Ah, I've said it before - but you'll never beat Toy Story 2: Requiem.
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 5:44 PM on October 6, 2008

Dashiell Hammett's The Glass Key is amazing, it's not only a great story with a classic, enigmatic antihero protagonist: Hammett's writing in this novel is so precise and well-executed - I think it's a worthwhile read for any writer from the technical side alone.

Hammett's Red Harvest is another great read. Although it is a Continental Op (Hammett's recurring Pinkerton-Agency type investigator character) story and so maybe technically a detective story, it is immersed... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 12:02 AM on September 14, 2008

Here is some extensive verbiage on conditions for receiving unemployment after resignation. If demotion means the value of your position is substantially degraded you have a case but your boss can fight it. A severance package is between you and your boss, it's nothing the law guarantees (unless of course you have some sort of contractual promise of one). You can't really count on getting anything if you quit or are fired for (alleged) cause.

Your job sounds pretty... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 4:15 PM on September 9, 2008

We used one of the bolt-on-the-faucet type Pur filters (it has a filter pod that rides sidesaddle on the tap and would fit most anywhere, and you could switch between filtered and unfiltered water) - this is like a $30-40 initial investment and periodic $10-30 filters (depends on which ones you use, where you buy them and how much it's used) - of course you'll have to replace filters with the pitcher too. Ours was pretty trouble free for years and was cheap, though I've since switched to a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 3:29 PM on September 9, 2008

I don't think what you're looking for exists. For some horrible reason (oh right, teenagers) wretched MySpace has become the current free standard for bands and musicians. In fact I think these days if you're serious about using the internet as a promotional tool you are crazy not to maintain a MySpace page.

I think the themes thing in WordPress generally reflects a normal level of low-DIY customizability available for free for general purpose web display tools. If... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 3:09 PM on September 9, 2008

Well, if these kinds of churches' preferred candidates have taught them anything, it's that the fact that something is illegal is no reason not to do it.

There doesn't seem to be a winning free-speech case (for reasons I don't really understand).

They aren't restricting churches' free speech, they're restricting their access to a special tax status, which is not a constitutional right. Same restrictions apply to all... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 2:14 PM on September 9, 2008

Seriously though, it's worth amplifying that the goal of this organization and its cat's paw churches is to incite a prosecution by the IRS that it can try to take to the Supreme Court for a constitutional challenge of the law.
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 2:24 PM on September 9, 2008

I chuckled at the cutesy little disclaimer on the tadigrades.com home page that warned you might develop an "addictive" fascination if you kept reading. Then I looked at the clock and realized I'd been reading about water bears for thirty damn minutes.
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 2:00 PM on September 9, 2008

does our already existing knowledge of what they have done obligate us to press for legal redress?

Sounds great, now how exactly am I supposed to do that again? Write some more letters? As far as I can tell I am absolutely powerless in the face of a gutless, compromised congress. Perhaps I shall vote for a third party candidate, or do some anarchist street puppetry.
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 6:42 PM on September 8, 2008

I don't think you're making a big enough deal of the fact that you have music featured in freaking Rock Band!
posted to Projects by nanojath at 12:08 PM on September 8, 2008

Were they better in the '80's?

They were metal in the '80's. This sounds like the same heavy pop alternative with metal highlights they've been doing for years. I made it about 4 minutes into that tapioca-toned lumbering cliche of a video.
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 12:54 PM on September 7, 2008

Here are some resources on marijuana that offer what is notably lacking in what has become the typical hysteria of reporting on marijuana in the UK: references.

Individuals with psychological problems frequently self-medicate. There is no question that use of psychoactive drugs can antagonize psychological problems. Both early drug experimentation and the onset of psychological problems cluster around adolescence/early adulthood. Marijuana is often focused on as the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 9:21 AM on August 27, 2008

It's notable that the receptive sites in the brain that marijuana acts on were only recently discovered (in the early 90's) and as I understand it its mechanisms of action are still not fully understood. Descriptions of these mechanisms get pretty technical - far above my head anyway. This article might be useful. It seems pretty well grounded in actual scientific references.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 5:50 PM on August 27, 2008

The real issue here is not to think of new ways to justify people's lifestyle choices, but to ask the question: what medicinal qualities do cannabinoids have and how can we harness them without incurring the various side effects associated with smoking cannabis.

There are two falsehoods here. The first is any further justification for legalizing marijuana is necessary: it's physiologically safer and has a lower potential for abuse than alcohol and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 5:27 PM on August 27, 2008

I'm pretty sure it qualifies as animal cruelty to force a couple of innocent chickens to participate in a Neistat Brothers film.
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 10:28 AM on August 27, 2008

Once when I was at some temp job one of my coworkers had one of those page-a-day desk calendars with suggested activities of the type supposedly designed to make you think. One day it suggested rearranging the letters of your first name into an anagram representing, I don't remember, your secret identity or something. I always thought nanojath was evocative without actually suggesting any literal . I will reveal today for the first time that my full anagram name is Nanojath Mom Harklaw.
posted to MetaTalk by nanojath at 9:48 AM on August 27, 2008

Nice snipe. I've never been near an art school.

Congratulations on developing all that pretension on your own

As an ordinary user it's not up to you to cross out (even conceptually) another user's comment.

Who the fuck are you to tell someone what they are allowed to do "conceptually"?

Oh, right, the person who thinks it's up to them to tell someone it's not okay to do photography as a hobby.
posted to MetaTalk by nanojath at 6:11 PM on August 24, 2008

My wife and I both maintain platonic but intimate relationships with ex-lovers and it's no big deal. If everyone can deal with it and there is genuinely no intimacy weirdness with the ex I don't see what the problem is. For future reference: there are no rules.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 5:50 PM on August 24, 2008

It's pointless to send the email when she's back tomorrow. Beyond that, the situation you are in is ridiculous and of course it is fair to push her to get out of your apartment ASAP. You need to tell her point blank the situation is bad for you and it has to end.

You know perfectly well the only sensible course is to eliminate all ambiguity about your relationship (which is over, over, over) and stop rubbing salt in your wounds be living with/hanging out with/sleeping... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 6:30 AM on August 24, 2008

It is a neat application... but there are an awful lot of limitations imposed by essentially only being able to view one panel at a time and the restrictive panel dimensions (you can only break out of panel borders if you cut the screen down into what start to become very small panels, no across the fold layouts or splash pages, and little significant visual interaction possible between the panels).

It seems particularly suited to strips, honestly - not too many panels,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 10:24 PM on August 23, 2008

I think it is down to UK citizens to advise you on somehow negotiating the health care system. You probably need both talk therapy and continued work to find meds that actually work for you. This is your fundamental need. There is not maybe or probably about it. There is nothing more important to be doing with your attention right now. None of the other business you are talking about is going to happen until you can get out of your house and interact with people. The only pragmatic advice... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 5:12 PM on August 23, 2008

get with a real Doctor who can prescribe meds to get you out of your head

This is an individual's opinion and doesn't represent the truth of the extensive research on the topic. The efficacy of cognitive therapy in treating depression is proven and in many cases has benefits over drug therapy (no side effects, prolonged effectiveness). This is not to say you might not benefit from drug therapy or to deny that some conditions resist therapy and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 8:28 PM on August 22, 2008

One thing I meant to add is that a therapist does not fill the role of friends or of a minister or vice versa (I don't discount the value of either, my dad is a pastor but he is sure not a substitute for someone who needs a mental health professional and he'd be the first person to tell you that). Finally, if something someone you're working says is bothering you, bring it up, see what they have to say about it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 8:39 PM on August 22, 2008

When I was your age I moved to the nearest city that had a public transportation system with no car, no apartment and less than a thousand dollars and figured it out. I will deliver you one tidbit of gospel truth from my harrowing experiences of young adulthood: there are plenty of jobs that they will give to anyone.

Here's what to do with all that excess time: beg every licensed driver you know to take you out practicing driving so you can get your... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 10:21 PM on August 21, 2008

One more thing: just get an apartment. That "rental black hole" thing is just an excuse and it's holding you back from doing the one thing you desperately need to do, which is take 100% responsibility for your own life. The economics of property ownership are extremely complex but the blanket assumption that you will lose money renting is often erroneous. In any event, you need to devote your time and energy figuring out how to live as an adult and what you want to accomplish with... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 10:37 PM on August 21, 2008

and then Matt deleted it all...

You know the rules.

spock, either make the damn post or root around and find an actual deleted post. This attempted back door at discussing this election trivia of the moment isn't the answer.
posted to MetaTalk by nanojath at 8:52 PM on August 21, 2008

Banning him now would just be playing into his hands. There's no other choice but to apply reverse psychology and make spock a moderator.

You still around, spock? 'Cause I still want to know, are you actually, as it appears, just assuming nobody made an actual valid attempt at posting this that was deleted? I'd think you'd provide a link if you had. Because if you haven't gone to the trouble of looking for a deleted link (it's... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by nanojath at 9:20 PM on August 21, 2008

Although many things said around here have made me think, I am most a sucker for the ones that made me laugh out loud...

Cortex puts it all together

Metatown

WHAT IF ONE OF THEM SEEM ODD?

Abiezer closes the book on "You know who else...... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by nanojath at 6:01 PM on August 19, 2008

On reflection, meatbomb might have been fucking with us all.

For future reference, meatbomb is always fucking with us all.
posted to MetaTalk by nanojath at 6:03 PM on August 19, 2008

Reading this thread has been the most vicious Metafilter-related time sink ever. It's also depressing. For some of us. I mean, what do you do with the fact that nothing you've said is anyone's "all time favorite"? It's like, what if you're not anyone's greatest fuck ever? You never know, you know. I mean, she might say you are, but really, what else is she going to say? "Yeah, you're, like, four-five, but don't feel bad, it's still, like,... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by nanojath at 12:15 AM on August 20, 2008

A thousand pardons, Ms "grapefruitmoon." Incidentally, your "cat" is a dick.
posted to MetaTalk by nanojath at 7:27 AM on August 20, 2008

What occurs to me is that the email she sent contains all sorts of personally identifying information, so if you replied to that PLUS your full CC# and Exp. Date (with the message history intact) you'd be emailing a lot more fodder for an identity thief out. You can't really do much with just a CC#, Exp. date and email.

I assume you are normally submitting your payment info through some sort of secure system? If you're really leery of emailing your info, a simple way... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 4:03 PM on August 19, 2008

Wow, that was pointless. Oh Real Preview, why did I quit you?
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 4:03 PM on August 19, 2008

BTW, sharkfu, what provider/service do you use for those one-time-use CC numbers?
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 4:05 PM on August 19, 2008

Thanks sharkfu!
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 1:04 AM on August 20, 2008

As alluring as the shock-value of the "look at how vulnerable you are to crime" package sounds, I think you just can't deliver such an assessment unsolicited. It doesn't even really matter if it could legally hold up or not: nervous rich folks who are probably control freaks being freaked out by you is no way to do the business you want to do and is probably a good way to get caught up in costly and time consuming legal unpleasantness sooner or later.

If this... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 12:54 AM on August 20, 2008 marked best answer

Am I missing something? She has no actual experience in government at all, correct? I don't mean associated with pertaining to relevant to blah blah blah. I mean, holding elected office. The suggestion is idiotic.
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 5:30 PM on August 19, 2008

Any clue to what Moore meant when he said he "knew" JFK?

He's talking about JFK Jr.
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 5:31 PM on August 19, 2008

I have had to to sacrifice a lot of things I wanted in life... I'm being held back from the kind of life I want to lead... life with him is going to end with lots of regret and resentment on my side...

This does not describe "purely selfish" reasons, and these are in fact perfectly reasonable justifications for ending a relationship. I don't think there's any way out of your kind of situation that isn't going to suck like hell, but at least bear these things in mind.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 3:02 PM on August 19, 2008

I've often thought at church-organized meals that a well-organized person could probably eat a good percentage of their meals for free by keeping track of all the religious organizations in a decent urban radius. You might start getting a lot of "want to be a member" hassle after a while but many churches would allow you to freeload pretty much indefinitely.

If you do live in New York you're in the most expensive rental market in the country, with average... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 2:40 PM on August 19, 2008

Most of them will be about 18 years old, born in 1990...

Ah, this year's graduating class was born the year I graduated from high school. Ouuuch.
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 2:11 PM on August 19, 2008

No artists or labels have complained.

The artists and labels pay the RIAA to do this for them. The only thing that surprises me is that it took this long. If you're not doing it by the book and you get popular they are going to come after you, and this is going to be the case for a good long time to come. I think their apparent belief that they will weather this is exceptionally optimistic.

Pandora is really another issue;... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 10:44 PM on August 18, 2008

Buddy, it turns out that what's possible with love is really all over the map.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 12:39 PM on August 18, 2008

Either you're letting untreated major depression run your life in a very damaging fashion or you are using personally manageable depression as an excuse to either basically not work when you don't feel like it or to sabotage a job you secretly don't want to keep. Sitting at home doing nothing for two weeks is not recovering from depression, it's capitulating to it. It isn't a reasonable request of a job unless you are in a major depressive episode (essentially unable to function) in which case... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 1:26 PM on August 17, 2008 marked best answer

You don't trust your agent: get a new one.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 11:52 AM on August 17, 2008

Oh for crying out loud, don't ask him to explain it further. Just keep flagging it until it goes away.
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 11:45 AM on August 17, 2008

is it just me, or is everyone on a particularly snarky tear these past few days?

Wow, real "insightful" comment there. Your early comments were like classic Metafilter but you've clearly lost the magic. Honestly I've kind of been over your schtick for a while. I'm totally into yort now, that's some real Metafilter.
posted to MetaFilter by nanojath at 11:46 PM on August 16, 2008

I had speech therapy as a youth for a lisp and I have to agree with the advice to have a professional help you. The process was essentially to talk me through the physical enunciation of the consonant and then practice, practice, practice. But the explanations and exercises were quite precise and technical. I can't imagine an everyday person being able to explain how the consonant L is pronounced precisely and usefully. Being able to practice to a trained ear in a context where I wasn't... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 11:29 PM on August 16, 2008

Never impulse buy based on some artificial time constraint that means you gotta do it NOW, because it prevents you from making a really thought-out choice: always hang on to your old computer as long as possible because your money will always buy more later: that's pretty much common sense and you know that. You want a shiny toy.

On the other hand your future financial stability is not going to be made or broken on the basis of saving a thousand dollars in 2008, so if... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 10:07 PM on August 16, 2008

So she cries and says she was a bad mother; but has she actually apologized? I mean, I don't know if your mom is manipulative or genuinely remorseful or some combination of them - I think most manipulative people are not fully conscious of what they are doing and are self-deceptive about their motivations, she's probably not thinking "fuck, this again, now I will cry and shut prefpara up." And we all manipulate, consciously or unconsciously, with our emotional reactions to things.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nanojath at 3:42 PM on August 16, 2008