Kinda late, but don't watch the first movie until you get to the appropriate point within the series (after season 4 or 5?). It bridges the gap between those two seasons so it won't make any sense at all if you haven't seen enough of the show. Even for fans looking at it now, so much changed since the movie came out, it almost seems kind of moot and irrelevant.

Personally I thought the movie was a disappointing way to wrap up the franchise (at least that's how it seems... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 12:42 PM on August 2, 2008

I think there's a few chains where the self-service kiosks offer separate debit/debit+cash back options. Maybe it's mostly to do with the fact that there's a bigger screen, so there's more room for more options. If there was something that desirable (but not technically necessary) in having the cash back option come on the second screen, they'd probably do the same on those big self-service kiosks, too, instead of just on the smaller B+W checkout stand terminals.

And on... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 2:42 AM on July 27, 2008

Doesn't get better than the old Hall and Oates "Jingle Bell Rock" video.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:07 PM on July 22, 2008

I vote for "grocer's"... Along with "catcher's mask," "pitcher's mound" and "batter's box" are other examples that comes to mind. Another, perhaps more parallel example: "plumber's crack."

I like Miko's description. "Grocer's apostrophe" is sort of a proverbial concept, not a literal one. It's not like, say, "grocers' strike" or "grocers' financial success." But is it the "Grocer's... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 11:34 PM on July 17, 2008

I suppose it could be an ADD thing, but I didn't want to just jump to that. I'll look more into it, though. I remember not remembering anything during teacher read-aloud times in grade school. But I did enjoy reading fiction on my own as much as I could and not having comprehension problems. Now when I read for leisure, it's strictly non-fiction, and for the most part I don't have any real struggles. Unless it's just too dense for me to finish.

I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 7:52 PM on June 28, 2008

Just to follow-up on some points...

I do indeed try to focus as much as I can during movies. I'll get irritated when I'm watching something with relatives, and they wander off or something in the middle of it. Movies are entertainment, and I'd feel like I'm cheating myself if I don't give my full attention to them. That's part of why I made the original post... I hate feeling like I'm missing out on stuff I should be enjoying a lot more.

There... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 11:12 PM on June 30, 2008

The Viper is coming. 5.75.

The writers must've been really bored when they came up with that episode. God bless 'em for it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 2:22 AM on June 29, 2008

Should be The Viper

Of this and the one in the other post, I'm not sure which one came first though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 2:25 AM on June 29, 2008

I've never heard about waist-pinching in body language books, but I'd tend to think it's extremely flirtatious... Back, shoulders, and arms are one thing, but the waist is way down there and one would have to expect some suspicion on the part of the receiving party.

But as in all instances like this, it's possible he grew up in a household where touching others was second nature, and maybe that includes platonic waist-pinching. Surely there are other possible signs that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 12:13 AM on June 29, 2008

It maybe seem obvious, but you say it's mostly females, so are there are other guys you can sort of find allies in, or at least find sympathy with? Or with some of the less annoying, more level-headed of the women?

You could inquire about and relate your situation to someone, and maybe they'll have enough standing with the rest to convey your frustration on your behalf. Maybe it's something others have gone through as new employees, and it's just a matter of time until... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 7:04 PM on June 27, 2008

I'm skeptical about the advice that you show controlled hostility in return, or stare at them, or otherwise make things uncomfortable. You might be the "sweet, young guy" in the office right now, but you definitely don't want to end up downgrading yourself into the "creepy guy." That just makes things even more awkward. You may as well punch a hole in the wall. Maybe you can give a slightly exasperated look before walking away (not in a huff), and maybe... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 5:34 PM on June 28, 2008

Coincidentally (?), Rolling Stone has an issue out listing the 100 "Greatest Guitar Songs" ever. It's also online. Obviously it'll be deemed imperfect by some, and laughable by others, but you might see some entries that you might otherwise have never considered or heard of. And yeah, there are some dead guys in there. And if you're like me, you'll check some out on YouTube and go "Oh, so they're the ones who did that song!" or "Oh, so that's what that song is called!... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 7:08 AM on June 27, 2008

When I first read the question, I was stumped until I realized that yes, robots/computers was the obvious answer. (I don't think Mulder and Scully have fought robots, per se, but there was the "Ghost in the Machine" episode. And I think there was one written by William Gibson about someone who downloaded his/herself into cyberspace or something?)

You might want to check out How to Survive a Robot Uprising. It's a humor book in the vein of the Worst Case... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:26 PM on June 26, 2008

This is more of a practical item, but in my recent Amazon order, there was a bag for donating old cell phones to help troops contact family and friends back home. I have one now that's about to be replaced, and if it hadn't been for that I probably would've just looked for a place to recycle it instead, so i figured I'd throw it out there for everyone to take into consideration.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 3:01 PM on June 26, 2008

Well, looking at the web site a bit more, it appears the phones are only collected to get proceeds from recycling, which are then used to buy calling cards. Still a good idea.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 3:06 PM on June 26, 2008

Letterman's best guests are a lot of the old comedy actors like Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Billy Crystal, Martin Short, and even Don Rickles. Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis too. Roberts and Sedaris are probably his best female guests. They all have a great rapport with Dave and while they'll often have some sort of planned routine to an extent, the interviews seem natural and spontaneous, and are a big contrast to his more typical guests. I suppose you could add Robin Williams, but personally, I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 2:42 PM on June 26, 2008

Oh yeah, Bonnie Hunt, too. She doesn't appear too often anymore, but she's really sharp and has a longtime friendship with Dave, which shows. I'd take her over Roberts (whose Dave appearances can be a bit schmaltzy) and Sedaris (who can be a bit schticky).

As a Dave fan, I find the lack of Leno responses here (so far) somewhat reassuring...
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 2:51 PM on June 26, 2008

Hm, looks like my first post didn't get through... My suggestion was to consider adoption down the road... Plus there'd be the added benefit of raising a boy who might never have had a dad of his own at all. Of course, what everyone said about still doing your best to be a dad for your new daughter still apply...
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 3:22 PM on June 23, 2008

Try to get them into just listening to music over time, and becoming a music fan. I never was one growing up, but once I got into it more and more in my college years, in retrospect I'd wished I had taken some kind of lessons in my earlier years. Of course, it's never too early to learn, but childhood is obviously the best time to learn things like instruments and languages.

So try to have them take an interest in the kind of music you like, or maybe they're starting to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 3:39 PM on June 22, 2008

Don't make sarcastic jokes that we can't really respond to because we're too polite to assume you're being sarcastic. "Hey, you can give us a deal on that, can't ya?" "Well, no, I'm afraid it's store policy to--" "I'm just kiddin' with ya."

Don't toss your credit card on the counter when we ask for payment. We're not sure if you're being casual, or are cranky about something. Hand it or slide it over.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 4:02 AM on June 21, 2008

I've started to think that instant service stuff like McDonald's has spoiled people into thinking that the turnaround time for most services should be almost as fast as getting a burger. Some things take time!

While we'll try to accommodate you, if someone else came in before you, we may have to actually do their order before we can get to yours, regardless of how small your order is. Theirs shouldn't end up late because you felt your order should take precedence over... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 2:13 AM on June 22, 2008

Color seems even in both eyes for me indoors, but I started noticing an obvious color shift when I'd be outside in the bright sun, with one closed. In particular, the gray of the sidewalk would be warmer or cooler depending on which eye was open. I always wondered about it too but never got around to looking it up.

I have really lousy eyesight without contacts, and have floaters, so I hope that scary-sounding "red desaturation" deal doesn't apply also. I guess... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 1:26 PM on June 20, 2008

Well, yesterday I received a magazine from the package that fortunately had my current address on the cover. Kinda makes me wonder if leaving a note with my address in the original shipment would've been of any help. But it gives me some hope that everything else might yet be salvageable.

Still too lazy to send in my item listing though. But thanks to everyone for responding.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 3:17 PM on June 17, 2008

Yes, be upfront (but go easy) and tell him nothing could ever happen, in order to prevent him from eternally clinging on to small shreds of hope. It's easy to fall into the trap of looking for any little sign as a reason for hope to re-emerge. It might also help to tell him you sympathize with him, and that you feel bad about it, but also that if he respects your friendship, he'll have to try to let the crush go if he wants it to continue as much as you do.

Just leaving... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 1:44 AM on June 7, 2008

I figured the fancy foil covers might've had something to do with it, but I seemed to recall it not applying to some titles, like Casablanca, so I didn't see the purpose in those instances. Regardless, the thing that bugs me most is that everything is exactly the same otherwise. They could at least make the two back covers different.

(And one of the reasons I stopped collecting comics in the late '90s was how the publishers went nuts with foil covers... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 11:05 PM on June 6, 2008

Late to the party, but keep in mind that once she settles in, and you really get to know each other better, you may realize that you're actually better off as friends, and you'll be glad you avoided all the awkwardness of a pre-emptive confession. There may be differences in personality or lifestyles that would result in a less-than-ideal relationship, as perfect as the thought of the two of you may be right now. Get to know her better, a lot better, and take it slow. Just be friends first.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 3:49 AM on June 1, 2008

I don't remember much of it, but I do remember thinking how cool it'd be to have a basement like the one in "3-2-1 Contact."
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:51 PM on May 30, 2008

I'd jump on the "colloquial" bandwagon, and the awkward string of Rs in "there're." I figure it's along the same lines as saying "i'n'it" or "ain't it" instead of "isn't it". Over the course of the English evolutionary timeline, people eventually decided it's just easier to say in everyday speech, and it still gets your point across. But you wouldn't use it in your dissertation or anything.

Trying to justify the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:52 PM on April 30, 2008

When it happens to me, I'll just sort of say in a friendly way that they told me the story before, and if they still seem compelled to continue, I'll quickly summarize it just to show that I remember the details, and that there's no real need for them to get into it again. If they want to add a detail that they might've omitted (even if they didn't), that's fine. And if they want to specify what prompted them to want to tell the story at that moment (like maybe something happened to them shortly... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:15 AM on April 16, 2008

I think I see the OP's point. There are things you'd expect everyone to know, and there are things that everyone really should know. Someone might have never seen Star Wars, or heard of Mark McGwire, or know what the best hand in poker is. If you were one of them, I might look at you funny, but I won't think you're a moron or anything.

If you couldn't point to your home country on a map, or knew who major figures in your government were, eg, the Vice... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 12:17 AM on April 15, 2008

There's a difference between merely knowing who the VP is, and actually following politics. I'd think every American should be able to at least identify a picture of Dick Cheney, but I'd understand if one weren't able to follow that up with being able to rattle off his viewpoint on various issues, or what his previous governmental positions were, or what state he was from. It's like the OP's example about Africa. How can you make it into college and not know Africa is a continent? Not being able... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 1:27 PM on April 15, 2008

I envy you, but were I in your position, I'd say either "6 ft on some days, 5-11 on others." Or the more pithy "Not quite 6'," which most people will likely just assume to mean 5'11", otherwise you would've just said 5'11".
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 11:28 PM on April 5, 2008

Well, being anonymous, it's hard to expect your responses to our questions, but do you keep her up to date on what you're doing in your own life, the same way she does to you? Do you have other social circles you hang out with, separate from her, and have you invited her to join you and them? I figure it's common for people to have different sets of friends and such, and it might just be too awkward to "assimilate" one into the other.

She... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 12:54 AM on March 25, 2008

Some of these are more "peppy" and bouncy than "therapeutic" or mellow, but here's what might make my personal "Makes you glad to feel alive" playlist:

Beatles "Here Comes the Sun" (I'm sure there's ton of others but that's the first that pops into my head)
Fleetwood Mac "Don't Stop"
Foo Fighters "Times Like These," "Ain't It the Life" and "Long Road to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 3:04 AM on March 23, 2008

OK Go - Television, Television. Like most pop songs about TV, it's more of a playful jab at junk culture than it is a sincere love of the medium.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 11:00 AM on March 22, 2008

All in all, it's just a weird label to work with. I think there is more or less a classic rock "sound," but I don't think anyone can really give an exact time range of that genre (and really, you can't for any genre... except maybe disco?). But I guess the 1964 estimates can mainly be attributed to the Beatles... In any case, it's a lot easier to narrow down the start than the end.

I'm sure it's becoming more common for stations that used to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 9:01 PM on March 16, 2008

It probably won't hurt to peruse this Scientific American article. I've read here and elsewhere that instead of focusing on rewards, achievement, or inherent intelligence, you should focus on effort and process.

And isn't the whole "sugar rush" thing with kids more or less a myth, assuming they're in fine physical health?
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 1:12 PM on March 13, 2008

Whoops, kinda late, but here's the correct link for the Scientific American article I meant to link.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 1:48 AM on March 16, 2008

If someone's cleaning something out, you can use a turn on this "Office" dialogue...

"They say a cluttered desk means a cluttered mind. Well I say an empty desk means an..."
"Empty mind."
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 9:38 PM on March 14, 2008

Would you like to swap roommates, BondGirl? Or arrange to have your roomie move in here while I move in there?

Do you guys get along otherwise? Were you acquainted before? Is there anything he does other than work and play games? No one plays games that often, right? ...Right?

The "move the game system into his room" suggestion seems too obvious, so I'm guessing there's a reason why that doesn't seem feasible.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 11:22 PM on March 3, 2008

First thing that came to mind was Beastie Boys' Intergalactic from '98. Great video, too.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 7:40 PM on March 1, 2008

Letterman does this as well... As he once put it, "If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing." Of course, some of these repetitions even begin to get on the nerves of the most loyal of fans.

One personal favorite was when each night would feature a segment called "Alan Kalter's Campaign Round-Up," with Dave introducing his announcer, promising the latest news of the 2000 presidential race. But instead, Alan would always burst into a roaring rendition... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 12:04 AM on March 1, 2008

I wish it came to mind right away, but yeah, I'd say Blondie, above everything else (and be sure to tell her that that's the name of the band and not the singer). Maybe some Fleetwood Mac.

The Cardigans might appeal to her (First Band on the Moon was their big album), but the occasional lyric is non-kid-friendly. Ditto Rilo Kiley.

For some aggressive but still poppy punk rock, I like Tsunami Bomb, and their album, Ultimate Escape.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:13 AM on February 26, 2008

Wait, how has no one mentioned the Go-Gos and the Bangles yet?
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 11:44 PM on February 26, 2008

I think the "homage" thing is a different case, since there are two distinct and correct ways to pronounce it, so whether you use "a" or "an" depends on which one you use. But it's just personal preference, same with "route" or "coupon."

Actually, that reminds that today I was talking with a co-worker about boxed chocolates, and while I'd say "car-a-mel," she'd say "car-mel," which made things kind of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:21 PM on February 22, 2008

I would write, "I got a MRI," because when the acronym is expanded, that's how it should be.

But no one ever says "a RBI" in baseball, and the same logic would apply there. (But then again, some people argue that the plural should be "Rs-B-I" instead of "RBIs.")

I'm sure that in the case of acronyms, written or spoken, the article should only be influenced by the sound of the first letter,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:29 PM on February 22, 2008

An hero?

I doubt it, but maybe "an heroic"?
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:10 PM on February 23, 2008

The 1985 arcade game Gauntlet featured a valkyrie, but I'd guess that similar female characters were available in the PC "Dungeons and Dragons"-type that preceded it. She was one of four characters, and four players could play at once, and I kinda wonder how many guys wouldn't choose her even though she was the only one with no real weakness. (I was partial to the elf myself, on the home version.)

Incidentally, the Princess character from Super Mario Bros... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:06 PM on February 23, 2008

Recently I was home after a pretty miserable day, and while walking through the apartment complex, a lady gave a cheerful "Hi, how are you?" out of the blue. I responded and strangely felt a lot better afterwards. Of course, it's probably a lot easier (and less suspicious) for a woman to greet either gender like that, than for a man to greet a woman.

If anything, it's probably a good idea to keep it to that. If the two of you are standing around together... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 12:27 PM on February 23, 2008

I'm surprised there's nary a mention of mp3 players (other than those resigned to man purses). I keep mine in my right pocket and would go crazy without it.

Small but somewhat fat cell in my left, along with my keys. Wallet in the back, usually. I start out with a couple of quarters in the wallet's loose pocket, and any other change I acquire ends up with the mp3 player. Once I'm home, it's emptied into a cup.
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:07 PM on February 22, 2008