Seconding Hellafiles's XMBC idea. This Lifehacker article is probably one of the best/simplest to follow.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 10:59 AM on May 9, 2008 marked best answer

These are all great suggestions. (Zion National Park might be tough to squeeze in - but definitely going to take AZ-66 instead of I-40, and will generally try to go more northward. )
Thank you all!
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 6:35 AM on May 8, 2008

All went well - thank you all!
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 6:32 AM on December 7, 2007

Also, when you apply, they ask you when your planned travel date is. I assume this means they will take your travel needs into account. (But this may be expecting too much.)

And I agree - everything I've seen says expedited should be around three weeks. (Mine took 2 1/2 weeks, and that was only this past August '07)
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 12:21 AM on October 6, 2007

Thank you all. I will definitely check out these spots then...
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 6:50 AM on October 3, 2007

This is true - I have in previous years. This year I got married, moved into a condo, and I have space for maybe three portable plants max.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 8:46 AM on October 3, 2007

Interest accruement shouldn't be significant I think - even if I am being charged some interest.
My minimum is $61 on the citi - and ranges between $10 all the way up to a few hundred on a few credit cards.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 7:44 PM on June 3, 2007

Counting Crows - August and Everything After
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 6:21 PM on December 11, 2006

Thanks luriete - No luck with that...
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 12:28 PM on November 17, 2006

Sorry - PC, 2002 SP3
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 12:40 PM on November 17, 2006

The strange thing is we're in a large corporation and everyone has the same machine and specs - PC (Dell) with office 2002 SP3 installed. I can view the images in edit (Normal) mode fine. But he sees placeholders in edit (Normal) mode.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 12:43 PM on November 17, 2006

Thank you all! I will try these when he comes back. (I wish I could replicate the issue on my own computer so I could trouble-shoot better.)
Thanks again!
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 2:16 PM on November 17, 2006

Hi all, thank you much for all your help.

For those asking about the final result, he said, and I quote, "**** it, I'm just gonna use my mac".

So... in my mind, that made the idea of this ppt coming over from mac to pc much more likely. (I didn't suspect this until now - I should have asked.) And if that indeed can be an issue - then that is probably the source of the problem.

(My own boss gets about 5 minutes a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 7:33 AM on November 20, 2006

Ethernet wire, if I'm not mistaken, is ok for about 100m - so that should be within your range and might be your best bet.

If you use a repeater, which is doable, you'll obviously have to be in cahoots with the 'middle cabin', and downsides include potentially slower rates of transfer, the headache of asking neighbors to reset/work with you to troubleshoot yet another gadget if things aren't working right, and your uptime not being as bulletproof as an ethernet cable.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 4:35 PM on August 10, 2006

Also, yes, I believe with v4 and v5 of the WRT54G they stopped that "feature" of letting you flash the firmware.

But if the signal reaches your entire area clearly from the AP in the 'middle cabin', your WRT54G would be unnecessary, as the original router (the one sitting by the cable modem) and AP router should be enough.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 4:40 PM on August 10, 2006

Stopping myself with the chime is annoying ("obey the clock," I will mutter to myself), and it feels disappointing to break concentration, but I find I really am more productive by taking breaks to reassess whatever it is I'm doing.

I second that.

For me, a small timer (I use TakeABreak) that forces you to take a break every while can help me focus.

I work 10minutes full force on a task,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 11:33 AM on June 26, 2006

2checkout.com - I think they charge me 5.5% plus 35 cents per transaction - something along those lines. You can have the client follow a link and checkout via Visa/MC etc. that way - and is pretty simple to set up.

Auto-billing, which you can set for monthly service contracts, is really where this can come in handy I think. Not having to keep bugging the client and following up is well worth the percentage you pay to have them auto-billed.

One... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 9:18 AM on June 16, 2006

Looks like some great suggestions so far. Thanks guys. (I tend to like cones more, too.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 4:26 PM on March 21, 2006

Thank you all for your advice! Now I have move to the task of figuring out which place to go to from the many suggestions. (Or keep an eye out for a guy with dark and somewhat curly hair whose haircut I like, so I can ask where they do their hair.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 6:07 PM on February 13, 2006

My computer is on 24/7 . But online would be just as good. (I have an WinXP machine.)

Tried Bloglines: turns out the RSS feed snips away lots of the I was hoping to preserve. Could I use software that captures a page at particular times of the day?
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 11:39 AM on January 20, 2006

Garbage - Only Happy when It Rains?
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 3:40 PM on December 7, 2005

I was first to suggest the Garbage song, and I'm sticking to it!
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 9:37 PM on December 7, 2005

How to Master the Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins is an older book, but the advice in there is solid/timeless.

I second Little Red Book, which I also own - not as in-depth but great highlights and good content.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 11:44 AM on December 3, 2005

Fresh tasting bread:

Good, fresh bread out of the oven (thinking Zingermans-type bakeries) is one of the greatest joys of life.

For newly-baked bread from the bakery, tell them not to cut it. Cut off slices only as needed, and then of course seal well. Makes it taste fresh about double as long.

And maybe I'm stating the obvious here, but lightly toasting or putting the entire loaf in the oven does wonders for bread.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 12:06 PM on November 30, 2005

I always thought Blur's "Girls and Boys" had a disco feel to it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 9:27 PM on November 8, 2005

Ok I've seen cases that you can put your HD in. What are good brands/models? (I think I will definitely be taking this route first.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 9:55 PM on November 6, 2005

(*I meant cooling cases)
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 9:55 PM on November 6, 2005

I second Yorrick's Spacemonger suggestion. I use it all the time.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 9:27 AM on November 6, 2005

I don't know where you and your friend are well enough, but all I can say is Sushi Wabi has some of the best sushi in Chicago.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 5:17 PM on November 3, 2005

Consider rilo kiley. Catchy and tuneful, too. From their "its a hit":

Any chimp can play human for a day.
Use his opposable thumbs to iron his uniform
and run for office on election day
fancy himself a real decision maker
and deploy more troops than salt shakers.

But it's a jungle when war is made,
and you'll panic and throw your own shit at the enemy.
The... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 10:59 AM on October 31, 2005

Great suggestions - I will definetely try TNG and myfamily.com (TNG sounds especially promising since I was looking to host a unique domain name...) Thanks all!
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 6:35 PM on October 26, 2005

leapingsheep's advice is right on. Aim to:
*Dress modestly
*Behave as modestly as possible overall (think Quaker family values circa 1800s)

(Feel free to skip this background info on male-female relations - but might help you start up a conversation:

Lustful thoughts towards the opposite sex - a non-spouse - are frowned upon, just as in Christianity. Maybe this is along the lines of not coveting thy neighbor's wife. Islam... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 6:51 PM on October 18, 2005

The voice pad looked promising, but only a single store seems to have them in the UK (all pages would inevitably point there) and at $38 to ship to the US, it's a bit high. The other link looked promising as well, but I was hoping for more of a small, nice looking consumer-packaged recorder instead of something that looks amateurish/home-made. Great suggestions though - thank you all.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 9:14 AM on October 13, 2005

(If it evaporates, norm, then no problem. But with recipes for sweets that don't involve cooking, I'm not sure I can get the alcohol out that way.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 2:42 PM on August 3, 2005

Just curious: How do you know you love the extracts if you're unable to have them? Or is the religious restriction new to you?
Well, I just know because I have had them a few times without knowing - woops!
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 2:44 PM on August 3, 2005

Yes, I keep to Islamically kosher, or "halal".

Easy there folks, remember that religion doesn't (and probably never did) make too much logical sense. Arguments based on logic aren't going to mix too well with religious dogma.

Agreed with your second statement odinsdream - they often do not. But to single out Islam - that might not be fair. Plenty of laws (granted, this is a satire piece) in all three monotheistic... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 4:46 PM on August 3, 2005

I think everything was mentioned above except one extention I cannot live without:

Tabbrowser Extentions - Vastly more expansive than "Tabbrowser Preferences". Move tabs around, gestures, color groups of links, adblocking, auto-save sessions in case of emergency close - and much more - a dizzying array of options all in a single extention.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 9:12 AM on July 29, 2005

Why can't it be "Please listen carefully. We changed our menu options last on November 22nd, 2004".
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 12:27 PM on July 18, 2005

My friend arrived from overseas about 2 weeks ago on a visitor's visa (No SSN of course). We couldn't open an account in BankOne, but we could at Comerica Bank. With it they automatically gave us a Visa Check card, which is a debit card, but is considered a regular Visa credit card as far as anyone is concerned, online or off.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 1:02 PM on July 11, 2005

Well he's going through a tricky application process and interviews. He needs to be close to his study partners in SE Michigan. His main reasoning is saving money ($600 to us is more like $4500 to him at this point, with the currency exchange and all). Sharpening his English for his exam / upcoming neurology program residency interviews is very important as well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 11:22 AM on July 5, 2005

Yes, he is on a 6 month visitor's visa, but will only be in SE Michigan 3 weeks or so, before he has to go to Pennsylvania where he is signed up to be an observer at a hospital. (His accommodations are already taken care of in Pennsylvania.) We just now we got word that he has friends in Hamtramick, but no space for a third roommate. So the ideal situation would be cheap living quarters close to Hamtramick (so he can study with friends for the upcoming verbal-based exam). A motel is possibleI... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 6:20 PM on July 5, 2005

Definitely Sly I and II (especially Sly II). I can't believe no one has recommended it. I would have never touched it at my local Blockbuster had I not been tipped off, as it looks like it is aimed for a 10 year old or so audience.

But it is beautifully made, in terms of playability, fun factor, and graphics. Highly addictive - I'm real picky and this has been my favorite all time game for the PS2 (After Winning Eleven 8, because I am a soccer fan.) Sly III is set to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 11:13 AM on June 25, 2005

Regarding getting your credit report:

Surprised no one has mentioned this yet -- https://www.annualcreditreport.com/

New law states that the three major credit companies (Equifax, Experian and Transunion) must allow you to access your report for free once a year. It's government mandated. And above is the web site that lets you do look them up.

Experian is the one you want to get your FICO score from, which is $6.50 extra,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 10:22 PM on April 25, 2005

zsazsa, you beat me to it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 10:24 PM on April 25, 2005

That was my suspicion. Usually I see ../ and know exactly what that means. And wile I've installed many online scripts/programs, my unix knowledge is still rather limited, and I hadn't come across this before. Thank you!
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 5:39 PM on April 5, 2005

I share a cable connection with two other computer users and have netlimiter to keep my bittorent uploads from taking up all of the bandwidth. (The program can run on a schedule and automatically change your upload/download caps at different times of the day.)

I think having no room to upload your web url requests, for instance, would cause a time out error.

Having said that, lately, about once every 1-2 weeks, and even with netlimiter installed,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 4:54 PM on April 5, 2005

coastal contacts (.com) didn't used to ask for a prescription. Then they began asking, and took my doctor's name and number, but I really don't think actually checked. Very nice service and prices, too, from my experience.
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 2:47 PM on April 3, 2005

Much thanks everyone - this has been incredibly helpful. Maybe a windows partition ghosted to an image would be a good plan. (But the Linux options are something I want to try at some point.)
But wouldn't Windows and Documents and Settings (with it's desktop and my documents, etc.) be necessarily on the same partition as Windows? (And can Ghost only do entire partitions? Or is that just good practice because of the ntfs info? Speaking of which, where exactly is the information about... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 10:36 PM on March 13, 2005

Thank you Mitheral!I will now be changing all sorts of options.

In terms of ntfs information being stored, I was just wondering how the HDD partitioning info is stored (in terms of in what file/files exactly).

For example, if I were to make my Windows HDD a slave and detach it and then attach it to another machine, Windows would know it was x many partitions with y size.

I guess part of the irritation is not being able... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 6:21 PM on March 14, 2005

Outlook 2003 started not loading images embedded in email by default - long overdue. As long as your program does not load images until you tell it to, I see of no way anyone can tell whether you opened an email or not. (Of course, following a link sent in the email is also ill-advised, since that is potentially trackeable as well.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by parma at 11:43 AM on March 14, 2005