Displaying comments 1 to 50 of 427
Ask post:
dead floaters?
If the ones that float close their shells when tapped gently on the counter, then they are alive and should be no problem. They would be floating because their shell was closed with air trapped inside. But you shouldn't be soaking them for any length of time in fresh water, it will draw the salts out of their bodies and kill them. They are best cleaned and de-bearded in a colander under running water, and each individual then given the tap test.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 4:44 AM on August 29, 2008
Soaking mussels in water on the day that you are going to serve them is no big deal. But it does quite seriously effect their shelf life, sometimes even a quick soak can shorten it by days. Silkygreenbelly has the storage right: in the fridge, in a hotel pan with a damp cloth over them. It even helps if you keep them tightly in the mesh sack that they came in. This will keep the mussels from naturally opening and closing as they like to do, and prevents drying out. Provided the mussels weren't... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 10:31 AM on August 30, 2008
Ask post:
Why won't my pickup start?
Have a mechanic check the throttle body and clean it if it's dirty. Run some techron or equivalent fuel injector cleaner through a couple of times. This was a continual problem for my old 1989 F150.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 11:00 AM on August 25, 2008 
marked best answer
Ask post:
An embarassment of oysters
Shuck them and freeze them in their liquor (seawater) and save them for a classic Thanksgiving oyster stuffing. One word of caution: if the oysters look dried out in their shells, or there isn't much liquor inside, you should pitch them no matter how they smell or how much they cost.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 6:15 PM on August 20, 2008
Ask post:
Wood vs. Tile flooring (smackdown)
I just stripped tile off of my kitchen floor and refinished the nice maple that was underneath. Having wood in the kitchen in a cold climate is preferable to me for making tea whilst wearing my socks on those cold mornings.
Pros: warmer floor, warmer feet
Cons: 3 days of stinky polyurethane and unusable kitchen.
Costs: I'd say this will vary from place to place and depend on how much work the homeowner is willing to do.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 4:08 PM on August 12, 2008
Ask post:
Identify my American oil painting
It looks to me like a view of the Queenston Monument from the American side of the Niagara River, near Fort Niagara. Similar to this view, here. The monument dates to 1853,and commemorates a battle in 1812. This is just a guess, but it looks like it may have been painted by someone from the Hudson River School, who would have been in the region in the mid-18th century.
As I said, this is just a guess, and I am not an art historian, but it may lead you to more... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 9:42 AM on August 6, 2008
Here is a very tiny example of a similar painting, by William Henry Bartlett, an English engraver. And this is an antique postcard of a similar scene.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 9:59 AM on August 6, 2008 marked best answer
Here is the engraving!
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 10:29 AM on August 6, 2008 marked best answer
Ask post:
Blurt Support
Saying "Oh well", and then getting on with living. Sort of like an instantaneous self-forgiveness. We're only human.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 7:31 AM on July 31, 2008
Ask post:
Dog "magazine" to benefit shelter--ever seen one?
My vet mails something like this to me every so often. It looks like the mailing and magazine are paid for by some Big Pharma or other.
While I would (and do) donate to a shelter, the magazine would have to be much more than the standard "Flea and Tick Season is Here, so Please Neuter and Brush you Dog's Teeth" kind of story.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 12:19 PM on July 18, 2008
Ask post:
Latin American Geopolitics
Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine covers many of the economic policies and foreign aid programs that were at the heart of much Latin American turmoil in the last 30 years. You may or may not agree with her conclusions, but the book is well researched and well documented.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 9:18 AM on July 18, 2008
Ask post:
Ooh, what's inside there?
There's a rumor of tunnels connecting the buildings at a local college. The rumor has it that the tunnels were used to go from the dorms to class during bad weather, but that they have been closed since "the rapes." While the rumor of rapes may be true, knowing the limitations of this particular college makes me think that it is most likely that the tunnels were closed because they didn't meet the access standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act and were too expensive to fix.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 6:59 PM on July 17, 2008
Ask post:
How to get art insurance?
I talked with my homeowners insurance provider about this same thing. He had two options:
-Have every piece of art appraised and listed separately
or
-Buy a single rider to cover the amount that you think all of the art is worth.
But homeowners insurance will cover art, they just need to know about it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 8:50 AM on July 13, 2008
Ask post:
Normal wear for white gold?
My not-cheap white gold band was scratched to hell in a week, and bashed nearly flat in a year of hard labor. Fortunately, my marriage survived it. A jeweler was able to re-shape it, bit it will never look the same as the day it came out of the box. And my wife and I are okay with that, we see it as kind of a mark of survival over time.
The only suggestion that the jeweler had for me was "don't wear your ring to work".
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 12:43 PM on July 11, 2008
Ask post:
Totally dumb Wall-E question. (SPOILERS)
The water in the plant would freeze pretty quickly, expanding the water and rupturing the cell walls, causing it to wilt and die. But hey, it's a cartoon.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 6:11 AM on July 9, 2008
Well, humans and plants are different organisms. Humans are endothermic and can create body heat, most plants cannot. Also, the surface area of a plant compared to it's volume is greater in a plant than a human, more surface area exposed = more rapid cooling, less volume = less thermal mass to stay warm.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 6:41 AM on July 9, 2008
Ask post:
Preparing for the Worst
I'll second Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma. The section titled "Grass" covers the workings of a diverse small farm and the interactions between cows, chickens and pigs and the grassland and woodlot that keeps the farm sustainable. While it doesn't cover fish, it may point you in the direction of some idea of what you're looking for.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 6:54 AM on July 7, 2008
Ask post:
Are pit bulls dangerous?
The dog may have dominance issues that aren't present with it's current owner, but may be difficult for you to deal with. I wouldn't recommend any dog with such a stigma to someone who wasn't familiar with dogs.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 1:29 PM on June 25, 2008
not true.
When was the last Chihuahua put down for an attack on a human? Get over it, as loving and sweet as pits can be they are still the dog of choice for dogfighters, thugs and douchebags of all stripes. Yes, there is a greater risk to the breed because of how the breed is currently used.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 2:09 PM on June 25, 2008
Ask post:
Why are pirates allowed to eat oysters all year round?
ikkyu2: " I don't believe the chain of refrigeration is really all that much better in 2008 than it was in 1850"
I was a wholesale fish and shellfish dealer for a long time and I can assure you that the cold chain is far better in 2008 than it was even in 1990. Large and small fish dealers have spent millions on refrigeration to comply with federal HACCP guidlines since 1997.
Also, reflecked is right about spawning... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 5:51 AM on June 20, 2008
Ask post:
Mystery song
There were at least 1 band that I remember being in heavy rotation on WZBC around that time that sound like this. One is The Vaselines, but I can't remember hearing that specific lyric. I know there are others, but my memory is rusty right now. But I'm gonna ask some friends that were dj's at zbc and mbr at that time and see if they remember.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kuujjuarapik
at 7:26 AM on May 22, 2008
