New Beer Distributors, 167 Chrystie St., sells cases of all kinds of beer.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:02 AM on July 2, 2008

There's an opportunity here to 1) learn; and 2) actually meet her, cautiously.

Yeah, an opportunity to learn a lesson in the school of hard knocks: there's some sorts of crazy and some sorts of asshole you just don't get involved with for your own good, and my own personal lessons learned in that category put up warnings here. For now "ignore" seems most likely to minimize future problems without being taken advantage of.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 4:37 PM on June 30, 2008

The businesspeople selling cigarettes on streets and in bars out of a plastic bag are not bothering with the fake tax stamps.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 3:44 AM on June 30, 2008

Bad Religion - American Jesus
Steppenwolf - Monster/Suicide/America
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 2:29 PM on June 27, 2008

Oh, I skipped the specifics:

Bad Religion - Los Angeles is Burning
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (anti-NJ though not explicitly)
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 2:33 PM on June 27, 2008

Your list comes quite close to my vaguely defined "list of things that are generally righteous and badass to be fighting" which included sundry combinations of:

Unfriendly aliens
The undead (Ghosts, Zombies)
Robots, including evil cyborgs
Satan & other dark magic allies

the one thing you are missing on this list?

Nazis.

As evidence, I submit... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:09 PM on June 26, 2008

Place a tarp under the tent as well, but make sure it's generally slightly smaller than the tent and arranged so that water will not pool.

Ditch the wimpy stakes that came with the tent and buy some real ones (also a hammer).

Propane lanterns are pretty cool.

Depending on the weather, neighbors, and bugs you don't necessarily need to sleep in the tent.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 6:16 AM on June 24, 2008

The applicability of Leave No Trace sort of depends on where you're camping, unless you've really reached maximum Hippie. But wherever you are, clean up after yourself.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 3:20 PM on June 26, 2008

The rocks in the bottom right didn't strike me as stacked while I was there (especially as visible in the second picture they looked consistent with rocks being dumped there by the crew making the drainage), but, interestingly enough, when I took these pictures, the next (of four) drainage pipes I was standing on did have three decent-sized rocks stacked on top of each other. They didn't seem sufficient to explain the construction of the arch and obviously wouldn't necessarily be on the next... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:45 PM on June 24, 2008

but could be part of this.

I mean that they were obviously stacked but the stacking didn't necessarily seem requisite for the arch.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:49 PM on June 24, 2008

It seems Google's version of Geocities cut me off for the time being. Lower resolution pictures here and here.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 10:49 AM on June 25, 2008

Does your big city have a reservoir? If so, expect the well water to taste like crap in comparison.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 12:30 AM on June 25, 2008

I can't imagine soldering with gloves on. It's detail work, often enough.

Helping hands are the way to go.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 5:35 PM on June 24, 2008

(eg: we split gas 3 ways until we pick up our 4th rider, then split it 4 ways)?

This is correct definitely for tolls and also for gas down to a reasonable granularity. (i.e. if you'll be filling up 15 times total and 10 times after picking up Guy No. 4, Guy No. 4 only pays for the 10 times. If you're only filling up two times on the whole trip, figure something else reasonable out.)

On the other hand, if Guy No. 4's costshare... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:56 PM on June 23, 2008

A couple of months ago, as I was coming upon a blinking light (I don't know why it was blinking, there probably hadn't been an outage) it suddenly went into the regular cycle again. I looked around to see if there was a maintenance worker around, but there wasn't.

They can be on timers. A lot of the lights around me switch to blinking red/yellow late at night.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 3:16 PM on June 23, 2008

People been going on quite excellently about beers.

You need to have the whiskey sour. Prepare simple syrup by dissolving one part sugar in one part boiling water. Let cool. The syrup may be stored in the refrigerator.

Squeeze some lemons. Mix 2 parts bourbon whiskey (you don't need to be too fancy for a mixed drink), 2 parts lemon juice, and 1 part simple syrup. Strain and enjoy.

You can buy simple syrup in the store but... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 6:29 PM on June 22, 2008

Yeah. Corona, especially with the lime, is a delicious beverage but not a delicious beer. Several beer drinkers in personal experience have agreed with me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 7:49 PM on June 22, 2008

Zambrano's advice is incorrect, except to some degree for the Guinness.

You are bad at trolling, Zambrano. There are several around here, such as Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America, who you should study and learn from.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:39 AM on June 23, 2008

Same reason I stayed in the restroom for a couple hours after a strong liquid lunch when I worked at a Big Corporation - no-one's gonna question you when you're in there. You can have a good long conversation, and if the boss walks in, you can play it off like a short chat.

This. My friends with Big Corporate jobs regularly go sit on the john for a 15 minute nap, though their yapping is done over e-mail / corporate IM, with a system of codewords for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:53 AM on June 23, 2008

They're sending you e-mails because it is a much more convenient way of communicating than the telephone. You should include your phone number in your response, but you should make it open to further communication via e-mail.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:38 PM on June 21, 2008

Regarding mountain lions, I was amused to see that the mountain lion advice given by the NPS can be summarized as:

<various advices as to how to avoid a physical confrontation>
If the mountain lion actually attacks you, you start beating the shit out of it with your fists, sticks, and rocks (hell, I'd bite the damn thing too).

So think about what a badass you'd feel like if you beat up a mountain lion in hand-to-hand combat.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 7:09 PM on June 20, 2008

Turn on Mercury Vapor light and could hear the circuit making buzzing noises, but the circuit did not trip.

The buzzing noise after turning this on leads me to suspect the ballast for the mercury vapor light.

That does not explain this, beyond a simultaneous breaker malfunction or a wiring malfunction caused by the mercury light:

Reset circuit, nothing comes on. Reset circuit again, nothing comes on.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:37 PM on June 19, 2008

I would strongly advise against you removing the cover on your breaker box. It is entirely too easy to kill yourself with the kind of power that's exposed behind that cover.

You may safely examine the wiring behind the breaker box cover by shutting off the main supply to your house if you have access to it. You should not, without knowledge, attempt any repairs if you see something wrong, and also probably shouldn't open the breaker box if you don't... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:40 PM on June 19, 2008

In every house I've ever lived in, the only way to actually turn off the main power to the house was by snipping the seal on your electric meter and pulling the plug.

Alright, we've seen different houses. I've seen the main breaker in a completely separate box of its own.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 6:05 AM on June 20, 2008

I know a girl who referred to the touching fabric one (which I really don't get? pls explain?) as "It squicks me out."
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 10:00 AM on June 19, 2008 marked best answer

Sure I've smelled leather but can honestly say I've never tasted it.

I have had beers that taste like a flower shop smells and that taste like a campfire smells, both in a good way. I have not eaten a flower shop or a campfire. (I have eaten a flower, but it didn't taste like much.) A lot of the "taste" sensation in fact involves the smell receptors, to address this by my understanding.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:31 PM on June 17, 2008

What I'd like to know is what are some mistakes that new renters make that I should avoid

You should buy a toilet plunger immediately.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 2:29 PM on June 17, 2008

Regarding locking yourself out, see if you can fiddle with your lock. A lot of them can be set so that they have to be locked from the outside with the key, ensuring that the only way you get locked out is by losing the key.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 3:31 PM on June 17, 2008

If you'd like to trust someone random on the internet, I seem to be half-decent at internet detective work. If you sent me your blog name I'd have a try at compromising your identity with the promise that I'd never reveal my findings to anyone but you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:56 PM on June 14, 2008

TheOnlyCoolTim - €5 for his/her identity.

Fuck that, I'm a man of my word, and my promise is my promise.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 10:11 PM on June 14, 2008

There are "housing projects" all over but they are often a single NYCHA building that fits in with the neighborhood. So seconding that "the projects" refers to a large complex often of high rises. A few have specifically bad reputations, like Marcy, while others like the Queensbridge Houses or the complex on Ave D (two I had reason to regularly walk through) weren't viewed with much if any worry.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:17 AM on June 14, 2008

Stuy Town has more or less shifted to market rates and I don't think was ever considered a "projects." (It's always been privately owned, at least, I think.) It was built with the same sort of architecture, but built not for those in poverty but for World War II vets. Nowadays it is somewhere in the second half of the transition from an elderly population benefiting from "affordable housing" rates to being basically a weird petit-bourgeoisie enclave. In terms of the apartment... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:48 PM on June 14, 2008

The Navy celebrates Crossing the Line. (equator)
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:32 AM on June 14, 2008

I can't find any good reference, but I've read rumors that the initial Jeopardy quiz, at least, weeds out those who score both too low and too high. Game shows are interested in making money, not running a meritocratic or fair system.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 7:23 PM on June 13, 2008

This is not quite an alteration of an existing sport but is definitely playground rules:

Sting, as best as I can remember it:

You need a tennis or similar ball and a windowless wall to throw it against.

Players bounce the ball off the wall, catch it as it bounces back, throw it at the wall again after taking a limited amount of or no steps, and repeat.

If the ball came into contact with you and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 6:22 PM on June 13, 2008

Half court or less, single hoop basketball: the defending team had to "clear" the ball by dribbling or passing it away from the basket past some defined boundary before they could take the offensive role.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 6:30 PM on June 13, 2008

It's up to you to decide how risk-averse you want to be with regards to fire, landlords, and potential narcs. People seem to have put up evidence it's legal. I would do it in a heartbeat though I never got around to it (on my own roof), and I wasn't even "allowed" on my roof. In terms of narcing, when I went up there to watch the Macy's fireworks the one time, half the apartment building seemed to be up there though they weren't allowed either and people all over were visible setting... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 5:35 PM on June 13, 2008

There is a sense in which the Catholic Church, at least, considers any soul who has gained admission to heaven a "saint" and also many good souls still living on Earth as part of the "Communion of Saints." Thusly, many receive no regard at all.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 10:45 PM on June 12, 2008

I think something like this effect occurs in that when the government pumps money into R&D through the DoD it's red-blooded patriotism but when the government pumps money into R&D through civilian agencies it's ivory tower communism, even if it's the same amount of money going to the same researchers for the same subject. A lot of stuff that gets the defense funding doesn't have any real need to be under the defense aegis. For example, I am doing some network security research, with the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 7:44 AM on June 12, 2008

Complex power? I haven't really looked at many air conditioner labels or any standards behind that to see how it's listed, but in general and importantly in the case of industrial equpment the power ratings very importantly include the "real" power in watts that is transferred as well as the "imaginary" ("real" and "imaginary" are mathematical terms, do not take this to imply that "imaginary" power does not exist) power that sort of floats around... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:41 PM on June 10, 2008

JackFlash's answer adds a great deal to mine. I'll just add for everyone's greater understanding that what he named "reactive power" in his post is the same as what I named "imaginary power."
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:25 PM on June 10, 2008

To correct some misconceptions: Both batteries and capacitors can be charged and discharged at an arbitrary rate below the rated maximums. A battery will have a rated maximum current while a capacitor may or may not really need one in terms of current - small household capacitors can be discharged as fast as the laws of nature allow by shorting the terminals, without damaging them. In general, capacitors tend to have a higher maximum charge/discharge rate than batteries in two senses. First off,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 1:32 PM on June 10, 2008

Incidentally, the self-discharge rate of a Maxwell super cap is about 1% a day. Not bad, really.

In fact, I think that's comparable to standard rechargeables.

Battery discharge is at the voltage of the chemical reaction, meaning a NiMH battery outputs approx. 1.2V until it is flat.

This is definitely an approximation. A fully charged 1.2V nominal NiMH cell will have a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 7:32 PM on June 10, 2008

You could try to solder or properly splice the individual wires together to do something better than twisting and tape, but that's probably about as much work as doing it right.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:20 AM on June 10, 2008

Everyone's saying get a heavy duty extension cord without giving any real meaning to that.

Your air conditioner will, probably both on the unit and the manual, have a rated current in amps (amperes, if the label is verbose). You want to make sure that the extension cord is rated for at least as many amps.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:45 PM on June 9, 2008

It would get annoying to overdo it, but you could bring in a real life conspiracy with some Numbers Stations recordings courtesy of The Conet Project. Download link in the article.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 5:28 PM on June 9, 2008

I spent three weeks in an RV last year, travelling NY -> LA -> Seattle. If you're staying around Raleigh and not generally taking in an itinerant lifestyle, especially if you'll be doing this without placing yourself in a dedicated RV park for access to hookups and dumps, I think it would be completely not worth it.

You will probably also get hassled if you try to set up long term residence in any spot that's not an RV park or your own private property and run a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:57 AM on June 9, 2008

If someone asks what year I was born in, I'd say 1978. They'd say "so, you're 30". I'd say, "no, I said I'm 28".

Sorry, but to me the best possible way, reflecting on you, that I would be able to read these statements is that you were really really bad at basic arithmetic. Your age is the number of years since you were born.

How you act is up to you. This has been linked multitudinous times here before,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 10:59 PM on June 8, 2008

* Vista vs XP. Don't listen to all the negative stories about Vista. It's not that bad and has some features that will help you look pass the negatives. As long as you are purchasing a new PC with Vista and you remove all the crapplets and trialware on it, you'll be fine.''''''''

My family bought a desktop with Vista installed and it runs like a pig. For work, I received a laptop with Vista installed and, usually using Linux, haven't gotten around to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 2:20 PM on June 8, 2008

Bouncers who care or who are at places which care will often scrape the ID with a fingernail to check for cosmic osmo's trick.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 3:49 PM on June 7, 2008