Captain Noodles

Hi all! Being on the water is my life, and I've always wanted to learn how to fix up outboard (and eventually inboard) engines. Not only to save some money for basic repairs, but also because my ultimate goal is to restore older engines as a hobby someday. Now, I'm a full time graduate student finishing up a PhD, so I don't really have the time (or money) for formal training at a tech college. I guess I was wondering if it was possible to learn at least a bit on the subject in my spare time for now, and how I would start going about doing that? Are there books, online classes, community college classes that don't require full-time student status? I really have no idea about that sorta thing, I'm more of an egghead than a motorhead, but hey, I figured it could give me something to do in my off time and also help me become a bit more well-rounded by putting some basic mechanical skills under my belt.

Hi everyone. I've been being treated for the past few months for panic attacks, general anxiety, and depression. My main medications are a long-term antidepressant and clonazepam for panic attacks, if that's relevant. My mom passed away two days ago after a trying 7 year battle with multiple myeloma. She was the closest person to me in my entire life, and a lot of my anxiety was due in part to her worsening condition. Her passing was sudden and traumatic, she basically bled to death from all over her body, from her eyes, her nose, her nails, her lungs, her stomach. I was with her in the hospital when she passed and I can't get that image out of my head, every time I close my eyes all I see is her in such a horrid state. I've been having debilitating panic attacks and my clonazepam just doesn't seem to help much at all. I know there's no pill for a broken heart, and even if there was, I don't want to interrupt the normal grieving process with medication. But I've never done this before, I've never had to deal with this magnitude of loss and I don't know where to draw the line between normal grieving and mental health problems. So anyways, I didn't know if anyone had any feedback as to whether I should see my doctor. If I should, what sort of timeline should that be (immediately vs waiting a few weeks to see if I improve)?

Hi there! I took the GRE this past week and got an unofficial score at the end of the exam. I was expecting a range, but it gave it as a single number on the new scale. Are these "Unofficial" scores fairly accurate, or are they just rough estimates that are likely to change? Thanks!

I've been on a Flovent schedule of 880mcg to 1760mcg per day for the last three months as prescribed by my doctor. I had a three month supply, and I ran out of medication this past week. Over the last few days, I've had absolutely debilitating anxiety, mood swings, and depression-like symptoms. That's in no way normal for me. Does anyone know if these could be withdrawal symptoms related to high doses of Flovent?

Hi there,

I bought a kegerator a few weeks ago. The fellow I bought it from threw in four empty 1/2 barrel kegs -- Three Molson, one A-B. I don't have any receipt for the kegs, and frankly, I don't want them laying around the house either. Can I still take the kegs back to their distributor without a receipt? The local Miller distributor claims on their website that they can't accept a keg return without a receipt. If I can't return them, what the heck does one do with four empty kegs?

Alright, I know this may be out of category, but this is an emergency question here and YA! Is being difficult on this phone. Think you fellows could help me out on this? Say you're chilling at a party, minding your own business and all that jazz. Suddenly, someone grabs you by the collar, gets all up in your face, and chugs the hell out of a beer. Now you're left standing there, dejected at an otherwise decent party, questioning the importance of your very existence up to this point. What is the best immediate reply to such an act to prevent such an outcome? Thanks all, take it easy.

Hey all,

I just recently found myself in possession of a massive piece of glass. Now, I've got a bit of a problem though -- the front element protrudes too far out to attach a filter Anyways, the lens takes gel inserts in a slot at the rear of the lens. It's an ultra-wide lens, and I know that can cause problems with polarizing. It'll be used for landscapes and I'd love to polarize this hunk of glass.

Any ideas?

Hey there,

I'm looking to lose some serious weight. Right now, I'm a guy that weighs about 225lbs, and my doctor and I agreed that 170lbs would be more reasonable for my stature. I'm in my 20's and looking to get a treadmill. I used to have a Nordic Track treadmill, but that broke after about 6 years of my family's consistent use. I'm a grad student living in an apartment, and I've not much money to spare.

Anyways, I was looking at the Sole F63. I've heard it over and over that you can't find a decent treadmill under $1000, but that doesn't mean much when I don't have more than $1000 to spend. I was originally looking at the Horizon T1201 at Dick's Sporting Goods, but once I hopped on the Sole F63, it just felt more stable and of higher quality. I've read reviews that state the F63 is only good for walking and light jogging, and that it's not suited to running. To be honest, right now I probably won't be running all that often, but as I get in better shape over the next year or two, I'd want a treadmill that can at least pretend to keep up. Don't really need all the fancy programs, speed and incline settings are all I really /need/. A estimate of calories burned would be nice too. I want it to work for at least four years (ie, until I'm out of grad school) without any serious problems. So, anyways, will the F63 suffice? Does anyone have any other recommendations for a treadmill under $1000?

Hey all,

I have a 2001 Yamaha TTR-125L that I inherited as part of an estate. It's been in storage for the last six years, emptied of all the gas but otherwise wrapped up and in a storage unit. It has less than 30 hours of use and is in immaculate condition. By my understanding, it's always been hard to start but would eventually work. Anyways, I have to get this bike sold. I'm using premium gasoline, kick start and the engine won't even fire. Can't manage to work out even a single putter in 80 degrees. A neighbor looked at the bike, threw in a new spark plug, and same deal. Would anyone have any idea as to the problem with the bike, or how to get it in a sellable condition?

Hey there, I was wondering if anyone had experience using the Sigma SD14? I have myself a good collection of M42 glass, and to my knowledge, there is a decent M42 adapter ring for the SA mount. Anyways, I'm not concerned with AF functionality or anything like that, just wondering how it performs otherwise as camera. I've a decent set of Canon/Nikon glass and don't expect this Sigma to replace my Canon as my main DSLR. It'd mainly be used for photographing color as a subject, both in macro and street photography. Infrared photography is also intended. I've read that the SD14 is more like "Slide Film" than most DSLR's, kinda wondering if there's any merit to such a statement? I've seen photos taken with the camera, but only on the LCD, not after having been processed by Sigma's RAW program.

Likewise, I'm aware of its merits as a Near Infrared (NIR) camera. I was wondering if it would make sense to buy a second dust guard for the SD14, remove the IR filter in said dust guard, and then fit it with a wratten 89b gel? I was thinking that would make it easy to just swap out the stock IR-blocking filter with a wratten 89b filter whenever I wanted to use the camera for NIR purposes.

So yeah, my local camera shop is offering me a new SD14 for $300, just wondering if it's worth the cash? I'm interested more in someone who has had actual experience with the camera, I'm well aware of what Pop Photo and other sources have had to say. Thanks in advance!

Hey all, I was wondering if anyone had any input on this. I'm looking for a small, easy-to-carry 35mm SLR that gets out of my way when I'm not using it. It'll be carried with a strap or thrown into a backpack. Don't care about electronics and auto-everything features. I can focus manually with no problem. A reliable meter is important to me, and I plan to shoot slide somewhat regularly. Likewise, I'd definitely consider a decent rangefinder, but I don't have all the cash in the world (ie, no Leica). Brand isn't a major concern.

I'm looking for a relatively small normal prime to go with it. I'd pay extra for glass with good contrast and color. If there's any recommendation for a small profile wide-angle or portrait lens, that'd be appreciated as well. The goal here is to have a decent film system with a small form factor that I can take with me everywhere that I don't take my RB67.

One of my favorite photographic subjects is the people that I meet and greet in my city. Unfortunately, I can be a shy fella at times, and lately I've noticed myself becoming more and more introverted when I go out for a bit of urban photography. While it's entirely legal, I think that photographing someone in public without their prior consent or knowledge is usually predatory and rude -- a few situations being exceptions of course. I like to actually meet people and learn a bit about them, I'm just bad at the whole breaking-the-ice part. Any advice to help me along?

Yeah yeah, if I had $100, I'd make a payment on my car insurance and find some food to put on the table this evening. This is just meant to be a fun little question, kinda curious is all.

If someone gave you $100 that you could spent on any photography equipment in the world, used or new, film or digital, what would you purchase? You can buy multiple items, but your budget is a firm $100. There's no right answer, it's just that so many people focus on the expensive, state-of-the-art cameras and lenses that we never hear about the little things that can make all the difference in the world.

Best answer is subjective -- if there's an outstanding answer, it'll get the 10 points. If not, it'll go to vote.

Hey there, I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with any of these lines of MF cameras? I'm in the market for a MF and I was wondering anyone had any strong opinions either way? Anything to avoid in particular when buying in used but excellent condition? Is the lens system of adequate quality, price, and availability?

I'll mostly be using the camera for plant/botanical (including macro), studio, cityscapes, urban portraiture, and maybe a landscape here for there. Not too concerned with weight -- I'm a male college student with relatively acceptable physical fitness. Price is definitely the main concern, followed by reliability. I'd hope to have it by my next darkroom course in the winter, and I'd have nigh unlimited access to the university's photo lab and scanners.

If you've any information on important jargon for any of these cameras/lenses, that'd be great too.

Thanks for the help! All answers are greatly appreciated, and I'll give 10 points to the best answer!

Just visiting from the YA! photography section over yonder. I've been into photography and 3D illustration for several years, now I'm looking to start dabbling into painting as well. My main reason is that I'd like to put some of my photographic work onto canvas with paint, but I figured that if I was gonna try to learn this, I'd better start from the beginning. Anyways, I'm completely in the dark about painting with acrylics, or for that matter, painting in general. I was wondering if anyone had any advice and/or knew a website or book that could get me on my way towards starting my first few paintings?

I've been thinking lately about the significance of photography and its relation to the viewer, photographer, and scene being photographed, which brings me to the question. What is photography? What does it mean to be a photographer? What is the difference between a photographer and a picture-taker, if any difference exists? As a secondary question, does the modern abundance of cameras affect the quality of today's photography? If so, how?

Wondering if anyone had an opinion on this topic? Of course, answers would be subjective, but if there's any blatantly best answer (yes yes, in my opinion), it'll get 10 points. If not, I'll leave it up to a vote.

I was looking to start making my own gelatin-based dry plates for photography, and I was wondering if anyone had any input or experience with this process? I know it's a virtually dead medium, but I find it quite interesting. With the guides that I've found thus far, the plates are all for 4x5 or larger formats -- is there any theoretical reason as to why a dry plate could not be made for 35mm or 120 medium format film? My plan would be to have glass (1.5mm thickness) cut to a size that would easily fit inside an old 35mm and/or holga camera while still keep the 35mm or 120 format width. I realize that it'll be quite lo-fi because of the smaller format (and the process itself), but is there any other reason it couldn't work?