XBTV
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 10:47 AM on June 3, 2008

anything by charles stross.

he's also a mefite, btw, so that's a plus.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 10:29 AM on June 3, 2008

not an expert, but here's my anecdote:

My parents had a dog when I was born. Mild temperament, total sweetheart. I was their first kid. They got another dog when I was almost a year old. I don't remember much about the dog they had when I was born, because it died early on in my life, but the dog they got a year later was my greatest friend for my entire life. They managed to have two dogs and one boy just fine, from shortly before I turned 1 until my baby brother... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:16 AM on June 2, 2008

tell them you feel more comfortable having sex with people in your own place.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 12:02 PM on May 28, 2008

In terms of party style games, Bomberman Live is possibly the most classic, time-tested and enduring 4 player game ever created. I have weekly saturday meetups with my friends just to play bomberman all day.

We also occasionally dip into Marvel Ultimate Alliance, which is just dumb fun.

Also, if you've never played Dead Rising: do it. do it now.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 12:07 PM on May 19, 2008

it sounds like you're trying to end it in a way that she won't turn your mutual friends against you, or make things uncomfortable.

tough. breakups suck. she's going to take it hard, and things will be uncomfortable. all you're doing now is leading her on in the hopes that she'll leave you so it won't be so difficult. it's not fair to her and you're not doing yourself any favors, either. just end it. do it as nicely as you can and hope for the best, but prepare for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 9:02 AM on May 16, 2008

I don't believe that there's anything like you're describing out there in a single purchasable gigantic box.

so, in the interest of helping you out with plan b, I recommend watching Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession.

It's a documentary about The Z Channel (the first real independent film broadcast channel) run by this mad genius with probably the best taste for film ever. Movies that were panned when they came out, but were lauded much later... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 8:54 AM on May 16, 2008 marked best answer

the 10k hard drive is almost never worth the cost for the kinds of stuff you're doing, and certainly not if it means skimping on something else to afford it.

10k hard drives exist for certain high bandwidth data writing tasks, including servers and video editing machines, and for these tasks they're damn near a necessity, but for anything else they're a luxury much like a thousand dollar beer. it's just there so you can say you've got one. The kind of number crunching... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 12:24 PM on May 13, 2008

How do I develop a thick enough skin to realize that just because a guy wants to take it slow and doesn't adore me from our very first date, it's not necessarily a full-on rejection?

Date people you're not totally gaga over, and don't get serious about it. That may sound weird, but think of this question:

"I keep trying to play this one really difficult piano concerto, but my fingers just can't play the notes fast... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 12:12 PM on May 13, 2008

As I understand it (my days of being a virtual encyclopedia on all things related to comic minutiae are far enough behind me that my recollection is fuzzy at best) there's some discrepancy in the books as to whether he gets his powers from continual access to the sun or whether his powers come from having been RAISED under the yellow sun.

Either way, the fact is that yellow sunlight reinvigorates and nourishes him. Part of his powers, however (leaping tall buildings (in... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 2:00 PM on May 9, 2008

I know this isn't exactly the answer you're looking for, but I figure I'll put it out there anyway:

I'd wait on upgrading until you can afford a new mobo with PCI-E slots for a newer graphic card. AGP cards are more expensive than PCI-E cards on a "bang for your buck" level, and pretty soon they'll be phased out completely. the really nice inexpensive cards that would still give you a decent boost are all PCI-E.

the problem is that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:35 AM on May 8, 2008

"More all-company meetings to discuss the dirty kitchen."
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 10:30 AM on May 7, 2008

Hercule Poirot from Agatha Christie's novels is actually obsessive compulsive, but it is not the principal feature of the books. Many readers are not even aware that that is his nature.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 9:37 AM on May 2, 2008

My experience, though anecdotal and not directly related, with communicating with studios about licensing is that is never quick, simple or affordable.

By which I mean that if you get someone by email or on the phone about this, my experience (limited as it is) tells me that you can expect your first answer to be "I'm not completely positive on the policy for this, let me get back to you after I've spoken with some people." Chances are they will never get back... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 2:46 PM on April 24, 2008

Hope me Obi Wan AskMefi! You're my only hope!
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 9:14 AM on April 1, 2008

Burhanistan, should I put that answer for question 5? I'm not sure which question you're answering.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 9:29 AM on April 1, 2008

Could you be a little clearer in your description? You say that they're in pastels and more stick figure than real life. the problem is that I don't know if this means that the cover has stick figures on it or if it has heavily photoshopped pictures of actual people or what. Do they appear to have been drawn with pastel chalk or are they simply in pastel colors?
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:46 AM on January 11, 2008

never mind.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:46 AM on January 11, 2008

Hey, I've gone through a lot of what you're going through a couple times now.

For myself, it was just that there are times where my interests lie elsewhere for a bit. Burnout is a good name for it, I guess, but it's not a permanent thing. There are times where for months I won't touch a single video game, if not longer, because I'm just out at bars or with friends all the time. Then there are times, like now, where I start playing 6 games at the same time and have to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:22 AM on January 10, 2008

this sounds like a feedback loop between the macbook pros microphone and your speakers. are your speakers pointed slightly toward your macbooks screen at all? see if it stops when you go into system preferences/sound and change your Input to something besides the internal mic.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 3:28 PM on January 9, 2008

I don't know if you're using xp or vista, but if it's vista you can hit the windows key and type outlook on your keyboard. then hit enter and it should open.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 3:17 PM on January 9, 2008

any edition of dante's divine comedy that includes gustave dore's illustrations for the text is excellent. I think this one does that but I'm not sure.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 3:08 PM on January 9, 2008

folding@home.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 3:05 PM on December 20, 2007

this is a crazy question, but here you go:

1. be confident. at all times. it's stupid, but it's the cardinal rule.
2. go to bars. plenty of people go to bars to loosen their inhibitions a bit. they do this for a reason.
3. get them drunk. don't take advantage of them but get them drunk. don't try to make them drink if they don't want to or anything but if they're willing to have drinks bought for them, do it.
4. lose the hat.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 2:41 PM on December 18, 2007

your imac comes with a built in microphone and webcam that you can use via ichat to video chat with people. enjoy. it's a blast.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 9:28 AM on December 17, 2007

also, get quicksilver.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:31 AM on December 17, 2007

I believe it's bubble breaker. Do the pieces slide over to the right once you kill a column? If so, it's bubble breaker.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:11 AM on December 17, 2007

I've flown 5 times in the past year and have brought a laptop each time and have never been asked to turn it on.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:04 AM on December 17, 2007

dump her. not because she kissed someone but because she has a "sexual tension" with someone else, which is another way of saying she's attracted enough to him to want to fuck him, and (drunk or not. drinking is not an excuse) apparently that tension was enough for her to do something physical about it. That's not what happy marriages are built on.

get on the bus, gus.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:03 AM on December 17, 2007

It might be the right thing to do since he didn't do anything wrong. Your dog DID run out into the middle of the road unexpectedly, if I understand correctly. Were I in your shoes I wouldn't offer, but if he asked I'd do it. The only reason I wouldn't offer is because I would figure that losing my dog would be enough punishment. But again, if he asked I wouldn't fight him on it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 10:58 AM on December 17, 2007

I'm not an expert, but in my experience there are two methodologies for dealing with these things:

1. Buying things that help you phyisically block noise

or

2. Adapting your lifestyle to compensate not for the noise but for the discomfort it causes you.

If giving your daughter headphones won't work, the best thing in that situation is to ask her to play it less loudly. If she won't, that's... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 10:54 AM on December 17, 2007

Talking to ex girlfriends is not cheating (unless there's something more to their conversations than you've mentioned here), but that doesn't mean you have to be okay with it. Stop calling it cheating and tell him you don't want him doing it anymore, anyway. If he agrees to it, then do something about it when he contacts them. Maybe that means leaving him. If he doesn't agree to it, then you have to decide whether or not you feel strongly enough about him contacting them to leave him. If... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 10:45 AM on December 17, 2007

film has higher contrast because digital formats (except for RAW I think? not sure about this one) are limited to 256 levels of contrast per color, where film, being an analog format, doesn't rely on a presentation method that requires printing ink onto paper or lighting up electronic pixels. Of course, unless you're using EXCEPTIONALLY expensive equipment (or just doing traditional photo development) you're going to hit that 256 level limit if you scan a photo or negative anyway. in a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 12:06 PM on December 12, 2007

just keep it. I've never heard of anyone taking a dog from someone for not having proper adoption papers.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 10:38 AM on December 12, 2007

I had not heard the Iggy story before. I rescind my suggestion. apologies for the bad answer.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:54 AM on December 12, 2007

what plinth said.

something worth understanding is that in premiere a lot of transitions work between video tracks so that if you have a clip on track 1 and another one on track 2 you can drop a transition (such as a fade) in between the two tracks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 10:41 AM on December 12, 2007

Go ahead and learn shake. Whatever they come out with that's the next big thing will be geared toward allowing long time Shake users to transition into the new software easily. It will undoubtedly have a lot of interface niceties that Shake users will find familiar.

But, if you're doing more than compositing (you mentioned vfx work) then don't rely solely on shake. keep at least somewhat familiar with after effects and motion and maybe combustion.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 10:34 AM on December 12, 2007

If he likes to show the tooth off to everybody, he's going to have to keep it which means he doesn't stick it under his pillow and the tooth fairy does not pay him for it. If he wants money for it he sticks it under his pillow and wakes up with (and thiis is important) HOWEVER MUCH YOU FEEL LIKE GIVING HIM in the place of his pillow the next morning. There is almost no value in the tooth fairy myth except to make the kid feel a little better about the massive gap in his face till his adult... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:49 AM on December 10, 2007

I have never heard anyone make a statement with the postivie/negative construction you've used before. As far as I'm aware in comparisons your verbs are supposed to agree.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 6:27 PM on December 8, 2007

Tversity. For to stream video from your computer to your xbox360 over your network, and therefore watch stuff on your nice tv instead of your computer monitor. google it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 12:37 PM on October 19, 2007

this is not just among sci-fi and fantasy novels. there is no indication anywhere on or inside of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man or Ulysses that the latter follows the former. Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet were rather difficult for me to figure out the order of because the books only mention that they're part of a series as a part of the plot description on the back cover (as in, "Character X and Character Y,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 1:58 PM on August 31, 2007

ME FTW
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 8:44 AM on July 13, 2007 marked best answer

jimmyjimjim, how do you know you're being filtered? i've never had this problem with my gmail account, either and a lot of what you're saying doesn't seem like it would register on filters to my mind.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:27 AM on July 12, 2007

webcams are fun for video conferencing with friends over aim. if you like old video games, get a gametap account and a usb xbox controller for windows. I'm a big fan of pc remotes that let you control windows media player and media center through a standard tv style remote control. bluetooth dongles for your pc will allow you to synch your bluetooth capable phone to your outlook address book. dvd burners are fun.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:23 AM on July 12, 2007

on a mac, just use imovie. you may have bought a mac and chosen to include some final cut software on that as well, but for what you're talking about your best option is imovie just because it's all really easy.

on a pc, windows movie maker.

both have extensive turotials and intuitive interfaces, and both come free on their respective platforms.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 10:26 AM on July 12, 2007

not that I'm aware of. for that, get mpegstreamclip.

mpegstreamclip is complicated, but once you know what to pay attention to and what to ignore you should be fine. the big thing to remember for what you're trying to do is to rip to quicktime movie, and to check the box that says "deinterlace." you might have to play with several different video codecs to see which one will work with imovie without sacrificing too much quality or using too much of your... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:16 AM on July 12, 2007

mpegstreamclip
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 11:18 AM on July 12, 2007

Making Whoopee. a choice lyric:

"Picture a little love nest out where roses bloom in spring. Picture that same sweet love nest, see what a year can bring. He's washing dishes, and baby clothes, he's so ambitious, man he even sews! It's really thrillin', this cat's so willin' to make whoopee."

lyrics from memory, might not be perfect.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 12:58 PM on May 10, 2007

miss lynnster, by way of returning the favor:

the important thing to remember about The Lady Is a Tramp is that it's about OTHER people calling her one. The narrator, her boyfriend/husbad/whatever, is describing all the reasons they call her one because those reasons are why he loves her. He is condemning the ones who call her such and celebrating her individuality and spirit. It is one of the most confusingly worded but lovely expressions of affection in jazz in my... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 3:23 PM on May 10, 2007

man, mefi is awesome. other answer sites would have netted me the tremendously useful answer of "lolz, fatty. you are teh ghey." this has been really helpful, folks. thanks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shmegegge at 1:27 PM on May 10, 2007