Robin McKinley's Deerskin, which is a retelling of the fairytale Donkeyskin.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 9:06 AM on September 2, 2008

Ach, Scheiße, zu früh! Ich werde natürlich anderswo... Trink aber ein Maß für mich, ja?
posted to MetaTalk by ubersturm at 6:43 PM on August 31, 2008

Yes, but watch out: I had kalessin's problem, and couldn't get the seat reconfigured. I ended up sitting in the snack car for most of my trip, because the outlets are accessible there.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 8:43 AM on August 29, 2008

Funny, grimmelm, most of the people I know who're stuck in 32 dislike it. Many of the rooms are unpleasant if you don't like working in a fishbowl, the structural problems have already been mentioned, and there're huge amounts of wasted space where normal furniture doesn't fit well. Plus, there's a big problem with the so-called "Student Street": if you put all of your large lecture halls right next to an open cafeteria, coffee shop, etc. and a large hallway full of booths, tables,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ubersturm at 9:00 AM on August 21, 2008

Several observations:

-If you are switching formulation as well as brand, that's a recipe for screwing things up. Different hormone formulations work different ways - Ortho TriCyclen, for example, has different levels of hormones every week, while some pills don't vary at all. Furthermore, some pills have higher or lower levels of hormones. If you've been switching pill formulations, weird symptoms like extended periods aren't entirely unexpected. Which is to say:... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 6:24 PM on August 13, 2008

starfyr said "I was on Ortho Tricyclin, and they told me if I just skipped the placebo week I wouldn't have my period." Note that this is one of those examples of multiphasic birth control where you cannot simply skip the placebo week: the hormone levels change throughout the month, and they're designed with the placebo week in mind. If you try to take multiphasic pills continuously, you're going to get a lot of weird breakthrough bleeding, etc. If you plan to skip the placebo week,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 10:07 PM on August 13, 2008

I can't recommend the Roche biochemical pathways posters enough. (I have them, and they're gorgeous.) They'll actually send them to you for free: Click on the "contact Roche" link at the bottom of the Expasy page, and you'll be taken to a page where you can submit your address and so on.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 6:03 AM on August 11, 2008

You say "As an aspiring photographer and travel writer I just wanted to see more of the world than I have!" There's no better way to do this than to actually go live somewhere. Breezing through countries for a short time while you're in port probably won't be enough for you: you'll have a short amount of time to visit the touristy stuff, but just as you start to really find all the cool, out of the way, really unique bits of a given city/country, off you'll be to somewhere else. If... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 10:15 AM on August 7, 2008

Biochem research and working at the front desk of a building. Both were pretty flexible, which made up for the fact that they weren't extraordinarily lucrative jobs. Plus, working in a biochem lab was great for my major as well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 3:38 AM on August 4, 2008

In German:

Eins, zwei, Polizei
Drei, vier, Offizier
Fünf, sechs, alte Hex (though as a kid I learned it as "links, rechts")
Sieben, acht, gute Nacht
Neun, zehn, auf wiedersehen!

(One, two, police
Three, four, officer
Five, six, old witch
Seven, eight, good night
Nine, ten, goodbye!)
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 6:18 AM on August 1, 2008

1) Maybe. You mention a mall kiosk lady: if you go to a professional piercer, rather than a mall kiosk, you run a much lower chance of complications, and you'll get up-to-date, correct healing advice. Furthermore, cartilage can be a bit of a pain to heal (not much blood flow, etc.) If you were pierced with a piercing gun, well, those work fairly badly on cartilage. They cause a great deal more trauma to the tissue (including the risk of shattered cartilage), and correct sterilizazion of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 10:01 AM on July 28, 2008

I dream primarily in English (my first language.) I'm somewhere between near-fluent and fluent in German, however, and after moving to Germany, I started to dream much more frequently in German. (I have yet to dream in Spanish, Latin, or French, which I'm less fluent in.) Sometimes it's a plot point (I am translating things for people at a flea market, or I find myself on a mountainside in Italy, and after speaking to the locals in pidgin Italian, I get to switch to German because it turns... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 9:33 PM on July 26, 2008

That earnestly insipid and whiny song with the chorus "Oh, it's what you do to me... it's what you do to me." Saccharine, and I really end up wanting to punch the singer every time I hear the song. Which was on the radio station my labmates listened to a _lot_ last summer. Also, "My Humps."

("McArthur Park", "Muskrat Love", and "Honey" are certainly contenders too.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 11:37 AM on July 25, 2008

I'd suggest, in some ways, MIT and Caltech (alongside the more above-mentioned liberal arts schools like Oberlin, the University of Chicago, etc. Not so coincidentally, these were all schools I considered attending.) They are somewhat big names, yes, but the type of intellectualism - within and without the classroom and the lab - is very different from Harvard/Yale/Stanford/etc. I'd argue that you can see the sort of radical intellectualism in undergraduate life: the desire to build, learn,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 8:04 PM on July 23, 2008

Are you totally sure it's not Marvels? I ask only because physical damage to buildings caused by superhero battles definitely played a role there...
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 11:09 AM on July 23, 2008

The Hobbit, for me. There's definitely no single book - there's so much variation in when and where American kids learn to read, and there are so many books around the appropriate reading level that the answer really depends on the tastes of the kid/parents/siblings/teacher and the kid's skill level.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 11:06 AM on July 23, 2008

I've been very happy with my Chrome bag: very well-designed for biking, comfortable, very waterproof, and roomy, with a good selection of pockets. I consider mine pretty stylish - though naturally you may have different tastes - and with the help of the laptop case inside, my laptop survived when I got hit by a car (!). I've used it every day for a year, and it barely looks used at all.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 10:56 AM on July 23, 2008

If you were responding to demonstrated curiosity on the kids' part (when I was their age, I read a lot about divorce so that I could understand what was going on in my family, and thus had some understanding of alimony and child support), that might fine. Similarly, if you wanted to generally explain more about how divorce works (in the context of going back to court, or something), sure, no problem.

But reading your question, with all meticulous numbers (you see them... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 1:20 PM on July 14, 2008

Actually, Mitheral, they remind me most of the collars in Octavia Butler's "Parable of the Sower" and "Parable of the Talents" - both in their execution and in their potential for abuse.
posted to MetaFilter by ubersturm at 8:37 AM on July 13, 2008

"With some difficulty." It's the hardest city in Germany to find a place to live in, due to price and due to the sheer number of students in the city. That being the case, wg-gesucht.de and studenten-wg.de are really your best bets. If you can learn enough German to be able to decipher the ads with the help of a German dictionary, most Wohngemeinschafts will have at least one person who speaks passable English. Similarly, you can write an ad (in English) on either of those sites,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 12:05 AM on July 4, 2008

You'll be able to get by with very little German. However, the quicker you start working on your Deutsch, the quicker you'll start feeling at home. Sure, many of the people you'll encounter will be competent in English, but they'll still default to German, and you'll feel much less left out when you're able to basically follow the conversation. You don't need to wait until you're fluent, but it'll be easier to jump into life in Germany if you've got a little bit of preparation. Your local... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 10:16 PM on June 12, 2008

Zilpha Keatley Snyder's Green-Sky trilogy. (More fantasy than Sci-Fi.)

China Mieville's King Rat is in several ways an interesting counterpart to Gaiman's Neverwhere.

Several of Asimov's Foundation-related books feature Trantor, a planet where city covers the entire surface of the planet, and people rarely - if ever - see the sky.

Iain M. Banks' newest book, Matter, takes place mostly in a type of hollow world called a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 6:41 AM on June 2, 2008

In Munich, I've heard more Haindling (particularly "Bayern") than seems plausible; the appreciation for it seems to be half ironic, half Bayrisch pride... Metal is a lot more mainstream, and folk metal in particular is much less of a niche (In Extremo, Saltatio Mortis, or Subway to Sally all get very large shows, for example, though bands that aren't really metal like Corvus Corax get lumped in too). Unsurprisingly, many of the bands that are popular in the U.S. get a fair amount of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 5:48 PM on May 27, 2008

I had pretty much the same fears before my college graduation. In my case, I was most worried about the private family dinner, which consisted of my siblings, one parent and their grandparents and some of their siblings, and the other parent and their spouse (who I do not get along with.) There's plenty of tension, bad blood, people talking about other people behind their backs, etc. So, like you, I was terrified. However, things went surprisingly smoothly. This is what helped... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 4:46 PM on May 14, 2008

This isn't the first time Vatican astronomers have spoken out on the topic, or that Metafilter has discussed it. Ignoring the LOLXTIANS stuff (which is always especially frustrating when the basic facts are wrong - Catholics are pretty damn far from a literal sola scriptura understanding of the Bible), it seems fairly clear that the Church has been paying attention to scientific developments in the last few decades (perhaps particularly the discovery of other planetary... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ubersturm at 7:21 AM on May 14, 2008

From someone who was at a similar level a year or so ago; here're some fiction that I've read since then that I've enjoyed, and been able to read:

I found translations of Haruki Murakami ("Naoko's Lacheln", "Afterdark") and Ursula LeGuin ("Die Enteigneten") to be very readable: They both have relatively simple prose but captivating stories. I really enjoyed the translation of China Mieville's "UnLonDun" because of the word play -... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 6:04 AM on May 13, 2008

I definitely second the idea of checking out translations of books that you've already read. (Or German books that you've read the English translation of.) Especially at first, being more familiar with the context can help you puzzle out words that would otherwise stump you. I've read a fair number of unlikely books in translation ("Catch-22", "Down and Out in Paris and London", and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", for example) for precisely this reason.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 12:04 PM on May 13, 2008

Vielen Dank!
posted to MetaFilter by ubersturm at 6:45 AM on May 8, 2008

I'm not sure there are, in fact, correct words for Hofmann's eulogy, so...

.
posted to MetaFilter by ubersturm at 6:20 PM on April 29, 2008

You need a German address and possibly also a source of income/proof of a source of income. I also had a letter from my university; I did not have my Aufenthaltserlaubnis (residence permit) when I opened the account, though they may have been bending the rules for me, as a new, foreign student. For a three month tourist visa, I really doubt it'll be worth the trouble. As for international banks that are also present in Germany: There are a good many CitiBanks in Munich. CitiBank's also in a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 11:59 AM on April 28, 2008

The group I was talking about - CitiBank, et al - is the Cash-Pool. Looks like CitiBank - and the GE Money Bank, which is apparently also international, though I've never seen it - are the two bigger international banks. If you had an American account with either of those banks, I assume you'd be able to access it in Europe.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 12:44 PM on April 28, 2008

I was faced with the same choice and a very similar diagnosis. My psychiatrist and I ended up opting for Lexapro first, because of the fact that Wellbutrin sometimes increases anxiety. I have had no appreciable side-effects from Lexapro. It kicked in relatively quickly for me - within two weeks, I'd say - and when starting out, I only felt a little dizzy and spacey for a few days. No horrible symptoms when I've missed a day of meds.

However, in the end, you don't... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 5:38 PM on April 25, 2008

reebear, Devil's Advocate & j.edwards: Actually, it's not uncommon at all. I was recently working on a DNA lesion called imidazolone, for example - a guanine base that is altered enough by one electron photooxidation that it ends up coding like a cytosine. It's thought to be a major source of G->C mutations. Furthermore, there are plenty of types of DNA damage that screw up the active site of a polymerase (protein that acts as a DNA-copying machine) fairly badly. The polymerase... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 10:14 PM on April 24, 2008

Note that kijiji is not very active in many cities. (I've bought computer equipment off of the Munich branch, but as housing goes, it's pretty barren.) Craigslist is, as you've seen, even more hopeless.

In Germany, you might want to look for a Zwischenmiete or v. short rental on wg-gesucht.de or studenten-wg.de. They're some of the biggest websites for rooms in WGs (Wohngemeinschafts, groups of youngish people living together) in Germany. The sites are primarily in... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 5:34 AM on April 14, 2008 marked best answer

Um, scaremongering like "they don't make LSD anymore and whatever you buy/ingest is going to be a hodgepodge of who knows what that someone is calling 'acid'" is really not at all accurate. One of the interesting things about acid is that it is incredibly potent; your usual active dose is in the microgram range. A dose of around 100µg would not be unusual, though of course if you're buying tabs, you don't necessarily know how much you're getting. By comparison, every other... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 9:35 AM on April 10, 2008

For convenience, a pickup will be easier, though the sound may arguably not be as great. (Then again, if you're playing bars, you probably don't need Stradivarius-quality sound - you need to be loud enough to be heard over the other instruments and the bar noise.)

Here's a basic guide to making your fiddle electric. As far as pickups go, the built-in bridge pickups are probably the best compromise in quality and sound. You can also get ones that attach to the bridge... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 12:40 PM on April 9, 2008

Er, yeah, sorry. I suck at, you know, typing. Not 1/8" cables. Everything I said that doesn't involve numbers, however, still stands.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 3:11 PM on April 9, 2008

First: Congratulations on your Master's!

Now on to the advice. Even within a family, attitudes on things like graduations can really vary. For me, my college graduation was a Big Thing: I'd had a hard time, struggled with depression, dropped out, been readmitted, etc. I really wanted to walk across that damn stage, no matter how long the ceremony was and how boring the speakers were. Even at my high school graduation - boring as it was - I had a sense of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 5:48 PM on April 5, 2008

I do think creasy boy is incorrect regarding your ability to work: I know that my Aufenthaltserlaubnis is dependent on my being a student, and has precisely the work limitations you mention above. Note that these do not apply to things like fellowships - that's how I've been getting by. Whether or not you can find funding for a Master's program is a different story - definitely check out American donors and the DAAD, and check them out way in advance. Note that I got funded for a time-period,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 12:00 PM on April 2, 2008 marked best answer

You've heard of mood rings, right? These days, metafilter.com operates on a similar principle...
posted to MetaTalk by ubersturm at 4:18 PM on April 1, 2008

Let's see... what about Corrupted, or is that too close to sludge/stoner stuff? Definitely Pantheist. Along those lines, what about Skepticism or Thergothon? Neurosis is definitely worth checking out, though their background is somewhat different than most metal-ish bands. 5ive (not the boy band!) is all-instrumental, with a somewhat similar heavy feel. (Harsh metal where post-rock bands are more orchestral.)

In general, though, I can't recommend doom-metal.com... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 9:49 AM on April 1, 2008

Yup, the Economist. They're biased, though their biases don't match up with American biases (I am assuming you're probably American because you're considering the three main US newsweeklies.) However, they're very upfront about their opinions, and there's a great deal of information, very well-organized and condensed. All of my friends in college loved reading through them after I was done.

Once you're hooked on the newsmagazine thing, a few... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 3:56 PM on March 31, 2008

Go for something closer to her interests. Is she interested more in clinical stuff? She can be a candystriper at a local clinic. Does clinical research sound more interesting? Look for local programs with universities/clinics (I took one at CWRU, for example), or look for national programs (I attended the Research Science Institute, which was incredible - and free - though CTY and similar programs are obviously also pretty good.) Based on friends who went, my impression of such leadership... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 4:32 PM on March 30, 2008

Biochemistry here - reading scientific papers and attending talks and conferences are probably the biggest way to "practice" science.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 4:33 AM on March 28, 2008

Yeah, most Germans speak a little English (and in cities, many of them are fairly fluent.) The same goes for much of the rest of Europe these days, though: English is the language you're most apt to share with a random European. However, your experiences going through a foreign country using English rather than using their native language will be very different. I'm currently travelling with my English-speaking family in Germany, and man, things are so much easier (and we get treated so much... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 10:43 AM on March 25, 2008

A stutterer here: Please avoid finishing sentences if at all possible. I know that I always choose my words very carefully; when people try to finish sentences for me, they often get it wrong, in whole or part. Which is doubly frustrating, because after wasting so much time getting the damn word out, I need to spend more time repeating what I was trying to say. Obviously, if you're in a rush and the word really is obvious - "are you saying the building's on fire?... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 5:23 AM on March 19, 2008

Now that BigDog can conquer the wilds of charming historical Waltham, we're almost ready to complete our long-awaited conquest of sub-Alpine Europe, I guess.
posted to MetaFilter by ubersturm at 12:02 PM on March 18, 2008

Get out. Don't spend most of your time alone in your room: that only gives you more time to mope and obsess over your problems. Become a regular at a local coffeehouse, develop a book habit, wander around the city a little - not the busy center, but little streets you've never seen, or parks you've never explored. Look for musical or theatrical or artistic or cinematic events that sound interesting. Look for events and places where you won't feel "in public" - that table in the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 6:10 PM on March 5, 2008

Tealuxe & Burdick's in Harvard Square don't have loud music (though the latter is crowded, unfortunately.) When the weather is nice, you can get your drinks to go and peoplewatch in Harvard Square. I also like Diesel, 1369, and Tosci's for sitting around and reading, but you might consider their music too intrusive.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ubersturm at 10:55 AM on March 2, 2008 marked best answer

Awesome. I've been wondering for a while whether it's possible for women to do overtone singing/throat singing/etc. Glad to find out they can (and can do it well!)

I highly recommend Huun Huur Tu, by the way, if they put on a concert near you. Truly gorgeous Tuvan throat-singing.
posted to MetaFilter by ubersturm at 8:43 AM on February 29, 2008