The book that did it for me was Class Construction in C and C++ by Roger Sessions. If you're familiar with basic C syntax, I think it's a good place to start. If not, you'll need some degree of that for working with Objective C.

But any random OOP tutorial can probably teach you a minimum of the lingo involved, after which I think a good Cocoa book (like Hillegass') should be fairly accessible.

Be a little careful, though. edd's cautionary... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 5:16 PM on July 13, 2008

The Korean Bell.
Poking around the remains of Marineland.

In Whittier, I think on the Whittier College Campus, there used to be an old old library where the walls had a lot of windows and open space and so when they opened everything up, it'd be almost open sided and the outside air would just flow through. Awesome place to site and read during the right weather. Wish I'd been there recently and could tell you what the name of the library was and assure you... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 4:29 PM on July 6, 2008

By contrast, I thought that Sauron in "Lord of the Rings" was a terrible villain. We never saw him. We never really learned about him. He was just a dark aura hovering in the distance, more like a primal force than a person.

That last part is correct, I think. Sauron is not an antagonist, he's a force that drives the milieu. (He *is* something of a personal antagonist in earlier parts of the myth, but in the context of LOTR, it's not true.)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 12:15 PM on July 5, 2008

Oh, one more thing: if you haven't read Richard Adams' Watership Down yet, I might recommend you do so as you're going on with this project. One of the layers of the book that I find fascinating is that the characters themselves tell both the literal and subtle stories about themselves (who they are, why they do things, what their forerunners accomplished, their place in the world) to each other, and as the book goes on, it becomes more obvious how these stories interplay with the overarching... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 12:25 PM on July 5, 2008

Sounds like you want to do fixed-point math.

Or, potentially, arbitrary precision arithmetic.
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 9:43 PM on June 30, 2008 marked best answer

Your parents will be quite supportive with whatever you decide to do as long as you're happy, financially healthy and yeah, have health insurance in some form.

It would be nice if this were universally true, but it isn't. They may be a minority, even, but there are some parents who, even when you present happiness, reasonable financial security, and health insurance, will still be convinced some of your choices are unreasonable. Anon's may be some of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 9:17 PM on June 29, 2008

Zend Framework is nice, but be aware there's no "M" to speak of. But a note on that....

I have a strong suspicion that w/ regards to "M" in the php world, you're not going to find *anything* that doesn't yield WTF moments. PHP developers have just discovered MVC and Fowler and the like and they appear to me to still be in the optimism phase of fighting the Vietnam of software development. In other places (Ruby and Java and WebObjects etc etc) devs and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 11:00 AM on June 27, 2008

Amtrak's PacificSurfliner stops in Glendale as well as Union Station, and Anaheim. That'd put you 2-3 miles from the convention center and Disneyland.
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 10:10 AM on June 27, 2008

Simply for starters, you're unlikely to be able to find much logistical support for vegetarianism there.

I have my doubts about this. There's a good segment of the Utah population that tends to be very health-conscious (LDS and non-LDS). Morally founded vegetarianism is going to be a hard sell and quite possibly mark you as an antagonist in Utah, but talking about health-founded veggie eating will go over just fine, trust me. Yoga, too.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 3:54 PM on June 22, 2008 marked best answer

I don't think a healthy 29 year-old can *stop* as in *eliminate* an interest in sex.

However, there's some things I think people can do to check their interest at a balanced level to where it's not a distraction from other things important to you.

The biggest one sure your other needs are met and sex isn't becoming a proxy for something else. I think Goofyy's right on with this:

The need and drive for sex... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 1:28 PM on June 18, 2008

You are not factoring in human ingenuity with regard to land reclamation.

It's OK. Most of the "oh noes the sea levels are rising we're gonna drown" types forget about that.

Engineering-intensive reclamation techniques with limited reach and results that are probably linear at best are a possible counter against limited sea level rises.

Against a theoretical exponentially increasing... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 3:21 PM on June 12, 2008

In addition to being front line support for the hosting side of the biz...

Why?

My experience suggests you simply cannot be frontline service of any kind and really do any kind of development that takes immersive thought. The former job/hat/role is interrupt driven, while interrupts are a huge drag on the later.

It's also important to note that while system administration and development skills can... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 3:03 PM on June 12, 2008

Any of the current models are fine.

The MacBook Pro is available at an entry level price of $2000 right now. Up to $500 less if you buy refurb.

A MacBook Pro may not be necessary, howerver. MacBooks have more power than the G4 Powerbooks did, and I've run Pro Tools, Live, and Reason comfortably on those. (Especially Reason, which is darn efficient.) Plenty of HD space, plenty of processing power, lots of RAM.

This isn't... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 3:55 PM on June 10, 2008

(The big advantage of the MBPs for me is the greater screen real estate. That, and I don't like glossy screens.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 3:56 PM on June 10, 2008

the only non-Arab (and hence non Soviet leaning) power

I thought the Iranians weren't Arabs either, but Persians, even if much of the country is Muslim.
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 12:29 PM on June 6, 2008

I believe Hurricane Electric by default has a 'secure_html' counterpart directory to 'public_html' under the home directory in each account, and this will correspond to some URL of the form "https://somehost.he.net/~youraccount".
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 1:53 PM on June 5, 2008

I had good luck with the National Association for the Self Employed

Oh no no no.

I got taken in by those crooks 10 years ago. I fortunately never had to actually rely on the insurance, but I knew something was very wrong when my premiums doubled inside of a year.
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 11:55 PM on June 2, 2008

Seems ludicrous to me. Putting in another SIM means you're going to be using service on another network and account, it's generally that simple.

But given the general corporate personality of most of the mobile network operators (probably best summarized as "venal control freak"), I certainly wouldn't be surprised to see them try to bill for any activity on a handset they sold you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 8:24 AM on May 27, 2008

Sing. Play. Dance.

The whole experience you're probably looking for is that of the music really moving you. I think something has to click and it runs through you, so to speak, rather than just being something you hear. Lots of people don't have to play or sing or dance in order to get this, but I think it helps.

Singing along with music that makes you feel something when you listen to it magnifies the effect. It's mostly easy, doesn't require... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 1:39 PM on May 21, 2008

mentioned that the MIDI Express was unreliable and that I should check out M-Audio's Midisport 4x4.

This would really surprise me. I don't have direct experience with either of the products you're mentioning, but I have owned products from both companies, and I've generally been more impressed with MOTU's stuff. They've been focused on making pro gear from the start. I have a MTP II -- a predecessor of the Express 128 by something like 15 years -- and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 8:36 PM on May 20, 2008 marked best answer

In Park City, Utah, the Cabriolet from the parking lot up to the "village" of the Canyons resort is a gondola.

Winter photo.
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 2:32 PM on May 13, 2008

I just took a quick look at mine, but don't have any particular suggestions if the access plates don't help (that's a little weird, it seems like the one with the battery in it should be right under the bridge and give you exactly what you're looking for).

You might try asking here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midiguitar/
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 3:46 PM on May 5, 2008

This criticisms of domes pretty much turned me off of them as housing (not necessarily as shelter :).

I bring up the article not only to respond to Ostara, but because it made me step back and take a look at the whole alternative housing bug, which I'm predisposed to. I'm also pretty interested in living in a yurt, and I might even try to talk a spouse or SO into it at the right time in life.

I think adventure and the outdoor association may be... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 8:13 PM on April 21, 2008

A whole lot of bluegrass fits in this category. Right now I'm thinking of Ralph Stanley doing Waves on the Sea:

"Oh, the waves on the sea, how they roll
The chilly winds, how they do blow
My own true love got drownded in the deep
And the ship never got to the shore."

That's the chorus. It's sung like a lot like cheerful gospel tune, and even though some bluegrass performers can infuse it with... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 12:56 PM on April 18, 2008

A lot of the dissatisfaction with my current job is from all the business bullshit that I experience.

I don't know that CS will help you escape this, because there's only a few known ways to opt out in general. You can raise enough money/assets and decrease enough expenses to the point where you can retire, or you can try subsistence agriculture. Alternatively, you can go to work for yourself or start your own business, but I'm not sure this really... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 1:43 PM on April 10, 2008

I want to ensure my choices keep me "upwind"

Well, then, get a Math degree. ;)

In all seriousness, I think Graham's essay is full of good things to think about. But I will pick a few nits, even if it's slightly off topic, if you're using his thinking to guide yours.

For one thing -- to the extent that "staying upwind" means starting with a more generally applicable kind of education,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 2:22 PM on April 10, 2008

Among other things, control over the work done, who sets the work schedule, how you're paid (!), and where you work are important considerations.

That's interesting -- I've come up against this in discussion of tax issues, but it's interesting to think about how it might effect the IP issues. Does anyone know if it does?

I'll largely control my schedule and place where I work (in fact, I'll be doing most of it from California... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 12:54 PM on April 8, 2008

You are not a lawyer and you sound like you don't want to hire one.

I'm actually not opposed to the idea, and would happily take specific recommendations of NY lawyers to talk to take the problem to.

Mostly what I'm looking for is potentially useful ways of reigning in the agreement to distinguish between stuff that will belong to me or others, and stuff that will belong to Company X.
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 2:04 PM on April 8, 2008

toomuchpete, that's more or less my concern. I had a situation similar to what you describe come up briefly at my last full-time job where an officer apparently threatened someone I did side work for over ownership of that work. Nothing came of it, but it heightened my awareness of this as a problem.

caddis, I appreciate the confidence. I probably will try communicating my concerns and offering some proposals to the company and seeing what they come back with. And if... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 5:00 PM on April 8, 2008

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." James 1:5 KJV
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 12:38 PM on April 8, 2008

I wouldn't say it's something all theists believe.

This is true. Not every view of God includes a role as a moral lawgiver. For example, at the critical end of deism, you find general rejection of revealed religion, and deism in general relies on human moral reasoning.

There is also some theological thinking that more or less presents God as moral not because he's the lawgiver who defines morality, but because he is a being who... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 6:03 PM on April 5, 2008

If you just want notes sung by a singer, the problem is actually a lot simpler than what Celemony is doing.

I have a Roland GI-10 which will take mic input and transform it to MIDI data. That's early-mid 1990s tech. It isn't perfect -- the tracking can be a little funny -- but if you just wanted a singer's notes to MIDI note data, this will do that.
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 1:15 PM on April 3, 2008

Santa Monica and Burbank both have airports. :)

It's been over 6 years since the last time I lived in So Cal and my impression then was that you might make your driving commute bearable by leaving after 10:30 or so and coming home after 8. But on my visit last September, traffic seemed worse than I remembered, and you know that there's already a lot of people doing the OC-LA commute (and you're probably going to be doing the 405 or the 5, which are particularly bad), and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 12:03 PM on March 28, 2008

Ich Kann Nicht Rappen and Millionär by Die Prinzen contain an unreasonable amount of happiness and cheer as well as some really catchy musical phrases.

You can find a couple of fan videos with the later as a soundtrack on Youtube. Here's one.
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 6:41 AM on March 28, 2008

Prepaid works for that. If your phone is unlocked, you could even slip in a sim from another carrier, though you'd end up with another phone #. If not, you can swap t-mobile prepaid and contract sims without any issue -- I've done this.

T-mobile might also retroactively change your plan to a higher rate for the month if you call them up and are willing to pay the difference.

But beware: over the last year I've had three separate issues with... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 6:14 PM on March 26, 2008

If you don't necessarily need to service set that involves staying at a nice hotel, you might try contacting a property management company in one of the cities you think might be nice to stay in and seeing what vacation rentals they have available. My mom is from near San Luis Obispo, and my family used to go out to Cayucos every summer for a while and stay in a beach house for a few days. About three years ago we did it again; I think the cost for a week was under $2400 (and this was for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 12:49 PM on March 26, 2008

I'm also interested in learning about road-warrior tips; I haven't pulled a long haul like this in quite a while (read: over 10 years) and I'll be going solo unfortunately.

Adrafinil and a handheld portable Mister helped me stay nice and alert on a pretty similar drive last year (from the Catskills to Nashville), and a lot of other drives that made up a cross-country road trip.

The adrafinil (or its cousin modafinil) is... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 8:44 PM on March 25, 2008

My former employer Logoworks isn't $100 cheap, but they can hit a pretty sweet spot between potential high-quality design and affordability. The "Gold" package (see list of service packages) gives you six initial concepts from three different designers and the ability to pick one and refine it pretty much all you want.

I say potential high-quality design for a few reasons. The biggest one is that the process strongly favors clients who can... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 1:25 PM on February 25, 2008 marked best answer

The lifetime of most cars in my experience is 100k miles.

Every car I've owned has lived well beyond this. 86 Olds Cutlass - just shy of 300k. 85 Nissan Sentra - about 220k. 97 Geo Prizm - 180k (and I probably could squeeze more life out of that one). In each case I'm talkign about the mileage achieved before either the inevitable prohibitive repair or the niggling swarm of little repairs and quirks makes it a PITA to drive.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 8:36 PM on February 18, 2008

F = (B * (1 - N) - C) / N


So what's the multiplication (and associated division) operation here? Is it multiplication inside each position of an RGB or CMYK tuple?


But putting aside perceptual problems, you're still dealing with aspects of Hue, Saturation and Brightness. Once you throw opacity into the mix any background color that differs noticably along more than one of those axes is going... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 8:28 PM on February 18, 2008

I don't know if most people think it out this way, but the bottom line is that if economizing is your highest priority, there's better ways to do this at present than an alternative energy vehicle.

This includes the usual stuff like telecommuting more, moving closer to where you work, public transportation, walking/cycling etc — but even leaving all that aside, right now, most people are probably economizing more by buying and driving a used compact or subcompact car... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 1:00 PM on February 18, 2008

The Association for Mormon Letters discussion board might be a good place to look for answers to this question.
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 1:59 PM on February 7, 2008

Strictly speaking, web 3.0 will naturally be whatever set of technologies you can collapse into memetic jargon (ideally, salable memetic jargon).

But anyway, some people think Web 3.0 is the delivery of the semantic web. I think depending on what you mean by that, they're either crazy or correct. AI and IAs and inferences from a tag-soup of predicates and ontologies, I highly doubt. However, I think it's entirely possible that thickening web services combined with GIS... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 7:44 PM on February 6, 2008

Image rotation using only javascript is no mean feat, pretty sure it's not part of any library. Last year I got most of the way through a project that did image scaling, rotation, and translation using the new canvas element (and google's IECanvas for IE support)... before we pulled the project and the client moved over to Flash largely because there were just a few quirks that were becoming agonizing to nail out. Not to mention the fact that things got really slow when using real photo sizes.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 10:01 PM on February 5, 2008

Seconding the Prizm suggestion. After 1997 or 1998 their make is actually Chevrolet instead of Geo, but don't let that scare you. I think they're the best kept secret in the auto market, and it's too bad they stopped making them after the 2002 model. When I bought my 97 from a private seller in October 2002, I paid $3750, so I'd expect a 00-02 would be available for that amount in some markets. I'm actually looking for one too. :)

A timing belt, new clutch, and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 9:19 AM on January 18, 2008

You might also try asking around on mailing lists for Digital Performer -- I've noticed that motu-mac on yahoo groups seems to have a number of LA-based composers posting.
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 8:10 PM on November 14, 2007

I believe on most iPods you can go to "Settings > About" and it will tell you the name the iPod was registered under, and the volume name if you mount it should be similar.

If you contact Apple, they will likely have you ship the item to them if they have contact information, and they will ship it to the customer.
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 11:19 AM on November 11, 2007

I just perused a Business Week slideshow with information on the most and least expensive areas for each state (for an "average" home of 2200 sq ft and 4 bedrooms). It's apparently sourced from the Coldwell Banker 2007 Home Price Comparison Index.
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 2:18 PM on November 3, 2007

"Is it worth the waiting for?
If we live 'til eighty four
All we ever get is gru...el!
Ev'ry day we say our prayer –
Will they change the bill of fare?
Still we get the same old gru...el!
There is not a cust, not a crumb can we find,
Can we beg, can we borrow, or cadge,
But there's nothing to stop us from getting a thrill
When we all close our eyes and imag...ine...... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 10:27 AM on October 24, 2007 marked best answer

Previous AskMe fun here and here. There's apparently a dedicated site for them. I first saw one in LA years and years ago, and like pretty much everybody else immediately wondered if they weren't some kind of harbinger of the apocalypse. It didn't help that when I asked some locals what in the hell that thing was, they replied with the rather spooky/mystic "niño de la tierra" (this was a predominantly latino community). Apparently they're not even particularly pestilential, though.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by weston at 5:48 PM on October 23, 2007