Good lord most of the advice in here is bad. Telling a family member that he is never allowed in your house again is absolutely unnecessarily hurtful and offensive. How do you think you'd feel if your mother told you that you were never again welcome in her home?

Just make polite excuses on a case-by-case basis. Accept that he may someday be in your house again and be sure that it won't be for more than a day or two at most. Set a few ground rules for cleanliness. I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 4:59 PM on April 23, 2008

the great Walker Percy
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 3:29 PM on April 22, 2008

Jeans and t-shirts. Or shorts, if you don't mind dressing like a child.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 5:18 PM on April 21, 2008

Stop flying.

One person's not flying will not cause any fewer planes to be flown and will have absolutely zero environmental impact.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 3:24 PM on April 17, 2008

Because some people enjoy watching great pitching, that is, the pitching itself, and don't view a brilliant pitching performance as "watching batters fail." There's nothing necessarily boring about a 1-0 game. Watching an ace hanging on to a one run lead can be just as exciting as watching your team's lineup light up some rookie.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 12:58 PM on April 17, 2008

Given principle x, and given caveat y to principle x, is action z morally consistent with x and y?


Principle X: the boy scouts are immoral* and should be protested and censured

Caveat Y: you chose not to undertake a certain form of protest/censure because it would negatively impact you, depriving you of a shiney medal

Action Z: you want to buy the book they're selling.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 8:49 AM on April 17, 2008

Cops, then paintball gun.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 6:52 PM on April 16, 2008

Yeah, I hate getting the mailings too. I give money when I am both really touched and feel the need to do something, and when I am convinced that my money will make a difference.

Also my Christian Children's Fund baby is the cutest one EVER. Seriously: in y'alls' faces.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 2:12 PM on April 16, 2008

#5 is the only important question here. You're someone who doesn't enjoy having sex with someone she hasn't dated for a while. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and anyone who's tried to make you feel otherwise is a piece of shit for acting as if you somehow "owed" him sex, regardless of what it means to you.

I'm sure there will be other comments along the lines of "no you're not a prude! a month is normal!" or "that's kind of a long... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 3:44 PM on April 15, 2008

Why don't you give the College Board a call, or email? I remember having seen an official conversion chart in my salad days. (When I was green.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 1:30 PM on April 14, 2008

a. If you can't risk not having your laptop for a week, then make due with the shitty screen for a week.

b. There is always a chance with even minor repairs that Apple will fuck up your hard drive. So back it up first no matter what. (Which moots that question.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 4:39 PM on April 13, 2008

topping from below :(
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 11:50 PM on April 11, 2008

If you want to bore other people less, then work on taking a genuine interest in things they are interested in.

If you want to bore yourself less, then do something new.

Everybody is useless. We'll all be dead soon. Get over it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 4:09 PM on April 10, 2008

Why don't you just google a random video on youtube, bookmark it, and use that link when you want to access youtube? It's not like there's anything you need on the front page. Here's an innocuous one you can use.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 8:26 PM on April 6, 2008

ahem
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 4:36 PM on April 6, 2008

I like Metacritic. It, too, is a review aggregator, but the difference is that they grade on a curve, so you don't have the issue of everything being assigned the same number of points. I also remember reading a sory about a major game company (Electronic Arts, I believe) going into a bit of a panic because the average Metacritic score of their games was slipping. THAT'S HOW AWESOME IT IS.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 6:34 AM on April 6, 2008

Recessions are inevitable in capitalism. They are part of the business cycle, no? The important thing is long-term growth, just as how your stock portfolio does over the course of a year isn't particularly meaningful. Which is to say, this is "chatfilter."

Ssg has as close to a right answer as there is.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 7:39 PM on April 5, 2008

I just hope, pray, and advise that you present the photos/information/narrative in the style of MECC's classic The Oregon Trail.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 11:13 AM on April 4, 2008

That Eminem song where he acts out the lengthy torture and murder of his ex-wife, complete with him (as her) crying and screaming is pretty hard to top.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 5:31 PM on April 3, 2008

I don't believe in jury trials and was educated in countries that don't have them. I think a system where people with no law degrees -- and can potentially be downright uneducated nobodies

The role of the jury is to make findings of fact, not findings of law, so law degrees or expertise are irrelevant.

I believe that if a person has gone as far as to receive a jury trial, is much more likely to be guilty than... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 1:50 PM on April 3, 2008

Eight years does not strike me as a particularly wide gap in ages.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 12:32 PM on April 3, 2008

I like to say "not my zebra, not my zoo" at work whenever it's applicable. (I do not work at a zoo.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 8:16 AM on April 3, 2008

Way too much information.

Begin there and, if you don't find anything, do it here. Right? Am I missing something?
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 10:08 PM on April 2, 2008 marked best answer

If your goal is to learn some facts on wikipedia so that you can try to show up your drunk acquaintances then you will, very justifiably, not be very popular. This is because you will be acting like an asshole.

Why don't you say, "Hey guys, I don't get cricket! Can I watch a game with you sometime?" And then you can ask them questions and see what they like about it.

I know that if you tried that wikipedia thing with baseball on me, it... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 12:48 PM on April 2, 2008

When I want to delay orgasm, I like to visualize a complete Kevin Youkilis at-bat. Usually I have him foul off a ton of pitches while wiping sweat from his forehead before finally drawing a walk. Sometimes I give him a base hit. Never a home run though, that would be too exciting.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 8:34 AM on April 1, 2008

Insight meditation. It's the best path to mindfulness.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 4:01 PM on March 31, 2008

The Economist is probably the best of those sorts of magazines, though of course you have to recognize its many biases. TIME and Newsweek are the educational equivalents of eating garbage out of a dumpster, though occasionally they do run some nice features. You can read these for free on their websites.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 2:16 PM on March 31, 2008

Ace Tickets is fabulous.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 2:32 PM on March 30, 2008

They cover eight teeth each, top and bottom.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 7:48 PM on March 29, 2008

There's also all the high school seniors who keep saying "oh, I'll go to College X That Rejected Me with all my awesomeness and show them what they're missing" but I've never heard of anyone that's actually done so.

A friend of mine was rejected from Pratt. She showed up there on the first day, went to the admissions office and demanded to know why she was rejected. They said "well let's see your portfolio," and now she goes to Pratt.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 6:52 AM on March 27, 2008

any source that attributes some negative phenomenon of human behavior exclusively to "western society" is pretty much by definition not reputable.

That's a straw man argument. The argument that OP refers to doesn't imply that Western Civ. is sufficient to create a serial killer, just that it's necessary. There are plenty of examples of negative human behavior that seem to be mostly unique to western society or influence, anorexia nervosa... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 1:34 PM on March 24, 2008

Could you make an Applescript to change the keyboard and then set it as an item that runs upon login? (You can set Login Items under "Accounts".)
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 5:35 AM on March 24, 2008

Ah, crap, my b.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 7:21 AM on March 24, 2008

Your impotence is probably treatable. By far your #1 problem here is seems to be that you hate yourself too much to be in a healthy relationship right now. Therapy, yadda yadda.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 7:01 PM on March 23, 2008

If you wear a watch, you can put the band through the ring and clasp it shut each night when you take it off. You're much less likely to misplace your watch than your ring.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 9:04 AM on March 23, 2008

Hitting your head hard enough can cause permanent brain damage. The "10,000" figure is meaningless because I assume it would vary based on how hard one is hit. But yeah, watch out.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 8:33 PM on March 21, 2008

That will make you fatter than if you spaced them out.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 7:51 AM on March 19, 2008

I don't have anything too specific, this is a very personal question and I'm sure the answer will come to you. I just want to encourage you to keep meditating. It's so helpful.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 9:27 PM on March 17, 2008

I believe that T9 requires more keystrokes than a traditional keyboard. It just has fewer keys. There may be some sort of predictive software you could use. Perhaps a chorded keyboard would be less difficult for him? Or it might be more difficult. :( Good luck.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 7:33 AM on March 17, 2008

It's spelled "patent," which may help in your search.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 7:06 PM on March 16, 2008

You are overthinking this to a degree that some (Me!) might call ridiculous. Apply for a card marketed as a student credit card, use it to make the occasional purchase, and pay it off the same month at no penalty. Good grief. As far as that rant goes, it seems to overlook the fact that these companies are providing an actual, significant service in exchange for those tradeoffs, easy access to loans without question whenever you need it.

And marry someone in the military,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 11:00 PM on March 14, 2008

crazymaking?
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 6:31 PM on March 13, 2008

As far as making a major out of your interests, I think you need to make the jump from books for general publication to the actual academic work on which they're based. Start with the footnotes in those books and go from there.

Without training, though, it's doubtful that you'll be able to do anything in this field. Perhaps you could write an intellectual history of [whatever this topic is called] in psychology/neuroscience?
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 12:06 PM on March 13, 2008

It's a bit dated, but I absolutely love McSweeney's Expert Help for your Fantasy Baseball Franchise column, though it's not very helpful.

My personal strategy is to take players that I have personal affection for, plus Alex Rodriguez. I tend to do poorly.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 11:17 AM on March 13, 2008

Rock Steady is amazing. As far as the bet itself, I'd go with the standard "who will get closer to winning the World Series" bet. (w/awesome side bets of course.) (wow, I totally wrote "sideburns.")
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 8:36 AM on March 13, 2008

It's dishonest to enter into a year lease agreement knowing you'll probably have to back out in 6 months. Don't be that guy.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 8:45 AM on March 11, 2008

The problem with small claims is that even if you win a judgment, enforcement can still be a pain in the ass. Maybe try getting him to pay in installments, with interest? You're basically at his mercy, which sucks. If he doesn't pay, I'd say just key his car at four in the morning and call it even.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 6:24 PM on March 9, 2008

Oh, btw, I totally did NOT mean to imply that polyamory is "evil" and/or that monogamy is "good." Sigh, that's what I get for paraphrasing Ayn Rand :(
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 10:42 PM on March 6, 2008

Ah, you know amtho, now I think you're right. Or it was some sort of collaborative effort. My one point that remains is that neither party should feel that this is somehow unfair. It is what it is, and it's either acceptable to both parties or it's not. There's nothing that can really be "done" about it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 11:00 PM on March 6, 2008

That's just silly. Finding even one success case would invalidate that

Sorry, let me rephrase: a bunch of kids play-acting as activists, but who mostly do it to create a common identity and facilitate partying, are not going to change America into an anarchist country in any measurable way, even if one or two of them are really good at QuarkXPress.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 1 at 6:57 AM on March 5, 2008