If this is a social event where it would be a faux pas for someone in your office/group/etc to not attend, keep in mind that not everybody is into unusual cheeses; you might want to make some simple alternatives available (including non-cheese snacks for people who can't eat cheese).
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 7:16 AM on July 21, 2008

If you don't know what an aneurysm is, you need to. Don't mess around with hypochondriaphobia (is that a word?) -- if you do have one and it bursts, you are almost certainly instantly dead. There's no time to get you to a hopsital for something like that. People who have an aneurysm burst even while already in a hopsital can often die.
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 1:57 PM on June 17, 2008

If he's older (~50+), he may have Diabetes -- which can do some real damage to your lower legs (due to Diabetic neuropathy and poor circulation).
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 1:00 PM on June 17, 2008

Wow, I serendipitously came across this thread while in the process of performing this exact ritual/habit. I've been doing this ever since I've had facial hair. I tend to do it most while browsing the web or watching TV -- when my hands have nothing to do.

As you said, my hand wanders in search of a hair "bump" to pluck. I don't pull any other hair on my body. I also spend ridiculous amounts of time doing this, and I frequently observe the phenomenon of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 7:37 PM on June 13, 2008

JQuery was made specifically for easily selecting a set of DOM elements and applying changes to them.

I've not used it extensively, so I couldn't give you the exact code, but if you look here, under "Making Something Happen on Click", it should be fairly easy to modify that to change the target attribute.
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 11:23 AM on September 20, 2007

Re: nixerman and 4ster's recommendations:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method

It seems like a great way to go, as it lets them work towards answering their own question from their own base of knowledge. Also try searching the web for "teaching socratic method" for examples. =)
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 2:41 PM on September 13, 2007

I also have a 42" 1080p Westinghouse; I it bought open-item at Best Buy for $999 about a year ago. Westys are an excellent deal if you are not a perfectionist about black levels.

I avoided plasmas because I play games extensively and didn't want to have any worry at all about burn-in; plus there is a lot more glare on plasma screens if you watch them in a well-lit room. Of the plasmas though, I did notice that the Panasonic models seemed to have the best set of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 11:31 AM on August 30, 2007

Not a book, but might be in the direction you're looking -- UC Berkeley has a bunch of audio/video streams of course lectures up on their website, including Introduction to General Astronomy.

There's a bunch more for astronomy and other courses; you can also watch them for different semesters. One of the best courses that i've seen is their "Physics for Future Presidents" course. It goes into a bit of astronomy as well.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 1:40 PM on August 9, 2007 marked best answer

I once heard an interesting theory on the nature of reality which I remind myself of when I feel the way you do.

What if there is only one soul, and it is living out all the lives in the universe (perhaps as a way to stave off boredom)?

That would mean that when you are nice to someone else, you are also being nice to yourself on another trip through this reality.

As an agnostic, I don't necessarily give this any more... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 11:59 AM on May 24, 2007

I'm 31 and I have the white/ceramic braces on my top teeth and metal on the bottom. I've had them for about three years now and drink one or two cups of coffee per workday with no visible effects.

One thing I can say since I have both types is that the metal ones seem to be more troublesome for them to attach and remove the wires from when they replace them; occasionally the clips seem to get stuck and won't open or close completely.

The white... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 2:51 PM on May 16, 2007

What if you have not yet opened the box and therefore haven't agreed to the EULA?

If you see a copy of the software in your university bookstore and simply buy it at a register without agreeing to anything explicitly, would you still be prevented from reselling it?

I recall back when I was in college (about 12 years ago) that they sold academic versions of PC software in the bookstore. I never bought any of it since I used an Amiga at the time,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 9:28 AM on April 18, 2007

I can't help but be reminded of this:

"Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft."
-- Mary Schmich, "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" [known popularly as Baz Luhrmann's "Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen)"]
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 8:43 AM on April 18, 2007

The "Fuel Saver" one looks familiar. I think that exact product might have been shown on a Mythbusters episode where they tried this and a few other of these types of devices (none of which worked).
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 8:27 AM on April 18, 2007

Readily admit when you're wrong -- to others, but most importantly to yourself. If necessary, use humor to help you swallow your pride.
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 1:14 PM on March 23, 2007

One thing to keep in mind is that most common capacitors people deal with today hold a relatively small charge capacity compared to a fairly new technology:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultracapacitor

These tiny beasts are typically rated in full farads and in some cases even kF -- not nF, pF or µF. An ultracapacitor the size of a normal flash camera capacitor can hold 120F at 2.5v (750 joules), compared to the standard camera capacitor holding... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 2:39 PM on January 23, 2007 marked best answer

Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 9:41 AM on January 18, 2007

Is there a term for the opposite effect?

I'm easily fascinated by chaotic swarms of things. I love to spend unusually long lengths of time focusing my attention on swarms of ants, bees, brownian motion, artificial life, etc. usually to the point where I start to lose track of time and what's going on elsewhere around me.

I love to watch how ants can cluster onto a food source and slowly disassemble and carry it away piece by piece. When I was... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 9:27 AM on January 18, 2007

When a writer uses proper English words, it allows for more mistakes to be made before comprehension becomes difficult. With netspeak, a single mis-typed letter can make an entire phrase vague or ambiguous.

The main problem that I have with "netspeak" is that the lazy writer who uses it is minimizing their effort at the expense of the reader. The amount of work that they save by not typing a few extra keystrokes gets shifted to the reader and multiplied in... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 9:56 AM on January 15, 2007

I'm the opposite. I always get this sort of euphoric "warm and fuzzy" feeling when there's a thunderstorm outside. I really can't explain it.

If it's a steady, rolling thunderstorm I feel very calm and at peace with things -- my mind relaxes and I lose most of my incessant worries and obsessions. I usually feel like lying down and taking a light nap or just lying awake and letting my mind clear.

If it's a strong, energetic storm, I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by joquarky at 11:48 PM on May 26, 2006