MetaFilter

You obviously you can't tell the city is dying from these pics because they're taken during the day while the zombies are sleeping.
posted to MetaFilter by billyfleetwood at 1:25 PM on February 7, 2008

Unfortunately the answer is not simple and depends on the luminance of the lights, the wavelength, ambient conditions, and what part of the retina the lights fall on. So the short answer is you have to do the experiment.

I'll try to explain why. This website is an excellent resource for understanding how vision works and includes some nice charts of the psychophysics that I'll try to explain.

Boch's law says that luminance is interchangeable... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by euphorb at 9:34 AM on February 6, 2008 marked best answer

UPDATE: I'm not sure where to post this, it's been so long since I asked, but we took the kids to Bob Baker's Marionettes last week! Then to an old fashioned soda fountain for ice cream. And, OMG, they were so friggin' adorable!! First of all, only kids would be thrilled by the idea of sitting on the floor. And the place looked like some kind of magical secret hideaway. Their eyes could not soak it up enough. The little girl turned to her dad and said, "Only kids who give back 100... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by generic230 at 8:07 PM on January 29, 2008

You ignored the endocrinologist's advice, decided to diagnose your husband with hyperparathyroidism despite normal calcium levels, don't understand the difference between the thyroid gland and the parathyroid gland, and you come to the internets as a surrogate.

My advice is good luck to you. The way the body handles carbohydrate is more complex than you think it is and your theory makes no sense. If you really want to test it, have his PTH level checked. Spreadsheets... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by drpynchon at 10:25 AM on February 3, 2008

No, you need to put it between a sun lamp and the female Led Zeppelin, then you'd have a turtle eclipse of the Heart.
posted to MetaTalk by ludwig_van at 6:13 PM on February 1, 2008

This is awesome. Can we put all the analysis in one place, so we can quickly figure out whats been done already?
posted to MetaTalk by thrako at 7:28 AM on January 23, 2008

The reason why It Will Never Happen Here...

I think it has happened. The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing men he didn't exist. Step outside the US, read the papers (especially local and/or non-English language ones) and you begin to get a feel for the extent to which significant chunks of the very mechanisms that protect America from fascism have been eroded.

Most significantly,
1. There is no... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by From Bklyn at 4:55 AM on January 24, 2008

How would he have reacted to the writer's strike, which could possibly have forced him to ad lib, or participate in a Hulk-oriented reality show?
posted to MetaFilter by raysmj at 9:27 PM on January 24, 2008

Not to kick the psychoanalytic horse to death, it's also notable that Holden, when choosing a nickname that is not "Geremaiah" chooses "Holden0. Holden-zero. It's very common to see nicknames like Jenny123 or Bob44 or whatever, but you sure don't see zero used as a distinguisher very often. It's almost ..... negative.
posted to MetaTalk by Rumple at 8:17 AM on January 5, 2008

ikkyu2, kickin' it 'til the very last note is just part of my job.
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler at 7:27 AM on January 5, 2008

I need my $5 back
posted to MetaFilter by poppo at 5:06 AM on January 22, 2008

Offer, when he says no, say you sure it's no problem, accept the next answer as final.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by zeoslap at 12:27 PM on January 18, 2008

They should have used fresh-ground pepper spray. If you keep spraying people with plain old capsicum they may not want to come back.
posted to MetaFilter by Floydd at 6:34 AM on January 17, 2008

Edwardian police would never be so vulgar. Perhaps this is a sign that time traveling cops are a bad idea.
posted to MetaFilter by stavrogin at 4:48 AM on January 17, 2008

No updates to the MacBook Pro line? I HOPE YOU GET HERPES OF THE SYPHILLIS, STEVE.
posted to MetaTalk by middleclasstool at 7:02 PM on January 15, 2008

I am simply attempting to have a reasonable discussion about Asiatic Jews, who I define as large blue bottle dolphins with bags of diamonds strung around their necks who are actively plotting to control the finances of the world's oceans. I don't know why people insist on making fun of me, rather than address my concerns, which are serious, and not crazy.
posted to MetaFilter by Astro Zombie at 11:09 AM on January 9, 2008

What do I need to know about biking on the streets in San Francisco?

The first thing you need to know is not to do illegal or dangerous stuff just because you see other cyclists do it.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by grouse at 7:17 PM on January 4, 2008

fourcheesemac said:

I would therefore be most satisfied if Holden would take the following action in recognition of his malfeasance here: go to Africa, Holden. Go spend two months on a serious, fact-finding trip to some of the worst spots; KwaZulu, the heart of the AIDS epidemic; the Congo, shredded by civil war and rape as a military tactic; Angola, where poverty has destroyed a generation that should have risen to an African version of the middle class.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jayder at 1:39 PM on January 3, 2008

The charitable world can be a bit smug, assured of its own virtue to the point of denigrating anyone who does not genuflect in its direction. It flocks towards fads and has ruling cliques every bit as petty and vicious as what you remember from high school. Getting past all that can be hard work, especially if you don't hum the latest buzz.

dw: Yet again, higher ed and the charity world have something in common.

Amen to that,... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jefftrexler at 9:27 AM on January 3, 2008

via the wiki, from the Public Relations Society of America code of ethics (emphasis added):

DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION

Core Principle Open communication fosters informed decision making in a democratic society.

Intent To build trust with the public by revealing all information needed for responsible decision making.

Guidelines A member shall:
Be honest and accurate in all communications.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Rumple at 5:28 PM on January 2, 2008

Lucy Bernholz has now posted a response on her blog about when she accepted board nomination. I'm glad to see that.

I've been listening to the audio of the board meetings this afternoon, and it's pretty interesting stuff. The inexperience shows. I'd chalk the whole debacle up to that. The co-founders don't know what they're doing; they don't have even a rudimentary understanding of the field they're playing in. They sound like student council. Lucy is one of the most... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Miko at 2:42 PM on January 2, 2008

Another fine quote from the Morals Tutor:

"There is plenty of work in this giving business for those who can get things done for wealthy people as long as you don't make waves. I would rather be a Courtier on a velvet cushion, than a Genius on a sack of garbage. How about you?"

Personally, I've always preferred being a genius on a sack of garbage, but that's just how we roll here.
posted to MetaTalk by PeterMcDermott at 10:14 AM on January 2, 2008

fourcheesemac: Wish I could favorite that latest comment of yours a few more times. Spot fucking on.
posted to MetaTalk by flapjax at midnite at 9:29 AM on January 2, 2008

After reading nonprofiteer's smart post above, this occurred to me. Maybe some of the visceral anger here is scapegoating, in a sense, but man is the anger deserved.

We have had years, now, of being told that rational and efficient market-based forces would radicalize the hitherto flabby and emotional ways we have thought about social justice and morality. Across all sectors, not just philanthropy. There have been many prior Holdens, waving stopwatches and sliderules... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by fourcheesemac at 9:24 AM on January 2, 2008

I was having an ikkuyu2 moment reading the answers to this thread.
How's that?

Several incorrect lay answers to legal questions. Nevermind, I should have have bit my tongue.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ClaudiaCenter at 3:27 PM on January 4, 2008

many individual practices and HMOs are upgrading their systems to electronic formats. However, as a researcher, I have found that even these systems are full of errors, inconsistent usage, and free text.

My primary care office switched to electronic charts a couple years ago. When I expressed excitement at seeing my doctor enter his notes by selecting options on a computer screen, he had a different opinion. He said it was great for accuracy, but... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by vytae at 3:14 PM on January 3, 2008

I'm just going to run this by Givewell to make sure.
posted to MetaFilter by nola at 10:33 AM on January 3, 2008

Hoo boy. I am exploring the Harvard angle here a little, as an alumnus who hates to see the thrashing the place gets when one of its sons gets nailed like this.

The irony that is Holden Karnofsky only gets richer. His undergraduate thesis in Social Studies (Harvard's unique name for a generalist major) dealt with the following: (from the Student Employment Office website.)
His interest in the subject led to his project, and ultimately his thesis,... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by fourcheesemac at 7:19 AM on January 2, 2008

I really want to stop here and underscore dw's comment, with some regard to salvia's comment. There are many more hard questions to ask here.

I think many people are focusing on Holden's misrepresentation of himself, which I do deplore. It's a completely unethical tactic. In the world of business, I understand that this sort of thing may be casually brushed off as all's-fair-in-love-and-war, but remember that the independent/NPO sector is different.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Miko at 1:58 PM on January 1, 2008

You know, the more I think about Lucy Bernholz's response, the more my anger displaces from Holden (and young go-getters like him) to her (and hardened flacks like her). The fool in the trenches, dashing ahead and shooting at anything that moves while hollering gung-ho slogans learned from the movies, is bad, but at least he might learn something new; the generals sending fools like him out to do their dirty work are never going to learn anything, and their response to criticism is cynical... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by languagehat at 12:47 PM on January 1, 2008

Also from that Agitator piece:

P.S. Most of HK's critics on MetaFilter are anonymous ... and you know how The Agitator feels about anonymity (it sucks)! As is usually case, anonymous critics can get rather vitriolic and righteous. There's no shortage of venom in this MetaFilter outing. And almost no evidence that most of the critics have read any of Give Well's material. Which doesn't stop them from imputing all sorts of sins to HK. Let me be clear ... there's... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by found missing at 11:15 AM on January 1, 2008

We'll all be fortunate to get out of this thing without being hit by errant gunfire.
posted to MetaTalk by puke & cry at 9:05 PM on December 31, 2007

EMAIL REQUEST:
Could we have a pony that we could direct emails to?
posted to MetaTalk by niles at 2:31 PM on December 30, 2007

What's the deal with the Nick Charles investigation thinman?

Cocktails plus vacationing equals sleuthing, apparently.
posted to MetaTalk by thinman at 12:42 PM on December 22, 2007

"I'm not asking for rhetorical effect; I want to know what you think."
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:25 PM on December 7

For those who don't know, my brother is a 54 year old man, who has had schizophrenia since his mid-20's. I have his permission to discuss his case, as I have here before on MetaFilter and in other public circumstances, in efforts to aid others understand this condition. My brother's mental illness has been managed... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by paulsc at 1:03 AM on December 8, 2007

Here's my apparently delete-worthy comment:

Axis II

Ditch the fedora. People hate bullshit, especially contrived pretentious bullshit.

SILENCED ALL MY LIFE indeed
posted to MetaTalk by i_am_a_Jedi at 3:01 PM on December 18, 2007

Combine a brain mold and agar almond "tofu" (the "one stick" is kind a vague - you'll want a final agar concentration ~ 0.7 to 1% weight/volume).

You can dribble blackberry (or whatever) jam over top.

Sashimi (raw fish) would be part of my Cthulhu mythos-themed food package. Hm, some Japanese restaurants do really crazy rolls that look like caterpillers or dragons and whatnot.... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by porpoise at 5:43 PM on December 19, 2007

The answer to "should I invest in (some shit I know nothing about)??" will always be NO.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by almostmanda at 7:59 AM on December 21, 2007

A good bit of work is being done on biomedical adaptive optics, both lenses and mirrors. You might start here or here when looking at lens technologies. Research seems to be tending more towards replacing the lens in your eye, rather than constructing an external one. (Of course, external tunable lenses have existed for a while, but not 'glasses-sized'.) You might also be interested in David Williams's work at the University of Rochester, to use adaptive optics to build better contact lenses... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Upton O'Good at 9:38 AM on December 8, 2007

Ah, sailing and the romance of the sea! Like crouching in a cold shower, tearing up hundred-dollar bills.
posted to MetaFilter by PareidoliaticBoy at 5:28 PM on December 8, 2007

Clearly, our comments are meant to be read simultaneously. :)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by designbot at 10:46 AM on December 7, 2007 marked best answer

Oh man, I can just imagine a S1W Marital Arts demo, all side steppin' and coordinated karate chops and synchronized starting deeply into the woman's eyes and a spin kick to apply scented oil. Hooohahahahahahahahhhhaaa!
posted to MetaFilter by Divine_Wino at 1:08 PM on December 6, 2007

Does the remake have a black-garbed girl dancing to Stigmata Martyr? Because I'm having a lot of trouble envisioning a "Halloween" without that.

God help me for knowing this, but I believe you're mixing up Halloween with Night of the Demons.
posted to MetaFilter by kittens for breakfast at 12:13 PM on September 14, 2007

RON PAUL
STOP CONTRAILS
posted to MetaTalk by Optimus Chyme at 5:00 PM on November 26, 2007

How about a 'go see the doctor' flag specifically for askme?

(pretty soon we're going to have more flags than the UN, but in this case it's a good idea, I think).

Ther's a pretty serious disjuncture between AskMe and the rest of the site, I think. The blue and the grey are where you can go have a friendly argument about whatever and 99% of the time, there's no real harm done. But AskMe is people asking for real-world advice, so carrying the... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jonmc at 7:48 PM on December 5, 2007

I'm a recovering alcoholic. I sought help when I was 27 after a long serious of ultimata from my partner, compunded by losing a job. I saw that thread in its early stages and chose not to participate. I didn't want to participate because:

1. The asker appeared to be more interested in finding a way to remain with his girlfriend and staying drunk, rather than getting clean.

2. I did not want to assist that behaviour.

3.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 3:23 AM on December 4, 2007

Short answer: no. First of all, the virus in a flu shot is killed, so you can't get influenza from the shot, let alone your rabbit. Secondly, even if you did carry the flu virus, the viral tropism range of human influenza does not include rabbits as a host.

In order for a virus to infect a host cell, it must be able to attach to the host cell. Influenza's hemagluttinin binds to epithelial cells in the respiratory tract; a given strain of influenza... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by neda at 11:08 PM on December 4, 2007 marked best answer

I can only speak for myself. I can only share experiences. I can't tell anyone else what to do. I didn't have a drinking problem so much as I had a thinking problem. Drink, or think. Don't drink and think.

In 1993 I spent nearly a month in an alcohol rehabilitation center. Waking after my first night in the treatment center was worse than a hangover. Through the night, the nursing staff fed me 15 tabs of Serax, an anti-withdrawal medication. When morning arrived, I was... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by netbros at 10:22 PM on December 3, 2007

I had no idea that's what happened to the company. Did you work there?

Datek Online and Datek Securities were one and the same at one point. However, what you saw as a Datek Online user and what we saw as desk traders at the day trading operation were different. We were basically market makers using the Island ECN, which this guy named Josh Levine, a childhood friend of Citron and the Maschlers, invented, and SOES (small order execution system).... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by The Straightener at 6:55 PM on October 17, 2007

krautland, you need to found a gentlemen's magazine called Straight-Up Tittyness.
posted to MetaFilter by XMLicious at 11:43 PM on November 29, 2007