800 or 1600, which on that body often resulted in shots that were too noisy to be usable for anything. I thought about selling it, but... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 8:21 PM on October 18, 2007

Spinach, diced roasted beets, grilled chicken slices,a few dollops of goat cheese, toasted pecans or walnuts (chopped or not), topped with homemade shredded carrot/ginger/miso dressing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 7:54 PM on October 18, 2007

When I was in college, there were some people who liked to cover the entire floor with cut up garbage bags taped together, get naked, and roll around in a few gallons of cooking oil.

Of course, there's always Strip Happy Days Game.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 8:53 AM on October 12, 2007

Get yourself a chillow. It sounds stupid. It works. If the outside temp is too close to body temp, you can put it in the refrigerator. It may not be practical during the day, but at least you'll be able to sleep.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 8:55 AM on October 11, 2007

Zero. We don't have anything called a "pizza shop", whatever that is.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 8:34 PM on October 7, 2007

Tell him it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the office, and if he can convince everyone to sit for a nude group portrait together, you'll do it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 6:24 AM on October 7, 2007

If UPS is unable to deliver a package, you can go pick it up at the depot with ID. Perhaps you can leave a note on your door asking the UPS guy to please not wake you up by ringing the doorbell and to instead conclude that you aren't home.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 6:09 AM on October 6, 2007

No.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 6:11 AM on October 7, 2007

I've been having the exact same problem. I just noticed that Apple pushed out a new battery update (1.3) specifically for 15" MBPs today. Strangely, the date on the file is 4/9/07, but the description page was updated yesterday.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 8:57 PM on October 4, 2007

(Sorry, 4/4/07.)

Also - iStat Pro was reporting my battery health at aroun 48% prior to the update, and is now showing 99%.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 8:58 PM on October 4, 2007

Update - the battery is reporting more health and time through various meters, but it still completely cut out and the machine shut down within 15 minutes of going on battery power.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 5:08 AM on October 5, 2007

You can make gazpacho with just a knife and a bowl. It's best with lots of fresh tomato puree, but tomato juice in a can is good too. Dice ~2 lb. of tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 1-2 spanish or vidalia onions. Add 1-2 minced garlic gloves, 1 tbsp. of minced fresh herbs (basil, marjoram, mint, thyme, your choice), 2 tsp salt, a few grinds of black pepper, 3 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar, and 2 cups of tomato puree or juice. These measurements need not be exact, but that's a good starting... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 7:00 AM on October 3, 2007

The absolute best beef jerky I've ever had came from Jiggs Smoke House in Oklahoma. They do not have an internet presence. At least the last time I ordered from them, they did not accept credit cards, so you'll probably have to send them something I'm told is called a money order, in return for which they'll mail you a package containing said jerky. They do have a telephone, and would likely be happy to tell you the procedure and relevant details if you call them.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 6:17 AM on October 3, 2007

The Tick, in its various incarnations, includes numerous references to therapy for superheroes, and the insanity of it all.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 5:35 AM on October 3, 2007

As an aside, real fresh mayonnaise actually kills bacteria at room temperature due to the high acidity.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 9:34 AM on September 28, 2007

Sassyfras: Luden's cough drops are neither soft nor chewy - they're more like hard candy. Perhaps you're thinking of Smith Brothers.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 9:44 AM on September 27, 2007

I have the same camera, and the same problem with the mp4 files off the camera on YouTube.

No help on the PC side, but on the Mac, iMovie/iDVD seems to handle them fine - I made a DVD of some of them with and they didn't have this problem.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 7:47 AM on September 27, 2007

I use the dough blade to pulverize quartered tomatoes prior to putting them through the food mill (smallest disc) to make fresh tomato puree as a base for my tomato sauce and gazpacho. The dough blade doesn't break the seeds, and doing it this way saves a LOT of time, since you don't have to peel or seed the tomatoes or chop them into small pieces prior to running them through the food mill.

For whatever reason, I've always been instructed to use the steel blade for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 1:41 PM on September 21, 2007

Oh - I nearly forgot. I also consider a food processor without a citrus juicer attachment to be an unfortunate waste of a perfectly good motor in the kitchen.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 7:11 PM on September 23, 2007

Make egg salad with homemade mayo.

You could also make egg challah, which takes about 9 eggs if you do it right.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 2:01 PM on September 20, 2007 marked best answer

I've been very happy with jgnash, which is free and cross-platform. Read their new user page, and especially the double-entry Wikipedia article linked from that, if you don't already have an understanding of how to use a double-entry accounting system.

jgnash can easily handle multiple income and expense accounts.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 7:25 AM on September 20, 2007

Shawshank Redemption.

Specifically, the scenes depicting the bagging job.

The scene in Office Space where Tom is asked to describe his job to Bob and Bob is pretty good too.

Would you accept cases where an actor has shredded his dignity simply by appearing in the movie?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 10:08 AM on September 19, 2007

Bele and Lokai is always a winner.

Neo/Trinity is probably overworked at this point.

I'd suggest Doctor Impossible and Fatale, if that's your kind of crowd, but most people probably wouldn't get it, and it's probably more work for her than she wants.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 6:07 AM on September 17, 2007

If you're adding salt, be aware that it takes a fair amount of salt to lower the temperature of ice water. McGee recommends a few tablespoons for a tray of ice cubes and a cup of water, to lower it 10F.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 5:37 AM on September 17, 2007

Have your accountant prepare a formal letter of your income or expected income for the year.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 5:19 AM on September 17, 2007

Also, get a rider on your homeowners/renters insurance that covers your camera, laptop, etc... for loss.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 5:00 AM on September 17, 2007

In addition to all of the actual good advice here, I'm having a very hard time not envisioning some sort of giant catapult.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 7:45 AM on September 1, 2007

64squar.es is not bad (if you want to play Chess). It was a bit buggy when it first launched, not sure if they've worked everything out yet. But it is nice - it plays in realtime if you're both there, or via email notification if not.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 7:40 AM on September 1, 2007

You've already encountered the real reason not to do this - which is that you want to keep your boot environment as simple as possible, so that any recovery you need to do later is as simple as possible and can be done using standard tools with very little custom configuration to get you back up and running as quickly as possible when something goes wonky. Use RAID1 for /, and you can boot directly off of either of the partitions in the mirror from a disk without any RAID drivers. Is whatever... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 7:32 AM on September 1, 2007

Glaze them. After you take them out of the oven, stir together a few cups of confectioners sugar with enough water to get it past the past stage to where it can be poured but will still thickly cover the back of a spoon (if you make it too thin, just add some more sugar). After the muffins have cooled, put them on a wire rack with a sheet pan underneath, and drizzle the glaze over the tops of the muffins, just enough to cover them and drip off the sides. After you do this a few times, you'll... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 8:48 AM on August 27, 2007

Er, "past the paste stage".
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 8:49 AM on August 27, 2007

You might want to get yourself an induction burner/hotplate. You have to use induction-capable pans (most stainless and all cast iron, no aluminum), but they're much more responsive than standard electric ranges.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 8:34 AM on August 27, 2007

You want Ozium. They sell the little aerosol canisters in most hardware stores, or you can order a time release system to do it automatically (battery powered).

It smells a little, but quickly fades, and if you smell it for more than 5 seconds or so, you've used too much.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 11:56 AM on August 26, 2007

Just out of curiosity, my understanding is that the iPhone isn't eligible for the standard cell phone insurance and is only covered by Applecare, which doesn't cover loss - right? So you lost yours and now you're just out $600?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 10:41 AM on August 26, 2007

I usually have a controller for each of the logical site objects a user (or another process) can interact with. Events, Posts, News, etc...

Perhaps it would help if you could describe one of your applications that you're having trouble conceptualizing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 10:34 AM on August 26, 2007

No experience with this particular problem, but you might try soaking the onions (chopped or sliced) in cold water for an hour. This is typically done for onions in to be eaten raw in salads, and it makes them very crunchy and mild.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 5:25 PM on August 25, 2007

This seems relatively easy to circumvent by having a lifelong feud with a friend about who actually saw the diamond first, plus it makes a great addition to the story when you gift it to one of your grandkids --

"This is the mythical faflebleffer diamond, which my ancestor paulinsanjuan stumbled upon one inauspicious day in a dark alley behind a Taiwanese curio and salami shop. Unbeknownst to him, the treasure was also spied by one John Smallberries (no relation),... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 11:55 AM on August 24, 2007

Incidentally, I stored some DVD-Rs in a fire safe for a few months, and the ink I used to write on them bloomed, and the complete contents of the safe were ruined due to mold growth in the safe.

Be careful about the humidity levels in your safe, especially if you're not going to open it a lot.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 4:56 PM on August 17, 2007

And we're back. Not so great. The speaker itself is good, but the mic quality is pretty terrible, even holding it very close to my face.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 1:28 PM on August 9, 2007

Echoing what most have said, the standard version is quite enjoyable, but it is not, per se, Dune. As with many of these adaptations, I like to say: "it's something else that happens to have the same characters and basic plot." That doesn't make it any less good, but it does make it less Dune. The extended version is a garbled mess. Avoid at all costs unless you really really have a thing for endless exposition set to badly drawn illustration.

BTW, the HD-DVD... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Caviar at 8:21 AM on August 9, 2007