Ask MetaFilter posts by lukemeister

Can a Linux Logical Volume Manager be read by Windows?

lukemeister — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:50:33 -0800

Can an LVM partition be mounted by Windows XP or Vista? I dual boot Fedora 9 and XP Pro on one machine, and Fedora 9 and Vista Home Premium on the other. I've been using ext3 on Fedora because I can mount it from Windows, but was wondering whether any Windows software now supports LVM. Thanks.

Where are the user-ranked laptop reviews?

lukemeister — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:47:59 -0800

I'm thinking of buying a laptop, and find that at sites like CNET, the editors and users often disagree wildly. I haven't found a place that reviews laptops that can sort reviews by the users' rankings. I tried amazon, but their "sort by average customer review" doesn't work. Which sites do you like? I was all set to buy an MSI Wind, but since they've delayed the model with the 6-cell battery, I'm looking again, and haven't decided whether to go with cheap and light or cheap and heavy.

How can I stop swallowing air when I use my CPAP?

lukemeister — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 12:59:46 -0800

I have severe sleep apnea (apnea/hypopnea index 66). I've tried various CPAPs (currently a REMstar Auto M Series with C-Flex) and masks (full-face, nasal pillow, currently a nasal mask). The problem is that for every combination of machine and mask, I wake up in an hour or two, generally having swallowed a lot of air, and stop using the CPAP for the night. The respiratory tech says that it's working when I use it - index as low as 6, which is well within the normal range - but I'm so uncomfortable when I wake up that it's very hard to put the mask back on. Suggestions? Once or twice I have managed to use the CPAP all night, and I have not felt better than when I don't use it. The doctor's latest idea is for me to take a sleeping pill right before I put on the mask.

Reveal my boot-a nature ... or shake my boot-y?

lukemeister — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:02:46 -0800

After receiving mixed advice three months ago, I bought an HP Pavilion Elite m9150f running Vista Home Premium. Except for being a little slow to boot into Windows, I've been happy with Vista ... until last night, when Vista Service Pack 1 installed "successfully". I dutifully rebooted and now it won't boot into Windows at all. I've tried system restore from two restore points. Neither works, although I do get a helpful message stating that "a recent upgrade" may be causing problems. The computer can boot into Fedora 8, so it's not hosed, but I've run through my limited bag of Windows tricks. Any suggestions?

Jesus Just Left Chicago, But Is There Room at the Inn?

lukemeister — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:57:46 -0800

Can we find a room in Chicago for $100/night? My wife, 14-year-old son, and I are flying there for the first week of April. We'll split time between one sister in the distant suburbs who has room for guests and one in the city who does not have room. The sister in the city suggested City Suites in the Belmont-Sheffield neighborhood where she lives, which sounds nice, but it's close to $200/night. Can we find two beds for under $100? I read this thread, but the places mentioned there looked even more expensive. We'd consider a hostel, though I suspect my wife and I would be the oldest people there! We really don't want to stay in (say) Itasca. If we can't be in the city itself, we'll stay with sister #1 and commute.

Extra credit for suggestions on things to do in the city - plays, music, museum exhibitions, sports. My wife and I have been there lots of times, but our son has not. The Cubs will be in town. Is it already too late to get tickets?

Geeky (but not too geeky) swag for scientists

lukemeister — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:24:54 -0800

I'm organizing a scientific meeting that will be held in late April. The attendees will be astronomers with a mathematical bent. We'd like to give them a "free" gift, but not the usual T-shirts and mugs. We thought of flash drives, but attendees probably have one already. Please give me your suggestions. Difficulty: (1) Can't spend more than $20/person. (2) Must have room for logos of five sponsors.

Going on Safari (Ultimate E-book Edition)

lukemeister — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 10:17:31 -0800

Is O'Reilly's Safari bookshelf a good substitute for printed computer books? As the walls of shelves in my office close around me, I need to either get rid of a lot of my old books, or stop buying new ones. I like to print things and annotate them, and it looks like O'Reilly doesn't let one print much without additional charges.

The Vista fails to inspire me

lukemeister — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 11:54:19 -0800

It's time to replace our desktop computer. After threads like this about the sluggishness of Vista, I'd prefer to get XP Pro, but it appears that some vendors, such as HP, only offer Vista. I'd rather not buy a computer with Vista and then install XP. Ideally, the new box would come with XP Pro and include a coupon for Vista that will still be valid in one or two years when Microsoft will presumably gets its act together. Does anyone have such a thing? Thanks and happy holidays! Related question: Most of the systems I've seen reviewed that run Vista slowly have 1 GB or 2 GB of memory. Does Vista speed up with more memory, and does the specific version of Vista (Ultimate, Über, Unter...) make a difference?

Help me plan a meeting in my own back yard

lukemeister — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:04:38 -0800

We are thinking of hosting a small (around 100 people) scientific conference in Colorado some time in April-June 2008. Our office in Boulder doesn't have a room that's big enough. A colleague suggested holding the meeting in Steamboat Springs, but Steamboat is three hours' drive away. I'd prefer something equally scenic but closer to Boulder/Denver. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Christmas Every Day, but Maybe Not This Year

lukemeister — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 05:49:15 -0800

Years ago my wife and I read a story by Heinrich Böll which I remembered being titled "Christmas Every Day," but its real title is apparently Nicht nur zur Weihnachtszeit (Christmas Not Just Once a Year). This year we'd like to read it to our son, who is now old enough to appreciate its black humor. I thought this would be easy to find in print or online, but I've looked up web and down Foyles, and have had no luck. Can anyone tell me the name of an anthology where the story appears ... or scan it and be my friend forever?