Displaying post 1 to 22 of 22
How can I convert a Word document to a pdf while keeping the margins the same width? We are working on a 5 MB Word document, created with Word 2003 on a PC running Windows XP. The margins must be 1 inch wide. When we convert it to pdf, the right hand margin becomes 1.25 inches wide, and random phrases become boldface. We've tried Acrobat 8 and a freeware converter (dopdf).
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 7:25 PM on August 28, 2008
(16 comments)
I was in my local public library today and wanted to look up a thread about Paris that I'd seen in Ask Metafilter, so I got on one of the library's computers. I was surprised to find that the library blocks Ask MeFi. How common is this? How can I get the library to unblock it?
posted to MetaTalk by lukemeister
at 1:24 PM on July 19, 2008
(30 comments)
Can an LVM partition be mounted by Windows XP or Vista?
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 11:50 AM on June 28, 2008
(5 comments)
I'm thinking of buying a laptop, and find that at sites like CNET, the editors and users often disagree wildly. I haven't found a place that reviews laptops that can sort reviews by the users' rankings. I tried amazon, but their "sort by average customer review" doesn't work. Which sites do you like?
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 10:47 AM on June 18, 2008
(13 comments)
I have severe sleep apnea (apnea/hypopnea index 66). I've tried various CPAPs (currently a
REMstar Auto M Series with C-Flex) and masks (full-face, nasal pillow, currently a nasal mask). The problem is that for every combination of machine and mask, I wake up in an hour or two, generally having swallowed a lot of air, and stop using the CPAP for the night. The respiratory tech says that it's working when I use it - index as low as 6, which is well within the normal range - but I'm so uncomfortable when I wake up that it's very hard to put the mask back on. Suggestions?
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 12:59 PM on June 7, 2008
(14 comments)
After receiving
mixed advice three months ago, I bought an HP Pavilion Elite m9150f running Vista Home Premium. Except for being a little slow to boot into Windows, I've been happy with Vista ... until last night, when Vista Service Pack 1 installed "successfully". I dutifully rebooted and now it won't boot into Windows at all. I've tried system restore from two restore points. Neither works, although I do get a helpful message stating that "a recent upgrade" may be causing problems.
The computer can boot into Fedora 8, so it's not hosed, but I've run through my limited bag of Windows tricks. Any suggestions?
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 7:02 PM on March 20, 2008
(15 comments)
Can we find a room in Chicago for $100/night? My wife, 14-year-old son, and I are flying there for the first week of April. We'll split time between one sister in the distant suburbs who has room for guests and one in the city who does not have room. The sister in the city suggested
City Suites in the Belmont-Sheffield neighborhood where she lives, which sounds nice, but it's close to $200/night. Can we find two beds for under $100?
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 1:57 PM on March 13, 2008
(18 comments)
I'm organizing a scientific meeting that will be held in late April. The attendees will be astronomers with a mathematical bent. We'd like to give them a "free" gift, but not the usual T-shirts and mugs. We thought of flash drives, but attendees probably have one already. Please give me your suggestions. Difficulty: (1) Can't spend more than $20/person. (2) Must have room for logos of five sponsors.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 1:24 PM on March 6, 2008
(23 comments)
Is O'Reilly's Safari bookshelf a good substitute for printed computer books? As the walls of shelves in my office close around me, I need to either get rid of a lot of my old books, or stop buying new ones. I like to print things and annotate them, and it looks like O'Reilly doesn't let one print much without additional charges.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 10:17 AM on January 12, 2008
(6 comments)
It's time to replace our desktop computer. After threads like
this about the sluggishness of Vista, I'd prefer to get XP Pro, but it appears that some vendors, such as HP, only offer Vista. I'd rather not buy a computer with Vista and then install XP. Ideally, the new box would come with XP Pro and include a coupon for Vista that will still be valid in one or two years when Microsoft will presumably gets its act together. Does anyone have such a thing? Thanks and happy holidays!
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 11:54 AM on December 26, 2007
(24 comments)
We are thinking of hosting a small (around 100 people) scientific conference in Colorado some time in April-June 2008. Our office in Boulder doesn't have a room that's big enough. A colleague suggested holding the meeting in Steamboat Springs, but Steamboat is three hours' drive away. I'd prefer something equally scenic but closer to Boulder/Denver. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 5:04 PM on March 27, 2007
(10 comments)
Years ago my wife and I read a story by Heinrich Böll which I remembered being titled "Christmas Every Day," but its real title is apparently
Nicht nur zur Weihnachtszeit (Christmas Not Just Once a Year). This year we'd like to read it to our son, who is now old enough to appreciate its black humor. I thought this would be easy to find in print or online, but I've looked up web and down Foyles, and have had no luck. Can anyone tell me the name of an anthology where the story appears ... or scan it and be my friend forever?
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 5:49 AM on December 22, 2006
(10 comments)
Why don't the New York Times Reader, Doppler, and Juice work?
Doppler and Juice started crashing on my XP (SP2) box after a period of normal use, and I can't get the Times Reader to run at all. The common thread seems to be that these applications use various versions of .NET. The Times Reader requires the NET 3.0 Framework, which supposedly was downloaded as part of the Reader install. Any suggestions?
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 6:02 AM on September 29, 2006
(7 comments)
Where should I see A Scanner Darkly in London?
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 7:02 AM on August 23, 2006
(10 comments)
Please advise us on mobile phone calling plans in London. We'll be on sabbatical in London for 6.5 more months. We're in university housing and can only call on campus without using a calling card. We've gotten tired of dialing 30+ digits, so we'd use the mobile as our main phone, at least for outgoing calls. We'll be making a couple of calls a day in London, and two or three 10-20 minute calls to the US and France each week. I assume we want a 'pay as you go' plan, since we're only going to be here less than a year. We don't need a fancy phone. We'd probably prefer 2 cheap phones. Also, will our phones work in western Europe? Thanks for your advice.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 7:56 AM on June 20, 2006
(11 comments)
I'm attending a meeting in Catania, on the east coast of Sicily, July 3-7, and taking my wife and 12-year-old son. We'd like to leave London June 28, spend four or five days in Rome or Venice, then return from Catania July 8 or 9, and not break the bank. I know there are lots of discount airlines in Europe, and we'd also consider train or bus within Italy, but right now I have too many variables and not enough equations. Thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 4:46 AM on June 5, 2006
(7 comments)
In four days, I will leave with my family for a nine-month sabbatical at a university in London. Late in the game, we found out that I need a work permit, even though I'm still being paid by my US employer [a non-profit research institute] because we're staying in the UK for more than six months. I filled out the 'Work Permit for Sponsored Researchers' form, but the permit hasn't arrived yet. I haven't gotten a straight answer on what will happen when we arrive in London. Please tell me that we won't be bundled onto the next flight back to the US!
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 8:17 PM on March 26, 2006
(12 comments)
Why has Google Desktop Search's indexing become so slow?
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 9:53 AM on March 19, 2006
(6 comments)
My father is probably about to die. He lives in Texas. (I'm in Colorado, and am about to go to Texas.) He is conscious but unable to communicate. I am his only heir. He said years ago that he wanted me to be the executor of his will, but I don't know if he even
has a will. If he does have a will, he probably prepared it when he was married to a woman (not my mother), to whom he is no longer married. My question is what happens, or what I should do, in either case. He does not have substantial assets. I just want to make sure there's enough money to pay for the funeral and his outstanding debts.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 3:46 PM on October 8, 2005
(18 comments)
I'm planning to spend most of next year at a university in London on a sabbatical from my job at a nonprofit research institute in the US. My wife, son, and I are American citizens. I'll still be paid by my US employer. What will be covered by NHS?
posted to Ask Metafilter by lukemeister
at 11:03 AM on August 21, 2005
(4 comments)
