Displaying post 1 to 50 of 76
from
ask
Why are sine waves considered "pure" tones? Why do we consider sinusoids the building blocks of periodic functions?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 7:00 PM on June 28, 2008
(35 comments)
Where could I buy
paper glasses that could act as decent sunglasses? Polarizing glasses (for 3d movies) would be close, I just need them to be darker.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 8:29 AM on June 21, 2008
(8 comments)
In Buddhist philosophy, how is one supposed to
do anything?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 8:16 PM on May 18, 2008
(44 comments)
I'm an electrical engineering student/hobbyist looking to buy an oscilloscope. I'd like to spend around $200 ($300 max, probes/shipping included). What should I look for, and where?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 6:28 AM on April 16, 2008
(10 comments)
This is a recording of the CBS radio announcement of the Pearl Harbor bombings. I remember having a longer version of this exact clip, and right where this one ends an announcer with a classic American radio accent says "We take you now, to Washington". Where could I find that again? (I've googled, and all I can find is the abridged version).
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 3:03 PM on April 3, 2008
(4 comments)
How should I get started in programming Java on Ubuntu Linux?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 9:55 PM on February 12, 2008
(14 comments)
I heard about a book that covered philosophical questions at the core of mathematics. This interests me, but I'm really interested because if I remember correctly it used understanding of
euler's identity as an example. What was this book?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 4:23 PM on January 6, 2008
(9 comments)
Where can I buy fabric near midtown NYC?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 8:53 PM on December 19, 2007
(5 comments)
I'm currently waiting for my
Eee PC and Mologogo phone (
a motorola i415) to arrive. These are items I'd like to carry with me very frequently (essentially always), and I call upon the hivemind to help me figure out the best way to do so.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 5:23 PM on November 19, 2007
(9 comments)
What's it like working for NASA these days? What will it be like in 5-10 years?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 12:06 PM on November 9, 2007
(21 comments)
A few friends have started a Go Club at our school (we meet weekly, and we want to raise attendance at these meetings). We've introduced a fair number of people to the game personally, but now we're looking to introduce the general public (university and otherwise) to the game and club. I think flyering is the obvious first step, and I'm looking for advice on that and other promotional tips.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 6:57 AM on September 30, 2007
(8 comments)
Which version control system should I learn/use?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 9:42 AM on September 12, 2007
(18 comments)
I can't believe I'm going to blow a question this, but here goes:
I keep hearing this really lame hip pop track that features the artist calling out:
Whooooooooooooooooo?
Yoooooooooooooooooou!
and then some references to superman. It's stuck in my head. I can't seem to google it. I've listened to everything on the charts. Help me go to sleep.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 6:39 PM on September 2, 2007
(5 comments)
Name my radio show, which focuses on electronic music, centered around genres like: idm/braindance or whatever we call it these days, dub, trip-hop, chip music (as in... gameboy's and C64's), aleatoric, grime, dubstep, minimal, electrofunk, deep house and so forth.
I would say the primary theme of the show is music that is interesting not only for doing something creative, but for doing it with newly available technology (for it's time). I also have a bias towards music that is rooted in Jazz or other improvisational traditions. Aside from what is decidely artsy-music, there is also a smattering dancable music and mashups deemed clever enough. There is no dance music of the foor-to-the-floor variety though, and it is not primarily a dance show.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 1:59 PM on July 26, 2007
(26 comments)
I've resolved to start private piano lessons this coming fall semester, and want to know how to evaluate (and what questions to ask of) potential piano teachers.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 11:49 AM on June 17, 2007
(7 comments)
WTF-Filter: The left side of my visual field is being overtaken by what can only be described as... a crawling anomaly. If you imagine the sorts of random colors and shapes you see under certain circumstances with your eyes closed, or in the dark, it's like that... except there is also a feeling of movement... as though everything is sort of undulating kaliedscopically. The anomaly tracks along with my eye movement... so I can't look at it... it's always in my periphery.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 10:45 PM on May 31, 2007
(27 comments)
What is the legal status of offshore (maritime, international waters) broadcasting in the United States? Is there a stateside equivalent of the
Marine Offenses Act? What steps would the United States take to hamper the operations of such a broadcaster?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 9:01 PM on May 17, 2007
(2 comments)
I need to buy a server for around $800 ($1000 as an absolute maximum). It will be hosting a website with a (PostGres) database that will start at around 4GB and grow slowly (so would like at least 2GB of RAM). It
must be able run Linux, preferably Ubuntu or Debian.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 11:25 AM on May 10, 2007
(9 comments)
I'm trying to install Ubuntu Server on a just out of the box Dell machine. After completing the install the machine hangs (displaying only a blinking cursor), and subsequent attempts at reinstall from the LiveCD result in hangs as well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 6:36 AM on May 3, 2007
(18 comments)
When I read the biographies of artists I admire, they always seem to start with lines like "began playing the piano at 5", "got first drumkit at 7", and so forth. Every great musician I've known personally got started at a very young age, usually before age 12. Have there been any successful (defined here as having produced music enjoyed by a significant number of people) who came to music relatively late in life? Past 18? 30?
40?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 1:03 AM on April 22, 2007
(29 comments)
How do you synthesize sharply percussive melodic sounds, as in
this trentemoller track? I'm using
AMS specifically, but a I'm really just looking for a general description of how this is done on a modular synth.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 10:26 PM on April 2, 2007
(5 comments)
SongIdentificationFilter: This song would be well suited to a slow motion lovers-into-each-others-arms scene.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 3:18 PM on March 19, 2007
(9 comments)
Where can I buy an official-design full-size
Flemish Flag online? If the official version isn't available, I'd settle for the all-black type.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 5:51 PM on March 1, 2007
(12 comments)
So I get to go to San Francisco/Berkeley for a week over spring break (rather unexpectedly). If it lives up to even a fraction of the hype (it seems to good to be true!) I hope to move out there after college. I've seen the multitude of threads on what to do there, so I'm here to ask what books relating to San Francisco should I read over the next few months to enhance my enjoyment of the trip?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 2:44 PM on February 6, 2007
(15 comments)
I'm looking for a sample pack of all of the words/letters/numbers/phonemes from a Speak n' Spell (and/or derivatives). I'm not looking for crazy circuit bent samples... just something I can piece together words/phrases out of. Surely someone has done this.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 12:20 PM on January 20, 2007
(9 comments)
Is there a geographically accurate map of the DC metro system? Like
this London tube map?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 1:00 PM on December 28, 2006
(11 comments)
I remember reading an anecdote about Feynman, written by Feynman either in Surely, You're Joking or What Do You Care What Other People Think. He was describing how in his undergraduate years people were really impressed by his ability to do integrals, all because he knew this integration technique that wasn't taught very often. What was that technique?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 9:03 PM on December 4, 2006
(10 comments)
I'm totally entranced by
this post in projects about electronics surplus stores. I'm an electrical engineering student in Lexington, Kentucky and over winter break I'll be home in the Washington, DC area. Where can I find a place like that in the general vicinity of those locales? I have friends willing to drive rather far if required.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 3:42 PM on November 20, 2006
(3 comments)
I used to play an old DOS game in which you had to manuever a paper airplane through a house, with each room being a different level, each of which got progressively harder through the addition of obstacles. The plane, if I recall correctly, had a fixed rate of descent and could only rise by moving over a fan/vent. If you touched anything you died. It was an awesome combination of puzzle/action. Bonus points if you tell me how I can play it on a modern WinXP box.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 2:08 PM on November 12, 2006
(6 comments)
I have a Thinkpad G41. About an hour ago, I (shut it off) packed it in a backpack-style case, and rode my bicycle to the radio station where I work. Upon arriving, I turn it on and the screen does not do anything at all. Everything else about bootup appears normal, except the total deadness of the screen (the light behind the TFT does not appear to come on). Also, there are (what I presume to be) BIOS beeps, one long two short. Googling produces
this which informs me I have a "video adapter error". What do I do now? (This laptop is about a year old, I think it's out of warranty now... is it just doomed to become a server?)
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 7:49 PM on October 27, 2006
(14 comments)
I've heard astronomy has given us great insights about basic physics (and could be seen as a form of basic physics research). What technologies do we have today that can trace their gensis to astronomical findings?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 3:36 PM on September 29, 2006
(10 comments)
If I don't care where I'm going, and I want to pay as little as possible for a round-trip ticket (over a few days) what's the best way to do it? I don't need any advance warning where I'm going... I'm willing to just get on a plane and go, as long as it's a round trip ticket and I can get back within a known period of time.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 5:15 PM on September 12, 2006
(12 comments)
I'm trying to run soulseek through SSH tunnels to avoid a restrictive college newtork policy. It doesn't seem to be working terribly well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 11:27 PM on September 3, 2006
(7 comments)
I'm looking for artists/songs that sound like the slide-guitar/banjo intro to KMFDM's WWIII. I'm not really very familiar with bluegrass (is that even the right genre?) outside Bill Monroe, and none of his stuff sounds much like this.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 6:50 PM on August 27, 2006
(7 comments)
Security Clearance/Foreign Service-filter: I'm thinking of a career in the Foreign Service when I get out of college (T-minus 4 years), which I am just now entering. While metafilter has had
questions about this before, but my situation is am bit different (so I'm hoping the Foreign Service mefites from those threads can chime in). The most important distinction is that I'm looking to be a
Security Engineering Officer, or in some other sort of engineering related role (which falls under "Management" I believe) not a diplomat. Much more after the jump...
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 1:57 PM on August 8, 2006
(12 comments)
I want to learn to play keyboard, a continuation of sorts of
this question. When I say this, I mean a MIDI controller - for the sake of being a midi controller, not as a stepping stone to piano. My goal lies primarily in doing something creative musically (dare I say "compostition" at some point down the line) with software synths played live (by me, not a tracker). So the answers to that last question have sent me on my way theory wise, but how do I learn to actually, you know, move my fingers around?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 1:03 PM on August 1, 2006
(9 comments)
Is there some reason that christians support Israel? I was browsing the
Rapture Ready message boards, and while I realize they are a bit of a fringe, they seem to be fanatically pro-israel (see
this signature), and that sentiment seems to be echoed amongst many other christians I know. I would have figured christians to be mildy anti-israel, as it's inhabitants sort of shunned their prophet/savior. What gives?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 8:25 AM on July 20, 2006
(40 comments)
I want to learn German. By which I mean I want to do anything that will lead, in the long term, to fluency (by which I mean well enough to live a full life in a German speaking country some day). I have absolutely no experience. I am not a "busy professional" who wants to "learn the basics of communication". I'll be taking Introductory German in college next year (I don't know what textbook they'll be using, or I'd buy that). I have a summer free of distraction (except for a 40 hour workweek) and approximately $50 at the moment (though lets say $100 for the purposes of conversation).
What should I do?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 4:57 PM on June 13, 2006
(27 comments)
Can anyone identify the song right after the UFO sequence in
this video? If you know of similar music, please reccomend it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 11:57 AM on May 31, 2006
(11 comments)
I'm 17 years old and considering moving to Europe after graduate school, roughly 8 years from now if all goes to plan. I am a dual citizen (Belgium-US). What should I do during the coming years of college towards this end?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 10:40 PM on May 6, 2006
(10 comments)
Can I plug my laptop into a guitar amp without damaging the laptop? I'm using a male eigth inch to male quarter inch cable between my laptop's integrated soundcard and a fender amp's second input. I tried this briefly and it worked, though the sound quality is what you'd expect of such a setup. I then plugged a guitar into the same amp. Everything still worked, but upon removing the laptop, the guitar got noticably louder, leading me to worry about what kind of potential I was putting across the soundcard's output from the guitar. The soundcard does not seem to be at all damaged.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 4:36 PM on April 23, 2006
(9 comments)
Is being in the presence of underage drinking in any way illegal? Under what circumstances? Controlled substance consumption? How is the age of the "witness" relevant?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 3:42 PM on April 15, 2006
(28 comments)
I'm looking for reccomendations for
Linux PVR software for a security camera application. I want to be able to store a lot (limited only by hard disk space) of high resolution video from a 3 chip DV camera (which will go through a TV tuner card). So far this is rather standard, but I have the (unusual?) requirement of needing to be able to store a lot of metadata from sensors with the video. (more inside!)
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 9:35 AM on April 7, 2006
(3 comments)
What is the sound first heard in Lazy Lover by the Brazilian Girls (heard at a later part in the song in
samples found here)? I saw them live last night and it was, as I expected, sampled/synthesized and possibly hawaiian in origin.triggered via keyboard...
It may be a unique sound, but I could have sworn I've heard it somewhere else, and that it's a real instrument, and I associate it with hawaii for some reason.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 5:22 PM on March 4, 2006
(6 comments)
This idea for a visual effect has occured to me, and I want to implement it, just to see what it's like. I know Perl and C/C++, but I am heavily biased towards a *nix environment. Description of video transformation inside...
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 8:30 PM on February 23, 2006
(7 comments)
Theatre Audio Filter: I'm looking for stereotypical "award show" music, the kind of thing they'd play at the Emmy's when an acceptance speech runs to long. Or perhaps the kind of thing you'd here as the contestants walk on stage during a beauty pageant. More Inside!
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 6:15 PM on January 30, 2006
(4 comments)
Calling all DIY speaker enthusiasts! I'm packing off to college next year and my anticipated roomate and I are both interested in building a sound system of sorts. We are both somewhat experienced with audio systems (theatre sound techs) but have never tackled any sort of speaker construction project. More inside...
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 5:54 PM on January 16, 2006
(21 comments)
So, I borked the Windows XP Pro partition on my laptop, which is an IBM (Well, Lenvo) Thinkpad G41. I have been off blissfully in Debian land for the past few months and haven't given it a second thought, but now I need Windows back in the next few days. I do not have an install disk, as one did not come with my laptop, and the "rescue" partition IBM provides is borked as well. I do however, have a legitimate key. What can I do?
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 3:59 PM on January 1, 2006
(19 comments)
Song Identifcation Filter: I heard a song on
KCRW within the past few days that lifted the melody (just the note sequence, it wasn't sampled) from Kraftwerk's "Computer Love". It had a male vocalist and the last words he sang were "Let's talk". Searching playlists on KCRW has been fruitless, but I remember hearing the Dresden Doll's "Coin Operated Boy" shortly before or after this track.
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist
at 6:17 PM on December 22, 2005
(10 comments)
