Sweet, I've dealt with Music Trader before, but it'd been such a long time I didn't know they did DVDs, thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 6:02 PM on September 7, 2008

Good luck trying to get anywhere. Even large corporations have trouble with this idea. Google for "Verizon .002 cents"
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 4:56 PM on July 17, 2008

I have noticed that as I drive down a familiar road, I always tend to look at the same few things and not others: the same billboards, buildings, signs, spot on the ground, etc. My wife confirms she does the same thing.

In general, I tend to notice poor design, especially in people flow. Door handles that are meant to be pulled on doors meant to be pushed, sidewalks in bad positions that are circumvented by trails in the grass, etc. This is a direct result of reading... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 12:50 PM on February 12, 2008

ah-hah. ok, thanks.

MathCAD gave me an unusually long polynomial, that although it had recognizable parts, didn't look simple enough for the answer.
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 11:37 AM on November 4, 2007

I have that same bed. Putting a box spring under the mattress has helped to raise it up about 10-12". Dunno if that's enough for you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 11:41 AM on August 29, 2007

Need a little bit more information (versions, file info, prt, asm, drw, etc.), but I think Solidworks can read Pro/e files natively, so you should be good in that direction. Solidworks to Pro/e is a little bit trickier.

Have you tried yet to just open a Pro/e file with solidworks? If it opens fine, then you should be able to just save it as a solidworks file.

An alternative, if you have access to the original files, is to save them as an... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 9:24 PM on July 24, 2007

I live in hillcrest and work in La Jolla, near UCSD. Don't take Genessee all the way, it's ridden with stoplights. Traffic to and from isn't so bad. It does get a little slow on the 805N in the morning, but the 5N should be ok.

Also, I ride a scooter to work every day, and the trip can be made in about 20 min on the freeway (with a suitably large scooter/motorcycle), or about 45 min on surface streets (not Genessee)
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 4:57 PM on July 3, 2007 marked best answer

It usually has to do with the size of the tires on the trailer being smaller than your average car's tires. If you car wheels are going along the road at 45 mph, say, then if the trailer's wheels are smaller than you car's, they will be spinning faster, and thus create more heat due to friction with the road and the tire's deformation on the contact patch, which could lead to a blow-out.

That's not to say that there isn't a safety factor built in to the 45 mph limit,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 6:07 PM on June 10, 2007

Hmm. From the link that marionnette en chaussette posted, it looks like I am out of luck. I'll try Docufarm, but I'm not sure I like how it handles pdfs, either.

Oh, and librarina's got it right about why you can't open it in a new tab; once you give focus to the pdf, Ctrl-W to close the tab stops working, too.

grrr...
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 9:38 AM on June 8, 2007

I know exactly what you're talking about. I get them, too, and I asked my eye doctor about them.

He says they're a reaction to a build-up of just everyday gunk (dirt, bacteria, dust, etc.), and that washing your eyes out every night (with solution, or just splashing water) will help to minimize them. I've never got around to trying this, and I usually just try to pop them like you said.

This description seems to be consistent with the second... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 8:49 AM on June 6, 2007

we call them Holdouts, and like TuxHeDoh, some of our best shots come from that technique.

It helps to have 3' long arms, too...
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 3:15 PM on May 23, 2007

I've had a similar problem. Mine seems to be caused by Windows trying to read or cache or whatever a large file, usually an mpeg or avi. Rebooting, etc. didn't work. The way I've found to get around this is to select the file, wait a couple seconds for Windows to "catch up", then you can delete it.

This happens especially poorly in Thumbnail view, even if the thumbnail of the file is already cached. It's like Windows needs to look at every file you select... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 10:49 AM on March 27, 2007

Fixed link from justgary:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck-O-Nine

and thanks for pointing that out, by the way. I was gonna do it, but you beat me to it. Incidentally, Kelly's Pub, in that song, is in san diego near the airport.
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 9:59 AM on March 14, 2007

Also, 5 south past Camp Pendleton (once you get into SD county) can be backed up from all the folks driving into san diego for the weekend. This usually goes on from about 4 or 5 until maybe 7. Late at night, you could also run into drunk Marines coming back from bars, too, so watch out if you are going to be coming through that late.

Otherwise, Sacramento (parallel to SF) to SD 7-8 hours
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 9:05 PM on March 6, 2007 marked best answer

flash paper is always cool, even when you know what it is (it's paper that burns very very quickly).

Also, if you could get to your local welding supply or gas supply (ie AirGas), you could fill a balloon with SF6, which is much denser than air, and the balloon will drop like a rock. Dunno if they have it it small quantities to purchase, or if you could just go in and ask them to fill up a balloon for you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 12:23 PM on January 26, 2007

I use a kryptonite NY Disc Lock with a NY Chain to secure my scoot to whatever I can. Sometimes, the chain won't go to anything, so I just use the lock through the disc brake.

"Motorcycle" chains are usually hardened steel and more resistant to cutting or sawing. That said, they can still be cut given enough time.

Also, most bikes (even the heavy ones) can be picked up with four guys and two poles and a truck or van, so try to park it... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 12:44 PM on January 25, 2007

if you have access to a handy friend, you could ask them to drill and tap a small section of aluminum rod with those two different threads.

It may sound pretty complicated, but trust me, a suitably handy friend would be able to do it easy. A simple set of thread taps (available at ie Home Depot) may even be cheaper than a commercial adapter.
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 11:47 AM on January 21, 2007

I've had persistent similar problems with my linksys routers in the past, and I saw somewhere that suggested that there is a problem with heat dissipation in the linksys enclosures.

I solved most of my degradation issues by making sure there was good clear airflow around the enclosure. You shouldn't have to force air into it, but that might help, too. (though you shouldn't have to make any modifications to them, until linksys gets their act together,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 1:05 PM on January 19, 2007

thanks to everyone who answered! It looks like there's quite a consensus about helmet and gloves; maybe stay on the bike, maybe not, I guess I'll have to decide that if it comes up!

I've seen other bikes along side the road, but never immediately after a pull-over, so I didn't know how the ice was broken. This'll help me out a lot, someday...
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 4:25 PM on January 3, 2007

"First of the Month" by Bone Thugs N Harmony?

alarm clock, then "wake up, wake up, it's tha first of tha month..."
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 1:57 PM on December 25, 2006

JJ86: ya, but there are LOTS of simple and descriptive ways to say the same thing, I'm just looking to expand my vocabulary.

Deathalicious: ya, tried that, too, but all those results are for the standards for archiving technical articles, or somesuch. Not quite what I was looking for.

but I think caddis' list will do me for a while, thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 5:46 PM on December 1, 2006

If you really want to avoid subtelty, "Wasted Youth Crew" by Blood for Blood, a Massachussettes hardcore band:

Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you and fuck society to
Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you and fuck the world ...

Also, "Ain't Like You", or really any other song by them, they're quite full of resentment.

http://www.plyrics.com/b/bloodforblood.html
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 11:13 AM on November 29, 2006

This is probably late for you, but we've had problems similar to this in Word at my work, and my friend brought up a great point:

Does it print (or in the case, present) like you want it to? If so, then don't sweat how it looks in edit mode. Yeah, it's annoying, but as long as it looks ok to the customer, screw it.

If your boss's boss is anything worth his position, he should be able to recognize the truth (and economics) of this.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 8:08 PM on November 17, 2006

this doesn't quite fit the formula, but:

cold as Pearl Harbor (there's a nasty little nip in the air)
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 9:15 AM on October 31, 2006

If your seat still has a seat cover that's vinyl or leather, then I don't think it's gonna dry out on its own.

My first impulse would be to at least open up the seat, remove the cover, etc. then maybe use a hairdryer to drive off the moisture (careful tho! the hair dryer on too hot or in one spot too long could melt the foam). Though I dunno what tools you have or what you'd need...

What scooter do you have? It's been my (limited) experience that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 9:12 PM on October 16, 2006

Steven C. Den Beste, I was waitin for you to finish it, but you dropped the ball!

Why do elephants paint their toenails red? So they can hide in cherry trees.


...You ever seen an elephant in a cherry tree? No.

Works, don't it?
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 12:28 PM on October 12, 2006

(tongue firmly in cheek here)

Humans dissipate around 100W while just hanging out, so to save on AC/heating, don't have people over to your house in the summer, but have lots of friendly parties inside during the winter.
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 8:41 AM on October 2, 2006

this thread is old, but I'll add this one anyway:

Connect the points of a crescent moon with a line to form a lowercase letter:

"p" - the moon is progressing (waxing) and will be full in a few days

"d" - the moon is declining (waning) and will be new in a few days

Not really a spoken mnemonic, but it impresses people sometimes.
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 11:07 AM on September 27, 2006

- Artesa Chardonnay, from Napa, usually on sale at Ralphs supermarkets for about $12-15 (woot! on sale at BevMo right now for $12!)

- Toasted Head Chardonnay usually $12-14, can be had on sale for $10 also at... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 2:05 PM on September 18, 2006

Stay caught up on sleep, even if it's not at your "usual" times. I got pretty good at taking 20 minute power naps (which is all you really need to refresh yourself anyway) during the day in between classes.

Partying every night is okay as long as you can make up the sleep sometime during the day. Missing class for sleep doesn't count. If you don't pay attention to this, it could seriously affect your academic career.
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 1:30 PM on September 14, 2006

The Japanese borrowed the idea of Valentine's Day from the west, but they've changed it. On Valentine's Day, girls give chocolate to guys they like. A month later, on what's known as "White Day", boys give gifts (not necessarily chocolate) to girls they like.

Steven C. Den Beste:
At the risk of sounding crude, we have a similar reciprocation to Valentine's Day that's growing popularity in the US (sort of): Steak and BJ Day on... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 4:25 PM on September 12, 2006

revgeorge:
yeah, i guess I didn't think of that, but the software I want to use (GBPVR) can power the pc on to record using scheduled wake-ups... I guess I just want to reduce the noise and power consumption when it isn't needed...

Also, the UIRT can interface a power switch instead of WOL, so maybe you can rig it to work on your xbox?

pu9iad:
That's what I figured was the case with the PCI card. I can build the UIRT2,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 1:03 PM on August 29, 2006

I think I'll try leaving the PVR on and just controlling the TV. If I really need to power everything off, I think the UIRT2 (with WOL) is the easiest and cheapest for me to implement.

But I guess it looks like the answer to my question is "no, without special hardware, it is not normal to power on a PC PVR with the remote."

Thanks everyone for your answers!
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 1:46 PM on August 30, 2006

Aerosmith's Amazing ends with some old-timey radio sounds, and a voice-over

Bouncing Souls' Private Radio starts with a dial scan and a bit of a song going "...it was allllll so grand..."

Red Elvises have a few from the Six String Samurai soundtrack that have a DJ voice-over in the beginning or end

this is all from memory, so I can't be too exact on these
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 1:31 PM on August 30, 2006

If any of you are students at SDSU, you may look into reserving one of the rooms in Aztec Center. I know that they let SDSU clubs and organizations use these, but I'm not sure about outside clubs.

Here's the Meeting Services site:
http://as.sdsu.edu/aztec/meeting/index.html
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 4:02 PM on August 29, 2006

This is not so much about changes that test audiences have made, but more about test audiences in general:

On the Firefly fans' Done the Impossible DVD (here), executive producer Chris Buchanan mentions test screenings for Serenity that went awry when supposedly random selections of population were entering the theater and recognizing him, saying, "Hi, Chris!"
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 2:18 PM on August 15, 2006

Avocados, if you can package them right? I know those always go well with sd expatriots.

Or some really good salsa. Not that grocery store crap that's available everywhere, but something authentic.

...when I was a kid, I had a little plastic globe filled partway with water. It had a few little black pebbles, a top hat, and a carrot in it, and the tagline on the front was "San Diego Snowman"... This would be better sent this winter, maybe...
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 4:04 PM on July 20, 2006 marked best answer

we use RPS, and it's usually signified by holding out one hand, palm up, and the other hand, fist ready to slap into the open palm, and a glimmer in your eye (so, no words). Two hits into your palm, and the third brings your choice.

In college, I learned (quickly!) the touching nose thing mentioned above. I use it all the time now, but for some reason, my fiancee doesn't respect it. She has gotten "calling it" (dibs) now, and uses it well.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 12:48 PM on July 18, 2006

my car was hit in a parking lot (in California) after I had gotten out of it, on my way into the store. The guy's insurance took care of it all, because it was totally his fault. I don't think they even took down my insurance info.

Good luck with your case!
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 5:27 PM on July 10, 2006

I've moved my queen in a Tacoma a lot. I usually put the box spring down first, then the matress, then criss-cross with ratcheting tie-downs (home depot has a set of 4, they are very handy, easier to use than rope, and in some cases, stronger). I usually lay them in the truck bed, with one edge resting on the bottom of the bed, and the other edge resting on the rails of the truck bed. This gives a small triangle underneath to slide long things like the metal frame, etc. Maybe throw a tarp on top... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 12:35 PM on May 26, 2006

I've used the SSH tunneling process outlined here for checking my email on the school's free (but open) wireless. It seems to be easier to set up on a mac than it was on a pc. Also, the system you are connecting to has to support SSH.
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 8:29 AM on May 23, 2006

ingratiating might be the closest to what I'm thinking about. Here's an example to clarify:

picture the customer-service rep that goes out of their way to apologize for whatever issue you're calling about, almost to the point of slowing down a resolution of the issue because all they do is apologize (Obsequious). Now picture that same kind of emotion, but for gratitude, instead of apology.

Ingratiate is close, but that, to me at least, connotes... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 12:24 PM on May 16, 2006

Effusive, I think, wins it. Thanks, Lillitatiana! (and everyone else!)
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 12:25 PM on May 16, 2006

If the 8 of you have any rowing experience, or would like to learn rowing in Italy, my fiancee and I have been to a program that sets you up with accommodations, cultural outings, rowing practice, etc. It's fun stuff, run by a really cool couple. When we went, it was about $1100 USD per person for one week.

http://www.terralbatoscana.it/
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 5:07 PM on April 26, 2006

hmm, I have MS MapPoint, which as far as I can tell is similar to S&T. I'll have to try that later.

Can this sort of thing be done without the GPS? I have a receiver, but I would want to be able to search without having to actually run the route.

Google Earth lets me draw a route with the measure tool, can this somehow be incorporated?

What prompted this:
Say I need to get gas after leaving work. I know... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 9:14 AM on April 25, 2006

hmm... i thought Google was working on geocoding everything... I guess they're just not up to that level yet.
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 9:27 AM on April 25, 2006

Assuming they tessellate, as ChasFile said, the hex array has 4 exposed sides for every 2 hexes, while the squares have only one. Without calculating all of the exposed sides and around the corners, and finding from here:

http://www.mathreference.com/geo,hex.html

the area/side relation of hexes, a hex is made up of 6 equilateral triangles, each of area bh/2, where h is the dropped perpendicular (h=3b*sqrt(3)/2), for an Area = 1,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 9:03 AM on April 25, 2006 marked best answer

here's a sample sheet of hex arrays to illustrate:

http://www.fanaticus.org/DBA/campaigns/hexgrid/campaignhexmap.jpg
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 9:04 AM on April 25, 2006

If you're on a Windows machine, Hitting Win-M minimizes most everything open, and Win-D shows the desktop (the difference being that Win-M won't hide the persistent windows that don't like to minimize on command, while Win-D usually will).

These arw native to Windows 2k, XP, etc.

If you really want to get creative, I use the minimizetotray extension for Firefox, so that when everything minimizes, I don't have the page title of e.g. MeFi sitting... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 7:52 PM on April 19, 2006

Thanks to everyone who answered. I didn't think that these sorts of claims held much weight, but I couldn't figure out the right buzzwords to search for. phearlez helped out a lot with "liability waiver" and arbitration clauses.
posted to Ask Metafilter by toomanyplugs at 7:57 PM on April 18, 2006