Ask MetaFilter posts by Ian A.T.

Sequels That Didn't Start Out As Sequels

Ian A.T. — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:39:13 -0800

Are We Done Yet? was the sequel to an original film, but was weirdly also a remake of the classic Cary Grant comedy Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. Along the same lines, Ocean's Twelve was based on an unrelated script first intended as a John Woo project. Can we think of any other examples of a sequel to an original movie starting life as an unconnected film? I know that everyone loves to participate in movie threads, but be careful:

I'm NOT asking about films like 102 Dalmations or Stuart Little II...those are original sequels to existing works, and is the opposite of what I'm looking for.

I also not asking about Evil Dead II or Drunken Master II, which aren't sequels so much as remakes of their first films.

And I'm certainly not looking for "sequels in name only," where the sequels have little to do with the originals. No matter how tenuously the sequel connects to the first film, if it's an original script it's not what we're trying to find.

Again, I'm ONLY curious about sequels to original works, where the sequel was originally an unconnected film. It's okay to not answer.

Masterpiece Theater Airdates

Ian A.T. — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 19:38:54 -0800

Starting January 13th, the retooled Masterpiece Theater is showing adaptations of all six Jane Austen novels. Does anyone know in what order they're being shown, along with air dates? I thought it would be fun to read or re-read each novel in advance of the movie, but I can't figure out when each novel is going to be shown. There's http://pbs.org/janeausten (sorry, can't make links when posting from a Blackberry), but it doesn't say anything, as far as I can tell. The novels are listed on there, but they're just in alphabetical.order. I have a sinking suspicion the info I need is in the Reading Guide PDFs, but my Blackberry can't read them.

And yeah, I realize that not all PBS stations show things at the same time the way, say, NBC does.

Ahem: My most heartfelt thanks to all who attempt to answer this admittedly trifling query; in advance of your research, allow me to reiterate that I remain, as always,

your faithful friend and servant,
Ian A.T.

A cheap mp3 player for a 16-year-old girl...

Ian A.T. — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 12:48:32 -0800

Please help my girlfriend buy a cheap mp3 player for a 16-year-old girl in foster care she's "adopted" for the holidays. Every year, my girlfriend participates in a program where she gets the name and Christmas wish list of an underprivileged kid. This year, she's shopping for a 16-year-old girl whose parents have had their parental rights revoked and who is currently a ward of the state living in some kind of foster home. Quote:

"One of the things on her list is an MP3 player, which is totally one of those things that would make some people scream "what!?", the implication being that if you can have an MP3 player you can't be in particularly dire straits, but I feel like I understand: I mean, why can't she have what everyone else has, you know?

"On the other hand, it seems like a dicey gift for someone in her situation: how is she going to get music for it? Is she going to have regular access to a computer? Is she living in some foster care setting where there are multiple opportunities for someone to steal it?

"So basically, I want to get her an MP3 player but I sure as hell don't want to get her an iPod, something both expensive and utterly desirable by others; I'm looking for something a little more toylike, as I think that's probably all that she needs.

"Does this exhausting explanation bring any product to your mind? I tried to go online and read reviews last night, but that always confuses me 10 times more.

"As for my budget, I don't think I have a very realistic notion of how much a cheap MP3 player should cost. She has other stuff on her list that I'd rather spend money on (like clothes and school supplies) so this is more of a second-tier present, you know? Definitely less than $100... like way less."

Ian here again. I know one of the stock AskMe answers is "we need more information," but the information we have about her situation is all we're going to get.

Thanks, guys!

Abutebaris modo subjunctivo denuo...

Ian A.T. — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:15:02 -0800

I need a very short note translated into Latin, can you help me? For a scene in my YA novel, I need the following simple note from a seventeen-year-old girl to her mother rendered into Latin:

"I went swimming with David. I might end up spending the night, so I took my kit with me just in case. I'll see you in the morning."

-This doesn't need to be a grammatically exact nor stylistically elegant translation. The daughter probably wrote this standing up at the kitchen table, occasionally glancing in a pocket Latin dictionary she keeps in her purse, while David waited impatiently.

-I kept the phrasing of the note simple to allow you to reword it as you see fit. That is, if it's easier to say "I went swimming at David's house," or to split the second sentence into two, go right ahead. "David" can be substituted with "my friend" or "the neighbor."

-"Kit" refers to her glucose meter and her insulin, though I'd like to keep this vague at the moment. (Darn those Latin-fluent young adults, always getting spoilers about a character's diabetes!) You can turn this word into anything resembling "kit."

Gratias ago tibi!

IED Attack In Iraq

Ian A.T. — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:50:25 -0800

I'm looking for information about an IED attack in Iraq yesterday that injured a friend of a friend's brother. My friend Z. writes:

"Andrew's brother got injuried in an IED attack yesterday in Iraq. There are conflicting reports about how he's doing, but the most reliable one says he's probably going to live and not be completely disabled.

"I'm looking for some info about the attack, but I can't find it because I'm not sure WHICH car bomb attack yesterday he was involved it. It could have been one of three.

"His name is Daniel (or Danny) Dudek. He's part of a Striker brigade that's stationed at Camp Taji."

Ian here. Obviously I've searched Google News for both versions of his name, as well as "Striker Brigade" (only four results?) and "Camp Taji," but I can't find any information. Can you? Or can you at least point Z. and me to other resources we could use to find out more?

Midnight Release Party At iTMS

Ian A.T. — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 20:21:08 -0800

What time are albums actually released on iTunes? The new Spoon comes out tomorrow, and I want to get it the second it's available. Is there a set time, like 12:01 am PST? Or does it just show up whenever they happen to update the store? (Yes, I realize there are, ahem, other ways to get the album, but call me old-fashioned.)

Reuniting an iPod with its paired iTunes

Ian A.T. — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 16:04:58 -0800

I have a question about syncing an iPod to a Mac it was previously paired with. (It's a bit like this question, but 2007-style.) Basically, I used to sync up with a Mac Mini (10.3) using iTunes 7.1.1. I had quit the job and didn't think I was going to be using this computer any more, so I deleted my Library and moved on. Of course, it didn't occur to me to uncheck the automatic-sync option, because I thought I was leaving here for good.

BUT, now I'm working here again every now and then, and it would be nice to manually manage a few things on my iPod. However, I'm scared to death to attach it to the machine because it'll try to sync up with an empty library.

In older versions of iTunes, this wasn't that big of a deal...I'd just go under Preferences and then iPod and choose not to sync. But version 7 seems to store that preference on a screen that only comes up when I actually connect the iPod, which would be much too late to do me any good.

So is there anything I can do? In that previous question, someone mentions holding down ctrl-shift to override the sync, but no way I'm doing that until at least three of you swears it works.

RTFQ: I'm not asking about getting the data off the iPod and back on the hard drive. All the music is backed up on DVD-ROMs and I know all about Senuti. I only want to know how to get my iPod connected to this machine again--without automatically deleting all my music and playlists and metadata--so that I can then manage it manually. Thanks!

My memory ain't speakin'.

Ian A.T. — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 23:57:55 -0800

I need some help finding a short Nabokov passage. I've exhausted Amazon's Search Inside feature as well as my ability to Google. In one of his books, a character is describing the abilities of another. They are something like "He can play the violin, he can read books upside down, he can do magic tricks." (These are very approximate examples, not quotes.)

Finally, a small child (?) pipes up and says "He can also drive a taxi."

Obviously, just a book title would make me happy. But if someone would go to the trouble of typing in the (rather short) passage, a reward will be forthcoming. (Hint: in addition to driving a taxi, I also own a used bookstore.)

Mac Accounts Basics

Ian A.T. — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 12:25:28 -0800

I'm a newly-Switched Mac user with a few questions about setting up different...uh, users? Accounts? Profiles? (I'm not sure what they're really called; I think this might be part of my problem) Okay, I know how to set up a new account using System Preferences, but I just have a few extraordinarily dense questions about how each user's changes affect everyone else.

Everyone using these accounts will be trustworthy adults, so assume that all users have unrestricted access. Also: 10.3

1. Can different users change their desktop background and not affect the other users?

2. How about items on the desktop?

3. On the dock?

4. Various minor settings, such as dock magnification, Expose preferences, etc?

5. Preferences inside of programs?

6. What about folders in the left hand pane of the Finder window? I don't know how else to describe it, sorry...I'm talking about the part of the Finder where you can drag folders that you use a lot for easy access. That is, if one of the users puts “My Stuff” in the finder pane, will it show up for everyone else?

7. Maybe it would just be easier if I just asked what certain things users shouldn't do?

8. Can someone dig up a tutorial or guide for working with whatever these things are called, so I won't have to keep bothering you every time I have a question?

Finally, since I'm guessing this question will be answered before I can even refresh my window, if anyone wants to piggyback on this question, feel free.

Workplace shooting in Maryland

Ian A.T. — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 17:21:09 -0800

I'm looking for information concerning a recent workplace shooting in the Maryland or DC area, resulting in the death of a police officer. My mother just emailed about a former high school classmate who was apparently shot by estranged husband recently. Here's the information she gave me:

Jenny married a guy that turned out to have some obvious problems. She and her husband were living in the Maryland/D.C. area and she was trying to separate from him, apparently. He showed up at her job, where she had to get a police escort to her car. Her husband pulled a handgun and shot and killed the police officer, shot Jenny and ran into the woods and shot and killled himself. Last I heard, Jenny could say a couple of words and could wiggle her hands and feet. Pray for her if you think of it.

Does this ring any bells with anyone? I've been overseas and haven't kept up with national news as I should have, so it's possible this was a big deal when it happened.

Here's some more information:

-My mom heard about it two weeks ago, and she forgot to tell me about it in our weekly phone call. (Nice!) But it's entirely possible that it took place longer ago, and just took awhile to move through the church/Kiwanis/grocery store circles.

-Jenny's last name in school was the same as this guy's. (I'm being coy here because it's entirely possible that my mom has the whole story wrong, and if so I'd hate for my poor classmate to find this discussion on Google.) However, that's her maiden name. She has from the Charleston WV area.

-Finally, knowing my mom, it's possible (if not likely) that any or all of the details in her description may be wrong. Frankly, I was just happy to get an email from her that didn't start with "Fwd: FWD: fwd: FWD: Fwd:".

Thank you for your help!