Ask MetaFilter posts by Smedleyman

Does interferential electrotherapy work?

Smedleyman — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:40:50 -0800

What is, and how useful is, if at all, interferential electrotherapy? I got put through a wall a bit ago in a scrape and I’ve been having some back problems. So I’ve been seeing (grudgingly) a chiropractor. And to be honest, after seeing Jacobs Ladder, always been a bit curious.
The realignment and all that with the hands is fine. I usually treat myself and others (stretching, exercise) for sports type injuries in much the same way.
But they gave me this ‘interferential electrotherapy’ - stuck some sticky pads to my back and gave me these electrical impulses - apparently to ease pain and reduce spasms and swelling. Pain doesn’t bother me, so I wouldn’t take drugs for it anyway, but I know how drugs work.
This seemed a little too much like voodoo to me.
Anyone have any experiance with this treatment and chiropractors in general?

Chase Me! With Fred Samson as: Mr. Big!

Smedleyman — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 19:51:02 -0800

What are some of the coolest 60's -70s heist/action/crime movie previews (or current retro previews) or opening introductory movie or t.v. montages? I’m thinking of the somewhat retro bit from Snatch, vaguely similar to the opening from Baretta or Starsky and Hutch but more british and stylized like Get Carter or The Italian Job (not so much Trainspotting, similar, but more stylized with shorter pacing) The opening in GTA3 might be a good example. Something with a funky or jazzy soundtrack and the action freezes.
I’m planning on doing a family video sort of like an opening movie sequence. Is there even a name for that sort of visual style?

How to get silly string overseas

Smedleyman — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 13:29:36 -0800

Anyone know any way to send cans of Silly String overseas? The post office won't touch it (obviously) and neither will any package carrier - since it's aerosol. It's possible to send it on the ground to the coast perhaps, but I haven't found any private carriers willing to fly into, or near, a war zone. Anyone know of any outfits that might be able to pull this off?

How do you get a flat surface of water?

Smedleyman — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 13:54:31 -0800

Does gravity make small pools of water curve slightly (I’m thinking a small lake size) or is surface tension enough to flatten it out? More importantly - how would I calculate whether the resistance from the surface tension is enough to keep it flat and when/what size that breaks off? Is there any way to create a perfectly, or very near perfectly flat surface of water?

Roger Huston

Smedleyman — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 12:20:40 -0800

How can I mix astronaut background sounds and change my voice so it sounds like I'm using one of the radios from the old-NASA spaceflight days? The idea would be to include distortions and hiccups of various kinds for realistic effect. I'm pretty clueless when it comes to computer software for mixing sound, so pretty much even a basic idea would help. I'm thinking I could record (digitaly on the computer) some actual recorded transmissions, but I have no clue where to get those or what sofrware to use.

Smilin' smedley

Smedleyman — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 11:47:10 -0800

It's been touched on before (but not directly) - how do you become a comic book writer? The
Spider-man thread got me to thinking about it. I don’t know that I’d want to devote all my time to it, but I wouldn’t mind seeing if I can get some stuff published or even looked at. But I haven’t the faintest idea where to start.