In my years as a volunteer at the local Humane Society, we have never been judgmental when a pet owner elects to have an animal put down. We recognize that the decision to put a beloved pet to sleep is not an easy one or one that is made lightly. I don't recall an instance when we ever challenged a pet owner's decision, or were ever anything less than sympathetic.

On a purely practical level, it would be a very poor idea for the Humane Society to make it difficult for a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 12:24 PM on August 6, 2008

Grenades, both ancient and modern, are basically spheres (for efficient throwing and exploding) with fuses.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 12:17 PM on August 6, 2008

And all 36 have awesome superpowers!
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 7:06 PM on August 4, 2008

Bob the Angry Flower: Atlas Shrugged 2 is intended to be humorous.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:16 PM on August 4, 2008

On-campus job: glassware maintenance technician. (I cleaned test tubes and glass slides and ran the autoclave. It was like being Pasteur's handyman.)

In my senior year I held a position as a teaching assistant. I conducted labs and graded homework.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 9:52 PM on August 3, 2008

And yet, the display demonstrates the futility of such protection.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 7:40 PM on August 3, 2008

Mai the Psychic Girl may not be "cutting edge", but it's Japanese and frequently features exploding heads.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 9:38 PM on July 27, 2008

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean vs Tim Powers' On Stranger Tides.

The first time I saw Pirates, I was reminded of Tales of the Black Freighter portion of Moore's Watchmen. Among other things, the undersea "walk of the damned" at the end the Black Freighter seemed to prefigure Barbossa's attack on the Dauntless.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:05 PM on July 25, 2008

Part of the aggression might be due to peer interaction. People see aggressive drivers and instinctively they "join the hunt." I only see tailgating in cities; between cities, drivers seem a lot more careful and courteous.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 12:46 PM on July 23, 2008

Japan at War describes all aspects of Japan's experience in the Great Pacific War, including the heartbreaking struggles of the population to support a military machine that is dragging them to hell.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 12:56 PM on July 21, 2008

Powers: police procedural set in a world of people with "superpowers". Many trade collections are available.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 9:21 AM on July 19, 2008

Life's a bitch, apparently.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:53 PM on July 12, 2008

Jack Vance's Big Planet - a world much larger than Earth, but metal poor, so that the surface gravity is near Earth-normal. A very large planet with many cultures that have adapted, in their own peculiar ways, to a poverty of metal.

Iain Banks' The Algebraist is set primarily on / in a Jovian-sized planet. The human narrator, who flits around in an environmental craft, chums around with the Dwellers, an extremely long-lived race. By the end of the novel, Dweller society... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:50 PM on July 12, 2008

Azathoth was bored. Only Charles Fort gets the joke.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:38 PM on July 12, 2008

Covey denigrates "family-centeredness" and "job-centeredness" because these centers can fail. Family members can die or move away. Jobs can end. He promotes "principle-centeredness" because a dedication to "eternal, unchanging principles" can never fail.

What I've found, though, is that many of the principles that I was taught and held fast in my youth are invalid. (I am no longer a racist, a jew-hater or a homophobe, though I was... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:27 PM on July 12, 2008

Aren't we overlooking the Law / Chaos and Evil / Good dimensions?
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 12:36 PM on July 11, 2008

I suggest that there is an Untold Story: How Curious George Lost His Tail.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 11:23 AM on July 5, 2008

I thought that Sauron in "Lord of the Rings" was a terrible villain

I disagree. Although Sauron is offstage throughout the story, his presence is everywhere. His will, his spite, his ambition is the engine that drives the entire story.

Sauron is a terrific villain precisely because he is as terrible and malicious as the reader's imagination.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 11:15 AM on July 5, 2008

Echoing iron. I've found that different formulations of iron can make me ill. I suggest checking the label on your multis and looking for a brand with a different form of iron.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 12:57 PM on June 30, 2008

You should introduce yourself to the works of Abraham Merritt. I will specifically recommend The Face in the Abyss, a tale that includes a two-fisted explorer, a native princess, a lost civilization, dinosaurs, a body-snatching Lord of Darkness and the alien Snake Mother.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 12:53 PM on June 27, 2008

I know I'm depressed about this all, and could use some therapy, but to make matters worse I'm uninsured, and the only therapist I could get to currently I can't really afford.

If there is a Unitarian church in your area, you might want to give them a visit. The Unitarians in my neighborhood offer support groups for free. Not professional, not weird, just friendly people willing to listen and offer advice. (Like AskMe, but in person.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 4:41 PM on June 26, 2008

Wait until they are away. Have an accomplice lie down in their driveway. Draw a chalk outline around the accomplice. Surround the area with yellow tape; "POLICE CRIME SCENE - DO NOT CROSS" tape, if available. Wait for their return.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 4:31 PM on June 26, 2008

I would suggest separating the translation issue from the re-naming issue.

Collect the names of the files into a machine-readable format, such as a spreadsheet. Translate the names, either mechanical or manually, so that you now have a cross-reference of old name and new name. (If you use a mechanical translation, you might want to give the cross-reference a once-over to fix any obviously bad names.)

A trival Python script can be used to rename... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 8:39 PM on June 24, 2008

Oh, another thought: before your execute your re-name process, sort the cross-reference and resolve duplicate destination names, to ensure you don't overwrite one file with another.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 9:02 PM on June 24, 2008

I suggest you try to become more aware of your efforts at humor and your actual state of mind when you attempt it. It may be, as some have suggested, an expression of anger or resentment. Or it may simply be a bad habit you've fallen into. In either case, more awareness will help you to examine your behavior and what, if anything, you wish to do about it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:15 PM on June 23, 2008

If you pull up to a red traffic light, the normal behavior is to wait for it to turn green before proceeding. The light would have to stay red quite awhile for you to finally conclude that, no, it really isn't ever going to change and you should "risk" running the red light.

Multiply this experience by a long line of irritated motorists and you see why an obviously out-of-order blinking red light is preferable to a fixed red light.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:05 PM on June 23, 2008

The Hope Diamond is cursed. In 1914, it was owned by Evalyn Walsh McLean, wealthy socialite and bon vivant, of Washington, DC. Good luck getting your Unknown Armies crew past security.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:14 PM on June 17, 2008 marked best answer

The Voynich Manuscript was acquired by Wilfred Voynich in 1912. In 1914, Voynich emigrated to the US and opened a rare book store in New York.

The manuscript may have been written by Roger Bacon (as Voynich believed), forged by Edward Kelly (friend of Dr John Dee), or scribbled by Abd Al-Azrad. So far, the manuscript has defied all attempts to decipher it and likely contains Secrets That Man Was Not Meant To Know. It is currently kept under lock and key at Yale.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:34 PM on June 17, 2008 marked best answer

OK, I've just re-watched The Mothman Prophecies again with your question in mind.

The only image I found that even faintly resembles a Star of David is the insignia on Sgt Connie Mills' cap which, like many law enforcement insignia, incorporates a six-pointed star in its design.

There are a few 5-pointed stars scattered among the Christmas lights at the end of the film, but that's hardly significant.

I'm sure you can't be... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 2:43 PM on June 15, 2008

Well, when Klein goes to visit Leek in Chicago, there's a shot of a church whose windows have a six-petaled arrangement. This is somewhat related to the Star of David, but it's pretty subtle.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:14 PM on June 16, 2008

Yes, this is normal with new glasses. I've experienced something like this with every new pair. I find the effect disappears quickly as my brain adjusts to its new world view.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:05 PM on June 10, 2008

We discussed something like this once before: "He had to go to hospital" or "She went to market". Is farmer's market an institutional noun?
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 8:50 AM on June 7, 2008

This doesn't seem that difficult. Assign a priority to each of your types. Sort on a compound key of (priority, value), where value is whatever distinguishes the items in your list. The higher priority items will "float" to the top of your list.

When you insert the sorted list into your database, all of your Foos will precede your... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 8:44 AM on June 7, 2008

Jimmy Soul - If You Wanna Be Happy (Get an Ugly Girl to Marry You)
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:42 PM on June 6, 2008

What I do is a select a single, small task and do it. If I find myself thinking about all of the other things I have to do, my deadlines, or anything else, I block that thought. I focus on the one task in front of me and stay present in the moment.

String enough of these moments together and you can accomplish anything.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 4:40 PM on June 1, 2008

Without knowing the fellow, I would guess narcissist as well. The "judging/thinking/commenting" on superficial appearance combined with an inability to form attachments. His "excessive pre-occupation" with these matters suggests a race to escape from self-reflection, an indication of low self-esteem.

Still, as long as he's happy in the moment and he's not hurting anyone, then good for him.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 7:55 AM on June 1, 2008

I found meditation to be very helpful. By "watching" my own thoughts drift by, I've become more aware of my own thought processes. Not every thought is a response to my immediate situation; many have roots in the past. By becoming more aware of my own thinking habits, I'm able to separate myself a bit from my thoughts and control how I respond to them.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 8:40 PM on May 30, 2008

"a man thinks he amounts to a great deal but to a flea or a mosquito a human being is merely something good to eat"
--- archy and mehitabel, Don Marquis
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 8:31 PM on May 30, 2008

Seconding Lyn. This is what I do.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 1:02 PM on May 29, 2008 marked best answer

The Metafilter Banhammers
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 5:47 PM on May 28, 2008

I would recommend against Vegas and instead suggest a visit to The Valley of Fire, which is just two hoots and a hollar away. It has very good facilities and is a great place to just wander.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 8:10 AM on May 26, 2008

Books bound in human skin aren't all that uncommon. If you live in a country with a large population, you don't have to be Ed Gein to see that that's a lot of potential leather going to waste.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 9:29 AM on May 25, 2008

On a human-level, you end up with Larry Niven's "All the Myriad Ways": why make any choices at all, when you, or some alt-universe version of you, will make every possible choice?
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 6:00 PM on May 24, 2008

I don't recall a single animal in the whole movie.

In the early part of the film, I recall seeing the Humvees speeding past some goats or other livestock. There might have been other animals at the village, as well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 4:40 PM on May 24, 2008

H Rider Haggard's The Saga of Eric Brighteyes.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 6:11 PM on May 21, 2008

Reconfigure his mouse to swap his left and right mouse buttons. Even after he figures out the "gag", he'll find it difficult to overcome his learned responses.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 6:37 PM on May 14, 2008

The Lost Room
Ultraviolet (the British series, not the movie of the same name)
The Cube trilogy: Cube, Hypercube and (my special fave) Cube Zero. (Please watch in this order.)
Altered (not for the squeamish!)
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 5:44 PM on May 13, 2008

Basic analysis: what is the benefit of eating the yummy olive salad mix? What is the risk if it turns out to be toxic?

Only you can determine if the potential benefit is worth the potential cost. If it were me: it's just a thing, and things can be replaced if necessary. My health cannot be replaced. I'd toss it without a second thought.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 9:04 PM on May 11, 2008

Some day my prints will come. For now, get me those printouts!
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 4:32 PM on May 7, 2008

The Bonneville Salt Flats are pretty flat. Not much to do out there but race, though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SPrintF at 6:52 PM on May 4, 2008