Your Mum is probably referring to the origin of the word "testify", which was indeed related to testacle-grabbing.

I suspect "by the balls" is too general a phrase to really say "this is/isn't a derivative of testification".
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 5:08 PM on October 2, 2008 marked best answer

Yes, a G3 would be a bad idea.

I just bought a 12 or 13" G4, 1.07gHz, 40Gb, 768Mb, 802.11g, from an auction site (ex-corporate, not ebay) for AUD400. I think that was a pretty good deal.

We also have at home, a G3 for which I've cranked the RAM enough to run 10.3.9... and it is useable, though not really pleasant. More importantly, it won't do WPA, and the battery is so old it won't hold a charge. I'd be surprised if many G3 laptops didn't... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 8:11 PM on October 1, 2008

(also: the cdrom on a G3 is probably on its last legs, if it works at all...)
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 8:12 PM on October 1, 2008

Encoded = data of one type, represented by data of another type.
Encrypted = data of one type, hidden somehow.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 9:21 PM on September 30, 2008

As an Aussie:

Don't stress. The bloke's travelling. New experiences are half the point. He's probably a big enough boy to point out that, say, peanut butter and jam together is disgusting.

Maybe lay in some decent beer though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 9:10 PM on September 30, 2008

What possible benefits, financial and otherwise, could arise from not checking to see if everyone is a paying customer?

Quite simply: the value of (ticket revenue less enforcement costs) is going to vary according to the effort put into enforcement. The function determining this variance probably (OK, almost certainly) demonstrates diminishing returns as more tickets are checked (past a minimum level where it seems, to each rider, silly to buy a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 8:36 PM on September 30, 2008

You could do worse than the Sound on Sound archives. I'd give you a decent link, but they seem to be down for maintenance.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 11:35 PM on September 28, 2008

Can't help specifically, but that last security update seems to have buggered up a lot of systems (I'm among this mob with network pane problems).

Do you reckon you could create a new account within that three seconds, and see if it works?
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 7:04 PM on September 28, 2008

Mein Kampf.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 7:43 PM on September 25, 2008

Oh, yeah, anything by Thomas Hardy - paying writers by the word is rarely good for prose.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 7:51 PM on September 25, 2008

Clearing the cache and cookies has helped me out for this sort of thing with Gmail before.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 6:22 PM on September 25, 2008

As a macbook user, the only feature I am jealous about from the MBPs is the metal case. The plastic on the MB is not up to scratch, as far as I'm concerned, and degrades pretty quickly.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 5:01 PM on September 25, 2008

Cud.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 11:36 PM on September 24, 2008

Google sketchup
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 8:24 PM on September 24, 2008

I had presumed these would be just the same reasons a gay couple would. Because they find the terms boyfriend/girlfriend a little childish, and are not married (or engaged).
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 8:46 PM on September 22, 2008

"Should" I can't help you with, but no Apple didn't allow you to do this. You might be able to with linux on your ipod, but I don't really know.

>Surely Apple should have included some way of deleting podcasts (and/or even songs) without having to dock your device?

Surely you don't need to free up space unless you are docked? You're not going to be able to use that free space without docking.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 8:35 PM on September 18, 2008

Kr - Kronenbourg
Hf - Hofbrau
Cd - Coopers Dark
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 4:56 PM on September 16, 2008

Dubnium – Db - probably can't go past DB Draught
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 6:30 PM on September 17, 2008

also, I know lead has been done, but if you're in Aus, you could grab some "Piss Beer".
For 'Californium - Cf', it's a little stretch, but carlton cold is Cold Filtered.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 6:35 PM on September 17, 2008

4. How were some people able to purchase "bargains" during the great depression if indeed inflation caused money to lose most of its value?

...is a wrong question. Inflation was exceptionally low, and at some points significantly negative, during the great depression. Generally speaking, money gained value.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 10:31 PM on September 16, 2008

It's all quite do-able with an MS-word mail-merge. You'll just end up with a bunch of what are called "word fields" or something, where you'll have conditions something like "if input_row contains "C++" then don't leave out (this_line_of_C++_related_crap)".

Don't dismiss the tool because of a poorly-worded wikipedia entry describing the world's most basic mail-merge - Word has been able to deal with this sort of complexity for at least 15 years.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 9:12 PM on September 15, 2008

a "vegaquarium"

See also: "fish 'n' chipocrite".

..but yeah, if you will, then don't call yourself "vegetarian". You'll save yourself, and others, confusion and hassle.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 8:59 PM on September 15, 2008

A wireless network, a chipped xbox with xbmc and the web interface enabled will go a fair way toward this. I can change music or video playing at home from anywhere with wifi. Doesn't help for broadcast tv, but then I'm usually right in front of the TV if that's an issue...
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 4:06 PM on September 15, 2008

>how does a smaller bean have more skin?

In a sphere, this is quite easily provable. In non silly-shaped things you may need to work harder to work it out, but something generally spheroid will have a higher skin:meat ratio the smaller it gets.

Also, I suspect wolfkult means "ambiguous" where they've written "disambiguous".

Of course, as to the question, I have no idea. I only came in here to learn..... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 8:44 PM on September 11, 2008

Thanks pompomtom, I accept your reply, but am no closer to understanding why it is so.

Start by working out the edge:area ratio on a (regular) triangle, then a square, then a (regular) pentagram. See the trend, which will lead you eventually to a circle.

Now do the same in 3d (or, like, don't, but just imply... it's much easier).
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 10:29 PM on September 11, 2008

Actually, that's a crap explanation. Ignore me.

It's true, honest!
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 10:30 PM on September 11, 2008

I paid about AUD30/month for dialup in Australia (could've been 56k... my modem was 14.4k) in 1995. I hadn't heard of AOL.

My next connection, in 1999, was in the UK, and was free (actually, I received some close-to-worthless shares to use it) from totalise.co.uk in return for a little ad-banner thingy. Eventually (still 1999) yahoo gave free net in the uk just to annoy other ISP's. NB: at this stage, BT would charge for time on local calls, so the ISP received nothing,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 9:40 PM on September 11, 2008

Wrap them as you like, they're your bits.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 8:32 PM on September 11, 2008

AFAIK 'dead people' is a contradiction in terms. You aren't people once you're dead.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 8:29 PM on September 11, 2008

I have certainly seen such sites, but never kept them bookmarked, because they were all so crap. They all seem to be someone's LAMP project, with no care at all given to the problem of having edible recipes.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 10:29 PM on September 10, 2008

My 93 Holden does this. I don't know if it is a regulation (and I'm not in the US), but if my car stops working while I'm on the road, I'll still want the brake lights to work.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 6:30 PM on September 10, 2008

The US Embassy in Canberra would be the first place to ask, though there are consulates in most (maybe even all) state capitals. I'd presume (OK, guess) all the military installations make their own arrangements.

Where in Aus are you?
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 5:32 AM on September 5, 2008

Car electrics suck. That said, it's not your alternator.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 6:46 PM on September 4, 2008

Let it go. Life is too short to get wound up over a cookie.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 5:22 PM on September 4, 2008

As Phssthpok said you could try a reflector added to your aerials.

In terms of 'common household pitfalls' - try to ensure the signal path avoids the bathroom and kitchen. Pipes full of water will kill your signal.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 5:03 PM on September 4, 2008

Only Nineteen was fairly specifically about two blokes, friends of the writer.

Billy Bragg's "The World Turned Upside Down" illustrates the Diggers' uprising of 1649.

Eric Bogle's "And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is about the landings at Gallipoli in 1915 (on review: same song was covered by the Pogues and mentioned above).

The Specials' "Free Nelson Mandela" - self... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 6:58 PM on September 2, 2008

...and how could I forget Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly's "From Little Things Big Things Grow", which tells the story of the Gurindji strike.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 12:12 AM on September 4, 2008

This looks to be exactly what you're after, though out of stock.
This could probably be pressed into service with a couple of connectors.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 6:45 PM on September 3, 2008 marked best answer

As above: no worries at all. Keep 10% of your drive free and you should avoid any performance hit.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 6:05 PM on September 3, 2008

Yes. It's zucchini, it comes with its own packaging... if you can stick it in your mouth, it's probably all good.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 10:11 PM on September 2, 2008

I'd start by trying a cheapo compact flourescent bulb attached to a simple mains-power timer. We've got one bulb in our lounge that takes a good 10-15 minutes to warm up. Perhaps that could be a feature, rather than a bug...
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 7:03 PM on September 2, 2008

My PHONE will tell me that there are networks up with hidden SSIDs. I'd have to reach over and open my laptop to find out what the SSID was and then connect.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 6:12 PM on September 2, 2008

Sunday, I found out he broke up with me, via facebook.

Perhaps it's time to go out with an adult?
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 8:46 PM on August 31, 2008

Shouldn’t relationships come first?

No.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 10:51 PM on August 28, 2008

Cash
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 9:20 PM on August 28, 2008 marked best answer

Up intake of: garlic, ginger, chilli.
Cut out: beer, coffee.

...and yeah, what twiki said.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 4:40 PM on August 27, 2008

Yeah, it's just a crap joke.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 9:21 PM on August 24, 2008

Why would they?

Razors, toothpaste etc are things that people use every day. Aspirin, not so much.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 8:20 PM on August 21, 2008

If I follow you:

=countif(A:A,A1)

will tell you the number of instances of whatever's in A1 in column A. Stick that in column B and fill down.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 5:38 PM on August 15, 2008 marked best answer

A wooden stake called "Mr Pointy".

Bend out a coathanger and chuck it on the stove and you could brand the name on.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pompomtom at 10:00 PM on August 14, 2008