Maybe you can talk to her for a moment and give her a magic quarter.

Your kindness and company is already doing her good -- maybe not enough for her life, but more than you realize. I think you have the perspective and the discretion to really help, if there is a proper service in your area that you can contact anonymously. But you also know already that there is no way to help more directly than that.

Best of luck to you.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Countess Elena at 5:53 PM on August 5, 2008

Easyjet lost my bag a few years ago and I have all my paperwork from the claim right in front of me.

First, I am assuming that you did not have travel insurance and that you have checked that your home insurance does not cover lost baggage.

You probably filled out a Property Irregularity Report when you reported you luggage missing. You'll need this for your claim.

You'll have to contact Delta and go through their... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by triggerfinger at 12:42 PM on July 2, 2008

I make somewhere between a quarter to half my income as a stage "mentalist" whose act somewhat resembles Derren Brown's--though not to his "magic handshake" level--so let me post a clarification, a bunch of caveats, and as much information as I can without making my colleagues mad at me.

(Paging The Deej! Hope me fellow magician!)

First, there are three very different forms of hypnosis being talked about... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Ian A.T. at 3:32 AM on May 12, 2008

I've been outside. It's overrrated.

Traditionally Outside receives extremely high ratings by those who like to see others play it, and these people are in many cases comfortably ensconced Inside themselves. Outside was released many years ago, it was in fact the first massively multiplayer game, and yet it has always managed to avoid the double-edged Retro tag. In its favor, continual user updates have kept Outside current; there are always new things... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 4:19 PM on March 30, 2008

Why doesn't anyone play the first movement at 180 bpm, as LVB directed? What does it sound like at that speed? I found a fast one on Amazon, should I buy it?

There is a long standing controversy surrounding Beethoven's tempo markings, around which conductors have historically made some very bad musical judgments (I totally agree with pmurray63 that most of Furtw
angler's recordings are so slow as to be unlistenable). Much of that comes from the fact... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by LooseFilter at 11:22 AM on March 15, 2008

As someone actively involved in managing the archives at one of the major studios, I can talk a little to this.

The technology involved is fairly straightforward. We use various methods to preserve digital versions in various locations, some literally in salt mines.

The issue is the sheer magnitude of the amount of content there is to be digitized.

We are not talking about 10-12 movies a year. We are talking about all... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Argyle at 12:29 PM on December 2, 2007

All this talk of their failing business model reminded me of something. It's not that the model is failing so much as a lack of vision to develop a new model.

Sears was started in the 1890's as a mail order business to compete against local general stores (think of all those westerns with "General Store" on one of the buildings - they were Sears competition). The guys Sears worked on railroads, and he saw all the middlemen tacking on markup as products moved... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Pastabagel at 9:07 AM on June 26, 2007

To selectively delete entries, use arrow keys to select and then press shift+delete
posted to Ask Metafilter by labnol at 9:53 AM on July 23, 2006 marked best answer

As jamaro says, the pith (white part of the peel under the yellow zest) is terribly bitter.

The zest itself, though, is the difference between pretty good lemonade and the tangy, fragrant lemonade you deserve. The zest is full of delicious citrus oil.

I slice the zest from the lemons before slicing or squeezing them. I use a sharp knife, since it's easier to control that a vegetable peeler. Then with the edge of the knife, trim off any residual... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Elsa at 6:33 PM on August 1, 2007 marked best answer

Ambrosia Voyuer;
To me, however, they only highlight how much she's abandoned.

I don't know how old you are, but I am over sixty.

For most people (probably for everyone who doesn't work long and hard against it) the years past thirty are dominated by subtractions. Or 'focus', to the incurably optimistic.
posted to MetaFilter by hexatron at 3:36 PM on July 29, 2007

What equipment were you using that night?

Bodies: Canon 5D, DReb XT. Lenses: 16-35/2.8, 24/1.4, 85/1.2. Speedlite 430EX.

Okay, please tell me how to take pictures like that.

This is not a rhetorical compliment. I really want to know how you do that.

Here's an example: this photo of melissa may.

Before I had met melissa may in... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by DaShiv at 5:27 AM on July 20, 2007

I just finished reading The Republic of Pirates, which is an extremely good book. I'd recommend it to everyone here. But this has been a topic I've been interested in for a while.

As to whether pirates were moral: it really depends on who you're asking about. Some pirates, like Edward Vane or Rackham, were by all accounts murderous psychopaths. Some, like Bellamy or Hornigold, occupied a middle ground -- they weren't saints by any means, but certainly didn't go out of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by spiderwire at 12:59 AM on June 6, 2007

I worked in a pet store for three years as a fish, insects and reptiles specialist.

Most goldfish that die drown in their own piss. Goldfish are herbivores and should be fed goldfish food, not generic "fish food" or "tropical fish food". Generic fish food has too much protein, which the goldfish can't process efficiently and excrete as uric acid and urea.

Urea, when dissolved in the water, turns into more uric acid and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pseudoephedrine at 11:06 PM on June 1, 2007 marked best answer

The Prybaby pocket tool. Actually a line of different tools, but they're pretty solid and useful.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mercaptan at 10:31 AM on May 18, 2007

The Mark XIV torpedo is the canonical example of bureaucratic pigheadedness. It had no less than three bugs, each of which was enough to render it nearly useless.

First was the magnetic exploder. It was supposed to detect the magnetic field of an enemy ship's hull, and permit the torpedo to detonate under the keel of the enemy ship. But all the tests on the magnetic exploder were done on a small number of target hulls all in the same location. What they didn't realize at... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Steven C. Den Beste at 10:17 PM on May 7, 2007

stavros: Am I going to have to be that guy, the one that points to a dictionary entry, in this case for 'relentlessly'?

I actually got off my arse and looked in the OED for this. I don't think I have ever been more irritated by a dictionary.

relentlessly: In a relentless manner
↓
relentless: Incapable of relenting
↓
relenting:... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Aloysius Bear at 7:09 AM on March 24, 2007

Buy every member in the household their own set of color towels. Each member gets 4 bath, 2 hand, and 4 wash. White towels are in the hall closet and are given to guest to use.

Believe it or not, this has cut down the amount of laundry I do every week. Plus it eliminates the "I didn't do it!" towels on the floor, balled up in corner of tub. Even the 7 year old was able to keep track of his towels(dark blue).
posted to Ask Metafilter by JujuB at 8:42 PM on December 29, 2006

Feynman called this "cargo cult science", and talked about it in several of his books, including "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman". Basically, it was a reference to some (South Pacific?) indigenous island tribes. During WW2, they saw military bases airstrips that brought what they saw as wealth to the island. When the war was over and the soldiers left, they built their own faux airstrips complete with control towers and the guys on the runway with the headphones and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by spaceman_spiff at 10:06 PM on December 17, 2006

Yep, Tut went to pieces. He was whole until Carter's excavation.

The problem: Resin. Lots of oils and and other goop were poured into the coffins as part of the closing rituals. The Egyptians didn't quite grok exactly why their mummification worked, so they didn't grok that pouring liquids (thus, adding moisture) in wasn't a good idea.

Now, time passes -- over three millennia, as a matter of fact, and Carter shows up. He spends a long time... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by eriko at 11:51 AM on November 29, 2006

Stephen King talks about this in his non-fiction book about horror, Danse Macabre:

"I am of the last quarter of the last generation that remembers radio drama as an active force - a dramatic art form with its own set of reality. I was in attendance, during my younger years, at the deathbed of radio as a strong fictional medium.

"Nothing is so frightening as what's behind the closed door. The audience holds its breath along with the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by hot soup girl at 5:41 AM on October 4, 2006 marked best answer

I recommend putting masking tape on it. If not to your iPod, then to your digital camera. When the masking tape starts gathering dirt, it will make your items look unattractive to would-be thieves. It also protects the surface of your items.

Replace the tape regularly. If the tape leaves stickiness (usually if you've left it on too long), use a sticker remover solvent to take that stuff off.

As for the screen, don't worry about it so much.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by redteam at 3:13 AM on July 10, 2006 marked best answer

You'll want to run the iPod through the diagnostic tests described here.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mds35 at 6:13 AM on July 5, 2006 marked best answer

Yes, there are many of them. They are called "ANI numbers" and they are very very useful. The one I always use is 1-800-444-4444. Just call it and wait for the prompt.

If you're interested in this sort of thing, check out PhoneLosers, 2600 magazine, and Phrack.
posted to Ask Metafilter by fake at 1:14 PM on September 12, 2006 marked best answer

You could say it in four ways, each of which change the word order but not the sense:

1. Veritas in libris, monstra in veritate.
2. In libris veritas, in veritate monstra.
3. Veritas in libris, in veritate monstra.
4. In libris veritas, monstra in veritate.

1 and 2 are more elegant (they use chiasmus - the AB-BA balancing that emphasises the two uses of veritas). But all four are correct.
posted to Ask Metafilter by athenian at 11:42 PM on September 7, 2006 marked best answer

i used this guide recently and by week 6 i could do the 30 min run. which with my pace puts me at over 5km

Week 1 Run one min, walk 90 seconds. Repeat eight times. Do three times a week.
Week 2 Run two mins, walk one min. Repeat seven times. Do three times a week.
Week 3 Run three mins walk one mins. Repeat six times. Do three times a week.
Week 4 Run five mins, walk two mins. Repeat four times. Do three times a week.
Week... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by moochoo at 12:58 AM on August 13, 2006

A Plan for the Improvement of English Spelling

For example, in Year 1 that useless letter c would be dropped to be replased either by k or s, and likewise x would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which c would be retained would be the ch formation, which will be dealt with later.

Year 2 might reform w spelling, so that which and one would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish y replasing it with i and Iear 4... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Eideteker at 9:38 PM on July 11, 2006

Other than synchronicity, which doesn't perfectly fit, I don't think there's a specific word for this.

Generally, I think it falls into the category of a cognitive fallacy or bias. Our brains are evolved to detect patterns; often we see them were they don't even exist (paraeidolia). Depending on the specific circumstances of the experience, one could see it as one of dozens of such fallacies -- e.g. the recency effect, whereby recent stimuli effect... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by dhartung at 8:46 PM on March 29, 2005 marked best answer

I work at a company that makes unmanned aerial vehicles, and as a result many of the engineers here are RC geeks. While many of them are mostly fixed wing flyers, practically all the RC pilots here own a Blade CX or Blade CP (which is more advanced). I just bought a Blade CX, and couldn't be happier with it. You can fly it indoors and it's an inherently stable design, and you can literally fly it right out of the box.

I higly reccomend trying it out, as you get to do... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by phrontist at 7:48 AM on June 30, 2006

I was struggling with something like this myself recently. In this case, being "the other man."

I recently re-connected with this girl that I knew from 8 years ago. I had a huge crush on her then. And, she hasn't changed much since then. She is still beautiful. When I am near her, I can feel the heat, the flush in my skin.

What has changed is - she is now married. Also, its clear that she is a bit bored in her marriage. She enjoys... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by vacapinta at 1:44 PM on June 17, 2005

Okay, I am actually a working screenwriter with a produced feature. I write this from my hotel in LA having just got back from dinner with my agent...

Here is how to get into screenwriting. It worked for me and it worked for every screenwriter I know (including my friend who finally got his first professional gig six years after doing what I am about to suggest...)

You learn everything you can about writing screenplays from reading books,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by unSane at 11:31 PM on April 19, 2006

This reminds me of a time at work when a coworker was TRYING to cite Murphy's Law, but ended up naming Occam's Razor instead.

Which led me to invent (of course) Murphy's Razor.

"All things being equal, the simplest explanation is that whatever could go wrong, did."

It really does explain everything.
posted to MetaFilter by InnocentBystander at 10:51 AM on May 17, 2006

Context: I'm a professional screenwriter. I wrote the movie SYLVIA. The following works for me. I'm not saying it will work for anything else.

Start with three sentences representing the beginning, middle and end of your story.

Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy gets girl back.

Woman buys house. House turns out to be haunted. Woman defeats ghosts.

Those are dumb examples but you get the idea.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by unSane at 5:48 PM on January 15, 2006 marked best answer