This article says Desert Foothills Gardens Nursery in Arizona sells them for $1000/ft, and that they're fairly easy to grow from seed (though they must grow REAL slow if mature specimens are that pricy.) No prices or anything on the site, but you could call them.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 4:50 PM on October 9, 2008 marked best answer

Sounds like a bit of a trek but you might check out the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Frederick (I've never been, I just looked them up.) There might be similar places closer to home if you look around for "construction salvage" or "construction recycling" in your area. Basically they take leftover or salvaged materials from builders and sell them off at a deep discount. If you're looking for funky you could probably get an interesting mix of mismatched tiles at a better... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 10:34 AM on October 7, 2008

Oh, actually it looks like there's one much closer in Gaithersburg.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 10:47 AM on October 7, 2008

Of course not. Those are perfectly understandable and polite reasons, and in fact would make good excuses if the real reasons were more along the lines of "I know and despise the management" or "I think the business plan is doomed." With truths this innocuous, why would you even bother trying to come up with a lie?
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 2:17 PM on October 6, 2008

Here are some stickers meant to simulate rust/damage. This page mentions making a paintable fake rust with "acrylic paint, baby powder, and water," though they don't give the proportions.

I'd also consider stopping by a "you pull it" style scrapyard to look for vehicles of the same model and removing any easily-removable trim, taillights or body pieces. Then you've got some sacrificial parts (hopefully even in mismatched colors) that you can dent and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 11:51 AM on October 2, 2008 marked best answer

Big duct tape patches on exterior seams, too, to make it look like the fenders etc. have come loose. Layer some crumpled cardboard under the tape to make the surface appear uneven and dented.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 12:05 PM on October 2, 2008

Also lots of bailing wire sticking out from the undercarriage.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 12:06 PM on October 2, 2008 marked best answer

Zillow
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 9:45 AM on October 1, 2008

What else was collected with such frenzy and bottomed out so suddenly?

Those of us with the courage to take the long view will be sitting pretty when the POG revival rolls around.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 9:28 AM on October 1, 2008

Could it be your delivery? Maybe there's something about the way you broach these common interests that puts people on the defensive or makes them think you might be suddenly changing the subject or making stuff up in order to ingratiate yourself. Or maybe these people are responding in a way that seems to them to be a friendly continuation of the conversation ("A sorority? You? I never would've believed it!") but that you misinterpret as an attack or rejection,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 1:07 PM on September 30, 2008

According to Webster it's from Latin via Middle French. It's a very common way to turn an adjective into a noun. Maybe it's just especially noticeable to you in an art theory context because people who study art like to use all kinds of crazy adjectives to describe it, resulting in formulations that stand out because you haven't seen them before?

languagehat?
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 10:55 AM on September 30, 2008

It sounds like a slightly more sophisticated variant of the "5-digit" spam that's been asked about a couple times previously.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 2:24 PM on September 25, 2008

Instructions for escape in the event of being swallowed by a whale?

What are you interested in? Should it be useful in addition to being informative?
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 9:30 AM on September 25, 2008

The first n prime numbers.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 9:40 AM on September 25, 2008

If you're building from scratch it might be out of reach for the prototype, but this seems like it'd be much more useful as a purse/pocket-size device rather than a "locker." That way it's good for nights out bar-hopping in addition to house parties.

Seconding "The Drunk Tank"
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 12:43 PM on September 14, 2008

Looks like the router in this setup is actually built into the DSL modem (that DLink piece is just an access point/repeater.) According to this page the default credentials for that model are:

user: admin
pass: 1234
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 11:58 AM on September 10, 2008 marked best answer

It's a chiton.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 11:10 PM on September 8, 2008 marked best answer

AWWWW! Well, if you're feeling generous, not_on_display, you know where to find me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 11:46 PM on September 8, 2008

Capture The Flag. Preferably on a large course with varied and difficult terrain.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 7:17 PM on September 1, 2008

These look interesting.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 3:54 PM on September 1, 2008

I know some webcomic guys schedule regular regional meetups for fans in randomly located spots each day. This sort of webcomic guy would probably find it really amusing if you used his wiki to locate another fan in his area and then got that fan to present him with some sort of elaborate demand for your merchandise. This would be a good way to get your stuff, further show your appreciation for his work, and give him a little good-natured ribbing for letting your order slide. If this isn't the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 3:33 PM on August 22, 2008

It's not entirely impossible he's making some hamfisted, ill-advised attempt at playing hard to get (along the lines of "If you're interested in her, don't call her back,") but it's far more probable that he means just what he says.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 12:03 PM on August 22, 2008

Note that "guys" are not monolothic, and that for a great many a "friend" is indeed someone they specifically do not intend to have a sexual relationship with.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 12:31 PM on August 22, 2008

Lead by example. Anything beyond that doesn't just sound like preaching, it is preaching.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 3:57 PM on August 18, 2008

How many are in a box?
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 7:51 PM on August 15, 2008

Cool Papa Bell: it's "entire sets of human skeletal remains," so deaths from that far back should be included, but weighted for the likelihood that they've decayed or been washed out of the vicinity. I guess we should define what level of decay constitutes "gone" - maybe no intact pieces remaining with a volume of more than 70% of the original volume of the bone?
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 6:10 PM on August 13, 2008

WinnipegDragon: yes, they're called "clock movements."
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 1:08 PM on August 12, 2008 marked best answer

This isn't a direct answer to your question, but have you considered (and if you have, could you explain your reasons for deciding against) getting a bike with a rear rack and putting two grocery bag panniers on it? Lugging any kind of loaded wheeled cart along for a mile sounds time-consuming and miserable to me, plus it seems like it'd be tough to get frozen products home before they started to thaw.

(Re-reading your question, you seem to be concerned about space.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 9:19 AM on August 12, 2008

"Michael Myers Resplendent" by The Mountain Goats is about the character from Halloween.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 9:57 PM on August 7, 2008

Is this new building in Waltham, MA? I know nothing about the area or who provides DSL there, but you might get better answers if the location were clarified.

Good luck, and don't panic.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 11:45 AM on August 7, 2008

If it happens after you drink the soda (not just during the act of taking a sip) it could just be that the diuretic effect of the caffeine is making you generally dehydrated. Try drinking more water (or I guess you could take the coward's way out and drink less caffeine.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 10:40 AM on August 7, 2008

Here's a vote for "Yes" from another forum, and here's a recipe .
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 4:25 PM on July 31, 2008

What about using an inkjet printer to make a "water slide" decal? (Here's a supplier I just found via Google and have never dealt with.) Basically you print it, get it wet, apply to your surface, let dry and spray on a sealant. You'd be limited by the quality of your printer, but it would allow you to skip the masking step altogether.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 3:50 PM on July 29, 2008

Lenny Kravitz, "Fly Away"
The Blackeyed Peas, "My Humps"

Please, please tell us what this is for.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 9:25 AM on July 25, 2008

Damn, should've read more closely. I still hope you tell us why you want these.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 9:26 AM on July 25, 2008

The Book of the SubGenius is, I believe, the only holy text in existence whose church not only sanctions but COMMANDS its use as bathroom reading. It's full of incredible ranting and 80's clipart collage, excellent for consumption in small chunks.

I also love the "Haggis-On-Whey World of Unbelievable Brilliance" series, which to date includes three books: "Giraffes?Giraffes!," "Animals of the Ocean, In Particular the Giant Squid"(which I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 11:21 AM on July 9, 2008

...
NOT Jeremy Irons reading Lolita. He drones. Sexily, but still.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:15 PM on April 17, 2007 [+] [!]
previously
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 1:35 PM on July 7, 2008

I know through back channels that Ambrosia Voyeur has already heard this one, but for posterity: "Dreams From My Father" by Barack Obama is a great dramatic reading by the author, from before he was candidate for the Presidency. I wouldn't say he's the best performer I've ever heard (whenever there's a large passage of dialog including his Kenyan relatives, their accents kinda peter out toward the end,) but he makes an enthusiastic effort, and it's a rare and fascinating thing to see... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 2:00 PM on July 7, 2008

something like this for the lever?
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 2:35 PM on July 5, 2008

This seems really closely related to the tendency for rules to be created to restrict people from doing things that have caused problems in the past. As an inadvertent byproduct of telling people that they must never squeeze the Charmin, you alert them to the fact that the Charmin could be squeezed and some personal benefit realized from said squeezing. It's sort of the reverse of "Security through obscurity." I don't know of an existing term, but maybe "Vulnerability through... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 12:02 PM on July 3, 2008

No.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 1:13 PM on July 1, 2008

oops, picked a bad chart. Obviously there is a most efficient way of moving around and the numbers should be different, but whoever built that chart probably just used a constant value for their estimates. Apologies for just grabbing the first numbers I could find and not verifying that they matched up with my claim. I just saw the "X min mile" next to the numbers for the running counts and thought they were listed by distance instead of time.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 1:53 PM on July 1, 2008

Yes, the amount of calories you burn is a function of the weight moved over a distance. It doesn't really make any difference how quickly you move that weight.

If this were true, jogging in place would burn no calories.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 2:07 PM on July 1, 2008

Larry Blamire's Talse From the Pub shorts are excellent Twilight Zone spoofs that derive most of their humor from dialog so wooden that the hack screenwriter feels like an additional character in the room, playing funny man to the actors' foil.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 10:01 AM on July 1, 2008

Gah. They're called "Tales From the Pub," of course.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 10:01 AM on July 1, 2008

Looks like jozxyqk has it - it's a TENS unit. The jack with the first symbol is for disposable skin electrodes and the other, audio-looking one is for plugging in another sort of application-specific electrode. They're used for pain relief, muscle conditioning, and sex.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 2:40 PM on June 25, 2008 marked best answer

I had a boss who would proclaim "Glooory be!" whenever something we were testing did what it was supposed to. And I mean really PROCLAIM it, like an exultant preacher. Always worked on me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 12:05 PM on June 25, 2008

"Faster than shit through a goose!"
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 12:12 PM on June 25, 2008

I've only tried one "cold heat" iron (i think the Radio Shack one) and it was TERRIBLE. You'd be able to do the project you describe, but it would take forever and be very difficult to get good joints, as the thing tends to melt only the bit of the joint that is in direct contact with the tip, and that only for an instant. Cold solder joints probably won't be much of an issue with the components you're using, but if you're trying to teach these kids proper soldering technique, expect... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 11:36 AM on June 24, 2008

You could obtain a chain mail bracelet like this and use pliers to detach some links in the middle, then attach the newly exposed ends to your ring by bending or removing links as needed to make it fit.
posted to Ask Metafilter by contraption at 3:02 PM on June 17, 2008