rkent for the win. That's exactly how it works.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 10:43 AM on January 23, 2012

I'm always game for a Mojito, and there are some good ones in my neighborhood. Refreshing, light, and doesn't get me too sloppy.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 11:17 AM on January 22, 2012

A note: I got my 10 year olds cameras for xmas, and it was a GREAT gift. However, I bought each a different camera, and noted only one major difference.
Get a camera with rechargeable batteries. The one that takes AA batteries is a pain in the ass.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 6:41 PM on December 11, 2011

None of the "who should pick up the poop" particulars matter. If the best that can be done for this dog is one walk a day after 12+ hours in a crate, and that walk is usually being let out into a back yard that's shared, and not walked on a leash to get OUT and ABOUT, that's some fucked up cruel treatment.
For chrissakes. This kind of dog ownership enrages me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 11:56 PM on December 1, 2011

That should be just enough to get an old Pfaff on craigslist. I've had my Pfaff for about 12 years now, and it's handled everything I've thrown at it. it's not a complex machine, does a few zigzag stitches and has all the routine adjusters of other machines, but I've sewn leather, ballistic nylon, sheer, spandex, everything I could on it and it's bounced back for more.
Pfaff is known for bulletproof machines and mine supports this reputation entirely.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 9:46 PM on August 16, 2011

I loved all of the above.
You've got Herman Hesse's Siddhartha. Razor's Edge. Have you read Steinbeck's Arthur?
Echoing Eco. Foucault's Pendulum.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 4:37 PM on May 5, 2011

I have many ties. I'm a bit of a clothes horse outside the shop.

All of my favorite wear-anywhere ties are from Band of Outsiders.

They make amazing ties. They work in many different settings. They're super cool.
A tad more than you want to spend, but trust me on the look/quality (and sometimes they're on sale!)

Check this out:
https://shopbandofoutsiders.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 10:18 PM on March 1, 2011

How about a Mythbuster's opinion?

There is indeed a non-zero chance that the cat/candle/contents of the bathroom (mat, towel, toilet paper etc) combination could yield a fire. No rational person could argue otherwise. This is so obvious to me it doesn't really require statistics. Though they ONLY support this assertion.

Look at it this way: is the worst-case-scenario a totally unacceptable one? Is avoiding it simple? Then do it.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 10:00 AM on January 23, 2011 marked best answer

All of this is great advice.
I've quit every job I've ever hated. Most of them after a day or so.
Sometimes under very VERY counterintuitive circumstances. (quit a film and turned down an offer for a year of well-paid work on another project, with 4 month old twins).

I've never regretted quitting EVER, and everything has turned out far better than I could have possibly imagined.

Chose the quality life.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 8:59 PM on October 18, 2010

First photo makes me think of Monterey bay.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 8:01 PM on September 20, 2010

Also: note the shadow on the building: it's higher up (closer to the window) in the color photo. I think this is taken facing north, and that the color photo was taken after the black and white photo.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 8:20 PM on September 20, 2010

I'm very serious about my tuna. IMO, almost all tuna is either too wet, or too dry. The tuna/mayonnaise ratio is critical. it should be a medium consistency, but never actually wet with the mayo. A big bite should be as easy to eat as a small one.

Don't skimp on the salt either. I like the kosher stuff.

Once I've got that secured, bread is another important factor. I don't use heavy bread for my sandwiches because I HATE the tuna squeezing out... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 11:21 AM on September 18, 2010

The only rational thing to do is to turn it into a library. Full of gnostic texts if you can.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 8:21 PM on August 25, 2010

I actually tried this out of plaster and sorry to say that it's not very plausible/ feasible. Doesn't work when the material hardens at a differing rate. I think it would ALL have to slam to hardness, like Ice-9. Having worked with resin for years, I don't think it would fare much better. Also: resin is likely to expand and contract with heat/cold more than glass (which despite it's stability, still needs to be properly managed in terms of it's thermal expansion i.e. you need to let one cool... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 10:48 PM on June 13, 2010 marked best answer

I had this bias.
Best friend said that dating was like a muscle. Just needed to exercise it.
Dated a lot for a year-ish, paused for a couple months, took a breath, reconnected with the dating site (Nerve, it was cooler in the early 90's) and promptly met the woman who'd become my wife. We were married less than a year later.
we're celebrating our 7th anniversary this year.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 9:01 PM on June 1, 2010

I have 50/50 custody of my kids (now 11, divorced since they were 3). We were on a 2 switches per week arrangement (with a weekend switch that sounds similar to yours). Eventually, when the boys were about 8, we switched to a week/week arrangement. That single change (with them moving houses 4 times a month instead of 8) evened out a lot of bumps that had formed re: the schedule/confusion etc.
That being said, there was a long period of stability regarding the twice-a-week switch.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 10:31 AM on March 14, 2010

Read "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea". Super riveting. About a guy inventing a whole new industry for recovering boats and artifacts from extremely deep water.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 6:57 AM on March 7, 2010

Adam savage here. I'm on location right now, and typing on my phone just won't cut it. I will pipe in later on today with an answer.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 1:06 PM on February 23, 2010

Okay,

Back from location, read through the above. Fantastic suggestions. All of them.
One thing I'd suggest is that you (as you are learning a new skill/technique) recognize how applicable every skill is to other skills. I don't consider there to be much of a difference between carpentry, sewing, making things from paper and cardboard and welding. They are all moving around planar forms under various constraints and joining them under various... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 4:07 PM on February 23, 2010 marked best answer

I'm nthing the idea that sooner is better.
Our responsibility to our children is not only to model stability and consistency on a macro level, but on a micro level as well. I'm of the opinion that unhappy people who stay together "for the kids" are doing more harm than good.
I got much from seeing my parents do what made them happy. You might not imagine that you're modeling "unhappiness" for them but you are.

It's not an... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 8:18 PM on February 21, 2010

Here you go. Get two of the half-spheres and go to town.

http://www.mirrors-r-us.com/surveillance.htm
Use some lightweight Sintra, 3/4" thick for the base-of-the-antennae details, and some inexpensive fishing rods for the actual antennae. Get some aluminum plumbing tape to silver whatever details you have and you're done.
I might add blinking LEDs to the end of the fishing rods. Not accurate, but it gives that "satellite" feel.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 9:14 PM on October 13, 2009

Thirding Isopropyl. It is the kryptonite of the Sharpies. Back of the neck you should be fine. Should disappear the moment the alcohol touches the sharpie. Nice post suedehead.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 12:48 AM on August 31, 2009

For the record, the HHO generator thing is complete hogwash. Yes you CAN make hydrogen with an electrical current and water, but not REMOTELY enough to improve your fuel efficiency by any reasonable metric.

Can't be done.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 8:10 AM on August 17, 2009

By the way, that's the EXACT make, model and year of my first car. I love that thing and you got a screaming deal.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 8:12 AM on August 17, 2009

You can drive it, as long as it's registered. You're just not allowed to turn on the lights or sirens. The rental place we rent them from here in San Francisco rents them with a cover for the lightbar. Obey the speed limit and you'll be fine.

The laws in your state may vary, but in CA, covering up the lightbar is sufficient. Any place you rent them from ought to be able to tell you how to move it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 8:20 PM on August 16, 2009 marked best answer

Tough one. You have to imagine that things like the Alison question are waaaay overdone for him. Detailed inquiries into specific lyrics also may also, on their own, be a bit much. Hard to say.

I'm a person who does tend to get asked similar questions by fans over and over, (for the record, this is Adam Savage from Mythbusters here) and I must say that i don't think that you should (or even could) come up with a "perfect question."... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 11:24 PM on June 21, 2009

To be clear, it's not any of the other varieties of Sierra. I also bought a six pack the other day and it tasted fine.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 10:21 PM on June 9, 2009

You know what they say: Pressure and Elevation.

I can't imagine the difference in terms of ml/second between being stable and falling as very large at all, if any.

Okay: There ARE cuts that you can bleed to death from in a very short order. Let's take one of those:
Let's look at a cut's dangerousness as a factor of how much blood you lose over time: (x)ml/second. The human body holds an average of 5.6 liters of blood. 40% blood... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 10:23 PM on June 7, 2009 marked best answer

What's the term of art for using up your weekly askmefi quota while inebriated?
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 10:47 PM on June 7, 2009

I own several plastic skeletons. Some high quality, some very low. Honestly, the difference isn't that great. A while back there were some factory second skeletons on ebay for $80, and I bought two. (that's must me). Let me go see what's there right now:

Here's one for $99 http://cgi.ebay.com/BUCKY-4th-Class-HUMAN-SKELETON-Halloween-Prop_W0QQitemZ330168373758QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4cdf9191fe&_trksid=p3286.c0.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 10:46 PM on June 7, 2009 marked best answer

I've done it with a 1g, a 2g and a 3gen ipod. I compared the instructions that came with the batteries to other instructions I found on the web. Had perfect results for all 3.

It wasn't as hard as I thought I would be. YRMV.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 12:29 AM on April 11, 2009

I love Araldite, but neither that or epoxy would be my choice. They're hard. Even Araldite can let go of surfaces where it doesn't have a proper bite.
I'd go with a high temperature silicone. Available at auto parts stores, it should be able to handle the excessive thermal expansion differential between the feet and the laptop.


http://tinyurl.com/cwr3kc
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 7:33 PM on March 15, 2009 marked best answer

Couples therapy can't happen soon enough. I'm a proponent of it even when things are going well. Really, get thee there as soon as possible. And good luck!
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 12:46 AM on January 5, 2009

Seconding idiopath's solution. I've found different resistor values work for different toys, but I've done it. Tape works great too.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 7:39 PM on January 2, 2009 marked best answer

Thirding mathowie and JFitzpatrick. The disagreement is the kind of thing that can (I guess) happen between 2 people with different viewpoints, but HOLY SHIT telling you to see a shrink is class-a assholishness. (or is it assholism?)

This comes from someone who's taken the financial hit forever to avoid any roommate situations except for girlfriends, but his approach to the argument is dirty pool.

"I hold viewpoint A, and I disagree with... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 12:09 AM on December 26, 2008

DATE AROUND! Please. Get hurt. Put yourself on the line. Try everything. Life is messy, and no amount of planning will keep your hands from getting dirty. Might as well get your junk dirty too...

Really. If you like the plotting and planning, I'll give you an apt analogy: a potential carpenter doesn't wait for the perfect tool and the piece of wood to make their first piece of furniture. They start moving wood, cutting it, shaping it, learning about it.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 1:29 PM on October 21, 2008

The guys at Tippett did a bunch of the digital effects, but none of the practical ones. They no longer have a shop for anything but maquettes and prototypes, IIRC. I do know some people there, and that might be an avenue for the art dept.

Cat Pie, that's an awesome idea, but I have other photos that tell me that it's not a glass jar filled with stuff. In this picture you can clearly see many more of these items scattered about in the lid compartments. Those details... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 11:23 PM on October 13, 2008

Holy crap! That's an amazing site. See you all in a week!
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 11:47 PM on October 13, 2008

Oh my god I love the hive mind.
Quin, you may be right, but here's the thing. Prop makers are on the clock. Making 7 of something is hard to justify, but now that I think of it, the earlier comment that the top is so... round, is compelling. I'm gonna get me some white leather, and a small piece of plastic tubing, and do some wrapping and binding. I'll let you all know where I come out.

PS. One of the Hellboy set dressers works on CSI, and since I did a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 2:31 PM on October 14, 2008

I like the idea of pounce bags, I've made them for moldmaking (filled with cornstarch). But I think they're leather.

I made this tonight
http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/8672/broomboxbag16tk9.jpg

I think it's not far off. I had some white leather, taped it to a tube, ran some wire around, and crazy glued the whole thing.

I just need to order some black latex sheet (dental dam?)
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 11:15 PM on October 16, 2008

Lacking silica, you could also throw it in a bag of rice. That will have some absorbing qualities. It's worked for me for laptop spills in the past.

Don't know about water spots.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 10:57 AM on October 11, 2008

There are multiple axis factory robots all over ebay, which could likely do the job handily, though I'd expect some work once it arrives. Prices vary from under 4k to well over 50k. Even a cheap one of these ought to give you the repeatability you're looking for.
While this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ABB-IRB6400-M94-ROBOT_W0QQitemZ190255805180QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item190255805180&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C66%3A4%7C65%3A3%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
May be a bit large though...
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 11:37 AM on October 7, 2008 marked best answer

Take your shirt off, get sweaty and do Coppola directing Apocalypse Now...
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 8:09 AM on October 6, 2008

Don't forget the similarities in the DNA. The phrase "we've looked so hard for a link and haven't found one, really." simply isn't true.
Creationists love to move the evidentiary bar, and especially love to demand evidence that either a: doesn't exist yet, and use that fact to deny conclusions supported by a wealth of evidence they *haven't* asked for, or b: demand evidence that actually does exist (like transition fossils, showing a species in an intermediate phase, like... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 9:29 PM on September 28, 2008

Wow, 3 posts when I start typing, 14 when I finish. You people are fast. This is an intelligently designed site.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 9:33 PM on September 28, 2008

punkbitch cannot positively assert this sentence...
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 9:43 PM on September 28, 2008

I freaking LOVED that toy. Had two sets. So much fun.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 6:52 PM on September 28, 2008

It's not that hard, and the nice new strong polymer chains in the monofilament that hold the bottom of the lens should cooperate nicely.
I'm hard on my glasses and have repaired a few of these over the years.

Hold the lens up to the frame in it's correct orientation. Lens in front. I've done it with the whole arrangement upside-down, bottom facing me.
Then guide the monofilament into it's groove (crucial to get the monofilament seated... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 8:38 AM on September 22, 2008 marked best answer

BATS BATS BATS. I took a few of their classes and it's great. They're awesome. I love those guys and go to their shows all the time.
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 11:58 PM on September 16, 2008

I've performed about a dozen weddings over the years as a minister in the ULC. I've sung them in blues, I've played it straight. I've written each ceremony i've done, so this will be a long post (my longest mefi post!)

In general, I find the following form has worked pretty great. All quotes are from ceremonies that I've performed and written. Please feel free to use and change as you wish.

INTRODUCTION.
This might be something... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by asavage at 9:00 PM on September 14, 2008 marked best answer