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Help me identify this back pain

annekate — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:44:10 GMT

I had a baby a few months ago, and all of the sudden I can't sleep through the night without having excruciating back pain. YANMD, but I have never had serious back pain before and don't know really know where to start. New mattress? Chiropractor? Physical therapy? Stop getting older? Some more details inside.

The pain seems to be located in the center of my back under my shoulder blades. I've tried every possible sleeping position and no matter what, I wake up in pain. It goes away completely if I get out of bed and either sit or stand up for about a half hour, and my back doesn't bother me at all during the day.

The pain is awful and wakes me up constantly throughout the night. I toss around but nothing is comfortable or seems to offer any relief but getting out of bed. It happened very suddenly so I'm not apt to blame the mattress but maybe this is the problem? It's a relatively new mattress, not more than two years old. I share the bed with my partner.

Any idea what I should do to fix this? I feel like there are TONS of options for this sort of thing and it's kind of overwhelming figuring out where to start.

Who originally thought of this dating-related experiment?

renovatio1 — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:26:04 GMT

Write the numbers 1 to 20 on a set of cards, one per card but two cards of each number, put them on the foreheads of a group of twenty men and twenty women, and give them a couple minutes to try to pair up with the person of the opposite sex with the highest-ranked card: they will always end up with someone close to their own rank. Who originally thought of this?

I'm interested in details about the origin of this and any similar or related experiments and I couldn't find anything after a couple search attempts. I originally read it under the "Cut the Bull: What is "Dating"?" section on this page:

http://www.livereal.com/relationship_arena/modern_dating_scene_main.htm

Note: I realize that the experiment as described here is a bit flawed since you could quickly figure out your number by elimination. Though that's closer still to reality when it comes to actual dating, for the purposes of the experiment you could easily fix this by using larger groups and slightly random numbers, e.g. 1-50 but where each number is sometimes off by one.

My girlfriend cheated on me. Help me find books to distract me.

aleatorictelevision — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:09:20 GMT

Long story short. Girlfriend of 2+ years cheated on me. We broke up, but this is right before I'm going to be spending a few months moving back home and doing a whole lot of nothing. I'm looking for recommendations for books to help keep me from dwelling on this, specific tastes below.

I'm generally a speedy reader, so I'm trying to build an arsenal of books to last me through this.

Some of my past favorites(in no order whatsoever):

The Sun Also Rises
A Song of Ice and Fire
The Kingkiller Chronicles
All of Neal Stephenson's work(except the Baroque Cycle)
Shantaram
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
Cloud Atlas
Anything by Terry Pratchett
Anything by John McPhee

The less relationship-y the book is, the better. I'm still in the sucker-punched phase so anything fun(but not necessarily light) or engrossing is best.

How to safely mod minecraft?

H. Roark — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:35:17 GMT

My kid wants me to install a bunch of mods to minecraft, I'm confused about the process. Installing mods seems much different then say on Steam games where its integrated into the application. I'm uncomfortable just following sketchy links on message boards to download and install jars/executables, but thats the process as I've seen it described. Is there a more obvious way to do this?

Given a named mod like the "more animals mod" are you really supposed to go to a place like this and just trust the links? Is there some kind of registry where you know you are getting some non-malware code? Some examples that seem overly complicated: how to mod 1, example2. Thanks.

It's from Vivre sa vie.

MiaWallace — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:09:48 GMT

Can someone who speaks French tell me exactly how this quote should be formatted?

A friend wants to get the following quote tattooed on herself:

Click me!

What we're not sure about is which manner of accent marks there are in the words "preter" and "soi-meme." If someone could be awesome and type it out for her, we'd be much obliged. No one likes a mis-accented tattoo.

Where can I buy a good, pre-made earthquake kit in Vancouver?

Canageek — Tue, 21 May 2013 03:51:39 GMT

What with recent disasters, and recently moving to BC I'd like to get an earthquake kit. Now, I don't have a car, so I'd like to not having to travel all over the city picking things up in my backpack if possible. So I'd like to buy a pre-made kit. Back in 2007 acoutu was able to get a deal on a "Ready Kit", but those appear to have been discontinued shortly after they were created.

So, there are a zillion of these things online, ranging from $50 to $200 and up, and all claim to be exactly what you need. When I try for reviews I find a bunch of them that either reek of astroturfing or are in the vein "You can't buy one: You need to make your own! You need 90 days of food and water, and this list of expensive supplies".

So can anyone give me advice on a good 72-hour earthquake kit I can stash under my bed? Either that will ship to BC or that I can buy here. It doesn't have to have everything; I can buy some canned food and water myself to store with it for example, but I'd like a start for the camping type supplies they recommend.

Oh yeah, and I'm a student, so somewhere near the $50 end of the scale would be a lot better for me, provided that I'm not buying garbage that will break the first time I use it, something I'm rather wary of as I've had several 'bargain' items I bought when I moved in a couple weeks ago break on me the first time I used them.

Is it possible to convert my Hi8's this way?

Sakura3210 — Tue, 21 May 2013 03:23:42 GMT

So, I have a bunch of old Hi8 tapes that I want to get on my MacBook pro. I have a camcorder that plays Hi8's (but is only analog) and a DVD recorder. Can you help me?

What I had been doing was connecting the camcorder to the DVD recorder, burning DVDs, then ripping those DVD's onto my computer. This has proven time-intensive, and I am looking for a way to condense the process. My idea: connect the camcorder to the recorder, then the recorder to the computer (using it as a analog to digital converter). Is this possible? I should note than the recorder doesn't seem to have a digital visual output (no FireWire/USB, just composite cables, etc.) though it does have a digital audio output (PCM, bitstream).

I'd really like to use the recorder as other options (avdv+FireWire, digital camcorder that plays Hi8's, video capture card, etc.) would be rough on my budget.

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Nonfiction about rituals and magic and so on

goosechasing — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:58:21 GMT

I want to read nonfiction about ritualistic/magical/occult/religious practices or events in a historical/cultural context that will learn me real good without sacrificing the fun factor. More interested in things like druid sacrifice or the Salem witch trials than modern-day ghostbusters or psychics, but all cultures are welcome.

How to say "au revoir mon professeure" in a slightly more creative way?

kbar1 — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:44:03 GMT

This week, my daughter (a sophomore in high school) will be bidding adieu to her French teacher, who is is retiring. Daughter is artistic and has decided to make a card for Madame but is looking for inspiration.

She would like to use imagery and a quote from The Little Prince but it's been a long time since either of us read the book and we don't have a copy on hand, so I'm asking for your help. Is there an illustration or quote that you think is especially apt for this type of card? She likes the picture of the little prince taking off with a flock of birds, but we don't have a quote to go along with it. She's open to ideas unrelated to The Little Prince as long as there is a French connection and imagery that would work well in a farewell card. Ideas? Merci! (I speak no French at all, so please excuse my French if I butchered the title question)

Advice on promoting a folk-fusion band online for local gigs?

faethverity — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:39:03 GMT

I am a member of a largish (7 folk-fusion ensemble. We've been gigging on and off using traditional forms of promotion and we'd like to look into online promotion.

I've dand found Sonic Bids and Gig Masters (along with a few other regional things). Do you have any experience with this type of music promotion? My research so far has turned up a lot of sales pitches, but not much from actual bands actually using the sites. Does your band have an electronic press kit? Do you use a site that you love? Is there a site we should steer clear of?

We're entirely self represented. We produced a CD a couple years ago, though our lineup has changed a lot since then.

Desert garden plant I.D. help, please

faineant — Tue, 21 May 2013 02:24:57 GMT

This very pretty flowering plant lives in a cultivated desert garden in south-western Arizona; I don't think it is a native plant (although I could be wrong!) but it was purchased in a garden center for planting in the area. Unfortunately, the tag on the plant was lost - can anyone tell me what plant it is? Thanks for any help!

Great hair stylist in/near Harrisonburg, VA (or Charleston or Columbus)?

Betsy Vane — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:39:20 GMT

Looking for someone who does great short cuts for women. I'm driving to my 20-year college reunion this weekend, and have just received a truly terrible haircut. Seriously, it's basically a mullet. The only cure is going short. If you can recommend someone in or around Harrisonburg, VA who's great with short hair, please do! (Alternatively, I'll be passing through Charleston, WV and Columbus on my way, so they're options too - but ideally I'd like to find someone near me.) Thank you!

Fashion protocol for wedding music gig

mermily — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:32:38 GMT

What should the musician wear at a wedding?

I'm playing piano at a wedding ceremony for the first time and I'm not exactly sure what it's protocol to wear. When I played (violin) in orchestral groups in high school, it was usually some variation on all black. Not sure if that's the same for a wedding, or if you should dress fancy but match the attire to whatever guests are wearing. I can ask the people whose wedding I am playing at, but at the same time they are paying me so I wanted to phrase it as if I know what I'm doing and what the standard thing is, if that makes sense.

This may or may not be relevant, but the ceremony is traditional and will take place in a Presbyterian church.

Thanks!

How does the amount of ice in a shaker affect a martini?

El Sabor Asiatico — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:11:41 GMT

Does more ice in the shaker make the drink colder faster? Is there more or less dilution per second of shaking? in short, is there any reason I would want to have a particular level of ice in a shaker when making martinis?

Great adult learning apps for iPhone

bunderful — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:00:59 GMT

I think we've had a couple of questions specific to language apps in the past. But I got to wondering what particularly good learning apps for grown-up users are out there, regardless of subject. Specifically, apps that are well designed, easy to use but challenging to the appropriate degree, and fun. Pretty graphics are nice too.

What is wrong with my long menstrual cycles?

squirbel — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:46:19 GMT

Screenshot of the past two years. This is not an aberration, I have been this way since I was 13. There was even one year that I only had 2 periods the whole year. I have never taken the pill, or any contraception. I do not take any medications. I became sexually active in my early 20's. my first time meeting with a gyno was at 32, my current age. I have always worried about my fertility, but I comfort myself saying I am holding onto my eggs for an important time instead of letting them go. Do you know what is wrong with me?

Recommend a rheumatologist in Boston

Meg_Murry — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:29:29 GMT

Can anyone recommend an excellent rheumatologist in the Boston area? Cambridge or Somerville would be ideal, but travel isn't a huge problem.

IS there an app for that?

mittenbex — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:19:00 GMT

Help me find an app like this for Android!

http://abeautifulmessapp.com/

I am looking for the closest thing to the app 'A Beautiful Mess' to add fun text, doodles and borders to pictures. I'm having trouble finding something close enough.

Thanks in advance.

Help me find a decent, cheap Android tablet for my kids.

Crotalus — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:47:13 GMT

I can never use my tablet because the kids are always on it. Where can I buy a budget Android tablet that my kids can use for games and videos.

I want something cheap enough that if it gets dropped, spilled on, stepped on, etc, I won't worry too much about it. I've seen some pretty good Chinese tablets. If you were buying a cheap Android tablet that will still play games and videos for kids, what would you buy. I can change language settings, but I'd rather not have to root it. Any form factor is OK, but something 8"+ would be ideal. I know that some sellers of these items are sketchy, and I need it before we leave for vacation soon, so if possible I prefer to buy through a seller I can trust: Ebay, Amazon, NewEgg, TigerDirect, etc. Thanks in advance for your wisdom.

My demands are reasonable, my diet is ridiculous.

aint broke — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:33:08 GMT

Over the last ten years, I've put on 10-15 pounds of pure, unadulterated fat. Giving up desert for the next ten years doesn't seem feasible, but my general food intake is fine. I was looking for a healthy but reasonably quick way to loose 10 pounds, and 4 Hour Body was recommended. After six weeks, I am at my exact starting weight. What am I missing, and where should I go from here?

I tried this diet with my roommate (R). R and I are ovo-lacto vegetarians who share 19/21 meals every week. We found the 4HB diet relatively easy to follow as eggs, vegetables, beans, and tofu made up the majority of our food before. (Tofu/soy products are technically not allowed, but we are both female and not trying to build 37 pounds of muscle so we decided to ignore that rule.) We have both been very strict about cutting out all fruit, dairy, and grain products.
R has been loosing 2-3 pounds a week, and I am at my exact (down to the tenth of a pound) starting weight. My results were in line with my normal weight fluctuation- down a pound here and there, up a pound here and there. According to my body measurements, I may have lost an inch on my hips and half an inch on my waist, but that may be measurement error. I have a post-diet body fat analysis scheduled next week, but given that other metrics show no change, I'm not expecting much.

My previous attempt at diet modification was calorie counting. After a week of weighing all my ingredients, adding recipes to calorie counting software, and weighing my servings, I determined that my normal, unmodified diet is hitting carbs/fat/protein ratios reasonably well, contains enough fruits and vegetables, and is about 1700 calories on a normal day. Once I figured that out, I stopped counting. (I did count calories one representative day of 4HB dieting and got 1645 calories.)

I spend about 6 hours/week doing some form of physical activity- usually competitive tennis, jogging, weightlifting, yoga, and rock climbing. I enjoy all these activities but don't have time to add any more.

If I'm active, the food I'm eating is good, and the portion sizes are ok, what else can I tweak for weight loss?

Asking for a Raise?

Anonymous — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:14:39 GMT

From some minor checking on a new employee, I have seen a large discrepancy in pay - which is not surprising. Can I ask for a raise? How do I ask for a raise? Will I get fired? Should I just look for new work like I'm already doing?

I am currently looking for a new job, as my job really doesn't pay me at all what I should get paid. I am also not full time, and a w-9 employee. I have been at my job for over a year and a half. I have a large title and most of the responsibility as it is a very small company. (Me, my boss, a few online workers.)

I am very, completely, extremely underpaid, however I need the money. I get $XX.50 per hour, which is about a third of what I should get paid, if not less. I am to work up to 25 hours a week.

My boss just hired an online helper, in my field, for 10 hours a week. I am happy for the help as there is too much to handle and I don't get enough hours or resources for one of our large clients. I have access to this online work staff, as I manage most of them, and through curiosity I clicked on the terms of their agreement, which is nearly double what I get paid.

I knew she would be getting paid more, as I started this job while in college, however now I have my degree, and the jobs I am qualified for are anywhere from $30k to $50+K a year. (I make.. well.. much much much less than that.)

Therefore, with her working 10 hours a week, and me working 20-25 hours a week, at the end of the month she will make only a few hundred dollars less than I do for the entire month, with me doing over twice the amount of work.

So here's the scoop:

1) She may be more qualified than I am, however I couldn't find specifics as far is her resume. I also didn't see education, whereas I have my bachelor's degree.

2) I kind of snooped - barely - to see her pay, but I also manage other employees and discuss their pay on the same website. It's not a stretch to let my boss know I saw it or looked, I can easily say I was looking through her experience or what they discussed for her work.

3) She may be more specialized in certain areas, whereas I have a broad experience, along with the fact that I personally handle all clients and manage all workers. I will also be managing this new worker - who gets paid more than me.

I am sure that other specialized workers like our graphic designer get paid much more than I do, but that is pretty standard and they also don't have regular work. This employee will have a maximum of 10 hours a week, and will most likely have enough work to fill that time.

Again I am completely not surprised that she gets paid more, as I get paid nothing for my position. So my questions:

1) Can I ask for a raised based on her pay? Or should I ask based on the market value of my job?
-The market value of my job is most likely more money than she is getting paid per hour.

2) Is there a way to ask without the possibility of being fired or having to quit? Should I bring it up at all or just continue to look for a new job?

-I will look for a new job no matter what I'm getting paid at this one, but more money is always helpful and can help me find a new job faster.

-I am unsure if I can walk away from this job. I will have to discuss our budget with my husbad, however some money is better than no money while I am looking for a new job. Therefore I am unsure if I can even ask for fear of getting canned and completely losing my income, which again, I need.

3) Would asking for a small raise increase my chances of staying there and getting the raise? (I would be okay with a few dollars, even though it's clearly still completely unfair - but again I need the money.)

-New job prospects are a little thin at the moment as I am currently looking for places to carpool with my husband, or we may get a rental car if I get hired somewhere further from his job. My husband is also looking for a job with higher pay, if he finds one before I find work, I could easily threaten to leave this job for higher pay. Otherwise we may not have enough money to pay the bills each month with our current situation.

I don't have a contract. I never ended up signing a non-compete, non-disclosure somehow. My payment terms aren't on paper other than something I asked for to apply for my apartment. I will monitor this and if try to answer followups if I missed something. I think I got it covered though.

Starting Channel Island Bush Poppy from seed?

dottiechang — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:07:45 GMT

I have long lusted after a Channel Island Bush Poppy (dendromecon harfordii) but can never find the plant at any of our local native plant nurseries here in Los Angeles. I ordered seeds and have found conflicting information about how to start it from seed. I received a packet of seeds and a pink slip of paper that contained the same chemicals released in brush fire conditions. The instructions said to soak the paper with the seeds for 24 hours and then sow. No more information than that.

One website says to plant in 3" coir pots with equal parts sand/peat/compost and then put in fridge to vernalize. Other website says to sow directly but germination will take 6-8 weeks.

Do I really have to wait 6-8 weeks to see seedlings pop through? I couldn't do the vernalization due to having a tiny fridge. After soaking the seeds (they did swell and split open), I put them in coir pots with a thin layer of sand covering the seeds and covered the tray with a clear piece of plastic. They're out in a shady part of the yard.

Have I done this right?

I know the seeds are challenging to start but I want to know how long to keep the seeds moist with my spray bottle before giving up.

Is a shady part of the yard correct?

I am a novice gardener, so please hold my hand and use plain English! :)

Did 26F do the right thing to 30M?

starsatnight — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:53:40 GMT

26F have been seeing 30M about 1x a week for almost three months with no conversations about what it is. His actions suggest that his interest level is moderate but not high, my interest level is high but that has not been expressed, though the last few times I have been the one to initiate plans. Most recently, he suggested an alternate plan to my invitation, but feeling frusterated, I never responded. Not sure what action I should take from here... am I wrong to think he will contact me again if his interest level is higher than I percieve? Or wrong to go radio silent when he has never done the same to me?

ID this tree

ditto75 — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:44:48 GMT

Picture here. The flowers give off a mild, sweet smell and are kinda sticky at the white, hollow ends. The shells on the left open into halves, and those halves are divided in half, so I doubt they are nutshells (unless those nuts come pre-cut into quarters). This all came from a tree with wide green leaves, here in the southeast USA. That's all I remember about it. Any ideas what tree this might be? Any help would be appreciated!

Winning Powerball, a little bit at a time, over and over and over...

spinifex23 — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:20:12 GMT

Huge jackpot lotteries in the USA, like Powerball and Mega Millions, offer the jackpot as either an annuity for the total amount of the prize, or a lump sum for a reduced amount. It seems that the vast majority of the winners pick the lump sum over the annuity. Which to me just makes no sense at all.

I'm wondering why that is. Now, I'm extremely naive when it comes to annuities and taxes and the like, but wouldn't one want a steady income for the next 26 years or so? Because especially when the jackpots get huge, you still are getting millions of dollars a year. So why not just pick the annuity and have that constant income stream?

Laptop overheated, now connectivity problems

Put the kettle on — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:19:14 GMT

My laptop overheated, I took it to get cleaned, now it's having Internet connectivity issues. I think the repair place may be at fault. What do I do now?

I have a Packard Bell Easynote TJ68 laptop that I purchased (in the UK) in September 2010. It's a little slow, but runs decently. I noticed that it had started to overheat in recent months, and on Friday, it got so hot it shut itself down. On Saturday, I took it to the local laptop repair place to have the dust cleaned out. I got it back, and it's not overheating - yay! But now there's another problem - the Internet connection isn't as strong and keeps dropping out. I have a wireless Internet connection and used to have full bars - now there's only one or two. My computer will connect to the Internet, but the connection crashes several times an hour, and it doesn't come back if I wait - I have to restart the computer. I've tried another router and the same issues happen. I've also checked my phone and my flatmate's laptop and their connections are fine. So I think it has to be something that was done at the repair place.

I found this question which looks very relevant. But since I'm not entirely sure what happened, and this is an independent place rather than an authorized repair carried out under warranty, I don't know how to go about this. Other complication: the owner of the shop was pretty rude to me for no reason when I took my laptop in, so I really want to make sure I know what I'm doing when I walk in there so I don't just get shouted at and fall to pieces as I tend to get anxious in these sorts of situations. I'd really appreciate any advice.

Why do I keep dreaming about my ex?

Anonymous — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:57:32 GMT

Why do I keep dreaming about my ex? YANM Psych etc.

So this has now been going on for long enough that I'm asking a Mefi, not necessarily for an explanation, but simply some suggestions and perhaps recommendations of how to pursue this further.

My first serious relationship lasted for 9 years, the last two of which was spent in a different country. After we broke up, there was the usual period of re-adjustment, but we remain close friends and visit one another regularly with our new respective partners.

After the relationship ended, I was single for about 2 years before getting involved with someone else. My current partner and I have now been together for almost five years.

Here's the thing: I continuously have dreams involving my former partner. Sometimes we are just doing stuff together, other times it's a dream where it is slowly becoming apparent to me that she is breaking up with me (which was the case in real life – she was the active agent in bringing the relationship to an end).

Neither of us harbor feelings of getting back together. We understand one another on a very deep level, and that's what has enabled us to stay close friends. But we have fundamentally different views about some things, and that was what ultimately brought the relationship to an end.

I'm – for lack of a better term – a Jungian in terms things like dream analysis and the subconscious. My ex-partner in question is a clinical psychologist, so I have some knowledge of psychology; I've done extensive CBT in coping with an anxiety disorder (not sure how that may factor, or if at all, but thought I'd mention it). I have for a long time been actively involved in processes of self-realisation.

I know that these dreams mean something, perhaps archetypically, though it feels like I'm being hampered in discovering what in some way. The likelihood is that there may be aspects of myself I see in her that I'm unable to resolve for some reason. But it's come to the point where I'm really starting to get frustrated with trying to connect to this part of my subconscious and establishing a point of investigating this further.

I'm not looking for some kind of diagnosis; I'm simply keen on hearing any feedback/recommendations (including for reading material) that you may think I might find useful. I guess I would call myself a spiritual individual (I like to refer to myself as a 'scientific mystic'). Oh, and I'm a gay girl, if that means anything (so yes, all my relationships have been with women, just to clarify).

How to download text of Facebook posts and comments from a fan page

trbrts — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:34:30 GMT

Mefites, can you help me come up with a quick and dirty way to download the text of all the comments and posts from a given Facebook Fan page? I'm trying to do a word cloud visualization of our Facebook presence. Thanks.

How do insurance companies test for tobacco use?

deliciae — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:14:07 GMT

Someone asked me this this morning, and I have no idea so I thought I would throw it out to the green.

I was asked: "In every insurance application I have ever filled out, there is a question about cigarette smoking, and smokers are charged higher rates to reflect the higher rates of related health issues. How do insurance companies test for smoking? I am sure insurance companies have ways to figure out if you've lied on the application so they can find a reason to deny your claims, but what are they? Are there ways to get around the test results as there are with marijuana tests?"

For the record I am not encouraging anyone to smoke, or to commit insurance fraud by lying about smoking - I am wondering about this because I have never thought of it myself before today.

Thanks!

Big data meets big city

carbide — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:02:49 GMT

Can you recommend nerdy things (papers, sites, podcasts, books, articles, whatever) about spatial and urban data, and things people are doing with them?

I'm really interesting in getting into data analysis of urban systems, and I'd love to read and learn about what's new and interesting in the area. Are there any particularly good blogs I should be following, or Twitter accounts, or any research that would be good to jump into?

I'd really love to read things that aren't trend pieces, but other than that, nothing's too obvious or too nerdy. Thank you!

What method should I use to recreate a small wooden horse tail?

thorny — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:48:47 GMT

I have these antique wooden horses, some of which are completely missing their tails due to breaking off and subsequent loss. I would like to recreate 4 extra tails using some method but am getting overwhelmed by the possibilities. I am not afraid to try creating a mold then casting them somehow, but I would like this to be easy and cost effective (<$30 total) since I only need to do 4. I am doing this purely for aesthetic reasons and the material does not have to be terribly durable and Obviously I do not expect this to be wooden. The tails are approximately 2" x 1" and are originally wood, painted black.

Thinking of Joining the Navy Reserves: What Do I Need to Know

entropicamericana — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:43:35 GMT

I'm 39. I'm thinking of joining the U.S. Navy Reserves. I'd like to go in as an officer if possible. The cut-off age is also 39, so I only have so much time to make this happen. What do I need to know before I sign on the line which is dotted? Are there any websites you'd recommend so I can go in forewarned with as much knowledge as possible? Any anecdotes anyone can share? Any information at all?

Name that pre-teen book!

hmo — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:38:03 GMT

I read this sometime in the 80s. It was a chapter book, just shy of YA. And it's title was something like "The 45th Thing I Love About Amelia" or "The 45th Best Thing I Love About Anastasia" (wrong number, wrong name). Oh, and at the end, the mom opens a closet door and there's a dead dog inside or something.

I think it was first person, told from the title character. It was primarily about a girl, her family and friends. Throughout the story, her mother (and possibly other characters?) list off things they love about her or something similar, which is where the title comes from.

A pet or some animal dies, and some of the characters hide the body in the closet. At the end of the book, the mom is saying something like, "the 85th thing I love about you is that you BLAH BLAH BLAH" as she is opening the closet door to investigate the smell that has been growing in the last half of the book, and then BAM -- book ends.

iPhone4 + GmailContacs = Wrong Contact Photo. HALP!

Fuzzy Dog — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:33:16 GMT

I have an iPhone4, running iOS 5.1.1. From day one it has always pulled the Contacts from my gmail account via the "Exchange" option and has worked flawlessly...untill now...

Now some contacts have a the contact photo of someone else and because of synching, the photos are ending up in my gmail contacts.

Long ago, before I has an iPhone, but had an iTouch, I enabled the connection for contacts to pull their photo from Facebook. But in the latest FB app there is no way to turn it off.

So how do I get the right contact to show the right photo...if not possible how do I remove all the contact photos?

Please do not suggest upgrading to iOS 6, as it is not an option.

Thanks for your help and ideas.

Can I get a prescription from my doctor for a urine drug test?

Anonymous — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:29:41 GMT

Can I get a prescription from my doctor for a urine drug test? I quit smoking marijuana ~25 days ago. Before quitting I smoked once or twice everyday. I ordered some dipstick drug test off the internet and started testing my urine after 5 days of not smoking. About 7 days ago the tests started coming up negative. I'd like to get this confirmed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Can I ask my primary care physician for a prescription for one? If I do, will he get the results and report them to my insurance company?

I quit because I was begining an employment search and was concerned I would be asked to do a pre-employment drug screening, which it turned I was not. I read a lot of conflicting things on the internet about how long it takes THC metabolites to leave your body. Now I'm just really interested in finding out how long it took those metabolites to leave my body, down to how man ng/L I'm at.

North Austin/Pflugerville doctor recommendations

OnTheLastCastle — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:49:20 GMT

Primary care physician and an eye doctor are both needed. I live just north of Howard street in south Pflugerville so a good doctor by there would be great. If you know they take United Healthcare Insurance that's even better!

Becoming Mr & Mrs Fish when we're split between two continents

nerdfish — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:48:29 GMT

Mr Fish popped the question last Friday and we're getting married and ZOMG and oh shit weddings. Only problem is we've put down roots in another country. How did you negotiate getting married when there are 16 hour flights involved?

We're in the Netherlands but are from Australia/Canada. We've lived here for more than three years and have a lot of good friends here. We've only been back to Australia once, and with the exception of family and a couple of very good friends I feel like our ties there have kind of weakened.

So here's my question: where on earth do we get married? My first gut impulse is that I'd be uncomfortable with two ceremonies - it would feel too fake and weird. I'd be glad to elope, but our parents would be devastated, and if we're going to have a wedding I'd prefer to see it as a gift for our friends and family than something totally focused on us (if that makes sense). The only wedding-related decision we've made is that we want to do it next year to allow time to deal with logistics. If you were in this position, how did you handle it? What solution worked for you?

Is there a better type of spreadsheet?

htid — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:40:50 GMT

I'd like to make a spreadsheet, which would include not just text but images and sets of tags, and maybe other interesting fields of information. Is there a better spreadsheet out there which is more flexible and more like a database?

For example, what I'd like to include in a spreadsheet is:

- images, so that as you scroll through, you can see an image (e.g. a thumbnail) in each entry
- tags, so that a single field could contain multiple tags (or multiple of anything) and there'd be an option to search or categorize within those tags.

Excel and Google Docs Spreadsheets (afaik) don't support images, and each field is supposed to basically contain one thing rather than a list. You can use hacks/kludges to make a field act like a list, but it's not straightforward. Or maybe I just don't know how to use Excel well enough.

I'm wondering if there is some kind of software that's a spreadsheet 2.0, that supports different types of information. Maybe something with plugins? Web based / web interface would be nice to have also.

Thanks for any pointers!

What kind of brandy should I get to make brandied cherries?

Nimmie Amee — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:40:31 GMT

It's cherry season, and this year I'd like to make brandied cherries to enjoy all year. All of the recipes I've found say "use a brandy you'd drink" except I don't drink brandy and I felt terribly lost in the liquor store looking at the selections. What kind of brandy is best for this application? Brand/type recommendations would be very much appreciated.

Travel UK on the cheap

lockstitch — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:39:04 GMT

A friend and I are planning a trip this summer for early August to London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. We're looking at flights, hostel stays, and food/entertainment for a 1.5-2 week trip, and hoping to do it somewhat cheaply. All the flights we've found are in the $1700-$1900 range, so that would be most of our budget for the trip, leaving not much left for anything else. (We were originally hoping to spend less than $2500 each) Is there some secret we just don't know? A site for finding the deals? We've looked at travelzoo.com and expedia, but what's the best way to find cheap flights? (is it a travel agent?)

I've seen older questions on here about this, but most of the ones I've dug up are a few years old, and it seems as if a lot has changed since. I know we're going at peak travel season, but it's really the only time that works for us, so we're stuck, datewise!
Any other advice for cheap travel is greatly appreciated. We've both done a study-abroad trip in college, but of course we weren't in charge of planning those and so we feel a bit out of our depth.

Scared of heartache

love2much — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:35:40 GMT

Scared of heartache. A brief background... I was together with someone for 5 years, married for less than a year before I initiated a divorce which was finalized this month.

The person I was with, I look back and realize I should have walked away sooner- I beat myself asking why I stayed so long and got married. I am in a new, better, relationship so I know see how I deserve and am supposed to be treated. He was your typical "bad boy", deep down he had a heart but there was too much toughness to break through. I guess I held onto this hope he would change and be the man I knew he could be... he never did, and ended up being the boy he wanted to be and I caught him cheating on me and getting into drugs. I was raised in an amazing family, have had a wonderful job for 10 years, have taken care of and live on my own for 10 years and overall think I am a pretty good person. I think my self esteem is what allowed me to stay with my ex for so long, I was scared nobody else would love me. I have been working on my confidence and self esteem so it is much easier for me to now see what I need/want/deserve. My current boyfriend is wonderful, and here is where the problem lies. Unfortunatly, we are long distance (military)...he makes me feel like a princess, he drives 5 hrs to see me almost every weekend and I can tell he adores me, we have the same views/goals on life, we enjoy the same things and it almost seems "too good to be true", he treats me with respect and is mature. I'm already falling for this man, we talk about how crazy we are about each other and how much we like each other so I know these feelings are mutual but I'm terrified my fear of being "rejected" or hurt are going to ruin something that could be good.

I step back and in my head I hear this voice than says hes too good for you, this is too good to be true, something has got to give. For so long I was used to being in relationships that had drama, fights, lack of love, etc. How can I even comprehend what a "normal" relationship is supposed to be if I have never experienced one (by the way I am 30 years old). I keep thinking he is too good to be true that he is going to cheat on me, or decide I'm just not good enough, and that I will be devestated. I know I just need to be in the present and enjoy what I have right now. I guess I am just looking for some words of encouragement, or maybe someone who has been through this and how you were able to stop yourself from thinking just because something is good doesn't mean you are going to get hurt again. I don't want to punish a current boyfriend for something an ex did.

Eating well in Europe -- England, France, and Italy edition

Concolora — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:33:33 GMT

It's happening!! Mr. Concolora and I are flying out to London tomorrow to start our three week tenth wedding anniversary European extravanganza and I'm about to pop with excitement. We're going to be in London, Paris, Dijon, Verona, Vicenza, Venice, and Rome and we'd love some recommendations on where to eat. Snowflakes inside!

We have two 'event' dinners planned, one in London and one in Paris. For those we're looking to spend somewhere in the thirty Euro per person range.

For everything else, we'd like to stay reasonably inexpensive while staying away from American style fast food. We love street food, we are incredibly adventurous eaters (offal is totally cool with us), and we actively want to eat local food. We have a small amount of French and Italian in our travelling party, and we're confident that we can pull off ordering , etc in restaurants where little or no English is spoken.

Help us eat well in Europe, AskMeFi!

help with a forgotten quotation (ish)

you must supply a verb — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:15:17 GMT

I read something in the past 5-30 years that had a story about the value of a sacrificial, superficial distraction that was something along the lines of leaving an apple on the dashboard of your car when crossing the border between the US and Canada if you have something bigger to hide. I use the phrase 'apple on the dashboard' from time to time and not only does no one else get the reference, I've forgotten it, too. Anyone?

I remember it being something like - border control dudes will see the apple and it's an easy target and they'll shout at you for that and take it away, and having expended some 'AHA! Found something!' energy on something relatively innocuous they would pass you through without looking for anything else you might be hiding more determinedly. It may well have been part of some incidental conversation in a novel or short story or even a movie - I don't even have a vague memory of the context I read/heard/dreamed it in.

I usually use the idea in terms of collaborative writing, for what it's worth - just having some low-hanging fruit (heh) that someone who likes tinkering can tinker with that I'm not bothered about losing/modifying. I've just been wondering where the hell I got it from and googling 'apple on the dashboard' - even with other keywords - yields what you'd expect. I'm pretty sure I read this and I'm not misremembering a story or advice out of the mouth of an actual live human, but that's always possible.

End-of-budget-year dilemma: too MUCH money

Anonymous — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:11:14 GMT

I have a pretty hefty surplus in my nonprofit project budget this year, and I have been told to spend it all, because otherwise it would go back to the funder. We're talking about $20K. We did our work, we met our goals, we provided what we said we'd provide. It just took less money than anticipated. I feel dirty and guilty about blowing this much money on "stuff" that isn't what we said we'd spend it on. I have never had a budget at all before, much less a surplus, so I may be a little naive about how the (nonprofit?) world works. Can you please give me some thoughts about how to view this in a way that doesn't feel icky? Am I just being silly and this is normal practice? Bonus points if you have suggestions on what to spend it on.

When discussing purchases with leadership, nobody has pressured me to purchase things that would not be beneficial to my program, nor are they suggesting anything hinky as far as I know. But, for example, I'm going to get some new equipment, when we did not budget for it. It doesn't go into any of the other line-item categories easily. Isn't that kind of sketch? I mean, i "need" the equipment and all (though i'm buying top-of-the-line), but it just seems off to me.

I've had to keep things pretty general here, but if it matters, this is a small- to medium-sizeed nonprofit, working in a climate where funding is hard to get, for a progressive cause. It is not directly political, though, and it's money from a private foundation.

Adventures in Med School; Cadaver Edition

BostonTerrier — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:57:31 GMT

I have read this thread. I have two questions: 1. Are there any cultures or traditions that forbid donating one's body to a medical school after death? 2. Where, besides the lovely tribute posted in the link, can I find first-hand accounts of med school students' experiences with donated bodies and cadavers?

You can't go home again

anotheraccount — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:54:10 GMT

For the first time in my adult life, I'm contemplating moving back to my hometown. Have you moved back to your hometown? What was it like?

When I was 17, I left my hometown of Pittsburgh for college in Chicago. I hated Pittsburgh when I lived there - I grew up there in the '90s, when it was still really dark and depressing. I contemplated moving back after I graduated from college, but I ultimately decided that I would have better job opportunities here. Since then, I've settled into a great job, met and moved in with my boyfriend, and made a great circle of friends here. I go back to Pittsburgh a few times a year, but never regretted my decision to come to Chicago.

This past weekend, I took my boyfriend home to visit for the first time. Maybe it was because he was seeing it for the first time, or because I got to spend a lot of time with relatives that I don't often get to see - but I truly loved being there. The city has changed dramatically for the better since I left; cost of living is extremely low and young people are actually sticking around, so the economy is booming and it's become a hip place to be. But more importantly I loved spending time with my family and was struck by how much I had missed. My niece, who was in grade school when I left, is now a teenager. My grandfathers are much older. My sister is now married and they will have children in the next few years. I loved spending time with them and was sad to think about how little I get to see them.

I cried most of the plane ride home. Even when I would take trips back in college, I wouldn't shed more than a few tears on the trip back to Chicago. I was surprised that I had such a strong emotional reaction, but then I realized: maybe being in Pittsburgh is what I really want. Maybe I've been gone too long and I could build a life there that gave me a lot of the great things about my childhood, but let me do my own thing, too.

My boyfriend and I just signed another year-long lease. He was born and raised here and never wants to live anywhere else. And I don't want to jump headfirst into this idea, because I know I may very well change my mind in a few weeks. I'm going back to visit in September (already planned trip, sans boyfriend), so that will be interesting.

How do I even broach this with my boyfriend? Have you moved back to your hometown? Was it everything you thought it would be?

The right bra?

DisreputableDog — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:53:56 GMT

How the hell do I wear a bra with something like this?

I love the look of scoop neck t-shirts (and off the shoulder shirts). However, they always show my bra straps, which is unacceptable for living on a military base. I keep reading advice like "just don't wear a bra" which for my chest size is like saying "just remove the support columns from the Parthenon; it'll be fine!"

I also have short sloping shoulders which everything, bra to skinny purse straps, slip off of so a bra with widely spaced straps might be out of the question. Also, uh, strapless bras feel like they're going to fall down my abdomen, no matter if I get it correctly fitted or fitted tighter (so it digs painfully into my back). Also haven't ever met an undershirt with built-in bra that contains my girls well.

How do non-models wear shirts like this while still keeping the pretty scoop-necked look?

What to do on the Gulf Coast of Alabama?

rhiannonstone — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:44:34 GMT

I'll be spending a few days on the Gulf Coast in lower Alabama in mid-October for a family reunion. Looks like we'll be staying in one of the delightfully cheesy resort condos in either Gulf Shores or Orange Beach. While I plan to spend a lot of time enjoying the gulf and the pool, I know I'll need to get away from that occasionally. So what cool stuff is there to do? The Shrimp Festival is already on the itinerary.

Stuff I'm interested in (I'm aware some of this may be a longshot):

Where to get my morning (and afternoon) coffee
Good food
Good booze (great cocktails, places with craft beer)
Bookshops
Cycling (Know a place that rents decent bikes? Is there actually anywhere to ride?)
Stand-up paddleboarding
Shopping for local goodies
Historical stuff
Sex toy shops and the local kink scene, if it exists
Really anything you think is fun or cool to do or see or eat or buy that isn't on a resort property

Help a longtime Mac user switch to Windows.

hwickline — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:20:45 GMT

I haven't used Windows since the year 2000, but a new job means this longtime Mac user needs to learn how to. A couple specifics related to image editing and task management software plus general words of wisdom/ encouragement requested within.

In addition to the general feeling of at-seaness of starting a demanding new job, I find myself needing to learn a new OS: Windows 7, used in a large institution context, with all the Outlook, help ticketing and other systems stuff that implies. I've always been a Mac person (and in fact was the de facto IT guy for some small teams I've worked on in Mac shops), and find myself fighting decades of muscle memory and maybe even a little prejudice in this switch. So, my questions:

1. One of my first tasks is creating a set of images (photos overlaid with text, nothing too fancy really) that will live on a couple lobby computers as screen savers and be given to a retiring employee on a digital picture frame. On my Mac, I would fire up Keynote, size the slides pixelwise a couple different ways, drop some nice text with a partially opaque background text box on 'em, and call it a day. Here on my Windows 7 machine, I tried PowerPoint (sizes only in inches?), Paint (no transparency on text boxes?), and spent a whole morning banging my head against the problem with unsatisfying results. I don't know Photoshop, and can't believe I really need it to do what I want to do. What software would you use to complete this (really, terribly simple) task on a PC?

2. I'm a GTD person, and have happily used OmniFocus for the past several years to manage tasks. I'm trying out ThinkingRock right now, but it seems like more than I need (I generally just use projects/ tasks, start and due dates, and contexts) and that added complexity makes for more time-consuming data entry. Also, it's ugly. Do you have a favorite GTD app for Windows? Bonus points for iPhone syncing. Bonus bonus points for full cross platform so I can use it on my home Mac, too.

3. More generally, are there apps it took you a while to find, but now love, when switching from Mac to PC? Are there apps that have no Mac equivalent that you love on your Windows machine? Are there shortcuts (keyboard or otherwise) that you can't live without that you wish someone had told you about right away?

Any help much, much appreciated. Thanks!

Sushi in NH

Raybun — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:01:46 GMT

Who serves good sushi in the Manchester/Nashua/ Salem NH area? My regular places are serving more and more mystery fish (chefs choice?) I need places where I know what I am being served.

I'd like to shimmy if you'd show me how...

Tehhund — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:43:38 GMT

The shims that let our our table slide open for leaves are broken, so the table is split in half. If I could just get these little wooden pieces replaced, our table would be like new! So how do I get them replaced?

Basically, I don't know what kind of business to call. Do I search for carpenters? "Woodworking?" Or is this something I can get at a store? Any advice would be helpful.

Background: our dining room table can expand to fit 2 leaves. Recently, the table was collapsed as small as it could go. Then it was pulled apart with too much force and something could clearly be heard breaking. The tabled ended up falling into two halves - the slides that held it together are no longer attached to each other. The good news is it appears that the slides that held the table together are undamaged, and the only thing that broke were the shims that held the slides together. So my hope is that we could get those replaced and keep using the table. Unfortunately the shims are a seemingly unique shape. I know nothing about woodworking and I don't have any tools for the job (I don't even own a hand saw!), so we would need to have them made, and I don't know where to go or who to contact to have it done. I was told that I could probably get them at Home Depot, but unsurprisingly it turns out these are not a standard size and shape and they didn't have them.

Here are some pictures and a video of the sliding action: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28511449@N06/sets/72157633504543193/. It appears that each side of each "track" has a shim nailed into it to keep it from completely coming apart and each track has a single shim that travels to allow the table to slide (so 3 shims total - 1 attached to each side + 1 travelling).

So help me, AskMe - how can I get these shims made so we can have our table back? It's a pretty nice and otherwise-sturdy table, so we would be willing to pay fairly well to keep this nice table as replacing it with a table of similar quality would be very expensive.

What's good at the Asian grocery?

Admiral Haddock — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:43:26 GMT

There's a giant Korean supermarket not terribly far from where I live (the mega Hmart in Burlington). It's enormous--big enough to have small aisles dedicated to different Asian groceries--a Thai aisle, an Indian aisle, a Japanese aisle, etc. It's far more than I'd ever be able to explore on my own. What items available in a truly excellent Asian supermarket should I seek out? This is pretty much a pan-Asian free-for-all, so if you have a favorite Indonesian mustard, or an unforgettable Cambodian pickle, please share here. Bonus points for sous-vide-able items!

I've always loved supermarkets, and I've been buying stuff from Asian markets since I was a kid, so I'm hoping for recommendations that are more off the beaten path than sriracha or Pocky sticks.

So, for instance, in the Japanese soy sauce aisle--saishikomi-shoyu, dashi-shoyu, etc. Which of the different types should I seek out? What of the many different fermented bean pastes should I try? Unusual spices?

If you can share a link to a picture, or the name in the original language, or include a phoenetic spelling, that would be great. Generally, most products have only the import label in English, and everything else is in the relevant foreign language.

I keep crying over Ian M Banks dying of cancer.

Mistress — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:50:16 GMT

Never in my life has this happened before, but I keep finding myself in tears of grief over the looming death of Scottish writer Iain M Banks, who is far and away my favourite writer and has terminal cancer. I'm looking for ways of helping to resolve this emotion, by using it as energy to fuel a meaningful response.

I am very fortunate never to have had a family member or close friend die of cancer, so I am a bit adrift and want to make sure I respond well. I also would like advice on what best practices are for this sort of thing with regards to a public figure.

Two or three times I've started to write a brief letter to Mr Banks, thanking him for his books and sharing a few of the ways they have positively affected my life, but this seems presumptious to me because I assume someone with cancer would like to spend that time with family and friends, not replying to, or even reading, a stranger's letter. But perhaps my assumption is wrong; might such a letter be appreciated by Banks and his family?

Another idea I've had is to contribute to a cause he supports, particularly in light of current events in Scottish politics and Banks' recent support of Scottish independence, or to contribute to cancer research. Are there any people or charities coming together to honour Banks in this way?

Many thanks.

Mac/iPhone filter: picture to GPS coordinates, as few steps as possible

chrisinseoul — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:41:19 GMT

I'm a travel blogger - the sort that tries to give *good* directions to places I've traveled. Here in Thailand, there's no easy way of figuring out the address system (the locals barely seem to use them - and the Thai script is admittedly still a mystery)... The solution has been to snap a picture with my iPhone's built-in camera app, with the GPS turned on. The idea is to provide the GPS coordinates and a URL to those coordinates on Google Maps. This captures the place, but then involves loading it onto the computer, matching up features on Picasa's map to Google Maps, then right-clicking the 'What's Here?' to get the coordinates. What I'd love is a website or an app on the iPhone or for the Mac that can look at a picture and display the GPS coordinates - bonus points if it shows the point on Google Maps... Is there anything like that out there? :)

Hurricane/cyclones : history, effects

k5.user — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:12:32 GMT

Historically, in tropical areas, did cyclones/hurricanes wipe villages/huts/people off the face of the earth ?

There was no forecasting hundreds of years ago, so storms were always a surprise. Were pre-Colombian (and even post-) towns/villages in tropical areas (Caribbean) typically destroyed, everyone killed, if they were hit ? (Or pre/early colonial pacific locations)

Population density was probably far lower than modern times, the architecture/engineering were simple/rudimentary (or not ?), so I'd think a storm would wipe everyone/thing out.

(I'm thinking islands, but could see Florida, Yucatan, etc as part of this question as well)

Mac: Mount ejected flash drive without reinserting

Slap*Happy — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:55:10 GMT

I have a nifty little USB thumbdrive that I want to use to make backups of various documents; it will live on the powered hub in my office, as I'll only need to use it in the office. It's something of a pain to unplug and re-insert every day, or every time I need to leave the desk with my laptop. After ejecting, the drive is no loger visible using diskutil on the command line, tho I can see it in the system profiler. Is there a way to have the system recognize the device and mount it whenever the Macbook wakes from sleep? I've got sleepwatcher installed, but I'm not certain how to get the system to recognize the USB device without unplugging it and plugging it back in. Shutting down and restarting the mac every time I want to leave my desk with it is not a viable option, either. I'm running 10.7.5 on a Core i7 15" MBP.

How can I handle unnecessary guilt from coworkers?

daisies — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:54:32 GMT

My job involves many roles, one of which is IT support, at a medium-sized business. Even though this part of my work only takes up about 33% of my working hours, the negativity surrounding it is making my job a living hell.

Most of the time this negative energy is caused by subtle little comments from co-workers that lay blame on me for all their computer-related issues.

The most recent comment, and the one that has bothered me the most to date, came last night via email. It read,

"I just walked all the way to the office to work here tonight and the Microsoft Word file I am working on is not working... *further details of tech issue*. Can you take a look tomorrow?"

Now, this email is perfectly fine except for the little comment about "I just walked all the way to the office...". It seems terribly unprofessional and disrespectful. I feel like she is pouring such negative energy and guilt on me with an unnecessary comment like that. If this were an urgent issue, I could understand the need to communicate how she put in effort to work on a Sunday night and needs an immediate resolution. But if I'm looking at it Monday morning, then why express that?

I am a sensitive person, so I am having trouble dealing with this. Am I taking this comment too personally? What is a professional and tactful way to be able to say, "I didn't appreciate that comment."? or do I need to just let it go and learn how to deal with the negativity in other ways?

Poor Little Old Laptop...

polly_dactyl — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:44:33 GMT

Is my PowerBook G4 officially dead?

My PowerBook G4 (purchased in 2007) spontaneously stopped working this morning. It is a sad day in the 'dactyl house. It's old, it's not worth much money, but it's my favorite out of the laptops I have and it's been my primary machine for six years.

When I open it up, the machine seems to start processing, but the monitor stays black. Then there are three beeps (sounds like a weather alert thing), and then the sleep/indicator light starts to blink. I took the battery out and let it cool down, I tried again and got the exact same thing.

I can accept that it might be dead for good -- I have absolutely gotten my money's worth out of this machine. I'm wondering if the beeps/blinks are a known thing (code?) Later today I can try hooking it up to a monitor but in the mean time I guess I was hoping you smart people might have seen/heard of this before.

There was no trauma, and it was working fine last night. The original battery just died around Christmas and I replaced it. I'm pretty sad right now, even though I knew this day was coming...

Why don't my 100% cotton shirts all feel the same?

TheGuyWhoSucks — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:42:21 GMT

I've a variety of 100% cotton shirts in my closet with a variety of different feelings and textures! How can this be? Some of them are rough and stiff feeling while others are light and soft. I've seen terms such as "thread count", "knit", and "weight" but I don't know how they relate to what I'm wearing. Also those variables don't appear to be listed on the shirt tag anywhere! I often shop online and it'd be nice if I could have some idea of what any given shirt is going to feel like before I order it.

Web to Print Online Software

toocan — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:37:44 GMT

Currently we are using an efi.com solution for out back office print management but are looking to move into offering a web interface so clients can print and build there own products (a web to print solution similar to moo.com) EFI offer a solution however its build on .asp and the layout is very restrictive which suggests it hasnt had much love. Does anyone know of a good web to print solution that can be heavily customised?

How can my mom transfer me a house from her name to my name?

crawltopslow — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:30:30 GMT

My mom and I want to transfer her house to me, her son as cheaply and quickly as possible. We live in Columbus Ohio Franklin county if that helps. I'd prefer not to have to pay a lawyer or whatever but I will if it's necessary to get it done quickly. Having it completed within 10 days would be great, is this possible? and how do we do it? websites, phone numbers, etc. would be helpful!

RENT

emelenjr — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:24:40 GMT

What kind of rights does the owner of a home have when they agree to rent out their home through a rental management company?

People of Metafilter who are lawyers but aren't my lawers and aren't giving me legal advice, I have a question for you.

What kind of rights does the owner of a home have when they agree to rent out their home through a rental management company? This is in Virginia. I've searched and found plenty of information about legal issues relating to tenants and landlords, but nothing specific to this situation, where the property management company doesn't actually own the property being managed.

The renters aren't paying their full rent, and so the property managment company isn't paying the owner the full rent, making it a challenge for the owner to pay the mortgage.

My somewhat self-serving understanding of how the law SHOULD work is that even though the renters might not be able to pay their rent, that shouldn't mean the property management company doesn't have to keep up their end of the bargain. But I'm probably wrong. Educate me!

iPhone 4S case that's easily removable?

Lucinda — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:09:01 GMT

after breaking my iPhone 4S screen twice in a short amount of time, it's obvious I need a new case. But it's never that easy....

Because I have this car stereo (which requires you to put the phone into the dock with its own special case) I need a case that I can take off and put back on quickly, with latches that won't break with repeated use (figure I'll be removing/replacing it at least twice a day).

I was looking at the Otterbox Armor Series, but I've read reviews that the latches are very hard to open. I also looked at the Reflex Series but the screen protector is one that you apply directly to the phone's screen, and I would prefer a case that has a built-in screen.

Car roof rack uses

jillithd — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:43:55 GMT

I have never owned a car roof rack. I would like to own one to haul extra stuff. What are the best uses for a car roof rack? What configurations and additional roof rack accessories will I need to best utilize it?

I have a 2008 Mazda5 that I love. It can haul lots of stuff in the back with the seats down. It also has pre-made notches in the top to accommodate a dealer-specified roof rack. I want to get one! But do I need a basket thing? Or one of those plastic space-pod type containers to go on top? (What goes in those?) Can I fit a bicycle (or two or three?) with one of those space-pod things on top at the same time? Can I put a full cooler up there?

We go camping. Last year, just myself, my husband, and our 60 pound dog went overnight camping and the entire car was packed to the gills. (Minimalism is not our strong suit.) We will be having a baby this summer and there are no plans in the next five years to replace this car. But we will obviously have extra stuff. Possible things we might want to put up on the roof rack: suitcases (or carry-on sized suitcases), tent, inflatable mattress, firewood, cooler, a big plastic bin filled with our dry goods/cooking supplies. Maybe one day: bikes (two adults and one kid)

We also have in the past gone on baseball tailgating road trips with 5 adults and had to give someone else our coolers because there was no room for bags, people, and coolers. Is it completely ridiculous to think of putting a fully loaded cooler on top of my car?

What kind of things can fit into those odd-shaped space-pod type containers? Full suitcases? Or do they only fit squishy soft-sided things like duffel bags?

Like I said, I've never used one of these before so I need a better understanding of what they can and cannot handle.

Books for 30-something researcher suddenly in a management job

mateuslee — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:36:00 GMT

Can you recommend a book for a newly-promoted researcher who isn't used to managing a team?

Hi. I need your insight.

I'm a fellow in my early 30s who works as a psychologist at an AI company. I work with a bunch of hardcore mathematicians and engineers as well as a few folks on the "human side" of the science spectrum.

After a year or so of hard work I recently got promoted. Great. Now I lead a small team of people with diverse backgrounds. Organizationally, I'm all set. I've got a handle on that stuff, thanks to loads of good software out there.

One problem: I don't have the best people skills nor am I a natural leader. Not that I'm shy or introverted or anything, just used to working on my own and letting people do their own thing. Now I see that isn't possible.

There are tons of self-help management guru books out there but so many are soppy gibberish. Can you suggest something that will help me tackle this challenge head-on?

What are your family-style, urban living life hacks?

Quizicalcoatl — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:11:52 GMT

Mrs. Quizicalcoatl and I are finally moving to the Boston area with our 9- and 7-year old. What do we need to know?

Here are some things that might impact what we need to know:

1) We've signed the lease on a small apartment in north Brookline, and we'll be moving in July/August.
2) We'll be within walking distance of the T and will be downsizing to 1 car, which Mrs. Quizicalcoatl will be using to commute to work.
3) The kiddos will be going to public school.
4) I'll be a full time dad for at least the first 6 months to 1 year and, although I may do some part time work after we're settled in, we're thinking that my main occupation will be that of a primary caregiver.
5) There's a laundry room down the hall in our building and a playground across the street.
6) Although we've been taking day trips to Boston for years, we're lifelong suburbanites/ruralites/small-towners.

So, how do we access the best parts of this lifestyle and location and how do we avoid the worst parts? What are the indispensable accoutrements, tips and tricks, and life hacks for the great, big city? If you live in an urban area, what item could you not live without? What pieces of information are you most glad to know? What practical shortcut keeps you safe, healthy, happy, etc.?

Recommendations for binoculars for wildlife viewing?

darsh — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:38:15 GMT

I would like recommendations for a good pair of binoculars, primarily for wildlife viewing. I did look through previous questions , but they focused mostly on use for concerts and birdwatching - the primary users of these live in Kenya, so think game parks and reserves. Price is around the $500 mark, as we only want to buy these once and then use forever, but certainly, if you have strong feelings about any you've used above that range, I want to hear it!

Is anyone familiar with 90 Second Web Builder?

fruitopia — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:30:00 GMT

Has anyone used it or does anyone know anything about its functionality?

Posting this on behalf of my boyfriend. He asks:

"I'm thinking of purchasing a web developing tool called 90 second website builder to create the building blocks for an article selling website. I was wondering if the community had any dealings with it and what they thought of its features and how much depth (development-wise) it has. Also, would anyone know if it was possible for a web developer to modify the created website and add his/her own code easily, or would they need specific knowledge of the builder itself?"

He wants to be able to do the first part of the website by himself (to cut down on some costs) and then hire a website developer to do the hard bits.

Simple word games -- no accessories required

southern_sky — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:28:44 GMT

Occasionally my partner and I will find ourselves with an hour to kill and nothing to do (e.g., we show up too early for a movie). I'm looking for word games that we can play that don't require access to the Internet, paper/pen, more than two people, a game board, or anything other than ourselves.

The only one I know of is the movie title game, where one player names a movie title and the other names another movie that starts with the last letter of that title, and so on. I guess we could do the same game with songs, cities, etc. There's also "I Spy." What other simple word games could we play?

Shoulder pain + yoga = ?

ellieBOA — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:19:25 GMT

I am supposed to be doing a yoga class with my friend on Wednesday, this will be my first one in over a year, and I have some pain in my neck and shoulder at the moment, will this make it worse?

YANMD! I've had some pain in the right side of my neck and shoulder since Friday, and woke up this morning and the pain had travelled down to under the top of my arm. It's not particularly bad pain, and I went for a massage on Saturday which helped. I think it's probably related to posture at my desk and not taking enough breaks.

Should I cancel?

(I've browsed the archives and am working through the advice on posture at a desk etc, my question is specifically about this yoga class.)

Preparing for a major all-changing life event

altolinguistic — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:28:28 GMT

What should I remember to do when preparing for a life event that will take all my time and energy?

The specific event is becoming a parent (I'm expecting my first child in the next few weeks) but I don't want to exclude non-parents from answering - I've found various threads on bulk cooking helpful, for example.

Things I've done so far:
buy stuff for the baby
cook some large meals for the freezer so we don't have to cook much in the first few weeks
change ISP to one with unlimited downloads to allow for new at-home lifestyle
make efforts to sort out household paperwork and finances
stock up on toilet paper, cat food, dishwasher tablets

People who have been new parents or have been through a time when you needed to be organised and ahead of things - what ideas have helped you in these times? What might I be forgetting? Specific recipes, ideas, pointers are very welcome. I currently have plenty of time (assuming the baby stays in there for a while) and varying levels of energy.

How to calm down a hysterical dog?

lipsum — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:50:43 GMT

I'm babysitting a friend's dog (female dog), and she's hysteric. She keeps crying by the door, trying to run away. What are the best ways to calm her down and make her feel more relaxed alone, away from her owner? Thanks MeFi.

What is this sign, located in Venice Beach (I think?)

dubold — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:48:15 GMT

In Michael Palin's "Around the World in 80 Days", there's a shot of a building with an interesting sign. It says "EARTH SPACE SCIENCE ART FACT FICTION FANTASY".

Originally I read it as "ARE FACT FICTION FANTASY" and was really intrigued. After looking again I realized it's actually "ART". Sign is visible at 4:10 here.

The only search results I found related to the movie. Someone else posted a screenshot here.

Anyone know what this place is? The show aired in 1989, and I think it was filmed in the fall of 1988.

Best street musicians in London?

storybored — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:54:19 GMT

I'm in London for a visit and now it's my last week. Yesterday I was down by the BFI Film Centre and there were a couple of amazing street musicians (an accapella trio and a dude named Flaming Moth). On Holborn Friday evening there was a kickass drummer. So where else in London can I find great street musicians?

Will Cure Dengue Fever for Food!

Kid Charlemagne — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:40:33 GMT

So I've spent the past year and a half burning through my severance package as slowly as I could, accomplishing some things, learning some stuff and generally getting my soul back. Now I'm feeling the urge to find a job and do science again, but I'm serious about the do science part. Help me rebuild my resume to get something I can live with.

So I'm an analytical biochemist with ≈20 year of industry experience. While there I was paid very well. Unfortunately, after an extended parade of of mergers, acquisitions and layoffs it really felt like our motto was "There' never time to do it right, but there is always time to do it over!" and that the data I was producing would get hand-waved away by certain project managers. It was pretty soul crushing.

In the last year I've reevaluated my situation and priorities - I've got a really good retirement nest egg built up and I should never need to tolerate that much job dissatisfaction in exchange for mere money ever again. Right now I'm looking at some positions at university research labs, but I think they're seeing me as a guy who is going to bolt the moment a "real" job comes along, when, in fact, I'm a guy who wants to do science and if I never have to argue about how mediocre a validation can be before the FDA throws a yellow flag, I will consider my life well lived. How do I say that in a resume and cover letter?

Secondary question - how do I describe the evolution of my job over two decades through three different corporations. Is there a point in making it clear that I parked in the same parking lot through the whole thing or does it matter?