Ask MetaFilter posts by maudlin

Smart books for a smart guy using Project 2007?

maudlin — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:22:28 -0800

Are there any good books on MS Project 2007 out there? My brother-in-law, an experienced project manager, has been using MS Project 2003 for a while and is pretty confident with the basics, but he wants to learn more, especially as he's considering upgrading to Project 2007. I'm pointing him to some local trainers, but I'd also like to find some decent books so he has the alternative of teaching himself as much as possible.

Mystery pain in sole of left foot

maudlin — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:12:56 -0800

I suddenly developed a knot/lump and pain in the ball of my foot late last night that has persisted for 24 hours. I know it's not plantar fasciitis as I don't have stabbing pains in my heel or midfoot. I was walking around the house last night in some ill-fitting socks that got twisted around and creased to the point where they were uncomfortable to walk in, so I took them off. Immediately, I felt as if there was a lump in the ball of my left foot, and it was very sore when I walked on carpet or the wood floor. I presumed I had contorted my sole in an attempt not to walk on the creased part of the sock.

I went to bed shortly afterwards, and when I got up this morning, it felt significantly better, but it's been getting bad again and now hurts as much as last night. I've been barefoot in the house all day, no socks or shoes. Massage with my little rubber reflex hammer, which helped a lot with the plantar fasciitis I dealt with a couple of years ago, doesn't seem to break up the knot or relieve the soreness.

The ball of the left foot is definitely swollen. The lump -- right in the middle -- is sore when pressed. The top of my left foot, at the instep, feels bruised in comparison to my right foot, but nothing is visibly different. I've taken some Advil and am resting my left foot on an icepack and it seems to be helping a bit.

Right now, I'm presuming that this is a weird but temporary strain that will resolve itself in another day or so. But are there any other scenarios or treatments that I should consider?

How do I use up 6 broken eggs quickly?

maudlin — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 10:36:26 -0800

What can I make today with six unexpectedly broken eggs? The answers "two quiches" or "a huge omelet" aren't great choices for me as I had a frittata for breakfast and am feeling a little egged out. One or more savory dishes would be good, and it would be great if they froze well, although that isn't required. I wiped out on some ice on my way back from grocery shopping today. Results: wet jeans, a couple of interesting new bruises, and six shattered eggs. They're pretty badly broken up, so I don't expect to be able to separate yolks and whites, although I also have a few more whole eggs and some boxed egg white on hand.

Wearing daily contact lenses for one week: not considered harmful?

maudlin — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:07:50 -0800

I just bought 90 days worth of daily disposable contact lenses, but I intend to wear each pair for a week at a time, taking them out every evening and cleaning them in OptiFree. I occasionally get eye infections, so I no longer want to use even a well-cleaned set of lenses longer than a week. Am I pushing safety levels by using dailies as weeklies? I know that there's been at least one question here, several years ago, about the difference between various types of lenses, and people varied on whether or not you can wear dailies for more than a day. Given that contacts may have become better since 2004, I thought this was worth asking again. (My brand: CibaVision Dailies AquaComfort Plus and CibaVision Focus Dailies toric lenses for astigmatism).

Looking for cool tortoiseshell frames

maudlin — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:29:14 -0800

Does any store in Toronto stock Kate Spade eyeglass frames? I'm looking for this, or this, if possible, but I'd like the chance to browse for anything similar.

Where to get jojoba oil in Toronto?

maudlin — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 08:07:16 -0800

Where can I get pure jojoba oil in Toronto? All I'm finding so far are various compound moisturizers that include jojoba, but I just want a little bottle of the oil itself.

Refinishing a countertop with Rustoleum Stoneffects

maudlin — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 07:38:14 -0800

Can you actually refinish a laminate countertop with Rustoleum Stoneffects, or a similar product, and get an attractive and durable result? I may be selling my house within the next year and am looking at a few elements that need improvement. My laminate countertop is looking pretty sad with a scorch mark and a slight gap between the corner join of two pieces of laminate. I could spend a few hundred dollars on new Corian countertops, or I could spend a little time and about $100 trying the finish first, going to Corian if it fails.

Becoming a Big Sister/Big Brother

maudlin — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 17:21:35 -0800

I'm considering becoming a Big Sister. I know that it's a real commitment, and I have an idea of the individual, group and school programs that are available, but I'd like to hear about your experiences as current or former Big Sisters/Big Brothers anywhere in Canada or the States. (If you were a Little Sister or Brother, I'd like to hear from you, too.) What should I expect? What went well? What didn't go well?

Die, Flash Player 7! DIE!!

maudlin — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 14:42:00 -0800

How can I uninstall Flash Player 7? I can uninstall players 8-9 with the Adobe uninstaller, but I can't find any damn way to blow away 7 (Flash Player 7.0, r19), which has now become my default player for standalone SWFs. I used to be able to right click on a SWF and choose one of several installed players, but my only option now is 7, even though I've deleted and reinstalled version 9 a couple of times.

Forestalling identity theft

maudlin — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 10:51:34 -0800

Lost mail and potential identity theft: what to do? Someone in our household picked up mail from the post office, but lost a few pieces on the walk home (this was discovered immediately and I called the post office right away). They may have blown away, or someone may have put them in a mailbox, but the post office didn't find them in their lobby or at their front sidewalk, nor has retracing the path to the post office turned up anything.

I'm hoping they turn up in a day or so (PLEASE let someone honest put them in a mailbox!), but apart from tracking what we think was lost, is there anything else we can do to protect ourselves? And is there anything else besides identity theft that we should be concerned about?