pleck! still no luck finding the "I doubt it!" commercial.
thanks for all the reminiscing, folks, but it looks like we will all have to suffer through a world without this most memetic commercial
posted to Ask Metafilter by laminarial at 9:56 PM on May 1, 2008

i know you said you want to learn at home... but classes are really the best way to learn ASL.

that said, a lot of classes are taught by people with a very cursory (or just plain wrong) understanding or ASL. you need a Deaf teacher. that is capital-D-Deaf (culturally deaf) not little-d-deaf (a medical diagnoses/condition).

i *highly* recommend taking classes over the summer if you can find good ones (i.e. taught by a Deaf teacher). you can do... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by laminarial at 9:49 PM on May 1, 2008

oh. also practice facial expressions. they are a huge part of what you communicate with ASL and at first, many hearing people feel really stupid when they sign, because you involve your face far more than when speaking. practice so it will feel and look natural.
posted to Ask Metafilter by laminarial at 9:52 PM on May 1, 2008

can you share your raw data for us to play with? (may want to clear that with your IRB or at least your advisor)
posted to Ask Metafilter by laminarial at 3:59 PM on December 17, 2007

talk to the dean. if you are an undergrad, this is probably the "dean of undergraduate education". start there. if you have tests from the class, bring them as examples. also, if there are many people in this situation, get them to complain about the class as well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by laminarial at 3:52 PM on December 17, 2007

Thanks for the advice flummox. Luckily, Voluptuous Vegan is one of the (way too many) cookbooks I have. If Masao made a cookbook, I would buy one, or two or three... His crispy seitan is just too amazing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by laminarial at 8:44 PM on December 16, 2007

i spilled water on my ibook (in the first week of school last year). my warranty was still good, but i had to pay around $750 to replace computer innards (motherboard?).

at first the apple technicians told me it would be taken care of FREE, so they sent me a box and i shipped my computer out to them. next i hear it is going to cost all of this money, and they basically have my computer hostage at that point, so i paid. and you will probably have to pay for the repairs... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by laminarial at 5:19 PM on December 7, 2007

one more thing. some credit card companies offer warranties for products, so if you paid by credit card, call your bank and see what they cover.
posted to Ask Metafilter by laminarial at 5:20 PM on December 7, 2007

campmor (also has a store in paramus, NJ, which is close to NYC), sierra trading post, pangea (the people who make the pea coat listed above)

mountain hardwear makes some nice looking coats, here, here, here, here, and here

columbia titanum line is nice.

northface stuff is nice. just get a patch to cover up their logo, or you might look like every other kid in a fraternity or sorority.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by laminarial at 10:53 AM on December 4, 2007

here are a few soup ideas. i don't really have recipes for these, i just throw them together in varying quantities, and they are always delicious.

carrot cashew
carrots, cashews, low-sodium veggie stock (or your own stock), ginger (optional)
chop carrots, add everything to a pot, boil, blend, garnish with black pepper to taste, serve.

root vegetable soup
turnips, parsnips, celariac (celery root), sweet... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by laminarial at 10:24 AM on December 4, 2007

also, vegan quiche is pretty decadent and can still be low-fat, low-sodium. i use the recipe below as a base. take out the sugar and other flavorings, and add in veggies like broccoli, onions, asparagus, etc., and fake meat if you like. adjust salt to your preferences. can cut down on the tahini, but i wouldn't recommend cutting back too much -- the tahini gives it a cheesy taste and consistency. use a traditional pie crust, or to really cut back on the fat, just forgo the crust all together.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by laminarial at 10:31 AM on December 4, 2007

I know there was already a mention of roasted chickpeas, but here is a recipe from vegweb.com:

Spicy Chickpea Snack

Ingredients:
1 can chick peas
2 - 4 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon each Cajun spice and chili powder
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven at 400oF
Drain and rinse chick peas.
Pour oil... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by laminarial at 9:56 AM on December 4, 2007