Displaying comments 1 to 50 of 894
Ask post:
UnWord Me
Don't know about LaTex, but do you have iLife / Pages installed on your Mac? You can mimic most all of Word's functionality in Pages. You might also try AbiWord.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 12:02 PM on September 4, 2008
Ask post:
renter/subletter issue in Brooklyn
That is a risk you are going to have to take. However, can you be the one to deliver the cash directly to the landlord? If you are talking a month's rent or less, it's really not that big of a financial risk to you (even though it probably seems like it now).
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 2:19 PM on September 2, 2008
Ask post:
French-press carafe only?
Thanks for all the leads. I'll try the brick and mortar stores since they don't seem to be much cheaper online than just buying them directly from Ikea stores (although the Ikea plungers suck).
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 11:54 AM on September 2, 2008
Ask post:
A couch with no name
But, I don't think Ikea makes a Klippan sofa with a suede like cover. It could be custom upholstered or one of many knock-offs / similar styles.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 11:46 AM on September 2, 2008
Ask post:
Should I stay or should I go, etc.
And then you'll have to taper off over the course of as many months as you've been tapering on, otherwise you'll have profound side-effects.
The two people I know who've tapered off of Effexor still suffered terrible side-effects.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 12:10 PM on August 25, 2008
Ask post:
DIY-Filter: Attaching sliding-door tracks to hardwood floors without damaging the floor?
3M pull-away adhesive strips.
Those things have ruined everything I've ever attached them to! I can't imagine attaching them to your hardwood floors (or them being sturdy enough to hold a door track in place). I'd recommend pre-drilling a couple of screw holes for the track and later, (when you want to move and take out the door?) filling the holes with wood-filler.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 3:10 PM on August 19, 2008
Ask post:
Can poets make money?
What do you mean by various other poets? Do the "compulsory poets" have agents or are they students? Are these also students or famous living or dead poets? In the US, these fees are called permissions. Student writers typically don't earn much or any money in a student publication. A literature anthology by a major publisher that includes work by say Seamus Heaney, might pay US $10,000 to reprint one of his poems, based on the print run and other factors.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 9:43 AM on August 11, 2008 
marked best answer
You will have to request permission to reprint Heaney's (or any other published poet's) poems. Each permissions agreement is different, but some of those heavy hitters like Heaney and Boland can command a great deal of money. I'd start by submitting a request for permission to Heaney's UK publisher. You can google around for sample standard permission letters. I work on publishing large literature anthology textbooks for the US educational market and a very large portion of our costs go towards... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 10:25 AM on August 12, 2008
Ask post:
Diversifying the urban birdfeeder
Hummingbird feeder? Maybe try a thistle sock and add a bird bath or table with seed for ground/table feeders. Make sure your feeders have small enough perches so that the starlings and pigeons can't get on them. Stick with the sunflower seeds, but don't put out mixes or corn (which attract sparrows and pigeons/doves).
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 10:06 AM on August 8, 2008
Ask post:
Look on my reference works, ye mighty, and despair
Here's a citation that says 73% of library books are never checked out. That sounds high to me, but I'm not sure how you could monitor which books have been opened/read without being checked out.
It used to be my childhood dream to read every book in the library, but I soon realized what a waste of time that would be. Some books deserve to go unread.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 2:36 PM on August 7, 2008
Ask post:
Call me fish meal.
Well, I'll put in a plug for the listserv I run: Wallace-l. It's ostensible purpose is to discuss stuff by David Foster Wallace, but the guy just doesn't produce enough new material to keep that discussion going nonstop so we discuss all sorts of books. We have a group of about 500 people from around the world that includes students, writers, professors, bloggers, and other polymaths. There is also a Pynchon-l. You should try it or check out our archives.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 7:39 AM on August 5, 2008
Ask post:
Teach me how to bean it up
- One key to good cornbread is letting the batter rest after it is mixed. Let it sit there at least 15 minutes before you put it in your skillet/cornpone.
- You need a ham hock or ham steak to put in your beans. Putting raw bacon in is OK, but the bacon does not come out well in the end. I will fry up some bacon at the end to crumble on top of the beans instead.
- You can also substitute black-eyed peas for your beans here to make another great meal.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 10:28 AM on August 4, 2008
Ask post:
Legalfilter: I need advice if we should sue or not!
Yes i booked it from a third party.
There's your problem. It's probably not the hotel's fault. A site like hotels.com will often "reserve" a room even though the hotel is booked up--there is significant lagtime between the hotel and the third party's communication on open rooms.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 8:53 AM on August 1, 2008
Ask post:
Rice recipes
1 cup sushi rice (short grain white)
Wash the rice several times. I use a strainer under running water, washing it until the water running out of the bottom of the rice is clear. Let the rice dry. If you have a rice cooker, put in two cups of water and a tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil (sometimes I uses sesame or peanut oil) and then add the rice. Once the rice is cooked, wait ten or fifteen minutes and then take it all out and put it on a large plate or hangiri.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 12:28 PM on July 31, 2008
Ask post:
Nesting for cheapskates
If it were me, I'd get one or two nice things from DWR (say a chair and a kitchen table & chairs) and troll around antique stores or craigslist, willing to pounce on a high end item in good condition. Unless you are a professional restorer, it ain't worth your time when you have two kids!
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 2:06 PM on July 30, 2008
Ask post:
What is the purpose of Fortinbras in Hamlet?
Fortinbras secretly uses his quest for Polish territory (“a little patch of ground/That hath in it no profit but the name”) to gain passage to Denmark to take back the land that he believes is rightfully his. Like Hamlet, Fortinbras is haunted by the death of his father, but I think it's telling that Shakespeare never shows Hamlet and Fortinbras together, he is indeed a foil furthering the revenge theme.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 12:59 PM on July 30, 2008
Ask post:
Where do you put money for baby?
You can use a Roth IRA to pay for qualified educational expenses, but it's not really the best option.
If you don't use the 529 money to pay for college, you pay a 10% penalty on the earnings, but you can still use all the principal and 90% of the earnings. You can also change the beneficiary of the 529. I'd really recommend it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 8:34 AM on July 28, 2008
assuming a very reasonable 7% annual return.
FYI, my Roth IRA is running about 1 - 2 % right now, so let's hope there are some 14% years to come in the Obama administration.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 8:49 AM on July 28, 2008
Ask post:
A Supposedly Good List
If you're interested, A friend of mine used to work for the Poetry Society of America and worked on a project to ask fiction writers about their favorite books of poetry. The article never got published (in the PSA's journal Crossroads), but one guy that responded to his letter (by scribbling on the soliciting letter) was David Foster Wallace. So, without further adieu, here is DFW's never-before-published list of his favorite books of poetry:
3-Way Tie: (mood dependent)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 7:51 AM on July 24, 2008
Ask post:
Tell me about symbolism in clothing.
Scottish Rite Masons wear different colored caps to symbolize different awards and achievements. Someone with a white 33 degree hat is instantly recognizable amongst a sea of black, 32nd degree caps. This is probably the case for many fraternal organizations or the military.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 8:43 AM on July 17, 2008 marked best answer
Ask post:
Proposing the proposal
All major publishers do not accept unsolicited manuscripts or proposals--they have to be through an agent. So, you might look to submit your proposal to an agent first. If you are looking to be published by a smaller publisher you might take a look at the Literary Marketplace (most all libraries carry this massive reference tome) to find an appropriate publisher in your subject area. This site about editors and agents might be interesting to you. Good luck!... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mattbucher
at 5:13 AM on July 2, 2008
