Are we supposed to think that we had an omniscient view of all of Dent's killings before his death? Perhaps the number wasn't supposed to correspond exactly to our limited observations between then and the hospital, and implies more killing than we actually saw.

Or, it's a continuity issue, due to oversight or scene deletions.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 6:25 PM on July 21, 2008

I had almost exactly the same symptoms, except that I did have problems falling asleep at night. Always had a feeling of weariness, like I was never getting enough rest.

Although I haven't been following this regimen to the letter and am feeling the side effects now, I've noticed that when I follow these three rules, my sleep has never been better:

1. No caffeine
2. No sugar
3. Plenty of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 8:43 PM on July 20, 2008 marked best answer

That's exactly the help I was looking for. Thanks everyone!
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 11:08 AM on July 3, 2008

Wow, reptile, those links totally worked for me. I was able to download the driver, network configuration software, and even the original manual. I never would have thought to check a two year old cache of the webpage.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 11:30 AM on July 3, 2008

What will you be doing with your computer? If you simply need a dual monitor low-end card (i.e., no gaming or intensive photo work, etc.), those should work just fine.

As I'm sure you know, you'll be looking for something that is PCI-express compatible (not PCI or AGP). Dell's power supply with this machine will be sufficient for pretty much any card you'll be looking at, unless you are thinking about high end gaming (and even then, you are probably okay). But with... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 3:11 PM on July 2, 2008

Oh man, girls are the best thing ever. Seriously. I have one child, who is a girl. When you see her her grow up, and she starts to wait for you at the door to get home from work, and she likes to cuddle with you, and she sees you as being bigger than the whole world, and you realize that this vulnerable, awesome, intelligent little person needs you as an influential male in her life, and you are receiving unconditional love in return, it fills a different kind of void.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 2:20 PM on June 23, 2008

I can relate to your husband to some extent, as I'm a person who generally feels loved when I'm affirmed by those who love me. It's not an egocentric thing, but words of affirmation is what does it for me emotionally, over gifts, time, and even physical intimacy at times. If I feel verbally appreciated, it settles very deeply for me, and all is right with the world.

It sounds like your husband has a lot going on. I think what he might be asking, though, when he says,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 10:04 AM on June 21, 2008

I have a friend who is a quadriplegic, and he'd struggled for years with the same question. The difficulty is that once he starts making a decent living somewhere else, his disability assistance gets cut substantially, or he loses it.

Now, one could say that this is fair. But the amount of medical care that my friend requires on a regular basis is insane at times, and isn't guaranteed to be covered through health insurance elsewhere, if he were lucky enough to get it... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 8:50 AM on June 20, 2008

To answer your question a bit more directly, my friend was always fond of telling me that there are two instruments that quadriplegics can play: the trombone and the harmonica. You don't need manual dexterity to play either of these. I'm not sure if your friend has any musical talent, or is willing to learn, but he could play in a band.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 8:55 AM on June 20, 2008

Thanks for the feedback. I'm currently using a Pentium IV 2.54Ghz processor, and I've officially upgraded my computer to the end of its lifespan (and a bit beyond). I'm looking at this: Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E4600 (2.40GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800FSB). It's definitely on the affordable end of things. I'd like to have a bit of a performance advantage if possible that would make it worth the upgrade, but I suppose my video card and memory type upgrade would play a significant part as well;... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 12:25 PM on June 11, 2008

Here's a follow up question:

After reading up a bit, my understanding is that the new processors are able to perform more calculations per clock cycle, meaning that a newer processor can significantly outperform a pentium 4, even if the ghz were identical. Is there anything out there that will show functional equivalency between older and new chips? For example, what a 2.54 P4 would correlate to in processor speed on a newer chip?

This is... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 12:31 PM on June 11, 2008

Look at this list of benchmarks and compare it to a core 2 duo of the same speed.

And that's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks damn dirty ape.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 12:33 PM on June 11, 2008

I'd recommend Tom's Hardware CPU Chart.

That'll help too. Thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 12:35 PM on June 11, 2008

One of the major directives of successful marketing is repeated messages. The same message, over and over, sticks with people long term, and creates a brand association.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 8:29 PM on June 10, 2008

You should watch season three first. I can't recall anything within the Razor episode itself that is a spoiler of season three or requires season three to understand (and they will clarify details that are directly related to season two); however, I know for fact that the director's commentary on the disc gives away things that are major spoilers at the end of season three. So at least from the perspective of the directors, they expect season three to be completed first. And if you have any... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 7:41 PM on June 1, 2008

brain cloud, that is the sort of thing I'm thinking about. Thanks for sharing it. I've wondered for awhile if we can reprogram our interpretive framework a bit by learning to speak to ourselves in different ways internally. Initially it probably needs to be overly intentional, and almost stilted, until it becomes something of a habit.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 7:30 PM on May 30, 2008

Askr, that's very much what I'm thinking about. I'm wondering in a sense how we go about treating ourselves with the benefits of a cognitive therapy approach.

Miko, that's a great practical tool. I've been able to make something like that work in the past, but I've also found that it takes some long term vigilance. Some thought patterns don't like to go away easily, and I often find myself reverting to old ways of thinking, even after some short term success. When... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 7:48 PM on May 30, 2008

Is your diet relatively healthy? The reason I ask is that I've found that when I eat foods with a lot of refined carbohydrates as my primary intake, what I perceive as being hunger is sometimes a type of withdrawal that my body goes through when I eat less of them. It makes me cranky and such, but only for a few days.

I definitely sympathize as well to the weight gain, as I've gone through similar things over the last ten years or so. What's interesting that when I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 4:40 PM on May 27, 2008

Just to clarify, my previous comment wasn't meant to come across as preaching or anything. I think I inferred from your question a level of uncertainty how weight gain might happen in light of your good health, calorie intake and exercise, and I've been crunching the numbers myself for awhile, and thought you might find it helpful.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 4:43 PM on May 27, 2008

I worked as an auto claims adjuster for a number of years, and I can say with certainty that it's not fraud to keep the check. You are owed for the damage to your vehicle, regardless of what you decide to do about it. If you had decided before the settlement offer that you didn't want to get your car fixed (no one can force you to do so), it doesn't remove the obligation of the other party to pay you for depreciating the value of your vehicle. Or put another way: your vehicle is now worth... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 1:09 PM on May 27, 2008

You could have a mechanic take a look at it to determine potential long term damage. If it ends up that it doesn't need to be fixed, you would simply be out the estimate fee that auto shops charge to review your damages, leaving the rest of your settlement check in your pocket and a lot of peace of mind. If it does need to be fixed, they will waive the estimate fee (as auto shops do), and you would be able to pay for damages with your settlement check. Either way you aren't out anything, and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 1:47 PM on May 27, 2008

Thanks everyone for the great feedback. Exactly the kinds of things I was thinking of. I'll be following up on a lot of the suggestions here.

pwicks: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I read this book, and I agree, it was a very good read. I picked it up at random at the library one day, and as I got home and researched the author a bit, I found out that it was a guy who I had gone to school with back in my... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 9:14 PM on May 21, 2008

I wonder about it being some kind of cat as well. I've lived in places with stray cats that sound exactly like a small child crying (although usually pretty young).
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 10:48 AM on May 20, 2008

I didn't have a strong crush on my wife when we first started dating, but I find that over time I've developed a love for her that makes other crushes I've had pale in comparison.

I've also found that crushes that I've had in the past were often leading me towards relationships that weren't always healthy. It's much easier to see in retrospect things that you ignore initially because the crush feelings take over.

The question is this: can I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 10:40 AM on May 19, 2008

I'm not a professional programmer, but I've learned enough over the years to make software that helps in my teaching profession. I find it immensely rewarding, and just plain fun as well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 9:05 AM on May 19, 2008

I worked as a auto insurance adjuster for a couple of years. I would recommend letting your insurance company handle it, if you can arrange to pay for the deductible. It's worth the money up front not to have to deal with the headache. It is absolutely not worth getting into a discussion with the other party about who was at fault and who wasn't. Your insurance company will investigate the accident, and if they feel that the other person was primarily at fault, they will attempt to recoup... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 11:38 AM on May 16, 2008

I agree with grumblebee, but find that I generally parse the definition into tighter categories when possible. For example, like xotis, I refer to those with whom I have a lesser emotional connection as an acquaintance; and of course, when you refer to someone as your best friend, everyone knows what you are trying to say. Friendship is similar to the word love, in terms of its broad application. The ancient Greeks had different ways to refer to degrees of love, and it... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 9:12 AM on May 14, 2008

Thoughts beget other thoughts of similar type. I've heard a theory somewhere that memories may be connected by emotional categories, and I've found this to be true. So when I start thinking negatively, I find that it's easy to remember other negative things, and this starts a long line of negative thinking in general.

It might be worth asking the question: why is it easy for the negative thinking to pull you away from the positive thinking? Why not the other way... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 9:41 AM on May 13, 2008

Also, perhaps some of these things that you are struggling to resolve at night simply need some effort to come to some conclusions (even if the conclusion is that it's not possible to come to a conclusion). Sleep is the time that unresolved issues typically come to the surface, which is often reflected in our dreams, as well.

It may simply be the fact that it would be helpful to figure out what you think about heaven, God, and what your life plans are. They are big... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 9:50 AM on May 13, 2008

(medication, journaling, time of concerted thinking)

Sheesh, I meant meditation, not medication. Although I'm sure medication works for some people.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 10:15 AM on May 13, 2008

What about a quality toy box? That might be beyond a $50 investment, however.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 9:25 PM on May 12, 2008

Further, often what it takes to be a decent human being and a good sales person are diametrically opposed. Which is why decent human beings seldom succeed in sales.

I don't think this is true. I suspect this type of sales mentality simply finds it easier to prey on larger groups of people who don't know better, and it looks like a certain type of success. Buyers who are astute pick up on this B.S. in a heartbeat, and go elsewhere to those who treat... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 8:31 AM on May 12, 2008

Drink plenty of water. It's amazing, when I was better able to get in tune with my body at a later age, how much I realized my feeling "out of it", "ill", "tired", or "achy" was really a matter of being dehydrated.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 9:38 PM on May 9, 2008

Thanks for the insight everyone. Good feedback on something I've been wondering for awhile.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 8:27 AM on May 9, 2008

This is never a popular answer, but for myself, I needed to do this cold turkey. I realized that caffeine was messing up with my health in other ways (insomnia issues), and as long as I kept playing around with it, I'd never give it up. It sucks for awhile, but once you are through it, there's no more playing around with it. My last caffeine item was July 4th, 2006.

I will say though that before I gave it up for good, I did over a period of time start cutting back the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 7:20 AM on May 9, 2008

I realized that I didn't answer your question very well. Sorry about that.

In terms of a new energy source, I do remember that while going through withdrawal, it's hard to get a boost from other places. Your body wants the caffeine and doesn't always find natural alternatives an adequate replacement.

My suggestion is to maybe give it a bit more time, after going cold turkey. I suspect that you'll find that you'll naturally have more energy in... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 7:35 AM on May 9, 2008

We have some things that we've established in something of an ad-hoc way as we've gone along, that each side appreciates and feels is necessary for the conversation to be constructive. It really takes a prolonged and concerted effort to make progress, as most people "argue" with pre-established patterns of interaction that are hard to reprogram.

I think the #1 thing that I've been able to contribute to conflict resolution, however, is to ask (literally) what... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 12:06 PM on May 8, 2008

I've got the GeForce 7800 AGP, which was an upgrade from the 6800, and there is definitely a nice increase in performance. I'm still working with a 2.54Mhz processor. I also did a RAM upgrade to 2 GB, which may be a little bit of overkill, but it eliminated lag in some games, like LOTRO. I'm not sure though if upgrading the video card is going to give you a significant enough increase though, in light of your processor speed. I'm guessing that most games that run at your processor speed... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 11:35 AM on May 8, 2008

Great feedback, everyone. Thanks very much for your thoughts.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 4:44 PM on May 1, 2008

We do this kind of thing innately when we don't trust the world to not cause us pain. So instead, we focus on controlling our world in ways that we know how. Sometimes this is by criticizing other people, sometimes it's by getting angry, or defensive, or manipulative. For some people it's overt, and for some it's more subtle.

The problem of course is that it's impossible to control every variable in life that could possibly hurt us. Instead of learning to control... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 10:46 AM on May 1, 2008 marked best answer

As has been stated, the market generally determines the price. Some people are very sentimental for particular games, and they are willing to pay a lot to play them again. I recently sold copies of Final Fantasy VII, Grim Fandango, and Planescape: Torment for way, way more than I paid for them originally. And from what I gather, it was primarily because people loved these games, and there's a limited supply out there. These games aren't manufactured anymore, even as re-releases, so the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 9:01 PM on April 29, 2008

I really like the ones from Battlestar Galactica, both the old AND new series.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 6:17 PM on April 28, 2008

I just get the feeling that we need to knock this off, that's all. Do we know that these test sites will never be populated, or that this doesn't have a cumulative effect over time? I'd like to hear that this is an unfounded worry because 2,422 nuclear bombs over 60 years just isn't that big of a deal in light of the time span, location, and radiation dissipation over time, or something like that. It just sounds like a lot. And I've never been overly comfortable with the idea that we're... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 10:57 AM on April 24, 2008

So there are definitely worldwide long-term effects, but a ban has been in place for many years now, and the world is a big place, and if you get cancer, you can't prove it wasn't natural.

Ah I see, we have knocked it off. That's a good answer (and one which I would have noticed if I had checked my own link more carefully). I was under the impression that we still did nuclear testing occasionally.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 11:04 AM on April 24, 2008

We have a major event a couple of times a year where I work, and we give our guest speakers (who donate their time) a gift card to a coffee shop, along with a handwritten note. Although I'm not sure they necessarily expect it, I get the feeling that it continues to create good will, through being acknowledged in a small way, such that they continue to come back. People just like to feel as if their contributions are appreciated, and I think being remembered with something tangible and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 10:19 AM on April 24, 2008

I'll third TurboTax. I don't have that much difficulty doing it by hand, but there's something great about just punching in the numbers and not having to worry if you did the math right from line to line, or forgot something. I'm not detail oriented, so I always have this fear that I messed up a small detail somewhere. TurboTax is painfully easy if you just have the W2's.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 12:11 PM on April 15, 2008

Conformist.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 8:12 PM on April 12, 2008

It sounds like Sold My Soul to the Company Store.

It sounds like this part of the lyrics:

You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go
I owe my soul to the company store

You can check it out here:

http://archshrk.com/2006/08/sold-my-soul-to-the-company-store
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 8:29 PM on April 10, 2008

I'm pretty sure he doesn't know he's doing it.

I'm sure that tourette's related tics are of a more compulsive nature, but I had an acquaintance once who had a vocal tic, and he had no idea. Another friend of mine pointed it out to him, and his awareness of it kept him from ever doing it again. If your boyfriend has been able to control it in the past, it could simply be that making him aware would help.

am I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 9:33 AM on April 9, 2008

This is not so. The fact that Richard Dawkins or any other atheist is actively trying to change people's minds about something nothing to do with it. The onus is on the person suggesting an explanation for a phenomenon (for instance, those who offer God as an explanation for the existence of life, the universe, and all other mysterious natural phenomena) to demonstrate why their explanation is the best one.

Except that by discrediting the theist's... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 7:48 PM on April 5, 2008