I don't believe there is any reason whatsoever to think this was anything except milk.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 10:16 AM on July 4, 2008

Take it from me; you DO NOT want to keep playing through hurting wrists. I'd been using a computer since I was 7-8 years old, so when my wrists started acting up while I was playing (of all things) that piece of crap "Black&White", I figured I'd just see if I could shake it off and would stop after a few days if it didn't get better.

I quit 3 days later when it got worse. A week after that I couldn't type a single letter without pain. A week after that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 1:50 PM on July 3, 2008

Surgeons stick titanium into people's bodies on a regular and long-term basis. Your body is a much more difficult environment than a little fresh water.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 11:39 PM on July 2, 2008

I'm assuming this will last for a couple more days, right?

I'm not sure you should assume this. Your doctor already told you that withdrawal might take a while and everyone reacts differently.

You've been taking 30 mg of amphetamine salts every day for 2 years. That's a pretty serious dependency to get over in 3 days. I'm not even sure the craving would necessarily kick in after 3 days.

I would try... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 4:08 PM on July 2, 2008

Obviously this would be a very crude esimate anyway, but you can't even get that without knowing your sex. Basal metabolic rate depends heavily on if you are male or female.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 7:36 PM on June 29, 2008

chrisamiller: You can actually come up with a crude formula if we know the sex of the person involved because your resting burn rate for calories increases as your weight increases, so if E is constant as the question indicates, B will eventually equal E as weight increases. Obviously depending on the initial values of B and E this could either be very quickly or not until the person is the size of the goodyear blimp.

I'm assuming this is some sort of abstract math... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 7:42 PM on June 29, 2008

Enh, since this is so crude and inaccurate anyway, I'm going to assume you're asking about a dude. X = calories burned from exercise. I don't see how you lump all "calories burned" together and still get a meaningful answer.

B = 66 + 6.23W + 12.7H - 6.8A + X

Steady state weight achieved when B = E

So E = 66 + 6.23W +12.7H - 6.8A + X

W = (E - X - 12.7H +6.8A - 66) / 6.23
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 7:52 PM on June 29, 2008

I want to reiterate that this treats your question like a theoretical math problem and I have absolutely zero confidence in the real world application of this formula.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 7:55 PM on June 29, 2008

Optimal isn't the right word; if you always eat the same amount of calories and do the same amount of exercise, there is a weight you'll naturally fall into. That weight isn't "optimal" in any sense since there is a weight you'll naturally fall into even if you eat like a pig; you'll just be fat. This natural weight increases with age as your metabolism slows.

The formula I gave is exactly what you're asking for.

Weight = (E - X -... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 10:15 PM on June 29, 2008

The traditional answer is "I WANNA ROCK!"

But seriously, the kind of thing you're talking about sounds great and works out when you're 22. It's still pretty cool at 32. But it becomes progressively less endearing as you get older. You really do need to figure out how you're going to pay the bills, adventurer or no.

So as to how you answer the question "What are you doing with your life?"... well, you actually figure out... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 11:58 AM on June 29, 2008

You know a good job for people like this? Teaching high school. Two months to travel every year.

I take it you aren't a teacher. In my experience, high school teachers are working their asses off during summer "break". I suppose it depends on the school.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 2:06 PM on June 29, 2008

Yeah, that book is a load of bullshit. I've been strongly interested in a number of women who I didn't pursue at all.

Of course, this may be why I never ended up with any of those women.

Huh.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 10:05 AM on June 29, 2008

The only advice I have is to re-evaluate whether you can get a court appointed attorney. I do not believe for a second that you can't get a court attorney if you make $6000 a year.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 10:41 AM on June 28, 2008

That's true, dnbb.

OP: Assuming you make a bunch more than $6000, then, I advise you to hire an attorney regardless of expense. Do what you have to do; if you have two cards, sell one. If you have cable TV, get rid of it. If you have vacations planned, cancel them (hard to vacation from jail anyway). If you have savings, spend it. Etc.

Make whatever sacrifices are necessary to get an attorney. I assure you that a little extra cash will... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 12:23 PM on June 28, 2008

two cards = two cars. Hah!
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 12:23 PM on June 28, 2008

Ever noticed the armpits of your white tees going yellow? I'm pretty sure that's the deo.

No, that's the sweat.

But I agree with you in general; never go out without your undershirt, unless you're a hippie or going to the beach.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 6:04 PM on June 27, 2008

Speaking only for myself, the gels work far, far better for me than the roll-ons or sticks. Never tried sprays; gels work well enough there isn't any point in me trying anything else.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 3:36 PM on June 27, 2008

0.25mg? All that might happen is your dog will have a good time chillin' for a couple hours.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 9:09 PM on June 25, 2008

Your meat consumption sounds firmly in the mainstream omnivore range to me. Sure there is the occasional guy who eats meat at every meal but that's not most people. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if you were significantly closer to the "eats only meat" side of the spectrum compared to most people than to the "never eats meat" side.

Your question asks whether you "can" call yourself a vegetarian. Of course you can. You can call yourself... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 5:16 PM on June 25, 2008

No, the OP is "roughly or even slightly less vegetarian as the average american".
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 5:41 PM on June 25, 2008

Um. That's sort of like being a pacifist except when you're actually punching people in the face, I guess. I don't think the OP should worry for one second about what she or he told a bunch of co-workers, but if someone came out with "I was a vegetarian yesterday but today I'm not; sometimes I just don't want to eat meat" I'd think they were deeply weird. Not for not wanting to eat meat on a given day but for coming up with such a ridiculous rationale.

OP:... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 6:53 PM on June 25, 2008

I don't think people are seeing his price guideline. $100,000. For a nice bit of land with a house on it. Near Portland.

Corvallis is very nice. It has a median price of something like $375,000. Olympia is very nice. It also has a median price of about $350,000. Bend is very nice. The median price there is closer to $400,000. Eugene is not quite as nice but still pretty nice. It's median price reflects that and is only a bit over $300,000. Ashland is... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 11:13 PM on June 24, 2008

apologies, I refered to the OP as "him" when she is clearly a "her".
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 11:14 PM on June 24, 2008

note for OP: Bellingham is relatively affordable, meaning the median price is only a little over $300,000.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 12:26 PM on June 25, 2008

The temperature of the water and the length of time spent washing (i.e. rubbing your hands together) is more important than soap as far as a typical hand-washing goes.

Unless your hands are made out of metal or something you can't tolerate water temperatures high enough to kill the bacteria. No 120F won't cut it. So, yeah, the soap is more important than the water temperature.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 8:55 PM on June 24, 2008

The important thing is that she follow the "no cigarettes, no illegal drugs, little alcohol or caffeine" diet. The kind of food she eats is vastly less important than that so long as she is eating at least moderately healthy and making sure to get enough protein and such.

That said, there are a few exceptions; she should avoid fish that is high in mercury, for example. Generally speaking, the higher on the food chain the fish is the more mercury it... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 2:57 PM on June 23, 2008

1) No, it's not legal in the United States. As far as I am aware nobody has ever been arrested for it, though. Who told you it was legal?

Note: the reason it is illegal is lobbying from Vegas casinos. The law is an ass, to quote Charles Dickens.

2) No idea.

3) The way to find a game against people who are playing to win is to play for money, but not much of it. A game with play money will never, ever, ever count... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 2:23 PM on June 23, 2008

I refer you to the "Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act" from 2006.

Some people will still argue that this doesn't actually make internet poker illegal. I'm not a lawyer, consult your own. I note that a bunch of internet poker sites shut down their american bits after it was passed, though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 2:31 PM on June 23, 2008

You could put them in a bottle from some non-prescription pills

If this were allergy medication that would be fine. Trying to hide narcotics like this is a really bad idea. Would it work out? Probably. But the worst case scenario gets a hell of a lot worse when you try to conceal narcotics.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 12:20 PM on June 22, 2008

I wouldn't worry about 10 common and legal pills being in a different smaller bottle, even if they are technically a narcotic. They're legal.

By this logic methamphetamine is also legal since you can get a prescription for Desoxyn. But hiding methamphetamine in your bags would be a REALLY BAD IDEA. The question is whether or not the OP can prove he has a legal right to possess narcotics.

OP: Leave them in... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 1:06 PM on June 22, 2008

No, not really, since the poster has a prescription.

I won't belabor the point anymore; I know people who have taken prescription medication through airports in unlabeled bottles and the results were a lot more inconvenient and annoying than "sitting for 10 minutes". No, you won't go to jail since you have a prescription. But it resulted in missed flights, lost money, etc.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 1:44 PM on June 22, 2008

I think he probably cheated on you. But how are we supposed to know for sure? We can't. Sure sounds bad though.

I was fooling around with my boyfriend's cellphone and accidentally came across

Yeah, dang accidents.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 2:55 PM on June 21, 2008

Vyvanse, Concerta, and Focalin are all stimulants. Concerta is simply the time release version of Ritalin

Uh, Ritalin is a strong stimulant. Please no bad info.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 7:40 PM on June 19, 2008

Actually, phrontist is correct. Concerta is the slow-release version of Ritalin. Ask your doctor, but I trust mine.

You guys are both confused. Whether it is slow-release or not has no bearing on whether it is a stimulant. For example: Adderall XR is the time-release version of Adderall, but I assure you that Adderall (a mix of amphetamine salts) is a stimulant. Similarly, Ritalin is a stimulant (Methylphenidate) in both the immediate and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 7:56 PM on June 19, 2008

how can I tell if my apartment is haunted

This is an easy one! When you see the apartment, ask yourself: "Am I currently a fictional character?" If the answer is NO, your apartment is not haunted.

I'm not sure how you know if a funny sound, a stray thought, or a sudden cold feeling is due to a paranormal presence rather than a more mundane source.

See above: "Am I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 11:54 AM on June 18, 2008

Please do not take the advice of people advising you to hire "paranormal experts" or whatever to investigate your potential apartment. Those folks are mostly scams bilking the credulous, the spiritual descendants of the late 19th and early 20th century parlor mediums. You know, the people who claimed to believe in spirits and would help you and your friends contact them in your living room? And would be scamming you and taking your money while knocking knees into the underside of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 1:36 PM on June 18, 2008

I want to second (third?) that even if you get laid, by a professional or otherwise, the sexual thoughts won't stop. Oh, they'll probably decrease for a couple days, but after a week or two you'll be feeling the same way. So the solution is to come to terms with your thoughts and feelings.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 11:48 AM on June 18, 2008

I'll go one further; if you are already super rich there are probably better investment opportunities out there than an index fund. However, if you were already super rich you would not be asking this question.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 9:59 AM on June 18, 2008

Oh, I'm betting on Bank of America today. Cash flow is good. Insider trading activity shows confidence. Management is claiming the dividend can be sustained unless the whole economy tanks. The dividend yield is approaching 10%. I'm going to look either really smart or really stupid in a year.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 10:01 AM on June 18, 2008

The answer depends heavily on what you mean by "most powerful". If you mean the traditional "smallest dose required to achieve affects" the answer is good ol' LSD.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 10:58 AM on June 17, 2008

If you were to put all your $ in a US equities index right now you'd stand a pretty good chance of being wiped out semi-completely if/when the dollar collapses and GD2 (the second great depression) ensues.

You also stand a good chance of losing your money if a meteor the size of Texas wipes out the Northern Hemisphere or if a giant lizard wipes out New York City.

Your best bet is almost certainly something like an S&P index... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 7:09 PM on June 15, 2008

And I don't think most people prophesizing doom know much about economics, but there you are.

James: this it the problem you're going to encounter asking for advice like this. You have no way of evaluating the advice you are getting because you don't know anything about investing. Is unSane correct that we're all doomed economically? Am I correct that there have been people predicting the end of the financial world as we know it for the last 30 years and we haven't... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 7:34 PM on June 15, 2008

Deviated septum maybe?

Failing that I'd guess it's a nervous habit.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 1:41 PM on June 14, 2008

what??

You know how HPV causes cervical cancer? It also causes throat cancer. Dudes who get HPV from cunnilingus are 32x as likely to develop oral or throat cancer than people without HPV. For comparison, the rates for smokers are 3x that of non-smokers. So oral HPV is like 10x worse than smoking in terms of cancer rates.

Scary, but there it is.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 12:21 PM on June 14, 2008

Yeah, the things you list can't possibly all be lumped in a big "okay" or "not okay" pile. Some of that stuff is practically ubiquitous and some of it is very uncommon.

Drinking an alcoholic beverage in the backseat of a car? Not the smartest thing in the world, maybe, but a lot of people do it. It's not an indication that someone's moral compass is out of whack, certainly.

Bringing alcohol on an... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 12:36 AM on June 12, 2008

It seems to me that you're overlooking the most obvious and easy solution; require the contractor to fix it. He broke it, he bought it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 9:01 AM on June 10, 2008

I stand by my statement that if the girl asks, then she needs to be mature enough to accept the answer, whatever it be.

Except that it's pretty clear that what the girl is asking is "is there anything I can do for you that you fantasize about?" and not "tell me which of my friends you'd like to have sex with!". Being honest is not the same thing as deliberately misinterpreting what someone is asking.

I mean,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 11:34 AM on June 9, 2008

General Electric says you can:

GE CFL FAQ on three-ways.

Don't use a regular CFL on a dimmer, though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 5:46 PM on June 8, 2008

Levaquin is a great medication. Don't worry about anecdotal reports like this. First of all you have no idea if what that person posted is even true. Secondly, even if it is true you have no idea if Levaquin caused those effects. Thirdly, even if it is true and Levaquin caused it, it was almost certainly an atypical reaction.

This is what clinical trials are for and what a random anonymous stranger posting on the internet is not for.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 3:03 PM on June 8, 2008

One last point:

C) After I was told about the letter, I called and left a message on the Ex's voicemail stating "Hey, I heard you sent my family a letter. Don’t do that again. If you have issues you want to discuss, call me." Was that the right thing to do?

If he were just a normal ex who maybe got a little drunk and bitter one time, maybe. But if he's mentally ill and getting worse, definitely not. You do not want... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Justinian at 10:17 AM on June 8, 2008