Flannery O'Conner - A Good Man is Hard to Find

(can read it online here)

A very quiet story and one which in many respects I wish I had never read. I still get a very unsettled feeling from it now, despite having not read it for almost twenty years.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 12:32 PM on July 21, 2008

If you have a spare company or personal laptop in addition to the workplace computer, bluetooth and a cell phone plan with an unlimited data could be your friend.

A smartphone would be another option. I'm not currently an owner of a smartphone but I think many (most?) would support streaming as well. Even if your smartphone (assuming you have one) couldn't tap into NPR's stream directly, you could still grab the MP3 podcast version of the shows.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 4:53 PM on April 14, 2008

Nthing the recommendation of Clockers. Really wonderful book.

And someone earlier mentioned the West Wing. After watching Carcetti, the West Wing will be a show you will come to loathe deeply as being a complete fantasy. Terribly entertaining but with about as much of a hold on reality as Star Wars.

I'm surprised no one else has mentioned this film yet, but I would highly recommend an early 90's movie to you. Fresh which feels like it could have... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 2:19 AM on March 11, 2008

I bought some boots for hiking from a mil / police supply store. I wanted a pair of hiking boots that were built more like combat boots than the traditional hiking boot, including high ankle support. The relatively high-end brand of this type of shoe I wanted wasn't available in any local store nor at the usual online clothing outlets but was in abundance at various military stores. And the reviews from soldiers and cops for this shoe were great. If someone loved them for Anbar patrols or for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 8:39 AM on January 12, 2008

Sorry for the momentary derail, but thanks CL for that oddly fascinating article. I had no idea about the importance and symbolism of bananas to Germans. Would make a great front page post if you ever have the time.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 8:12 PM on August 26, 2007

Ultralingua does have a free service which can be found here.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 5:42 PM on August 5, 2007

Thanks very much. Very glad you pointed out the reed switch as I'm not sure I would have found that on my own. I'll crack the case open and give that a try.

First thing I'll try is a software solution. Have no idea if that would work, considering that my hardware is broken, but if this could force OS X to ignore the malfunctioning switch, then that will save me the hardware work.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 10:27 PM on July 21, 2007

If you're interested in a different sort of window, there's an odd, menacing thing outside an airplane's window in "Terror at 20,000 Feet", which was a Twilight Zone episode featuring William Shatner as the terrified passenger that no one else on the plane would believe, probably because of the passenger's stilted acting.

Here's a photo from the ep showing the monster in the window.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 11:08 PM on June 20, 2007

I once had a similar co-worker at a start-up with cramped space. At first I was a little sympathetic to him, since this was his first 'real' job and I thought his constant talking was a sign of nervousness.

But, eventually, I just gave up, starting wearing headphones and just literally ignored him as he blathered on and on and on.

The technique worked pretty well. I would take the time to talk to him for about ten minutes or so at the beginning... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 11:00 PM on June 20, 2007

I should add: he wasn't verbally abusive until recently and he was never physically abusive. And he has never once raised his voice to the children. He won't ever end up as dad-of-the-year but he does seem fond of them and he pays his child support regularly. This is why she thought he could be trusted and, as a single mom, she needs all the help she can get. Besides, she really wanted her kids to have a dad.

dirtynumbangelboy: I should have thought of the Machivellian... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 4:44 PM on March 13, 2007

I'm non-LDS but have several LDS friends. Fortunately my friends are as fond of theology as I am and are more than happy to openly discuss just about anything about their faith, and to take critical questions.

This very topic came up more than once, especially after I read Fawn Brodie's very critical bio of Mr. Smith. Even though I'm a non-believer in LDS doctrine, I thought I came up with the perfect and more-or-less logical solution to the dilemma of reconciling some... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 10:34 AM on March 7, 2007

Stanislav Petrov meets your criteria, especially with the world at stake.

While he did get a measure of fame later, he's still mostly unknown to his own people, despised by his government, and living in poverty, when he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize and great wealth for what he did.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 5:55 PM on February 14, 2007

You can accomplish this but it will take a bit of work.

Start here. This is a link to Bart's PE, which is designed to take an existing Windows XP install and convert it into a portable environment. It's mainly designed for creating bootable CD/DVD's but can also be used as a more or less normal desktop environment.

The learning curve isn't difficult but is a little steep. You'll be able to set up the Windows environment in any way you like, with... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 2:06 PM on February 12, 2007

CSPAN recently showed a tour of the New York Times Book Review.

I listened to this show on XM while driving cross-country so I don't remember it in detail but, if my memory isn't failing me again, their reviewers do read the books in full. The skimming part comes in as they evaluate the hundreds of books that arrive every week and determine which one makes the cut.

Highly recommend this show as it will tell you more than you ever wanted to know... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 2:25 PM on January 24, 2007

I used to own an '03 330xi. I can attest to its performance and its ability in inclement weather. There was one trip down I-70 in Colorado down the steep incline of Vail Pass with an inch or two of snow on the road and the car handled perfectly even as other cars were ending up in the ditches left and right.

The engine is nearly perfect. I've never driven anything quite so buttery smooth.

The problems lay in the electrial system of the car. The... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 7:32 PM on December 19, 2006

I'm glad you're starting this series and I think you'll love it. The earlier suggestion for the Lurker's Guide was an excellent one and, as a further resource, I'd recommend jmsnews.com which contains an archive of Straczynski's usenet and prodigy postings while the show was being made. AFAIK, he was the first person to try to connect directly with the fanbase via the net while a show was in production.

And I'd hate to see you completely poisoned against season 1 before... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 4:34 PM on December 19, 2006

I've had a similar problem lately. I rarely drink these days but, due to the stress of my business and other things, I sometimes end up smoking too much which puts me in a similar sort of fog.

Three things seem to clear that up almost instantly: exercise, drinking lots of orange juice, and drinking lots of green tea. For easy remedies in the office, I can't stress the latter two enough. A couple of glasses of both and I'm immediately back to my old self.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 3:17 PM on October 3, 2006

This probably doesn't answer your question as its not part of the canon, but in at least one of the gnostic gospels, Jesus laughs.

Its a delightfully evil scene I'd love to see in a movie at some point. Jesus goes through the trial with Pilate and gets sentenced to death. At the point where he collapses under the weight of the cross, the Romans make some guy, I believe Simon was his name, out of the crowd carry the cross while Jesus follows behind. At some point in the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 1:50 AM on September 24, 2006

I have a small edu software company and first started dealing with freelancers for illustration a little over a year ago.

Based on the people I've worked with, a limited composition, like what you've described, shouldn't run over 500, and that amount is pushing it. For a full set of original illustrations for the stories in my product (8-12 images per story), I was paying around 2,000.

I had just informal agreements with my freelancers but the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 3:20 PM on September 12, 2006

Thanks for all the advice. I'll specify MSA as I look around for translation bids.

The reason I asked for something more or less standard is because the first place I'll be selling is to Dearborn, MI and I would assume the Arab immigrants there are from a wide variety of countries. With luck, my product will also be sold in a variety of Middle Eastern countries. So its nice to know there's something that will make everyone more or less happy.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 12:06 AM on July 27, 2006

The intersection of fundies and Zionism is something I got to see firsthand growing up in an evangelical baptist church.

Yes, as many have said before, the fundamentalists see Israel as a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy and as a precursor to the Rapture.

However, the love of Israel goes considerably beyond that. Israel overall was considered proof of God's existence and proof that Jews are truly the chosen people. For example, in sermons about... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 12:18 PM on July 20, 2006 marked best answer

"This place is mine. I built it with money I earned." - A. Hitler
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 3:04 AM on June 24, 2006

I was always partial to lpMuds and their derivatives over Diku and a few months ago I found a windows compiled version of lpMud which seemed to work flawlessly. You just run the server in the background and then use your favorite client to telnet in.

I can't remember where I downloaded it but if you want the files I have, I can either email them to you or put them up briefly on an FTP server.

The only catch is that you'll have to write or... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 3:07 AM on May 5, 2006

Here's a site where you can find the latest LPMud updates, documentation, and links to various worlds:

murpe.com/lpmud
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 12:05 PM on May 6, 2006 marked best answer

I'm sorry I don't have any specific advice for you Kevin but I did want to respond to paulsc as I was on the opposite end of your story.

My father left when I was 1, and due to a tragedy involving my mum, I was raised by my grandparents. He tried to come back into my life, just as I was entering my teen years. I tolerated him for a while, but the exact same thing happened to me as you described. Eventually, I got tired of this near-stranger, who had never been there for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 5:16 PM on April 9, 2006

Thanks for the google terms... i had been googling 'software proposal' but that wasn't very productive.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 7:55 PM on March 28, 2006

I've never been Mormon but living in Utah I have a lot of friends who are.

After talking to my friends about their missions, I would agree with earlier posters that the best thing you could do for the missionaries, if you have the time, is give them something to drink, talk to them a bit about things other than religion to allow them a few minutes of just being a 20something guy rather than an 'elder'.

An added bonus and something that will... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 10:07 PM on January 23, 2006

Is there any particular type of HDTV which has a problem with burn-in?

I've heard certain types (Plasma? DLP?) should be avoided for gaming but I can't remember which one is a problem. Or is my information out of date?
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 4:53 PM on November 26, 2005

I was a pre-teen / teenager in that horrid decade and I'd have to disagree with with the earlier statement that "things were done and worn with the full knowledge that they were tacky and ridiculous."

With the exception of shoulder pads for women, which was easily acknowledged by nearly everyone as something horrid, everything else seemed like such a huge improvement over the 70's. Bell-bottoms? Fuck no! much better to wear parachute pants. Wide brown ties?... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 7:49 AM on November 24, 2005 marked best answer

I grew up in Little Rock and still visit the place about once a year.

My info is probably out of date but I'll give it a shot anyways...

I don't remember specific stores, but I do remember the Heights / Hillcrest area was one of the best places to find small stores with specialty items. Was also the best place to find good salons. There was one which was very east (or west) coast: everyone in all black, offered the customers wine, had an eastern... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 11:49 PM on August 27, 2005

I wonder how different it is for women than men.

I live in Utah and therefore most of my friends have at least two if not more children. Most of my friends here are male and they don't even raise an eyebrow at my childless status.

I always make a point to ask them about their children and to dote on them when I go visit. Perhaps that would help in your situation. I know some parents automatically assume the childless/childfree aren't breeding... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 8:26 AM on August 26, 2005

As someone who owns a small company, if your wife was interviewing with me, I'd hope she would tell me right off the bat in the first interview. I don't know what sort of work she does, but in my company, since so much of our content creation can be done at home, pregnancy wouldn't bother me, as long as she could get some work in while the baby was sleeping, when dad was doing some parenting, etc.

But I would hope this prospective employee would tell me up front. If I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 7:37 PM on August 24, 2005

Anything by Hakuri Murakami.

He creates these really beautiful dreamscapes written in the style of a terse 1940's detective novel.

If you're looking for a sprawling epic, I'd recommend The Wind-Up Bird.

For a more succinct book, I'd recommend his best fiction, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.

And then there's The Great Sheep Chase, which has an opening scene which has always... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 11:05 PM on August 7, 2005

I was once in a situation where someone was trying to kill me. Actually heard the bullets whiz by my head with that odd whistling (not really a whistle but for lack of a better term) sound. Was pissed and a bit shaken for several days.

But I got over it by appealing to my baser instincts. I went with a gun-afficiando friend and he helped me pick out a lovely silver Sig .45, relatively compact so its easy to conceal after getting my state's conceal-carry license.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 2:31 AM on July 28, 2005

Thanks for the good advice.

I should have been more specific about what I'm trying to do. All of my files, with the exception of the sound effects and a little background music, are voice work. There are no songs and the background music is already at an acceptable volume level. There aren't many sound effects so I can probably process those manually.

My main concern was the English language voice talent was a bit soft in her work and the foreign... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 3:01 PM on July 16, 2005

Sprint has a CDMA/GSM phone which is one step better than a dual band phone. This model will take sim cards and is designed to for use internationally. However, it might accept a card from a domestic provider.

With the Sprint/Nextel merger, this might take care of your needs.

Link to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 1:59 PM on June 28, 2005

If anyone is still reading this, I'd recommend snus, the Swedish variant of smokeless tobacco.

The flavors are more varied than the American variants, and the Swedish gov't claims that snus users have the same rate of oral cancers as the general population, so its about as safe as tobacco use can be.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 10:57 AM on June 19, 2005

Thank you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 7:02 AM on June 18, 2005

I wish I could drag him to the doctor but, despite being quite a bit older than me, he would definitely take me in a fight and he would fight about any doctor visits. Plus, I'm about 1,402 miles away from him so I can't just drive over to his house and kidnap him.

I know advice and research online is no substitute for a doctor but since I can't get him to a doctor, I was hoping for suggestions and answers which I could then pass along to his wife.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 5:56 PM on May 6, 2005

He owns a store and his employees have observed the rapid changes in personality. So its not just that he's unhappy with his wife; he's treating everyone differently.

I had thought of this situation being just an emotional response to the vasectomy. He didn't want to get it and so a large part of it could be a pissed off reaction.

I know it wasn't necessarily a medical thing but the rapid change definitely made that possibility a chief suspicion.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 10:45 PM on May 6, 2005

Sister would be my vote for best album. It is such a beautiful bit of work and is what made me love SY from the time I first heard it at age 15. There's this wonderous delicacy to the whole thing which is lacking from later albums. Daydream Nation, Evol, and, in my opinion, Goo are all great too.

"Hey Joanie" is definitely the best song. I've always thought Lee Renaldo should have had more of his songs on the albums.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 4:51 PM on March 23, 2005

Reason is a great magazine and site but I wouldn't call it conservative. Reason would be a great exposure to Libertarian and reasonable (no pun intended) anti-statist views without getting into Randian silliness.

Tacitus is a great website for mostly reasonable conservative viewpoints. Despite the site's owner being one of the co-founders of RedState.org, the site has morphed into one of those great places where conservatives and liberals can debate without descending... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 3:06 PM on March 7, 2005

Based on my personal experience, I say finish the degree now. I dropped out in my early 20's, never went back to finish. Was a slacker for a while and had a great time. Ended up in educational software and made quite a bit of money and ended up starting my own business, so it has all mostly worked out.

However, getting my first break was much harder than it would have been if I had a degree. Basically I had a couple of very lucky breaks, which wouldn't have been... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 11:41 AM on February 23, 2005

Streamload.com will store up to 10 gb for free and unlimited storage with one of their subscriptions. There's a catch: you can upload all you want but downloads are limited. 100 mb dl for free; 10-60 gb depending on the subscription, roughly 10-60 bucks a month.

They support streaming of uploaded mp3s and movies and you can send a file link to anyone via email.

A windows-based upload / download tool is provided for really simple file transfer. A... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 12:11 AM on February 20, 2005

I should clarify: the dowload limits are per month. And I believe there is a web front end you can open up for selected files for other people to grab.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 1:07 AM on February 20, 2005

I had really great luck with the online dating services, meeting about two dozen women, and I was lazy and didn't initiate any contacts myself. While I think my photo was good, what really worked was being fairly verbose in the profile.

I generally didn't say much about myself but I did put in a lot about what I was looking for in another person, and used those bits to cast a reflection on myself and my tastes. And, I suppose it was a good strategy because it only... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 12:26 AM on February 8, 2005

I recently replayed some of my old Digital Hardcore cd's and realized how much I miss this sort of music. In particular, things like Atari Teenage Riot's Burn Berlin Burn, Alec Empire/Techno Animal's Curse of the Golden Vampire, and Alec Empire vs. Merzbow. The latter is almost exactly what I'm looking for: great walls of noise backed by strong, consistent beats. I already know about and love many of the glitchy beats like Squarepusher, Autechre or Aphex Twin and that's not what I'm looking for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 6:19 PM on January 30, 2005

Thanks for the input so far. I haven't thought of Imminent Starvation or Venetian Snares in a couple of years. I have some of their albums but I'll try them again.

I didn't know Merzbow was going in a more beat-oriented direction. I'll try him again. I do have Satanstorade which is great fun though not quite it. I would highly recommend his collaboration with Alec Empire. Definitely great stuff.

And a lot of these I haven't heard of so will give them a try.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 10:46 PM on January 30, 2005

I have a ten yr old Grand Cherokee which has gone into some fairly remote country in the mountains and red rock country in Utah. I can't recommend it more. Lots of storage space; accepts whatever climb without any complaints. Even smooths out the ride a bit so the bumps aren't as jarring as in other off-roaders.

If I were in the market for a new vehicle, I'd go for the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, which has the length of an SUV, but with the removable top, near infinite... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 11:31 PM on January 28, 2005

I'm an extrovert at work and an introvert almost everywhere else.

My solution was to get so involved with whatever I'm doing, that talking about the projects just comes naturally. If you know what needs to be done forwards and backwards, and it helps if you're excited about what you're doing though that part can be faked, then work conversations become relatively easy. Once you're comfortable talking about projects, then the social stuff just flows naturally, once you... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by pandaharma at 2:47 PM on January 24, 2005