nasu dengaku must be the most sublime dish I've ever had.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 12:39 AM on September 6, 2008 marked best answer

Rule of thumb:
1) figures will be roughly correct for nouveaux riches or executives.
2) for old-money types, the real figures will be anywhere from 2x to 20x what is publicly known. this is certain true for a few people I'm acquainted with.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 4:52 PM on September 3, 2008

Businesses, by and large, use the calendar functions of MS Outlook / Exchange. Despite all the anti-Microsoft feelings out there, the fact is that Outlook / Exchange conveniently meets 90% of the needs of 90% of users, and is here to stay.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 4:38 PM on September 3, 2008

Even if they were dumb enough to sign an agreement that benefits only you, it could cost you more than is worthwhile to employ the legal apparatus involved in enforcing such an agreement. This is exactly where a "gentleman's agreement" would be the most expedient. Unfortunately that would require you to behave like a gentleman.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 2:23 PM on September 2, 2008

Do you have a driver installed for that specific monitor (not just the chipset)? Perhaps that might fix it, because in my case Vista always remembers the previous desktop position when reconnecting my 2nd monitor.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 1:33 PM on September 2, 2008

Lets say a bike (fully outfitted) costs me $500, and its MRSP is $900.

The markup is even less than that. The standard industry markup on low-end, complete bikes is 50%, i.e. $500 wholesale corresponds with a MSRP of $750. And bikes are usually sold at less than MSRP.

The fact is that bike shops barely cover their costs by selling bikes. It's the accessories that bring in a profit (and a tiny one at that).... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 10:41 AM on September 2, 2008

Classic Chinese comfort food: rice, vegetables (e.g. bok choy) and chinese sausage all together in the rice cooker. Season to taste with, say, oyster sauce and sesame oil.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 12:02 AM on September 2, 2008

Let's do this fucking thing.

Well, for one thing, minimize use of foul-language. I realize you were being emphatic, and I'm as potty-mouthed as the next sailor, but civility is best if you want to win people over to a cause. And a great cause it is.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 12:07 PM on August 29, 2008

The vast majority of aircraft accidents are minor or moderate ones that occur during take-off or landing. A large number of airports are near water or even have their runways extending into the water. It is NOT unheard of (I can think of three recent incidents just off the top of my head) for a botched arrival or departure to result in a large aircraft in the water, with the passengers having to carry out a water evacuation.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker at 5:24 PM on August 28, 2008

Live long enough and shit like this will happen to you again and again. Just continue to behave in a dignifiied and respectful manner to everyone. Maybe you'll catch some minor flak for this right now, but in the long run good leaders with good judgement will recognize her for what she is (and you for what you are). Bad leaders with bad judgement might come to a different conclusion, in which case why would you want to work for them, anyway?

Short answer: don't lose sleep over it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 3:31 PM on August 28, 2008

Am I the only one who, strangely, secretly, embarrassingly, enjoys the smell of skunks?
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 11:06 PM on August 27, 2008

Forget it, the email is not gonna work. Recruiters generally don't believe what candidates say about themselves -- they believe what other people say about them.

Your best strategy is to try to network with other contacts at this company, and make a good impression on them, and ask them to follow up for you. That would do more to turn the tide than a barrage of emails from you, which would likely backfire. Can you say "desperate"?

Oh... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 5:57 PM on August 27, 2008

Did you mean Middle Earth or Middle Kingdom, randomstriker?

oops.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker at 11:00 AM on August 27, 2008

The difference is that at the time the press wasn't desperately searching for stories to dredge up to take away Australia's glory of a successful Olympics. I personally file it under "western propaganda", together with many of the anti-Russian reports about South Ossetia, which is a sad 'news' category that I thought was dying.

That's exactly the subtext that I see. As China becomes an economic, political and military competitor, it seems... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker at 11:03 AM on August 27, 2008

Call me...er...him ;-)

Of course not every guy would be ok with this, but MANY are. I'd say that many guys are also cautious, though, because often times the women who claim not to want anything beyond sex do end up wanting more.

So be sure that you just want sex and nothing more, express this clearly, and make him understand you're not playing games with him. I'll let someone else come up with a "classy" way to express this.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 11:31 PM on August 25, 2008

I'll let someone else tackle the details of how to sculpt your body. But I would point out that, with everyone at the elite level already doing everything they can with their training and diet, it boils down to physical talent (i.e. genetics). Slow-twitch types will excel at marathons, and the fast-twitch types will excel at athletics. All have to be lean and limber, but in different ways.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 2:00 PM on August 25, 2008

For that kind of cash you can get one made for you.

For that kind of cash you MUST get one made for you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 9:56 PM on August 24, 2008

The 2006 A4 has a turbocharged inline-4. A bit of googling found this very thorough explanation:

Why do these cars require premium fuel? Is it worth it?

Strictly speaking, DSMs do not require premium fuel. However, the car was designed to accept higher-octane gasoline for a reason.

Octane is not a measure of the amount of energy in gasoline - rather, it is a measure of how well the fuel resists preignition,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 5:36 PM on August 22, 2008

For guys, friendship only means no relationship, but it does not necessarily mean no sex.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 12:23 PM on August 22, 2008

contraption, hence my inclusion of the *not necessarily* clause.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 12:43 PM on August 22, 2008

ook, I'd venture that the probability of single men being players PEAKS with those in their 30s. More often than not, they are lotharios. They've honed their skills, they've become comfortable with themselves, and they've sorted out their moral qualms (or lack thereof). Obviously kids and family are not happening, so what else are they gonna do besides go out and play mindgames on unsuspecting young damsels?

Dee Xtrovert, the guy... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 1:04 PM on August 22, 2008

someone somewhere wrote that the Nokia smartphones excel at creating content, and the iPhone excels at consuming content. can't rememebr where I read that but it's a good summary of all the reviews and opinions I've encountered.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 6:29 PM on August 20, 2008

Concerning boaz's frustrations, I have the E51 and had the E50 before. I liked the features of the E50 but found it to be buggy and slow. Fast forward a year, and the E51 is everything the E50 was supposed to be: fast, reliable, flawless, with a few additional features (e.g. WiFi). I am completely satisfied with my E51 and don't see the iPhone meeting my needs.

Everything I've seen/heard/read indicates the same sort of improvements going from the E61 to the E71. I'm... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 7:55 PM on August 20, 2008

oh, you should use VOIP applications like Fring, Gizmo, etc. Super cheap long distance for pennies per minute.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 11:53 PM on August 20, 2008

Or you can assume that they're idiots who are just mired in their way of doing things!

Or you can assume that there is no business case to be made for accommodating weird requests from pampered consumers who think that the customer is always right.

Look, running is a profitable business is hard, and requires economies of scale. That requires focusing on providing a core product or service and providing it well, and turning... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 3:54 PM on August 20, 2008 marked best answer

Are the 10.25% and 6% figures both stated as APRs? (effective Annual Percentage Rate) If you're not sure, ask, so that you can do an apples to apples comparison. All lenders are legally required to provide APRs on request, if not published.

My gut feeling is, for the same reasons others have expressed, that this is too good to be true. Credit card companies are experts at the bait and switch.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 3:51 PM on August 19, 2008

I have no expertise in this matter but even I can say that the 44% chance that jedicus pulled out of his butt is...unreliable...to say the least. First, that's not the way you calculate the probability of a compound event. Second of all, the GI tract is far from a homogenous environment throughout its length -- who knows which sections are more or less vulnerable to viral infection?
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 5:08 PM on August 18, 2008

You're overthinking this.

If you're into her, just talk to her. Unless you're a total bonehead, you'll figure out within 30 seconds if she's also into you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 11:27 AM on August 15, 2008

As you can see, the available information is inconclusive, but the vast majority of aircraft accidents happen during take-off and landing, so banning the use of electronic devices during take-off and landing seems like sensible risk management until we know more about the issue. Especially as fly-by-wire....heck...everything-by-wire becomes the norm. Is it REALLY such a bother to have to put away your toys for the first and last 15 minutes of the flight?
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 11:49 AM on August 13, 2008

yes.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 1:56 PM on August 11, 2008

and here's a more readable version of the same.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 1:58 PM on August 11, 2008

I have this problem every time I get new glasses, regardless of where I bought the glasses. It goes away after a few days, once your eyes (well, actually, the vision processing parts of your brain) adapt.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 1:23 AM on August 11, 2008

The catch is that the current cost disparity is mostly due to the rapid reduction in value of the USD over the last year or two. In the long run, overall consumer costs (when you figure in shipping, duties, taxes, the hassle of returning lemons, etc.) of buying local in Canada vs. online from the US are not that great. And many Canadian retailers have already achieved near-parity with exchange-adjusted US prices, despite having to blow through costly inventory originally purchased when the USD... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 1:20 AM on August 11, 2008

A friend of mine is effectively blind though not 100% so. She finds the, say, 0.1% of "normal" vision she has to be useless and distracting, therefore better to just block it off with opaque glasses and rely on her other senses.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 1:08 AM on August 11, 2008

Pay the $1675 already. I work in the industry and while I won't reveal what the wholesale cost is on that wheel, I can tell you that the markup is much less than you'd expect. So any "deal" you might get is going to be marginal. And, believe me, you want to buy from an authorized dealer because you definitely want a big-ticket item like that covered by warranty.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 3:53 PM on August 7, 2008

Forget the Williams disc. So what if Zipp made the rim? It's the body of the disc that makes the difference -- and Zipp does not provide its dimple technology to OEM partners such as Williams. Come on, why would Zipp dilute its brand by reselling its top-end technology through a discount competitor?

Forget eBay. If you're spending over $1500+, you'd better be getting a HUGE discount to justify all the attendant risks involved with online auctions.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 2:48 PM on August 8, 2008

Hard to say, since "geometry" and "statistics" are such incredibly broad fields. And, as you know, the further along you are the more specialized everyone around you tends to be.

So, taking the scattershot approach, here are some ideas off the top of my head:Graphics and visualization? Entertainment or computer gaming?
Mathematical finance? Actuarial valuation?
Finite Element Analysis?
Operations research?... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 10:57 AM on August 8, 2008

Japan is a fun, exciting country that is wealthier and more modern than most of America. Moreover, Japanese people are wonderfully hospitable and friendly toward foreigners...at least for casual, short-term interactions (the fact that it's very difficult for gaijin to be fully accepted and integrated fully into Japanese society in the long-term is not relevant to your friend's situation).

Tell your friend to enjoy the trip and broaden her perspective.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 12:32 PM on July 31, 2008

a call to the C.O. would not be approriate; a C.O. is not around to play referee over a custody spat

That was my first reaction too. In fact calling the CO is the nuclear option that could result in a lot of long-term embarrassment and severely limit this fellow's career. Use it as a last resort.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 12:36 PM on July 31, 2008

If you have fewer active workers and therefore less goods and services produced, but just as many people with money to spend, what happens? Inflation.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 10:58 AM on July 25, 2008

Some laptops (e.g. high-end Dells) have both DVI and VGA ports. A friend uses this to connect two monitors.

And sometimes the docking stations have both DVI and VGA ports -- this is how I have two monitors connected to my Thinkpad T61p.

And with other docking stations there are PCI-Express slots where you could add another video card (perhaps even a dual- or quad-head card) -- yet another friend exploits this for multi-monitor support.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 10:18 PM on July 23, 2008

Febreeze.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 11:03 AM on July 17, 2008

You'll be fine. You only get into trouble if you owe money.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 10:41 AM on July 17, 2008

Forget the fans. Just open as many windows as possible both downstairs and in the loft.

Hot air will rise out of the house and draw in cooler air through the downstairs, but it will still take some time for the loft to cool down because there is so much heat stored in the walls, roof, etc.

When I do this in my house, there is a very obvious draft circulating upwards, especially if I try to close the door to the loft.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 11:51 AM on July 15, 2008

Now I'm trying to recover as quickly as possible.

Do as I say and not as I do. I've had a lot of minor injuries due to biking and other sports. A lot of them still bug me years later because I was impatient or lazy about the recovery. Scar tissue is weak, especially when it forms inside joints or replaces connective tissues. Rushing back into action is the mistake that I always make, resulting in improper healing.

So I'd... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 12:32 AM on July 15, 2008

Go to a sports medicine facility, or a college for sports medicine. Guaranteed that they will have this equipment.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 5:37 PM on July 11, 2008

Classic case of relying entirely on meds to fix you, when they're really just a stopgap to stablize you. You should also be taking behavioural therapy seriously to get back on track with life.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 4:23 PM on July 11, 2008

I think this is what spreadsheets are for.

Here's your table for 8.57143 times 1 to 100 using googledocs.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 11:25 PM on July 10, 2008 marked best answer

I just tweaked the above sheet to go from 1 to 600.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 11:54 PM on July 10, 2008

kcm - you have a bike that has "aero" styling, but not true aero shaping. A properly designed bike will remain aerodynamically efficient (and indeed may be even MORE efficient) in cross winds. E.g. look at the lenticular aerofoil technology used by Hed, which results in measurably LOWER drag when their wheels are hit by wind approaching from 5, 10, 15 or greater degrees from head-on.
posted to Ask Metafilter by randomstriker at 11:33 PM on July 10, 2008