GMail's been kind of flaky all morning for me too. The bad-pass error is spurious. It works again later.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 12:15 PM on August 5, 2008

This is a bit drastic, but the purest way to do this would be to use Parallels or VMWare Fusion to make a virtual machine, then trash it as you like. Save a duplicate of the hard disk "image" beforehand, and revert back as needed.

I use a bunch of these in one of my jobs to test software in various (Mac) versions and environments, especially software that might spew data all over or mangle the file system.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 8:36 AM on August 5, 2008

He finally said to me that people were going to pick on him no matter what he does, so he's going to do what he wants.

Nthing that that's a pretty great attitude, if only so you notice you should be proud of that.

For instance, he wants to wear certain clothes. I tell him that the ribbing will get worse if he wears this or that. Should I be doing that?

Sure, but then respect his... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 3:19 PM on August 3, 2008

You should reformat with the "Advanced" option for "zero all data" enabled, yes. If you're extra worried, there's a "zero all data by writing over 10x" option or something in there too. You have to use Disk Utlity for this: initializing from the Finder doesn't erase.

Just re-initializing leaves all your data intact, with a note saying "this space can be reused now."

Format ≠ initialize.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 10:53 AM on August 3, 2008

STOP PUSHING THAT BUTTON. I haven't slept in a week.

If it has an up/down state, it's a light switch that's no longer connected to anything: I have a couple of those, which every visitor plays with compulsively. If it's a push-release, it's a call button for your bathroom attendant and/or maid.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 5:35 PM on August 2, 2008

I like Troilus and Cressida.

They're all worth reading, if only because they influence so much other (all?) writing. But to appreciate/understand them best you probably need nicely-annotated ones so you understand all the puns and allusions. I sure as hell do.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 12:51 PM on August 2, 2008

Seconding just call Verizon to cancel/suspend the option.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 10:37 AM on August 2, 2008

You are also correct to want this disabled. It's horribly annoying during phone interviews, meetings etc.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 11:41 AM on August 2, 2008

I had a cat that could not resist the dripping tap and/or water sitting in dishes in the sink.

After trying many tricks (aluminum foil, smelly things), I used a light dusting of cayenne pepper before bed, and wiped it up with a wet paper towel in the AM.

Cat still jumped up, but later when licking her paws, she learned a lesson. It took about a week. After that the pepper was not needed anymore.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 10:35 AM on August 2, 2008

VMWare Fusion is really, really good. I use it almost every day for both simple stuff ("this website only works in IE7") or weird stuff like a particular utility program or tool that's Windows only, and it's very very good.

Civ4 for Mac is good, you don't need the Windows version. :)
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 11:05 AM on August 1, 2008

Sorry, AsRuins, yes you'll still need a legit XP install disk. I was addressing the "Boot Camp" and "partition" parts of your question -- you don't need Boot Camp and you don't need to reformat your drive or make a partition to use VMWare Fusion.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 3:47 PM on August 1, 2008

Doesn't matter. Quitting is very unlikely to hurt you, and you're very unlikely to regret two lousy weeks later, anyway. And they're already expecting to be without you Aug 20. Aug 4 doesn't make it much different. Nobody loses.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 11:19 AM on August 1, 2008

$100,000 per year sounds about right, since it's a big discount on the $150,000 that your usual short-term rate would be. Make it a one-year contract with payments spaced however you like.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 10:10 AM on August 1, 2008

Recent weight gain? Recently started sitting in new chair or position that puts pressure on something? Pregnant? Stopped doing Kegels?
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 10:08 AM on August 1, 2008

(1) I love the fact you bought a tool and now are wondering what to use it for. That's such a man thing to do.

(2) It sounds so cool that now I am going to download it... even though I dunno what I need it for either.

(3) Okay one thought.... I guess if I could just label or prefix things with my billing codes, I could let Hazel tidy and sort and backup things into the right project folders automagically after they're more... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 4:02 PM on July 31, 2008

They will drop another $10-$20 by September for sure.

And every six weeks thereafter, until the end of time.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 3:25 PM on July 30, 2008

So how does one become "good" as business, in a way that he/she can be easily evaluated and rewarded by employers?

Know people. It's all networking.

No, certifications don't mean much at all.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 3:06 PM on July 30, 2008

If you invoiced them, you almost certainly were not an employee, so the labor board doesn't sound right. An unpaid invoice should be pursued in small claims court. It costs maybe $20 to do the paperwork yourself.

Though your Aeron and Mac idea is a nice compromise, if you're serious. But first file the claim. Then they'll take your concern seriously, and if you choose to settle, fine.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 2:41 PM on July 30, 2008

It doesn't matter, because babies can't read.

I don't think you should shy away from blankets. Blankets are important and babies often bond with them, so they can indeed be "special" items, especially if you buy a high quality one to start with.

To be more creative, you could have a saying embroidered, or a poem that mom and dad could read.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 2:13 PM on July 30, 2008

Is DSL better in general now than it was 3 or 4 years ago?

DSL as a technology is and has always been just fine. It's the implementations, load and service that varies widely, especially since it's so sensitive to line quality. That means it can vary a lot between two companies or even between adjacent buildings.

It's not anything in the nature of DSL that makes it good or bad. There's great DSL from some providers in some places, and horrible DSL from others.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 9:30 AM on July 30, 2008

Oh yeah, forgot to answer hte question: Verizon's DSL has been fine for me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 10:06 AM on July 30, 2008

Wow, what a great... um... question.

Google's a public company, so maybe spend less time editorializing all over AskMe and a little more time reading their annual report? (Hint: there's a really big section on "Revenue").
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 8:06 AM on July 30, 2008

(New slogan for AskMetaFilter: Don't Be Bitter)
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 8:07 AM on July 30, 2008

I use an Apple aluminum (hated it at first, but now I'm so much faster and quieter than before) with an old Compaq PC without a problem, but then again I'm using XP SP2, not Vista.

When you first plug it in, does Windwos recognize it as "Apple Keyboard" or "Generic USB Keyboard". If the latter, you need a driver.

Can you borrow some other keyboard for 10 mins to test? It'd sure help to narrow down the issues there.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 2:31 AM on July 29, 2008

Sorry, just saw these followups... no, I use XP, so I don't know how to get the right drivers (I'm a Vista Virgin).

In XP, mine shows up as "Apple Keyboard" when I plug it in, so they do exist. That "HID Keyboard Device" sounds like the generic driver when Windows doesn't know what it's dealing with.

This sounds promising: Apple iSight and Keyboard Support in Vista
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 6:54 AM on July 30, 2008

I already checked with Apple and they told me that there's not a lot of info they can give me if I give them the serial number before I buy it, even if it was taken from them.

If you check the serial number with Apple and with your local police, then you have been pretty darn diligent, and so taking action on the reasonably understanding that it's NOT stolen would seem quite defensible to me. IANAL.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 11:12 AM on July 29, 2008

*reasonable
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 11:12 AM on July 29, 2008

Wow, Delfena. So the lesson is to never trust old ladies!

Nomisxid and Banannafish are right: I meant that you were probably inoculated against criminal charges if you did your diligence. You'll still lose the thing if the police come calling.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 6:52 AM on July 30, 2008

Feel free to verify this with someone who has already the qualifications...

Neurosci PhD reading over my left shoulder says "Yeah, that guy [kidickson] is right."

(I also find it really amusing that the first OSX suggestion to correct 'Neurosci" is "Prosciutto.")
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 6:22 AM on July 30, 2008

I do think decimal comfort is good, but you can be sly about it. It's a hell of a lot more sensible that clock hands, which really do seem like voodoo math when you think about it.

For counting, addition, subtraction, money and decimals all at the same time, I suggest lots of kitchen table examples with coins. It's an easy game to play.

Just collect some dollar coins, a couple of dozen 10 cent coins, and a 10 dollar bill or two. That should be... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 3:22 AM on July 30, 2008

Your example http://example.com/?id=foo is likely to be loaded with problems, since there might be a page called index.htm or index.php that was last modified three years ago, though that page could include dynamic content from yesterday, loaded from a database that doesn't have an inherent date-stamp. The age of the "page" is misleading in that case.

If your certain reason involves possible legal action,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 2:21 PM on July 29, 2008

The MacBook Pro line is certainly due for a refresh, very soon. But the regular black and white MacBooks could soldier on a bit longer, so I wouldn't bank on waiting for those.

On the Store: Apple's RAM and HD prices in the Store aren't as bad as they used to be, but yes compare. Adding RAM in a MacBook is ridiculously easy and takes 60 seconds. Of course, if you buy it low-RAM and add more later, you're more likely to end up with some useless DIMM to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 1:25 PM on July 29, 2008

Are you serious? I do this too! I call it Beat the Clock.

Your typo makes it even funnier.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 11:43 AM on July 29, 2008

A week?! I could be dead by then!

No... if it was emergent they certainly wouldn't send you home for a week.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 11:41 AM on July 29, 2008

Tsukiji Fish Market at 5am. Shinjuku for shopping. Akihabara on a Saturday. Harajuku on a Sunday afternoon. Roppongi on a Friday night.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 11:18 AM on July 29, 2008

(Note "at 5am" was the key there.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 11:18 AM on July 29, 2008

Arrowroot, which has been said already... I'll leave now.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 7:31 AM on July 29, 2008

All societies invent, adapt and evolve language as they go. A family (or group of coworkers, or really any group of people together, perhaps on a message board) will inevitably do this too.

DTMFA, or this will wendell. This bacon, it vibrates?

I'm only saying there's nothing "family"-special about this. It's what language is.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 6:26 AM on July 29, 2008

Yup, these are right up there with "Who's Who In INDUSTRYNAME" books. They're automatically-generated and then targeted at people in INDUSTRYNAME who want to see their name in print.

In this case it's "SURNAME history"... etc.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 3:44 AM on July 29, 2008

You have the chance to buy a business that makes $300/mo for $750?

It depends what effort is required to run it, but if it's near zero...and if the $300 is true and verifiable... um: YES.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 7:02 AM on July 28, 2008

60Hz is close enough to fluorescent lights that some really sensitive and annoying people (like me) find 60Hz screens very hard to look at under fluorescent light. The image is all jiggley and there's crawling lines all over... like a video acid trip.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 9:44 AM on July 27, 2008

Nthing that you're overanalyzing this and/or looking for problems. And yeah, your own hypochondria is probably magnifying what shreds of "bad things" are there... but even these "bad" things make him sound like a fine person.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 7:38 AM on July 27, 2008

I dream in whatever I've been speaking a lot of lately. Almost always English (native) but occasionally Spanish or Japanese or Russian, languages in which I'm barely adequate... usually this happens after sleep deprivation or a LOT of interpersonal dialog in a foreign language, to the point where my brain is exhausted/burning from all the hard thinking.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 1:43 AM on July 27, 2008

You want to embed a firework higher in the fuselage, above the engine, with a secondary fuse that is lit by the rocket's engine in flight. Not gasoline.

(Adventurous childhood.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 1:39 AM on July 27, 2008 marked best answer

I know it from the very first Google hit for "arms and the man." -- Pater Aletheias

Eponycute.

Yeah, you probably had to read or perform the Shaw play in school. I know I did.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 1:35 AM on July 27, 2008

You have his return address, right?

Start sending him unsolicited books of reason.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 9:26 PM on July 26, 2008

Any of Chuck Palahniuk's books... at least the first ones you read.

After that, you see the twists coming, since he's pretty much written the same book 10 times. But the second time you read one you inevitably pick up whichever hints you missed the first time.

(I guess I'd recommend either Survivor or Choke the most. Some of the others are hit and miss, especially once you've learned the formula.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 11:42 AM on July 26, 2008

And yes, any and all Borges.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 11:44 AM on July 26, 2008

Use the Console, in Utilities. All the logs are find/search/understandable from there.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 11:21 AM on July 26, 2008

Well, you're cute, so it should be easy. ;)

Seconding joining something. If activities or sports aren't working out, consider taking a University class, or a night class, just to get into that school vibe that you're accustomed to.

You could also look for MeFi members near you. Looks like there are at least a dozen in Auckland.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rokusan at 9:31 AM on July 26, 2008