Ask MetaFilter

My partner, child, and I been strictly social distancing, working remotely and seeing literally nobody except for a few distanced walks with friends in the summer since the pandemic began. Nothing in life interests me anymore. Once this is over, how do I get my love of living back? [more inside]
posted by redlines at 11:00 PM PST - 19 comments

How do I complete a shape made from an extended line in Google Maps? [more inside]
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:19 PM PST - 3 comments

After years of putting it off, I made an appointment to see a doctor about my anxiety this week. What should I say to the doctor? What is it like to see a doctor for anxiety? More questions inside. [more inside]
posted by VirginiaPlain at 6:50 PM PST - 13 comments

This came up in conversation this week and I realized I know very little about it, and would like to know more: The logistics, strategy, and tactics of pre-gunpowder armies. Got a book for me to read? [more inside]
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:38 PM PST - 14 comments

What are the best personal development resources that do not assume a belief in the supernatural - no god(s), no spirits, no invisible "energy," no "woo."
posted by hworth at 4:53 PM PST - 13 comments

...they were too lazy? A couple of decades ago I read about an account of a European traveler to Japan who said that the Japanese would never industrialize or catch up to Europe because the people were lazy and, IIRC, because Zen Buddhism encouraged passivity. I believe (though I'm not 100% sure on this) that it was in the late 1800s or early 1900s. [more inside]
posted by clawsoon at 4:49 PM PST - 6 comments

I didn't wear my leggings for much of this pandemic year because I had sweatpants... and when I went to reorganize my closet, I found that many of my elastic waistbands on both skirts and leggings had "dried out", became kind of crunchy, and disintegrated/entirely lost elasticity. Why? Am I doing something wrong in caring for my clothing, or is this just normal for elastic waistbands? [more inside]
posted by gemutlichkeit at 3:18 PM PST - 10 comments

Considering moving to be closer to older relatives. What are the pluses and minuses to keep in mind? [more inside]
posted by allthethings at 2:42 PM PST - 12 comments

I notice that a lot of the things people seem to be watching on Netflix and Hulu, like Outlander, and The Handmaid's Tale, are about war and political upheaval. I know there is also a lot of binging on funny stuff like Schitts Creek and Jane the Virgin. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind at 1:39 PM PST - 16 comments

I recently bought a Synology NAS to use for storing backups and serving media, but I’m still sitting on lots (& lots, & lots) of unused space (and a smidge of RAM). While I’m very happy with the NAS doing exactly what it’s doing, I’d also like to play with this toy a bit. Do you have a NAS / know a NAS owner that has done something a bit more intense and interesting with their device?
posted by Going To Maine at 12:42 PM PST - 15 comments

The sudden death of my older brother has us in eventual need of a service to clean up a small somewhat messy condo apartment in Toronto. Does anybody have any advice and/or recommended local service? The constraints are that my younger brother and I live in the U.S. and it is only my very elderly parents living near Toronto so we can't really supervise (because of covid border crossing issues) and we don't really want our parents to have to be too involved (covid-19 risk, grief and their own age related frailty).
posted by srboisvert at 12:07 PM PST - 6 comments

It looks like it's time for a new doctor for our ninety-year-old relative. How can we find a good one? We haven't been able to find a gerontologist in the area by web searching. They need to be located in or near Laurel, Maryland, or in Howard County. She has good private health insurance and savings. Maybe we should be open to concierge care, although we hate the unfairness of the whole idea. [more inside]
posted by chromium at 11:56 AM PST - 4 comments

My brother is selling his home in WA State (Kitsap County, if that matters). Home was listed last week at $362k. An offer has come in at $399k, with the buyer using a VA loan. [more inside]
posted by sundrop at 11:46 AM PST - 15 comments

How does one roughly estimate renovation costs when house hunting? [more inside]
posted by wuzandfuzz at 11:38 AM PST - 12 comments

It may be premature and a self-diagnosis, but I believe I've developed agoraphobia/anthrophobia of a sort while on lockdown. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 10:42 AM PST - 14 comments

Years ago I read a webcomic, I probably found it here, it was about nerd who got sucked into a roleplay world and could use his OOC knowledge to be a great strategist or something. More inside. [more inside]
posted by Iteki at 10:26 AM PST - 4 comments

Trying to understand why I am attracted to very unsuitable people and what to do about it. Please don't roast me, I'm looking for real advice while also seeing the humor in the situation. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 9:56 AM PST - 33 comments

About once or twice a week, my internet on my pc will lose connection for about 1-2 minutes. I am on ethernet via a powerline adapter which could be an issue, but the wifi also doesn't work at that time although it is connected to the router with no internet. If I run the diagnostic it says it cannot find the DNS. After a short period, it comes back and works again. I don't think it is a router or service issue because the internet still works on my other devices when this happens. What could be causing this and how can I fix it?
posted by roaring beast at 9:45 AM PST - 8 comments

I am wondering which I should look for first: a new job or a house to buy. [more inside]
posted by furtheryet at 9:26 AM PST - 11 comments

I usually don't make the Seder desserts but this year I have to and I'm blanking. And I have to prep in advance. And I am fussy. [more inside]
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:43 AM PST - 21 comments

I stupidly thought I'd be able to install Proxmox on a Pi4 and virtualise FreePBX/Asterisk and Home Assistant on the same Pi. [more inside]
posted by dance at 6:15 AM PST - 3 comments

I would love to know how to research audiobooks to help me decide which ones to listen to. I subscribe to Audible, and I used to just browse their best-seller and other lists. However, I have hit a wall. I am finding that there is not enough turnover in their lists to browse, so I am no longer finding things that I want to listen to that way. I thus now have a backlog of credits, but I am hungry for something new to listen to. Is there a better way to find audiobooks? I am open to both fiction and nonfiction, but I find that I can only follow "easier" books in audio form. For complex material, I need to be able to reread sections.
posted by mortaddams at 5:45 AM PST - 13 comments

I am considering a job in Chicagoland. Specifically, the office is in one of the North Shore suburbs. My concern is that I lived in the North Shore suburbs of Boston for years and I found them to be a soulless parade of money and consumption, and I never felt at home. [more inside]
posted by Dr_Janeway at 5:15 AM PST - 8 comments

I have Hashimoto's since about 10 years. During the last three years the hormone replacement therapy seems to not work any more: despite ever increasing dosage and taking the meds faithfully, the symptoms persist. Searching various Hashimoto's fora a large number of people describe similar problems and often claim that treating "Adrenal Fatigue" is the answer. [more inside]
posted by 15L06 at 2:45 AM PST - 11 comments

I need to make images for what will either be an Instagram channel or a YouTube channel. [more inside]
posted by ihaveyourfoot at 2:01 AM PST - 14 comments

Exerpt from laer in explanation: "randomly it will boot me out of Steam VR and out of the Oculus Link mode. It will say Disconnected from PC. At this point, I am now back at the main Home Screen." [more inside]
posted by ggp88 at 12:27 AM PST - 3 comments

Having finally started watching Miranda now that it has been adapted for a US audience, I was reminded that Anglican vicars and Catholic priests are stock figures in traditional British sitcoms. That's not true in the US, or at least I'm not aware of them beyond Father Mulcahey in M*A*S*H (who was a fully-formed character). Was there ever a time when clerical characters were part of mainstream American comedy? [more inside]
posted by holgate at 9:22 PM PST - 57 comments

I need to help my child reliably connect to the wifi at his elementary school, in a way that he can do on his own. The network isn't password protected — once connected there is a pop-up window with a captive portal page. On that page there is a link that must be clicked to actually access the internet. The problem is that the captive portal page does not load properly in the pop up, so he can't click anything. At that point the computer thinks it's connected, but he can't access the internet. What can I do? [more inside]
posted by Pork-Chop Express at 7:02 PM PST - 13 comments

I'm going to notify my landlord in NYC that I'll move out in 1 month, at the end of my lease. What are reasonable expectations for apartment showings as they find the next tenants? I'm curious about applicable tenant rights, if any, and how it's worked for you if you've moved/had a tenant move during the pandemic. [more inside]
posted by estlin at 6:49 PM PST - 10 comments

I currently use Google email accounts with Android devices and Thunderbird on Windows 10 machines. I have Dropbox free level. I'm planning to abandon the paid Google emails and Google Drive storage and go to Fastmail, and also upgrade to Dropbox Plus level. Questions within about pros/cons of my proposed approach, and I welcome any other advice or tips. [more inside]
posted by forthright at 5:50 PM PST - 5 comments

The "F" word is not a word that was used in literature during the early 20th century. It was considered outside the pale. Was this kind of prohibition an anomaly in the history of literature? Were there words in e.g. Shakespeare's time that he would not have included in his plays?
posted by storybored at 5:44 PM PST - 8 comments

On my laptop, using Firefox, when I follow an external link from Tumblr, it is prefaced by "https://href.li/?" and the page does not load. Instead it says "Unable to connect Firefox can’t establish a connection to the server at href.li." I get a similar error in Microsoft Edge: "href.li refused to connect." I know the prefix is being added by Tumblr to stop the link from knowing where the referral came from - but why can't these browsers handle that? I don't have this problem on my phone or tablet using Safari.
posted by soelo at 5:31 PM PST - 8 comments

I googled but couldn't find it, is there anywhere to find the percentages of medical school applicants that are black men versus black women?
posted by maxexam at 4:59 PM PST - 6 comments

I'm looking for a short film that premiered on Vimeo somewhere between 2007 and 2015. It was a film that took you through the cycle of a human life, including birth and death, and it was made primarily/entirely of very short stock footage clips collaged together with, as far as I can remember, natural audio. Ring a bell?
posted by fake at 4:26 PM PST - 2 comments

I rent a house. The house has a small apartment downstairs. The apartment is not on separate meters for utilities. All the utilities are in my name & are paid by me. There is nothing about the apartment in the lease. The landlords live out of state & said in an email they would use the apartment for “long weekends” two or three times a year. That has not been the case. [more inside]
posted by Bohemian Sailor at 2:59 PM PST - 16 comments

Sometime last night my 2002 refrigerator, which has always functioned very well since I bought my house in 2006, stopped cooling or freezing my food, though it is still humming along in a very normal sounding way. Please help me figure out a way to get a functional fridge as quickly as possible. Difficulty level: pandemic shopping conditions and below poverty-level income. [more inside]
posted by orange swan at 12:51 PM PST - 20 comments

I have about 75-100 of these refreezable ice packs. I've tried nextdoor, facebook and buynothing, and no one wants more than a few of them. I don't have the patience to give them out a few at a time. Any suggestions about how I can get rid of them, apart from putting them in the trash?
posted by Gorgik at 11:23 AM PST - 17 comments

So I bought a game controller for some fun during the pandemic. PS4 controllers are supposed to be plug-and-play on Macs, no drivers needed. The computer sees the controller connected to USB, but the games don't. What could be wrong? [more inside]
posted by Tom-B at 10:55 AM PST - 14 comments

What's this object used for? I found it while I was cleaning out the kitchen cupboards (yes, it’s come to that). [more inside]
posted by Beverley Westwood at 9:33 AM PST - 7 comments

We got a disappointing yellow-curry fried rice from the Thai place last night - the curry flavor was, for lack of a better term, kind of acrid/bitter and powdery (?). Is there anything I can add when I reheat it that would improve the taste?
posted by Sweetie Darling at 9:26 AM PST - 11 comments

I have a refrigerator and freezer in my garage (to be clear, two separate appliances) that are due to be replaced. I'm looking for simple, no-frills appliances and now that refrigerators are becoming available again I am seeing units that convert between refrigerator and freezer, such as this one. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience concerning these? Are they good at both tasks? Or should I stick with a conventional refrigerator and freezer that are dedicated to their roles? As always, thanks in advance for your help!
posted by TedW at 9:18 AM PST - 4 comments

I'm doing some guerilla gardening on our housing estate, and there are some borders where I'd like to establish some plants that will gradually spread on their own and require no maintenance. [more inside]
posted by snarfois at 8:49 AM PST - 16 comments

I need to print a small (about A5 size) plastic or enamel sign to affix to the railings outside a garden. I have already created the design, which I can supply in PDF format (colour). Google is not my friend. [more inside]
posted by snarfois at 8:29 AM PST - 3 comments

There are hundreds of Android video editors. Hundreds. I'm happy to pay a reasonable sum but not very happy to be locked into an annual subscription model or pay-as-you go access to extra features. Does anyone have any recommendations? [more inside]
posted by srednivashtar at 4:55 AM PST - 2 comments

Need advice on whether I am the asshole here: TL;DR: A friend slept with my boyfriend on a group trip I was also on, other best friends who were on trip now inviting her and I to events, I feel awkward and sad AF. Am I unreasonable? [more inside]
posted by Donna_Martin_Graduates at 12:02 AM PST - 53 comments

My sister (48) was diagnosed with glioblastoma three weeks ago and given 1-2 years. [more inside]
posted by Dragonness at 10:42 PM PST - 19 comments

My mom is ready to retire and wants to rent out part of her house or maybe move somewhere smaller entirely. But that requires downsizing and a bit of deep cleaning, and she has a health condition that limits her energy. What is the job title I should be searching for, and how do I find a good person with that skillset? [more inside]
posted by Spokane at 7:07 PM PST - 9 comments

So over the pandemic I got a new computer and an amazing curved monitor. It fits in my little corner of the room nicely and performs really well. I got a webcam to plug in and everything. But the problem is that it's in the corner of a room with built-in bookshelves all around, including right over the monitor. The only lights are overhead or the huge windows that are exactly opposite my corner of the room. I'm a teacher, and even though we are probably going back to campus I'm still going to be on Zoom a lot, and I want to upgrade my sound and lighting in my little corner. It always look like I'm in a dark room and I want to be more visible. [more inside]
posted by Snowishberlin at 5:14 PM PST - 12 comments

Two years post-surgery, I have developed a long incisional hernia around my umbilicus. Surgeon wants to mesh it, remove my belly button (common site for infection), and stitch me up. Until she gets in there, she won't know where the mesh will actually be attached. She warned of ongoing issues including chronic pain and a need to redo the surgery later. I am after personal experiences of incisional hernia repair, and recovery tips. Can you help? [more inside]
posted by Thella at 4:51 PM PST - 6 comments

When I was dismantling a 3d printer I found the gel in this picture spread over sockets anywhere a cable might vibrate out of its connector. It's very sticky and rubbery. It took some pulling but in the end it separated cleanly from the board surface. Any ideas what it is?
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:04 PM PST - 9 comments

My dad has an iPad mini with a USB connection adapter, into which he has plugged a memory stick (likely FAT32-formatted) with some files backed up from DVDs he owns, obtained via Handbrake. He is running VLC. He can open those files on VLC running his Windows laptop. Is there a way for the iOS version of VLC to access the files from that same memory stick plugged into the iOS device, preferably without copying those files from the stick to the iOS device's storage?
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 2:07 PM PST - 7 comments

I'm interested in harvesting natural clay for a number of projects and have questions about Southern Indiana and geology resources. [more inside]
posted by Tchad at 1:29 PM PST - 7 comments

Is there a name for a song that repeats itself in your head for decades? Not just a catchy earworm that you can’t get out of your head for a couple of hours/days, but a song that crops up whenever your mind is a little bit quiet; the song you always whistle. [more inside]
posted by stillmoving at 12:03 PM PST - 30 comments

I've had chronic iron deficiency for many years, and am scheduled for another round of IV iron starting a week from now. When I get really low it starts to cause anxiety. I was doing fine on the anxiety front but I just had the most godawful 12-day period and lost a ton of blood and it seems to have been the last straw. What can I do about anxiety that's purely physical? Meditation, watching All Creatures Great and Small with my dog on my feet, etc., don't have any effect at all, because it's not actually a mental thing.
posted by HotToddy at 11:51 AM PST - 21 comments

I have 12,000 in very old real estate tax debt that I've so far been unable to deal with. The interest rate is pretty high (the debt started out closer to 3,000), and I've paid a lot into this hole while it keeps increasing. Part of this debt is liened against my house, which is probably worth more in reality but last time I tried to get a home equity loan its value was assessed at $35,000. [more inside]
posted by lgyre at 11:49 AM PST - 4 comments

Years ago, I heard a concert on CBC Radio 2 wherein a presenter analyzed one of Mozart's works. I would love to be able to find it again. Do you know what I might have heard? Is it available online anywhere? [more inside]
posted by TangoCharlie at 11:19 AM PST - 7 comments

Asking for a friend: "Literary friends: does anyone remember a short story about a woman who collected apologies as though they were physically tangible items? I’m positive I read it once but I can’t find it or recall anything else to identify it. Help?"
posted by girlbowler at 10:16 AM PST - 3 comments

I have various heirlooms that have been passed down to me that I am not very interested in keeping (unless you convince me otherwise!) and I need help on figuring out how to best be rid of them (or repurpose them should I keep them). Please help, I'm drowning in stuff I don't want. [more inside]
posted by Sassyfras at 9:56 AM PST - 39 comments

YANMD/YANAD, but I likely won't be able to see a doctor about this for at least a month or two, so I'd like to hear if anyone has had similar experiences. In essence, the only upper body strength building I've done for 8 weeks is push ups (paying attention to keep good form), but when I try and do pull-ups now, I have very severe pain in both elbows. [more inside]
posted by unid41 at 9:15 AM PST - 7 comments

There is a picture of me that comes up when I Google myself that is truly terrible. I really would like to get rid of it, but I don't know what is and is not unreasonable to ask of others in reaching this goal. [more inside]
posted by ThreeSocksToTheWind at 8:42 AM PST - 18 comments

I have invented a thing to sell on the retail/consumer market (see link in my profile) but I don't want to be in the retail business. I want to sell large numbers to large companies who would then sell at retail. How? [more inside]
posted by falsedmitri at 8:22 AM PST - 11 comments

I have read more than once about a study of the perception of media bias in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. In the study, the same media clips were shown to Israelis and Palestinians. Israelis thought the clips were biased in favor of the Palestinians. Palestinians thought those same clips were biased in favor of Israelis. Can you help me find discussions of this study and other related studies? [more inside]
posted by alms at 7:37 AM PST - 3 comments

My in laws just moved, and gave us some stuff. Including a "crepe pan." This pan. [more inside]
posted by dirtdirt at 7:29 AM PST - 13 comments

My friend (F) and I just figured out that another friend (M) was secretly sleeping with both of us AND his now-partner all at the same time. We are hurt and reeling. How do we get past this? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 7:06 AM PST - 23 comments

Basically, I open and sometimes edit a doc for a few minutes in TextEdit and then it announces that I no longer have permission to edit the doc and that it is locked. However, I am the admin account and the doc is not locked when I use 'Get Info'! Googling tells me to delete the .plist file for TextEdit, which are the preferences, and that Apple will just replace those preferences when I restart. However, I can't find a .plist file for TextEdit in Mac OS 10.15! [more inside]
posted by Tchozz at 6:18 AM PST - 8 comments

We are soon moving to a much bigger house (2 bedroom flat to 5 bedroom house) and I am very excited to make it a home! Maybe too excited. I am fantasising about all the things to renovate and organise and furnish and decorate. It is not practical or financially responsible to follow through on all of it at once. Any advice on how to approach and plan this transition? [more inside]
posted by like_neon at 4:20 AM PST - 27 comments

Looking for a mildly controversial question to ask during a ~10 person zoom break-out group that will actually be fun to argue about AND that participants can answer visually with what they're wearing or an item from around their house. Think "would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck?", but with household items (since few people have teeny horses or giant ducks around the house). [more inside]
posted by Jaclyn at 11:05 PM PST - 44 comments

I am interested in hearing about or reading about cultures of illegal gambling businesses in physical places, in the twentieth century, but before the era of the internet. [more inside]
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 9:54 PM PST - 16 comments

Compact, powerful travel camera that is not a canon rebel. [more inside]
posted by firstdaffodils at 8:59 PM PST - 16 comments

William (I had an AskMe about him in December) is at it again. More under the fold. [more inside]
posted by dubious_dude at 6:57 PM PST - 28 comments

Lately I've been missing live music so much, and REALLY GOOD concert videos have been helping to scratch that itch. I'm looking for things filmed in front of actual audiences pre-COVID, available to stream on youtube or streaming services. High-energy preferred. [more inside]
posted by lunasol at 3:34 PM PST - 33 comments

I will be knitting a cover for our electric piano. We want to put a song on it. What song should we choose? We are musical theatre nerds of the Oregon Trail generation, and our current song to beat is Piano Man.
posted by DebetEsse at 1:46 PM PST - 19 comments

I'm trying to work on a little database project using google forms & sheets, but I'm finding that it has limitations in terms of some specific things that I want. I'm pretty tech savvy but I'm no programmer. [more inside]
posted by transient at 1:28 PM PST - 6 comments

We bought a house! It currently under construction and so the sale will not close until later this year. However our offer was subject to financing, so we researched the mortgage offerings from a number of Canadian banks and applied to two. Both provided an approval. One is asking us to sign some documents already and I don't really understand why they need signatures. [more inside]
posted by keep it under cover at 12:50 PM PST - 4 comments

I have been getting spam email for the past couple of weeks, and have never opened it, just deleted it. Today it comes with a new feature, so when I delete it, a half second later it reappears in my inbox, and never shows in my trash. [more inside]
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 12:48 PM PST - 4 comments

I'm currently reading through John Julius Norwich's books and I really enjoy how gossipy and judge-y they are, especially his history of the papacy. What other popular historians/books should I read who have this kind of authorial tone?
posted by josher71 at 12:31 PM PST - 14 comments

Have you ever visited the Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx as a retail customer? What was your experience like? Would you recommend going? Thanks!
posted by DavidNYC at 11:55 AM PST - 2 comments

I've been in physical therapy for pain in both shoulders for about seven months after talking to my Primary Care about persistent issues. Both shoulders were making great improvements until two months ago my right shoulder totally freaked out and I started getting more pain than I've had in over a decade. PT suggested I check in with an orthopedist who ordered MRIs on both shoulders and found issues in both. I have surgery scheduled on Wednesday, which should I get fixed? Lots of details inside. [more inside]
posted by aloiv2 at 11:02 AM PST - 11 comments

What's known about starry.com? [more inside]
posted by brujita at 10:54 AM PST - 12 comments

I've been trying to remember or track down a reference to a blog from the 2000-2010 time frame. It was written from the perspective of a young lady from a well-off but controlling family who was planning an escape attempt. Can you help me scratch this brain itch? [more inside]
posted by Ann Telope at 10:21 AM PST - 2 comments

I am looking for an infographic, or visual representation to help me understand the relative risk of underlying conditions or risk factors as they relate to likelihood of serious Covid cases (hospitalization, death) [more inside]
posted by walkinginsunshine at 10:03 AM PST - 6 comments

I'm in search of novels that scratch a particular itch. These books are typically long, with a meaty, engrossing plot line and a strong sense of place. Something that will absorb and transport me. More elements and examples inside! [more inside]
posted by rabbitbookworm at 9:44 AM PST - 65 comments

How do I discourage someone who gives me a creepy vibe and prevent the situation from escalating? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 9:41 AM PST - 12 comments

Can you help me to find some info about this beautiful ceramic cobalt bowl? [more inside]
posted by leigh1 at 8:46 AM PST - 6 comments

Looking for fun lighting ideas for my newly renovated home office. [more inside]
posted by Xurando at 8:40 AM PST - 5 comments

As many office are, we are working from home - and we may not go back into the office. I have a LOT of paper. I pay the bills for the company, I do bank transfers, credit card payment entry, etc. I know I need to keep this data, but I'd like to minimize the effect it's having on my workspace, since that is also my home. Has anyone done this and have recommendations, or places to figure out best practices? [more inside]
posted by needlegrrl at 8:06 AM PST - 8 comments

For USians: I’m wondering if you have historical short-term capital losses that carryover from prior years, but long-term capital gains for the current year, do those gains have to offset the losses when filing taxes? Or can taxes be paid at the long-term capital gains rate despite the carryover losses?
posted by drpynchon at 6:54 AM PST - 5 comments

What's the best way to make sure the water from my used water dispenser is clean? [more inside]
posted by NoneOfTheAbove at 6:19 AM PST - 6 comments

Can you recommend fiction (bonus points for short stories) that potentially gives off the same (or at least a similar) vibe as Frank Stanford's poetry? [more inside]
posted by dearwassily at 6:06 AM PST - 3 comments

In the UK and considering wooden glasses frames. I have a high prescription for short sightedness and wear glasses full time. I'm concerned about durability and would like some advice from people who have owned wooden glasses themselves. [more inside]
posted by Captain Najork at 1:57 AM PST - 8 comments

Trying to figure out the name of this haunting VHS tape I saw once. No dialogue that I can remember, only music. It followed an imp or sprite, and there were a lot of flowers. Maybe early 90s, maybe Japanese. Hand-drawn 2D animation, Bambi-esque. Have tried and failed to find it repeatedly.
posted by Tick Tock Tourmaline at 12:39 AM PST - 8 comments

I'm looking for full length albums appropriate to use to lull my kids to sleep from a variety of different music styles and genres. I'm not interested in individual songs, just albums that are mellow listening from top to bottom. Any music style welcome and appreciated! [more inside]
posted by potrzebie at 11:31 PM PST - 61 comments

I am very depressed. I can't get over how selfish my parents were to make me deal with this shit. I hate every day and drink every night to deal with it, which ultimately makes everything worse. How did I end up with a problem that wasn't my doing and I'm not allowed to opt out of? [more inside]
posted by uninformative at 10:47 PM PST - 18 comments

My friend's 8 year old daughter is into science and wants to become an astronaut. I would love to find her a book about astronauts, loaded with science that explains how things work, with a female protagonist, appropriate for her age. Alas, "The Calculating Stars" fails on that last item. Any suggestions? (Totally open to other age-appropriate science-y books with heroines as well!)
posted by rednikki at 7:42 PM PST - 9 comments

We need to hire one, quick. Where should we be looking? Surely there must be some writers dedicated to work in this industry... or are we totally wrong and just try to go it ourselves? [more inside]
posted by abuckamoon at 7:29 PM PST - 4 comments

For the last couple of weeks, I've been having large hives forming on my arms and hands. Bilastine prescription helps a bit. YANMD, YANAD, but … what gives? [more inside]
posted by scruss at 5:34 PM PST - 25 comments

English majors, help me out. Which is grammatically correct: 1) Good beer should always be drunk room temperature. 2) Good beer should always be drank room temperature. I’m stumped. Thanks in advance.
posted by ratherbethedevil at 5:29 PM PST - 15 comments

I have a video that has a distracting small object at the top of all the frames. What's the fastest way for me to remove that for the entire video? The object is in the same place and doesn't move.
posted by storybored at 5:13 PM PST - 4 comments

I'm in my early 30s and, embarrassingly, don't have a lot of friends. I don't have much family, either. Over the past few months, I've really thought a lot about my life and what I need to change. I really need to put the effort in to create strong social bonds with people and make new (hopefully long lasting friends), but... I don't know where to begin. Has anyone done this from scratch? [more inside]
posted by VirginiaPlain at 4:41 PM PST - 32 comments

Looking to find the title of a forgotten, but recent, middle grade fantasy book. Read in 2018 by a 9 year old and the memorable details are: [more inside]
posted by cocoagirl at 4:39 PM PST - 3 comments

For reasons, I'm making breakfast for a dozen people over the next week and I am obligated to use as many lemons as possible. Please give me your best breakfast dishes that require lemons: the more, the better.
posted by jeremias at 4:24 PM PST - 20 comments

I have a 10 year old sectional couch, and the claw damage from the car has gotten to be too unsightly. It’s time to reupholster! Last time, I got upholstery from Knoll because I trusted them to be long lasting and relatively stain resistant. I’ve ordered some samples from them but I wonder where else I should be looking. [more inside]
posted by wowenthusiast at 3:25 PM PST - 6 comments

I've always been identified along a similar range (I'm 33 now): quiet, shy, introverted, reserved. Since at least middle school, I've noticed people who are gregarious, charismatic, and assertive, and envied them their (apparent) ease in life, knowing that that's not how I function. For the most part, I've grown out of it being an issue. However, I notice that it still comes up in the working world.  [more inside]
posted by thoughtful_ravioli at 3:12 PM PST - 10 comments

Does someone have a suggestion for shipping a couple of *flat* movie posters from Toronto to Victoria, B.C.? I was hoping to pay up to $200*, but I understand that hoping is often forlorn. [more inside]
posted by not_that_epiphanius at 1:44 PM PST - 9 comments

I've got an image here (it's a company logo) and it would be ideal if I could "somehow?" turn it into an animated spinner. How can I do this given I have incredibly limited artistic skill? [more inside]
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 1:20 PM PST - 5 comments

A bit back, I stumbled down a wikipedia hole of mythological solstice narratives, and one from a linked citation page stuck out: Every year, the wolf of winter chases the spring/sun/dawn maiden, getting closer and closer. The wolf finally starts to swallow the maiden on the fall equinox; the winter solstice is when the spear of the spring/sun/dawn maiden finally starts to pierce the wolf's belly and the vernal equinox is when she's fully out again. I believe it was of Slavic or Baltic origin. There are a lot of similar stories, but this one stuck out and I want to track down the origin and the mythology site I found it on. More on the specific details inside — I've already reread a lot of the Wikipedia pages that I was skimming, but haven't found the exact story again. [more inside]
posted by klangklangston at 1:13 PM PST - 0 comments

An acquaintance of mine, let's call him Kyle, has someone who is semi-publicly accusing him of sexual assault (no idea if it's valid or not), and more problematically has tried to extort him for several thousand dollars. Kyle says he has attempted to talk to the person and even start a restorative justice process without much success. This is a person he dated for about 2 years. The question is how hard to push back and in what ways, especially if Kyle decides to run for a highly visible public office in the future. [more inside]
posted by Questolicious at 1:09 PM PST - 24 comments

I am a complete novice at this, where can I find a nestbox suitable for an American Robin, that is crow proof? It's heartbreaking how the robins build nests every year and the crows eat their eggs (the crows around here have plenty of food sources without that). Help me find something that will work, preferably that I can buy already made, but I can do some work on it if I have to. Thanks!
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 12:21 PM PST - 5 comments

What is the current state-of-the-art for creating (and potentially hosting) a searchable, browsable digital archive of a defunct print magazine? Is there automated OCR software? Is there open source software for creating flipbooks out of hundreds of folders of images/PDFs? [more inside]
posted by EL-O-ESS at 12:11 PM PST - 4 comments

One of my work friends is heading to Poland, this weekend, to try to find a facility that can care for his mother. She just had a brain tumor removed and, currently, the prognosis is grey. Whether she can regain speech or motor skills remain to be seen. He is unsure of many elements regarding how this works but moreover, how this will work in Poland. [more inside]
posted by zerobyproxy at 11:01 AM PST - 2 comments

Here are some pics. This was an older part of the plant and the leaves were always pale. The brown stem is firm, not soft or mushy, and has moisture inside when I snapped it in two). I water infrequently, always let the soil dry out between watering, and rarely fertilize (and never in winter). I repotted it into a slightly larger pot last year and moved it into brighter light for the winter, and the rest of the plant looks great. TIA!
posted by Majorita at 10:25 AM PST - 3 comments

A couple of years ago, Trader Joe's was offering a loose leaf Earl Grey tea that I really liked, they discontinued it, and I then switched over to their bagged Earl Grey. It is not so good. Can you recommend a good quality, loose leaf Earl Grey? I am willing to entertain all price points, as long as I don't have to order it from overseas, as sometimes seems to be the case. I am in the U.S.
posted by nanook at 10:06 AM PST - 36 comments

I am an American software engineer actively applying for employment in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Germany. Years of work experience in the US (specifically California) have given me a decent layman's understanding of the expectations for software industry employment agreements there. It looks like employment agreements in my European target countries are structured pretty differently, e.g., with probationary periods. What should I keep in mind when assessing these contracts? What should I watch out for? What country-specific issues should I be aware of?
posted by 4rtemis at 9:35 AM PST - 4 comments

I'm reading "A Poem for Every Night of the Year", edited by Allie Esiri with my kids. What are some other similarly-constructed daily devotional readings that I could add to my habit. I'm athe-agnostic, so secular-ish would be preferred.
posted by po822000 at 8:30 AM PST - 10 comments

A colleague has lost access to his iCloud account, rendering his phone useless. What are our options? [more inside]
posted by chara at 8:09 AM PST - 8 comments

I am temporarily using a Surface Pro 4 laptop which has one mini display portand one USB-A port. I'd like to connect an external monitor, keyboard, mouse and hard drive. What's the best thing to buy? Searches for this are full of USB-C docks, which don't help me. [more inside]
posted by medusa at 7:53 AM PST - 5 comments

All the instructions I’ve found include eventually taking whatever scraps you gather to an outdoor composting bin. Is there a way to avoid this step? [more inside]
posted by girlmightlive at 7:40 AM PST - 18 comments

My BMI technically allows me to get the vaccine now, but should I? [more inside]
posted by greta simone at 7:39 AM PST - 47 comments

Looking for the most south point for a temperate summer. [more inside]
posted by raisingsand at 7:16 AM PST - 4 comments

How can I capture good quality images and video while walking through an empty house? [more inside]
posted by diode at 6:17 AM PST - 5 comments

Looking to hear about people's experiences using online banking apps aimed at teens. [more inside]
posted by Orlop at 5:24 AM PST - 3 comments

I've been dating my boyfriend for five months. It's been lovely, and I've felt very secure in his feelings and close to him. But the past month has felt very disconnected due to external pressures and a ridiculous amount of stuff going wrong, and he seems to be backtracking on things he has said. I'm now feel like the rug has been pulled from beneath my feet and wondering what to do about it. [more inside]
posted by flimflamflop at 5:24 AM PST - 41 comments

Help! I’ve had a headache for 6 days. I’m being treated for migraine(?) and a bulging disc in my cervical spine (C5,c6). I have an appointment tonight with the spine doctor and want to know if it’s possible for a nerve block to show whether my pain (at this time) is cervicogenic or migraine. I plan to talk to him but I’m in Germany and language is a tiny bit of an issue so I just want to know if this is practiced before I ask! Thank you in advance.
posted by pairofshades at 4:56 AM PST - 8 comments

I was on FB on my Mac laptop. Some dialog box asked me to download something "new" - a messenger for Mac. Please let this extremely non-FB-messenger user know what I did and/or what I should do. [more inside]
posted by nantucket at 4:03 AM PST - 9 comments

Now that Nat Sherman has ceased operations, I want to find a cigarette to replace it. Shermans were great in that they went out if ignored, and I wanted only a few of them every week. Has anyone else found a good substitute?
posted by goofyfoot at 12:43 AM PST - 9 comments

How to ’notarize’ a gift from UK parent to USA citizen (and an AUS citizen) for US tax purposes. USA citizen has power of attorney over UK parent’s account - does not want to expose the UK account to US tax liability or themselves to IRS problems. Tax advisor/accountant recommendation wanted. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 10:39 PM PST - 4 comments

I would like to continue watching Outlander but only if I can skip the violence. I just can't take it. Someone told me there's an episode guide that will tell you the exact times in each episode to skip, but I can't find anything like that. Can you?
posted by HotToddy at 9:58 PM PST - 2 comments

On the internet, long ago (more than 5 years ago), there was a website hosting a script that would alter the beat of any song you uploaded. It would automatically add syncopation. There were several examples to listen to, and there was at least the source code available, and maybe a web version. Has anyone got any idea what I'm talking about?
posted by 4th number at 8:53 PM PST - 6 comments

I was adopted in the 70s. Closed adoption. I have now my original birth certificate (with my birth mother and father's name and my given name and where I was born) as well as the birth certificate that became my official certificate after I was adopted. The dates are weird, though, anyone have knowledge of this kind of thing? [more inside]
posted by amanda at 7:43 PM PST - 10 comments

I have had persistent ball of foot pain in the joint of my second toe for the past two months. After trying almost all the more conservative treatments, I'm wondering if there's anything else I can try that isn't surgery. Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by dean_deen at 7:08 PM PST - 13 comments

We're talking 1000+ discs, unsealed but in pristine condition. There are American and contemporary composers in the lot as well. I would like them to go where they would be useful, but don't have any real preferences beyond that. Ideas? Specific leads?
posted by DrGail at 6:15 PM PST - 15 comments

I am looking for a hand tool to cut an enlargened chamber into the central portion of a piece of material that is cylindrical. [more inside]
posted by alhadro at 4:39 PM PST - 6 comments

So I'm well acquainted with the apartment hunt process, but as I plan to move into a new place with a long-term friend, every place seems a few red flags away from perfect. What are your tricks for finding the perfect apartment for you? [more inside]
posted by LSK at 4:20 PM PST - 17 comments

Backstory: Nearly 4 years ago, I severely pinched my left thumb between two boards when I was cutting them with a chop saw. It hurt like Hell, but nothing was broken, except the nail which was split midway between the base and tip across the entire width. The base part of the nail was slightly embedded, and the rest of it eventually detached over time. I kind of forgot about it except that I think I have some permanent nerve damage as the tip is slightly numb to the touch, but it really doesn't bother me pain wise. [more inside]
posted by lobstah at 3:56 PM PST - 5 comments

So in 2014 I asked you for ideas about a new direction to take my career in. The good news: I got a new job, I'm still at that company, and I really like it. But I'm now thinking longer-term about the future, I'm finding the limits of how much I can scope and define my role, and I'm ideating about where I want to be five years on. Maybe you can help? [more inside]
posted by robot cat at 3:32 PM PST - 7 comments

I just transplanted a small (7 foot tall) but very mature (30-40 year old) meyer lemon tree in southern California It moved from poor soil to very nice soil and was out of the ground 30 minutes. What can I do to increase its chance of surviving?
posted by arnicae at 3:15 PM PST - 4 comments

How do I connect a MacBook Pro (2017) to be a second monitor for a 2020 M1 Mac Mini? I would like to be able to use the camera and mic for videoconferencing and use the MacBook Pro display as a second monitor. Thanks!
posted by zepheria at 2:53 PM PST - 5 comments

Discovered in an antique store in Montana, its use is eluding us. [more inside]
posted by ikahime at 2:29 PM PST - 14 comments

I have 5 ounces of Romano cheese that I need recipes for. The more cheese in the recipe, the better. I just threw out another container, because it was expired. The only recipe I have that uses this cheese uses only a little. No eggs, please. And we aren't wild about peas or mushrooms, either.
posted by NotLost at 2:18 PM PST - 22 comments

Can you help review some ideas I have? Should I put a loveseat next to my table? What about paint - is cranberry a good idea or too nineties? Do you have any design blog or links to help? Victorian home with lovely bones and I like MCM, vintage and boho style. [more inside]
posted by areaperson at 1:54 PM PST - 4 comments

Several times in my life when I've been working or exercising in the heat (or even the cold!) I push myself too hard and my body retaliates. No pain no gain, but when should I worry? [more inside]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 1:54 PM PST - 7 comments

We’ve got these great napkins (two pics). They are 100% cotton and woven (herringbone?). They have a wonderful weight to them. We’ve had them for 8 or 9 years and I cannot find napkins like them anymore. I would also love a tablecloth like this! Why can’t I friggin find this?? [more inside]
posted by ancient star at 12:24 PM PST - 6 comments

Looking for examples of less obvious but desired movie props; stuff you can't readily buy a reproduction of, but a die hard fan would recognize. [more inside]
posted by Unsomnambulist at 11:13 AM PST - 33 comments

Where and when do they happen? I’d love some personal examples and anecdotes please. This is research for a story I’m writing. Thank you!
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 10:49 AM PST - 29 comments

Shepherd and I may have done too good a job in providing our new girls (here) with a safe space for acclimating to their new home. How to encourage them to be brave? [more inside]
posted by Kitteh at 9:01 AM PST - 19 comments

Whenever I open Windows explorer to save a document, Windows automatically goes to whatever folder in Explorer that my cursor happens to be hovered over, which not infrequently results in me saving the document in the wrong place. Is there a way to fix this? [more inside]
posted by knownfossils at 8:55 AM PST - 8 comments

Do expensive blow dryers offer a significant advantage over cheaper ones? Is the difference still significant if I diffuse my hair primarily? For expensive, I’d say in the $100-200 range - I’m not considering anything more than that. For cheap, anything in the $30 and above range. I have very thick, dense curly hair.
posted by Aranquis at 8:37 AM PST - 15 comments

Extremely persnickety, some might even say crotchety, request inside for the cookie recipe I seek and the ones that I do not want. [more inside]
posted by daisyace at 8:27 AM PST - 15 comments

Please help - this is a nightmare. I want to use QuickTime on my MacBook Pro to record some video sessions using my iPhone rear-facing camera instead of the crappy laptop camera. QuickTime is recording *what's showing on my iPhone screen*. Pic inside. [more inside]
posted by tzikeh at 8:05 AM PST - 8 comments

I'm considering acquiring some flavour of small pet, most likely rats, rabbits or guinea pigs. I'm having trouble choosing between those different species, and most of the internet-at-large advice is geared towards which of those pets will be best for people with young kids, which is not and will never be a concern for me. Rat, rabbit & guinea pig owning adults of AskMe, what has your experience with these kinds of pets been like? [more inside]
posted by terretu at 7:26 AM PST - 41 comments

How do people become family law attorneys? I have a young person in my life who wants to become a family law attorney so she can help families in difficult times. She wants advice on how to do this. She is from a poor and underserved area in South Carolina - low high school graduation rates, limited access to college counselors and college prep. I don't know jack about law school except that the student loans can kill you. [more inside]
posted by congen at 6:48 AM PST - 23 comments

I'd like to set an alarm after a period (such as 20 minutes) to know when to begin coming out of a meditation. It's extremely disruptive to have an alarm sound continuously loop and have to actively turn it off... I'd like a single soft tick or similar short sound to play once at the end of a set time and not require any further input from me. Are there any free alarm clock iOS apps or websites structured like that?
posted by Spacelegoman at 6:29 AM PST - 9 comments

I need to buy a new MacBook Pro next week. How do I sell it in a few months when the new 2021 MacBook Pro models come out? [more inside]
posted by zooropa at 5:39 AM PST - 15 comments

I meant to delete one message but accidentally deleted my entire convo history (thousands of messages) with a close friend. Can I get them back? [more inside]
posted by nouvelle-personne at 5:11 AM PST - 3 comments

I've tried various software (it seems) for doing this. I'm finding it either can't be scheduled or it doesn't work with Windows XP. I think AutoHotKey could do it but I can't wrap my head around how to use it. Basically we have an old Windows box which is solely and simply used for displaying (in VLC) the output of two IP cameras on the screen. [more inside]
posted by dance at 2:17 AM PST - 8 comments

I love reading low-stakes memoirs, like celebrity ones (Rue McClanahan's is a great example!) and funny and/or quirky life stories (Wendy McClure, David Sedaris etc), but I'm trying to read outside of the American bubble. Please recommend something that no one has blurbed as "exquisitely heartbreaking".
posted by Gin and Broadband at 12:20 AM PST - 27 comments

I'm thinking of a line from a movie I can't remember, can you help? [more inside]
posted by Balthamos at 12:06 AM PST - 2 comments

Does anyone have any recommendations for an All-in-one color laser printer with scanner for a Mac? [more inside]
posted by FlatHill at 12:00 AM PST - 4 comments

Lots of people we know love Wynona Earp, so we gave it a try. On paper it seems like exactly our thing, but we're three episodes in and it's just not doing it for us. Does the show take a little while to find its groove, or should it have clicked with us by now if we were going to like it?
posted by rednikki at 11:36 PM PST - 5 comments

How concerned should I be with phytic acid in grains and nuts, and if I should be concerned, how should I prep food for it? Please link to reputable references if possible! [more inside]
posted by facehugger at 8:06 PM PST - 4 comments

A job is covering a good amount of the cost of a very fancy counter-height office chair, but due to some mixups it won't be arriving for quite a while. In the meantime, they've instructed me to pick out a counter-height chair from Amazon, and they'll pay to have it shipped out to me. This is so generous of them, but I'm having trouble navigating Amazon's vast wasteland of choices with varying and difficult to determine quality levels. Any advice? [more inside]
posted by nobody at 7:59 PM PST - 5 comments

This is a ridiculous question but here goes: I have 12 very large charts, currently rolled up in tubes, that I need to flatten out and closely examine over a period of several weeks. What can I use to weigh them all down? [more inside]
posted by Susan PG at 7:50 PM PST - 28 comments

I have a dust mite allergy, and have been using a corticosteroid nasal spray (fluticasone furoate) for many years. I have a very unfounded worry that long term use of such nasal sprays might be bad for me, like say leading to nose cancers due to the constant application of a medication to the nose. I googled around a bit but didn't find anything definitive. Am I just being silly?
posted by destrius at 6:26 PM PST - 6 comments

Where in New England can we go look at vacuums, buy one, and have a decent return policy? [more inside]
posted by wenestvedt at 6:05 PM PST - 12 comments

I applied for an internal position and got it but my transition has been contingent on back-filling my role. It's been almost 18 months with no end in sight. Am I being unreasonable to think that this is ridiculous? How can I approach management about a solution? [more inside]
posted by eatcake at 3:56 PM PST - 20 comments

I can't think of the name of a particular movie, but I remember the box the VHS tape came in. [more inside]
posted by pdb at 3:05 PM PST - 5 comments

Who can I safely reach out to to make contact with Angry Yelling Guy in my NYC neighborhood? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 2:02 PM PST - 20 comments

On a 2019 trip to Germany, my wife found antacids that really, really work for her. Since then, we've been importing rather marked-up packages from the Balkans. Is there a good reason why Bayer sells hydrotalcite everywhere but here in the USA? [more inside]
posted by jackbishop at 1:51 PM PST - 7 comments

YANML, but should be a relatively simple question. I moved and am moving again, back to the original state I lived in last year. Which state/address should I use when filing my taxes? [more inside]
posted by dubious_dude at 1:05 PM PST - 9 comments

After going to three different banquet venues for weddings in NYC area (Long Island, NJ) and stopping by some hotels that are very wedding-focused, I've seen something that is common to all them: purple mood lighting. Is this a NY/NJ thing? A Northeastern US Thing? or something else? I've been to 40 weddings in the South and Midwest and have never seen this color (though mind you, most of these have not been at banquet venues) If it is, why??
posted by sandmanwv at 11:56 AM PST - 10 comments

I've already called my credit card company and the card is cancelled, but I'm trying to understand the motivation for these small recurring fraudulent credit card charges. [more inside]
posted by Is It Over Yet? at 11:35 AM PST - 13 comments

In the 90s and early 00s, I used to be able to buy super soft thick foam pillows of a kind that I just can't find anymore. I'm talking a 6" thick foam pillow where my head on it compresses it by a third or more. [more inside]
posted by freyley at 10:52 AM PST - 6 comments

Moving to Philly later this year, looking for possible places to live. Will be on a grad student budget but am willing to spend more on housing (but think: rent a studio, not more than that as finances will still be limited) because I want to live alone and feel safe (and I am a bit of a homebody and also COVID). I heard someone talking about newer constructions being impossibly flimsy and not good places to live, but I have lived in crappy old buildings before and don't really want that. What should I know about the Philly rental market and what is available as I look at places from a distance for now? More deets inside and thank you. [more inside]
posted by dubhemerak3000 at 10:20 AM PST - 11 comments

I'm searching for a good headset for daily zooms. My current headset is working fine, but has no physical mute button. I'd like one. [more inside]
posted by aeighty at 9:56 AM PST - 11 comments

I'm trying to name the main character of a writing project, and can't seem to come up with the kind of name I want. Suggestions? [more inside]
posted by orange swan at 9:43 AM PST - 59 comments

I put a bid on a condo and it was accepted. Yay! The title company sent the condo HOA CCRs and one of the rules is not sitting well with me. [more inside]
posted by BooneTheCowboyToy at 9:22 AM PST - 24 comments

I am a woman in her mid-thirties. Single. No children. I do want to have children with a committed partner but things have gotten in the way and I have made many bad decisions. On the last years, I have been living in a foreign country. I went to that country because I found a job there. I come from a small place and it’s hard to find jobs there so after a period of unemployment, I moved there without thinking much about how life would be there. Throughout the years, I figured out that this country was not the best match for me. The city where I was living is a beautiful city but I didn’t like the weather so much, communicating with locals was hard because of the language barrier. I also found it hard to make friends and thus spent a lot of time alone at home (huge mistake). [more inside]
posted by Fromthesouth at 9:04 AM PST - 14 comments

I have discovered that you can buy wrappers + mold to make homemade onigiri. If I make onigiri with, say, tuna flakes, how long will they last in the fridge? Bonus question: how many onigiri will one cup of rice make?
posted by my log does not judge at 8:44 AM PST - 15 comments

I've been doing a lot of hiking this past year, and I have come to especially appreciate the kind of hike that you can do before lunch and still have time and energy left to do other stuff in the afternoon (work, sightsee, even do another hike). So like, a chill 2-3 hour hike, not too hard. What are your very favorite short hikes in North America? [more inside]
posted by goodbyewaffles at 8:29 AM PST - 21 comments

Asking for my adult kid who just found she needs to relocate to Hartford CT in a four months ... what's Hartford like? Suggested places to live? [more inside]
posted by lpsguy at 8:27 AM PST - 10 comments

The "promotion" that was looming is now postponed, but I have been pushed into a temporary promotion that is far and away from my role, yet still expected to work my current roles. (3 roles for the price of 1!) I've lost the motivation and hope that I want to pursue my boss's role, and now it's wondering if/how to break it to her. [more inside]
posted by buttonedup at 8:20 AM PST - 9 comments

I'd like to install a permanent electric fence to contain horses in a pasture. I realize that it's better to have wood fencing to back up the electric, but electric is what it's going to be for a while. I've been browsing different electric fencing options, and I'm at a loss for how to evaluate them. I need safe, sturdy, and strong--both in terms of ability to carry a meaningful current and to survive New England seasons. But, the different fencing from different companies all look similar to me. Any advice or experience?
posted by Alex Haist at 7:02 AM PST - 8 comments

I am in the USA. A friend in the Netherlands would like a product (actually two related products) which are available here but not there. Is it feasible for me to help her out? [more inside]
posted by jon1270 at 6:17 AM PST - 7 comments

I'm looking for a platform or client that will do a video call but with a chat box on the bottom (not side) of the screen so that the two can be better-integrated, like for example if two people have different access needs and one does better typing while the other does better speaking, or someone wants to switch back and forth between the two. [more inside]
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:44 AM PST - 3 comments

Can anyone point me to writings/reflections on the role, purpose, history, efficacy, of abstaining from drugs (or weed) and alcohol from a Buddhist perspective? [more inside]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:00 AM PST - 11 comments

I received a grant for a dream project, and it involves hiring a few freelancers. The grant wasn't much so the pay is low and might as well be pro bono. But it would be a cool project to list on a resume. One freelancer is really excited about this project and is bringing a lot of ideas to the table. Are they now considered a collaborator? [more inside]
posted by mild deer at 11:07 PM PST - 12 comments

I'm trying to find a This American Life episode about a small town that was economically depressed. One year they put on a show where residents told their stories and it became a yearly tradition that is now the basis of the town's economy. [more inside]
posted by matildatakesovertheworld at 10:46 PM PST - 2 comments

It was a bit of dark humor about an AI that goes from sentience to murder all of humanity in the span of only a couple of minutes. [more inside]
posted by funkiwan at 10:20 PM PST - 4 comments

A few years ago I read a sci fi short story on a planet with two intelligent species. They’d spend their lives slowly traveling along an endless wall on which centuries of philosophy was carved, and maybe if they were good enough they’d reach the end of the carvings and add their own writings to the wall. One kind of creature would ride on the other kind, which I imagined as snail-like. What the heck was this story? [more inside]
posted by moonmilk at 7:14 PM PST - 3 comments

So yesterday, I did the unthinkable. I accidentally knocked over a large full glass full of beer mixed with Coke (don't question it) that spilled on/near my computer. It had a lid on it, but the lid came off after it hit the ground I presume. The desktop has a mesh top where the air comes out, meaning it has small holes that give access to the inside. [more inside]
posted by ggp88 at 6:47 PM PST - 14 comments

I enjoyed Cabin Pressure and Wooden Overcoats. What else can I listen to? Difficulty level: in US. [more inside]
posted by latkes at 5:49 PM PST - 14 comments

I have been friends with someone for 6.5 years and we met at our university. I quite respect and enjoy this person's company fro time to time, but at times, the friendship can be overwhelmingly negative I find it from the friend's part and I believe I need to end it since it is taking a toll on me. Also, this friend kicked out her roommate because the roommate kept going on several dates (new partners) and it seemed to make my friend upset and jealous, which I thought was harsh. Is it wrong to end a negative friendship if it is not improving? How can I not feel guilty about this? I feel like I will miss this friend in someways and it will make me sad for the next few months or more - does anyone know how to cope with negative friendships ending? [more inside]
posted by RearWindow at 5:25 PM PST - 12 comments

I'm not super adept at coding or the technical side of web development, but I've created a static personal website using Eleventy. I can deploy it with Netifly to something like something.netlify.app, and can create an alias that redirects to that URL, but I'd much rather just host it myself. All of the tutorials I can find, though, seem to assume you are deploying it to Netlify. Help? [more inside]
posted by synecdoche at 4:07 PM PST - 7 comments

I make this beef recipe, with English-cut beef ribs, for special occasions. Sometimes I don’t want beef. Which pork cut would best replace it? Would you make any other modifications?
posted by vunder at 3:37 PM PST - 6 comments

We homeschooled out daughter for K-5 and then decided to enroll her in a public school for 6th. She's been doing virtual (and doing well) since August. Now, because of a loss of employment and an expiring lease, we are required to move from Florida to North Carolina. Has anyone transferred their kid to a new school with only two months left in the school year? How does that even work logistically? I know every state and every situation is different, but the whole public school system is still very new to me after homeschooling her all her life, so any guidance is appreciated.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 2:30 PM PST - 15 comments

This is the best magnified picture I could get, it's stuck on blue painter's tape. It's between 2 and 3 millimeters long. [more inside]
posted by mareli at 2:11 PM PST - 6 comments

I'm thinking of getting a trampoline so I can break up my sedentary workday with a little activity. Looking for testimonials or complaints from anyone who's got one. Wondering how easy it is on the joints. Do you recommend a particular brand? Thanks.
posted by gigondas at 1:55 PM PST - 22 comments

I recently finished a medical proofreading class at University of Chicago and I feel confident enough in my skills to proofread and copy edit thesis papers for medical students. Where should I ho to advertise my services? Is there a Craigslist-type website for med students who need their medical theses proofread?
posted by pxe2000 at 12:50 PM PST - 5 comments

Nearly a year of not wearing office/dress pants as I work remotely has left me with the realization that the few casual pants I do own are unsuitable for sitting for long periods of time, and I'm tired of exclusively wearing sweats. I've seen a few previous Ask Qs that focus on jeans or work pants, but I'd broaden the question to: What are the most comfortable, currently available pants, i.e., non-sweatpants, you can recommend for a man of average height/weight? Thanks.
posted by the sobsister at 12:17 PM PST - 21 comments

The reality of using professional people to help create my musical is settling in. I've already written the book/libretto. An accomplished songwriter/composer I'm working with wants $1500 per song and the 100 minute show has about two dozen songs. I am in the process of working with an attorney to finalize a contract with the songwriter over rights and royalties. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind at 11:38 AM PST - 11 comments

Pretty much as the title says! Young DTMFA is 9 and we think he would love one of the games where you can build roller coasters & amusement parks. It looks like we could get either planet coaster (Ps4) or roller coaster tycoon (Switch). Which should we get? [more inside]
posted by DTMFA at 10:21 AM PST - 6 comments

Inspired by the sun coming out in London today: My all-time favourite T-shirt is falling to bits and likely won't survive another summer. Can you help me replace it? Images of the shirt front: here, a closeup on the cartoon here, and the creator's signature here. [more inside]
posted by Orkney Vole at 10:10 AM PST - 10 comments

There's a story rattling around in my head that I really want to write, but I'm having trouble with the protagonist's motivations. [more inside]
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:06 AM PST - 27 comments

Vaccines prevent severe illness, yay! But...(how to make sense of the numbers?) [more inside]
posted by DMelanogaster at 9:41 AM PST - 18 comments

I have 500+ clients/things, of varying value/importance, each which need to be shepherded through the same ten stages. What is the business/project management term for this type of project, and what are some good ways to visualize progress (in Power BI)?
posted by acidic at 9:18 AM PST - 4 comments

Looking for a song name. Famous song with a sparkly crescendo-y upbeat violin section. It was played in an episode of My Brilliant Friend, and probably a bunch of other recent media. Don’t know how to describe it otherwise, except maybe it’s upbeat and hopeful?
posted by stillmoving at 8:09 AM PST - 3 comments

I am really, really ending my marriage. (I couldn't find that thread from years back where he was tracking my behavior in a notebook, accused me of having BPD, and then made an account here just to defend his actions, so I linked a different one.) Like, really this time, just made our parenting plan and everything. I am excited to explore the wlw side of my personality when the divorce is filed. I need some help exploring this part of my identity so I can effectively navigate that world. [more inside]
posted by crunchy potato at 7:14 AM PST - 13 comments

In a few months I will be returning to college for a two year degree, and I’m about 18 years out of date\practice when it comes to education. What sort of stuff (physical or software) should I pick up before hand? [more inside]
posted by Gygesringtone at 6:59 AM PST - 25 comments

Bureau au premier. This is a sign on the poor hotel door. Why isn't there an article before 'Bureau'? And 'au premier 'means 'a le premier etage',right? Isn't 'etage' necessary here?
posted by mizukko at 1:10 AM PST - 6 comments

What do you know about them? Grants? [more inside]
posted by firstdaffodils at 11:34 PM PST - 6 comments

I'm considering spine surgery (fusion) for cervical myelopathy. If you've had this or know someone who has done this: what was the progression of symptoms like prior to surgery and what was recovery like and how long did it take? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 10:23 PM PST - 6 comments

I've multiple times now sent texts meant for someone else to the (same) wrong person. Most recently somewhat disastrously. Without going into details about why this person always ends up getting my texts, I'd like to text to/from that person with one app and keep all other texts on another. Can I do that? I use an android phone. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 10:23 PM PST - 5 comments

My move has been postponed for Reasons. I thought I could use the year or so's delay to upgrade my living space a little, to make it feel nicer to stay in for the time being and alleviate the disappointment a tad, but also to make it more attractive to future buyers. What are some things I can do to a small apartment to make it feel fresh and inviting? What would you do? My own existing plans beneath the fold. [more inside]
posted by unicorn chaser at 5:55 PM PST - 19 comments

I'm in need of a good therapist who treats Complex PTSD in the Bergen/Hudson/Passaic County area. (Rockland County, NY would work also.) I've attempted to find one via my insurance, Psychology Today listings, Googling, etc., and haven't had any luck. Does anyone have any suggestions?
posted by Four-Eyed Girl at 5:30 PM PST - 4 comments

I am interested in a book of modern canning recipes to add some interest to my usual rotation. What do you recommend? [more inside]
posted by Emmy Rae at 4:49 PM PST - 9 comments

Our neighbors built a fence that encroaches on our property. I'm wondering how much it will cost to move the fence. [more inside]
posted by skewed at 3:36 PM PST - 17 comments

I'm writing a story about women in the 1930's. What are some stereotypically-feminine, friendship/bonding activities which two or more women would have done back then, that aren't specifically focused on men? Looking for activities more in the realm of leisurely intimacy than tedious-chores/housework. For example: plaiting someone's hair, or teaching a friend to dance.
posted by egeanin at 1:19 PM PST - 35 comments

Sometimes I like a little drink before bed to help me wind down and fall asleep. I don't drink much in general though, so I never have, say, an already open bottle of wine, and I kind of find spirits a little much last thing at night, so my current nightcap of choice is Lillet Blanc. What other - I guess, liqueurs? - would make for a not-too-strong night-time wind-down drink?
posted by my log does not judge at 12:42 PM PST - 33 comments

I'm looking for games available on iPhone and Android systems where the main character solves puzzles and explores various settings, ideally creepy ones, but that has minimal combat and certainly no realistic violence or "mature themes." (I'm not a video game person, so I may be using all these terms wrong.) [more inside]
posted by slidell at 11:19 AM PST - 16 comments

Is the IRS income tax underpayment penalty based solely on income, or is it also based on IRA withdrawals? [more inside]
posted by SageTrail at 10:31 AM PST - 11 comments

I've lived all my life with others, but eventually that will change, and the idea of being on my own in middle age is both exciting and terrifying. I could use some stories of what it's like. [more inside]
posted by The otter lady at 10:11 AM PST - 17 comments

People with boobs, how do you deal with a button-up shirt that fits in every way, except has a gap between the buttons in the chest area? [more inside]
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:06 AM PST - 28 comments

I am planning to replace two toilets in my house, and I want to know the pros and cons of "comfort height" toilets. [more inside]
posted by Dolley at 9:29 AM PST - 21 comments

My kids (6 & 3) are VERY into songs that tell stories. And generally those songs are tragic. My eldest is requesting some happier ones. Details below. [more inside]
posted by jeszac at 8:41 AM PST - 50 comments

I only have a very vague idea of what the options are for a career in project management. I'm aware that the PMP is a thing, although it seems like it requires quite a bit of actual experience before you're eligible. I'd love to hear about how folks ended up in project management and what your actual day-to-day work life is like. [more inside]
posted by forkisbetter at 8:41 AM PST - 10 comments

I'm looking for podcasts that feature artists and other creative people (visual artists / designers / performance artists / comedians / musicians / chefs / writers / perfumers / etc...) talking about their work and process. [more inside]
posted by prewar lemonade at 8:32 AM PST - 12 comments

We have finally been approved for our kitten, and will be taking him home from the shelter soon. We have a small space and want to provide for the best for our new cat while at least aiming at a nice aesthetic. We know that cats will mess everything up, but we at least want to try. What are the best/most effective, stylish litter boxes (we know cats have preferences, but again, we will try), cat trees, etc. that you have come across and liked?
posted by heavenknows at 8:15 AM PST - 17 comments

I recently received an Apple Watch and am looking for recommendations on ways that you have found it useful. I'm specifically interested in tools for nudging and tracking habits. [more inside]
posted by philosophygeek at 8:05 AM PST - 1 comment

A while back I got interested in trying out a recipe for microwave-made cheung fun (Cantonese steamed rice rolls). My brother kindly sourced me some Chinese rice flour/powder for my ingredients list. Lots and lots of rice flour, eep! (1.5 kg/3.3 lb). Cheung fun are tasty, but I'd love some suggestions for other ways to make good use of my stash. What delicious delights would you recommend I make? [more inside]
posted by brushtailedphascogale at 9:33 PM PST - 17 comments

Essentially, it's a small company and no one else right now is trained to fully handle my responsibilities. So they are offering a raise while I postpone leaving. However, I don't really feel like staying any longer than I legally have to or reneging on my agreement with my new employer. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 9:22 PM PST - 52 comments

I haven't enjoyed reading in a long, long, long time. How can I enjoy it again? Or, alternatively, how can I be "okay" with just not being a big reader anymore. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 9:21 PM PST - 42 comments

How much money has Andrew Yang donated to charity in the last year? Is there info on specific places he has donated money, and what amounts?
posted by andoatnp at 8:46 PM PST - 2 comments

What's it like there for young families with prechoolers? Details inside. [more inside]
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 8:24 PM PST - 6 comments

So, back on February 10th, I asked for help here with an issue regarding my Network Solutions account. Maybe somebody here can help me. It seems simple enough. But this problem, which they admit is theirs, has been unfixable for nearly 10 days. It doesn't help that with each shift change, everybody looks in the Men in Black mind eraser and nobody seems to know what my problem is each time I've called. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind at 8:13 PM PST - 11 comments

I've been taking programming classes at city college and having a really good time. I'm thinking of keeping the party going with a second bachelors or (necessary post-bacc work and then) a masters degree. What are the relative benefits of each? Why would I choose one over the other? I like my job and can see doing basically the same thing until I retire, but -- real talk -- if I wanted to get a programming job could I do that... at 50-something? [more inside]
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 7:48 PM PST - 4 comments

I have a gas stove and recently bought this silicone-coated tamagoyaki pan. Tonight it burst into flames. Why did this happen, and how can I prevent it from recurring? [more inside]
posted by toastedcheese at 6:20 PM PST - 5 comments

A friend of mine just ended an abusive relationship. I want to send her straightforward resources on domestic abuse and stalking. [more inside]
posted by Archipelago at 5:55 PM PST - 9 comments

Can anyone recommend a lawyer for defense against a medical malpractice suit in New York City please? Initial consultation will be for advice; it may of course later turn into a request for defense. The defendant is no longer in New York.
posted by anadem at 5:10 PM PST - 3 comments

I noticed that recently, if I wake up in the middle of the night for any reason, (for example, to let my elderly dog outside to pee, or to use the bathroom myself), for the period of time that I'm awake to do the thing, I notice that I have a strong sense of doom and intense level of anxiety that I never normally have. (more inside...) [more inside]
posted by koolaidnovel at 4:18 PM PST - 26 comments

My iPhone 11 used to share photos well amongst apps, but recently it stopped. Help me troubleshoot. [more inside]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 3:56 PM PST - 7 comments

Over the last month or two, nearly every ad I see while watching a movie or TV show prominently features people of color. Did advertising suddenly change in general, or did my specific algorithm change? [more inside]
posted by nantucket at 3:51 PM PST - 13 comments

I finally bought a portable backdrop with a green screen for video calls. When I use it with Zoom, it works fantastically. But my son would like to use it with Omegle and other similar programs, and I don't know which software would work best. [more inside]
posted by tacodave at 3:35 PM PST - 2 comments

Person in question not medicated for their bipolar disorder because of pregnancy. Their mental health had deteriorated and induction was recommended. Started 36 hours ago. What do you know that can help me help them? [more inside]
posted by Bella Donna at 2:39 PM PST - 10 comments

Can someone explain pharmaceutical advertising to me? Like, why? [more inside]
posted by majorsteel at 2:33 PM PST - 16 comments

I’m moving to LA from the UK in April. I’m pretty excited but also aware that there are going to be lots of new and difficult aspects to get my head around, with a layer of Covid to make things extra interesting. I’ve done as much reading as I can but if anyone could give me first-hand tips on the following I would be very grateful. [more inside]
posted by rrose selavy at 2:12 PM PST - 18 comments

Trying to do more SEO work on content that we publish for work, but the two tools I have any experience / knowledge of are not a good fit. Any recommendations? The details inside will shock you. [more inside]
posted by jzb at 2:12 PM PST - 1 comment

This is kind of a BDSM101 question with no right or wrong answers. [more inside]
posted by Sterros at 2:01 PM PST - 6 comments

If you are licensed to carry a concealed gun, are a woman, and prefer sling bags, this question is for you! Inquiring minds want to know what bag you use. [more inside]
posted by dwbrant at 1:19 PM PST - 5 comments

Three months into a new job and it's not a great fit. Trying to decide what to do next. [more inside]
posted by ambulanceambiance at 1:16 PM PST - 5 comments

How to get hooked up with mentorship and or a community of writers? [more inside]
posted by Navelgazer at 1:11 PM PST - 3 comments

In June 2013 during a road trip from Altea to Valencia, a friend and I noticed a peculiar occurrence. Friend is now a social worker and suggested an entirely possible but disturbing explanation. Could there be any other explanation that we're overlooking? [more inside]
posted by dea at 12:10 PM PST - 9 comments

When a journalist or anchor is speaking to camera, what do they hear in their headset? Are there a lot of prompts? Or do they only hear corrections for when they make a mistake?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:15 AM PST - 7 comments

I have a fan whose lowest speed is too high for its intended use. Is there a step-down transformer that will take 120V AC and reduce it even more? [more inside]
posted by Hardcore Poser at 11:03 AM PST - 8 comments

I am in the market for a new laptop in anticipation of starting a PhD program in epidemiology and am trying to decide whether to take the plunge with one of Apple's M1 Macbook Airs. Anyone out there running relevant software have feedback? Much appreciated. [more inside]
posted by dubhemerak3000 at 9:37 AM PST - 14 comments

I need a machine that has the following as its only goal in life. It prints photo-sized photos. I plug in my camera or non-smartphone-that-takes-photos, use it to grab a photo, and it prints the photo. [more inside]
posted by aniola at 9:19 AM PST - 19 comments

My PC monitor reflects off my glasses when I do Zoom videocalls. People can't see my eyes unless I tilt my ear frames way up so that the lenses tilt at an angle. But that looks weird. Is there such a thing as completely non-reflective glasses? When I Google around I keep getting "anti glare" glasses which aren't the same. Those block blue light but the don't solve the reflection problem.
posted by mono blanco at 8:54 AM PST - 17 comments

I want to knit! I'm a low-skill knitter, and I want to just do really simple projects to get better at the simple stitches. But it feels really wasteful, because the end result isn't anything useful. Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by meese at 8:30 AM PST - 31 comments

For my capstone master's project, I'm trying to do something with air pollution and asthma rates/deaths and I'd like to look at some countries outside of the US as well as inside for this, preferably in south, east and southeast Asia. Does anyone know where I can look? (I'll also happily take outside of Asia, it's just that's where I'm hoping to find data.) [more inside]
posted by Hactar at 8:23 AM PST - 3 comments

Two good people who started a theatre training school and built a wonderful community are leaving our city for family reasons. They've been here for almost ten years and we are going to miss them badly. We'd like to send them off in grand style. Covid makes this difficult. A Zoom party would be low down on the list just because Zoom. But what else? They are gone in two weeks.
posted by storybored at 7:56 AM PST - 5 comments

Three months ago I posted a question about how to learn computer programming. I received terrific advice which I followed. I'm now coding in .NET with C#. I built a working Winforms application which stores and retrieves user data in SQL Server, and now I'm learning XAML so I can rebuild it in WPF. Now I'd like to follow up and ask: am I doing too much too soon? [more inside]
posted by jwhite1979 at 7:11 AM PST - 19 comments

And also, are they "good enough" that if a large enough population is given them, that covid will "go away"? I guess on that last one, are any of the vaccines (including the "more effective" other vaccines)? [more inside]
posted by wooh at 6:51 AM PST - 4 comments

I have some discretionary funds to buy some games, puzzles, or craft kits for people who are struggling with self-isolating during the pandemic. Please give me some recommendations! [more inside]
posted by gemutlichkeit at 6:51 AM PST - 9 comments

The product webpages for both of these grinders say they have speed controlled 120v single phase induction motors. (links inside) But the Shop Fox's parts diagram says it uses a potentiometer and the Delta's appears to be a potentiometer labelled "speed controller". (links inside) I have read that induction motors cannot be speed controlled by changing the voltage, how can these grinders be doing it? [more inside]
posted by atm at 5:59 AM PST - 9 comments

For the last several weeks, I have been dealing with sleep fragmentation. I reliably wake up around 2-2:30 AM and can't get back to sleep for a couple hours. This means that I get somewhere between 4-6 hours per night, except for weekends where I make up my sleep debt by hardly getting out of bed at all. I start feeling human again by about Sunday afternoon, just in time for the cycle to repeat itself. List of things I've tried inside. If you have had this, what worked for you? [more inside]
posted by basalganglia at 5:25 AM PST - 51 comments

Fantasy Zillow-ing is currently my best substitute for believing in the future. What neighborhoods in Baltimore should I be making sure to check? [more inside]
posted by babelfish at 9:28 PM PST - 7 comments

A flight I have to take just got changed to Emirates, who seem to have stricter baggage rules than almost any other airline. Do I need to return the perfect carry-on I just bought to make this journey easier and get a smaller one? [more inside]
posted by LoonyLovegood at 6:06 PM PST - 20 comments

Back near dawn of the Coviding (April 2020), I bought 6 clear glass gallon water jugs, with screw top lids. Filled em all up with regular tap water, didn't put any kind of chlorine in it. Stored them all in temperature controlled pantry, stays dark most of the time. I didn't vacuum seal them or anything special, just tightly screwed the lids on. The water seems fine to all my senses. Good to go? More on the insides. [more inside]
posted by bitterkitten at 6:04 PM PST - 15 comments

How did/do you prep for information intake? How did you build skillsets to develop the knowledge for your degree/craft/profession? How do you maintain? [more inside]
posted by firstdaffodils at 5:26 PM PST - 10 comments

I would like to own the closest approximation to the excellent sweater Brian May is wearing in Queen's Somebody To Love video. [more inside]
posted by phunniemee at 5:00 PM PST - 7 comments

Does anyone know where the photo of Vincent Price holding four cats came from? I’ve seen it in several places online but never with any attribution. It looks like a still from something, but neither googling nor reverse image searching has turned anything up for me. Here’s the image, for reference.
posted by JaneEyre at 3:52 PM PST - 2 comments

I realize this is very little to go on and thus a long shot, but I remember some kind of personal essay or radio piece that used the phrase "a term of lack" (or possibly "an expression of lack.") That phrase stuck in my head and in context it was referring to/examining the idea that sometimes you can describe (or view) a situation as an absence/lack or as a presence of something else. I don't remember what the writer was describing, but I'm interested in this concept lately and would love to find the essay. [more inside]
posted by needs more cowbell at 2:41 PM PST - 7 comments

I am designing a survey for an experiment that involves virtually navigating around a large university campus - my supervisor suggested collecting more fine-grained data of the areas of the campus participants frequent for analysis, and I am trying to figure out how to allow participants to highlight/select areas of the map with my circa-2008 programming skills... [more inside]
posted by monocot at 2:39 PM PST - 4 comments

I have a plastic hippo(?) figurine of unknown origin and my image search for "red hippo figurine" has not helped. Image album: https://imgur.com/a/OqhJYT4 [more inside]
posted by enigmango at 2:32 PM PST - 10 comments

This is silly, but its been bugging me all week: I suspect this was from sometime between 2000 and 2008, and the animation was something like early pixar/cg. There was a boy with a red scarf, and his father was kidnapped by evil gnomes, and the boy escapes on a flying manta ray and they're chased by the gnomes in a flying longboat. [more inside]
posted by korej at 2:09 PM PST - 6 comments

I should be able to route input from a MIDI keyboard through a DAW right to my computer's sound card. Right? [more inside]
posted by Sheydem-tants at 1:20 PM PST - 13 comments

I am a salaried employee of a non-profit organization in the US. I take photos of the location of the organization which are used for various purposes. I use my own equipment, take the photos on my own time and am self-directed for what I photograph. I store those photos externally. I have not charged the organization for the use of my photos however I have told them that the photos belong to me and not had any pushback, but also not had any confirmation until earlier this month when I started getting pushback. I'd like to learn more about this area of the law. Can you direct me to good resources so I can learn more. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 1:10 PM PST - 15 comments

The pandemic has been a lonely and tough time to have a newborn, and my partner is particularly struggling. In particular, my partner tends to feel extremely guilty about what they are doing to help the baby develop. Some examples below, but I'd love any articles or books that get across a message like "don't worry so much, the baby will be okay". [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 1:09 PM PST - 24 comments

Because of [gestures broadly at everything] I cry basically every day, and lately I've been finding that it causes severe eye discomfort, almost as though I've gotten chlorine in my eyes. Is this even a thing, or have I just lost my mind even more than previously? [more inside]
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 1:03 PM PST - 14 comments

Work just updated server policies and now DMARC no longer allows Gmail's alias option. Previously, I had the "Send and receive messages in my Gmail inbox" option and had the "Treat as an alias" box checked. It was an ideal system to log in once and have both personal and work emails sent/received in one easy, secure way with work emails sent via the work email address. [more inside]
posted by steve.wdc at 11:31 AM PST - 3 comments

Lastpass, my long-time password manager, is starting to restrict free accounts to only desktop or only mobile. This is inconvenient but perhaps it will result in a better user experience since Lastpass stubbornly refuses to autofill my bank app. What I'm looking for is a password manager that syncs between desktop and mobile, and can autofill Android apps (my bank app), Windows apps (like 365), and within desktop and mobile browsers. [more inside]
posted by irisclara at 11:26 AM PST - 11 comments

My laptop and phone stopped receiving my AOL mail around the same time. I have at least 4 ways of getting my AOL mail. My primary one is Outlook[2007] on a Windows10 laptop; close second is an iPhone5 using the standard iPhone mail app. I also have a Windows10 desktop using Thunderbird, or I could go to aol.com on a browser. These methods have all been working fine, in some cases for years. Monday afternoon, the laptop and phone stopped getting mail, even if requested. I also could not send mail on either device. [more inside]
posted by MtDewd at 10:47 AM PST - 4 comments

I’m looking for feature-length (90 minutes or more) documentaries about books and reading, or documentary adaptations of non-fiction books. I just rediscovered Stone Reader and would love to see more movies like it.
posted by pxe2000 at 10:46 AM PST - 3 comments

My client is hosting a large-ish meeting In Zoom, I am looking to create a custom countdown clock which would be the first thing these participants see and would alert them as to the remaining minutes until the meeting starts – at which point they will be "let in" to the meeting. This countdown clock needs to have a motion graphic/video playing in the background with a large timer counting down in the foreground –all in the clients corporate fonts and colors. And of course, their logo. How can this be done? I see this, but appears very limiting. https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/115000332726-Waiting-Room
posted by pmaxwell at 9:49 AM PST - 4 comments

Has anyone ever served on federal jury duty at a 50+ mile distance from home? [more inside]
posted by Jenny'sCricket at 9:40 AM PST - 9 comments

I've looked everywhere I can think of for an old iPad that has a bunch of videos and photos I want. Does anyone have any ideas or hacks or tips for how to search successfully in non-obvious places, ones you haven't thought of? Kind of a contradiction in terms, I know, but I'd like to find an approach that doesn't entail looking, needle-in-a-haystack like, everywhere else in my house. Thanks
posted by BadgerDoctor at 9:09 AM PST - 40 comments

One of the recurring problems in my job search: Entry-level jobs want years of experience. But how do you get experience if you can’t get the job to get the experience? [more inside]
posted by Definitely Not A Robot at 6:56 AM PST - 19 comments

I started a job a few months ago in a well-known multinational firm as a trainee. This is my first job out of university, and it was everything I thought I wanted to do. But I think I have unwittingly stepped into my very own inferno. [more inside]
posted by antihistameme at 2:46 AM PST - 53 comments

At about 17s in this video, the girl seems to pronounce 'comment vous appelez-vous' as 'comment vous appelez-vouphh'. I've noticed this type of thing with other words in French -- Is there a name for this phenomenon and is there anything I can read to learn more about it?
posted by iamsuper at 2:41 AM PST - 9 comments

How do you train rescue dogs that have almost no interest in toys, let alone balls, to play fetch? [more inside]
posted by rouftop at 12:32 AM PST - 16 comments

Details: *good insurance *Boston, MA area *Adult with severe depression/anxiety, and (new) suicidal thoughts *No addiction issues, no history of violence, no psychosis *Has regular therapist but my psychiatrist is out of state (I used to see him in my home state not where I am now, in school) [more inside]
posted by CancerSucks at 9:52 PM PST - 6 comments

Due to shoulder/neck pain, I can’t handle bras with shoulder straps. Do you know of a strapless bra or bandeau comfortable enough to wear as a primary bra? [more inside]
posted by bananacabana at 9:38 PM PST - 13 comments

My son likes to stick things that start with a letter onto the letter. E.g. Get a picture of an A and cover it in stickers of apples, alligator, ax, and ant on them. He has some sticker workbooks like this, but there's one page per letter and I can't keep him in stickers. And he could work on his cutting skills. So I want to basically print out a page with pictures of fruit/vegetables/animals/household objects/whatever etc. and let him cut them out and glue them to the right letter. Where can I find suitable printable sheets? [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:03 PM PST - 6 comments

I am curious if anyone has experience trying to improve their circulation through cardio, and, because I am miserable and impatient, how long did it take? How intensely did you have to exercise to make a difference? [more inside]
posted by chocotaco at 6:47 PM PST - 19 comments

My mom got her first vaccine shot at RiteAid today. The lady refused to schedule a second shot, saying "the state will email you," presumably referring to the California MyTurn website. I STRONGLY SUSPECT this is a lie. Does this actually happen? Has anyone actually been contacted by the website? [more inside]
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:25 PM PST - 23 comments

What I want is a vast source of entertaining, thoughtful people discussing books like in a book club. Podcasts, videos, or articles. I don't need the review to entice me into reading the book. The scenario is that I've already read it, and would like to read this kind of review once I'm done. I'm not sure of how even to search for this. Do I just have to join a book club to make this possible? [more inside]
posted by oxisos at 5:59 PM PST - 14 comments

Nothing I can do about it now, but the basic question is: how long is tylenol in your system to an extent that it might interfere with the 2nd dose of the Moderna vaccine. YANMD but maybe you have reassuring words. [more inside]
posted by less of course at 5:39 PM PST - 9 comments

I love learning about the cutting edge in all kinds of technology — AI/ML, materials science and metamaterials, VR/AR, nuclear power and renewables, even new paradigms in gaming, and I'm sure a lot of things I don't even know about yet! I'm interested in basic and applied sciences as well as novel implementations of existing tech. Where are good places to learn about this stuff? [more inside]
posted by wemayfreeze at 3:28 PM PST - 10 comments

I would really want to spend the 1-2 minutes between meetings during the day to do exercises that will have a positive impact on my overall health. Want to do these 2-3 times a day, but don't want to break a sweat. I work from home. Ideally with a program/progression to follow. What do/would you do?
posted by sandmanwv at 3:11 PM PST - 18 comments

I have this thermopen that ostensibly can be changed to degrees F from degrees C but I cannot figure out how. [more inside]
posted by cilantro at 3:02 PM PST - 4 comments

I've managed to go until now with cheap non-adjustable furniture, but aching shoulders and occasional upper/mid back twinges make me think it's finally time to invest in a proper office chair. Research into this has quickly gotten me overwhelmed. [more inside]
posted by coffeecat at 2:15 PM PST - 28 comments

Please give me your best non-fiction audiobooks on politics, social history or space exploration! [more inside]
posted by knapah at 1:57 PM PST - 15 comments

long story short, i'm FB friends with someone (adult woman, not married) who about a month ago, asked me for $20 bucks to "help her out"... she said she needed the money for food. Being the good friend that i am, of course i sent her the money (full transparency, i've never even met her, but we do 1 or 2 mutual friends). Well, now she has asked for $40 to cover her "medicine" ... whatever that may be (I think she has lupus). I don't want to be mean or rude, & always can help a friend. $40 buck won't kill me, but am i now setting a precedence for regular requests for money in the future? I welcome all advice...
posted by foodybat at 1:53 PM PST - 22 comments

I got fired after a month in a start up company because they decided that they wanted someone with more experience. The role was very new and I was considered the guinea pig before they would hire more people in the same title. [more inside]
posted by sheepishchiffon at 1:22 PM PST - 18 comments

Looking for books about spirituality, prayer, questions of meaning and suffering and life, etc - that are agnostic friendly [more inside]
posted by Cozybee at 11:43 AM PST - 13 comments

I am vulnerable due to bipolar disorder and am very isolated, living alone and no events to go to except online. I'm trying to decide whether to use support worker time to have them help me tidy my home, or to go for walks and chats until I have been vaccinated. More below the fold. [more inside]
posted by AuroraSky at 10:33 AM PST - 9 comments

I'm writing a novel with characters who are in PhD programs (sociology and history). This is a world I don't really know. Are there forums or places online where grad students gather to complain and commiserate and advise each other, etc -- that would be accessible to an outsider like me?
posted by swheatie at 10:23 AM PST - 12 comments

Is there some way to search for segments that have aired on television talk shows or news programs? For example, if I wanted to view every clip that featured a given celebrity as a guest on a talk show (or a nightly news segment that was a story about that celebrity), how would I go about doing that? [more inside]
posted by akk2014 at 10:22 AM PST - 6 comments

Can anyone recommend a good OBGYN in Washington DC who has experience working with nonbinary patients? [more inside]
posted by capricorn at 10:03 AM PST - 7 comments

Many years ago I built a simple relational database in Filemaker for a niche interest. I'd like to turn it into a website with some advanced search options and share it with a small group of like minded folks. How do I get there from here? [more inside]
posted by Carlo at 9:54 AM PST - 7 comments

Here's a photo of a black woman smoking a cigarette in from what looks like a protest in the 1960s in America. Can anyone point me to a link that describes that situation occurring in the photo and the woman's name?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:11 AM PST - 5 comments

Asking for a friend: if you have an underage teenager who is transgender, with divorced parents with medicolegal joint custody, and one supports the teen's gender identity and the other doesn't, can that teen access gender health services in Minnesota? [more inside]
posted by restless_nomad at 7:49 AM PST - 4 comments

It seems like Vitamin D is a link to overall better health, and with work from home and winter, I've been getting 0 sunlight. I'm taking 250 mcg (10K IU) / Day of vitamin D. Someone mentioned taking vitamin K or magnesium with it. What's your reco? [more inside]
posted by bbqturtle at 7:23 AM PST - 15 comments

My soon-to-be 9-year old daughter wants to be an astronaut. What are some books about space and/or space travel that I can read aloud at bedtime? [more inside]
posted by nandaro at 7:20 AM PST - 15 comments

From a USB headset, the volume input level from the microphone is normal and good in Windows 10. From two sets from pretty-different sets of bluetooth earbuds the microphone input level is uselessly low... Could replacing my bluetooth adaptor have any impact on this? [more inside]
posted by chudmonkey at 7:06 AM PST - 1 comment

I’ve discovered that the flies in our attic aren’t just random flies but probably “cluster flies”. There seem to be several ways to get rid of them and keep them away. Have you had them? What worked for you? [more inside]
posted by fabius at 5:28 AM PST - 5 comments

In 1992 I heard a dance track at camp. What I remember is that the the hook or chorus was a pause, in which the beat stopped and a man emphasized the word "motherfucker." Possibly he said it twice. I don't think it was Prince's "Sexy MF," but it had that same feel and dynamics. Is there another song from the New Jack era that meets this description?
posted by johngoren at 3:50 AM PST - 9 comments

My upper back and shoulders muscles are basically one big knot of tension and as a results I get headaches that make it hard to work. The only thing that helps is a massage with *very* strong pressure. Like calling it a massage is inaccurate – what I need is for someone to put their weight into pressing into my muscles hard and repeatedly. The problem? I've gone for two massages and I just can't get the masseuse to use enough pressure. [more inside]
posted by abecedarium radiolarium at 1:40 AM PST - 22 comments

I am at the bottom end of the BMI, and I have to work hard not to fall off. I do not have anorexia, I do not have bulemia.* I have overcome enough of my childhood picky eatingness to pass as normal. I am not a child, I am not the parent of a child. I have a high metabolism.** Executive function issues with preparing food are also play. I don't know anyone who deals with this and I feel alone. Any workarounds I've figured out, I've had to reverse-engineer from articles directed at people who aren't me. I'd really like to read some articles written for people who are like me.*** [more inside]
posted by aniola at 10:47 PM PST - 31 comments

I got scammed by workmen yesterday and I feel so stupid. I’m too embarrassed to even say what happened. Textbook case. I lost €3500, just about all my savings. Not a case of greed, just absolute stupidity. I will report it tomorrow (I’ve got their van registration no.), but won’t be able to get my money back. Please help me to feel less angry at myself about this? [more inside]
posted by Samarium at 7:32 PM PST - 17 comments

I'll be applying for healthcare jobs soon, and noticed quite a few hospitals in the area I'm researching refer to themselves as faith-based. What does this look like in practice? [more inside]
posted by autolykos at 7:28 PM PST - 9 comments

I have a friend who is repeatedly trying to send me an invite for Clubhouse. I have an iPhone. I never receive an invitation text via any channel when she tries to invite me. I am based in Indonesia with a Hong Kong phone number. I have searched online as to whether there is an international restriction, but have not gotten any answers. Any ideas? Anyone experienced something similar?
posted by frumiousb at 6:36 PM PST - 2 comments

New flat. Other occupant senses constant floor vibration. Have looked into some potential causes with no luck, would like to know what we are missing and how to proceed. [more inside]
posted by busted_crayons at 6:24 PM PST - 15 comments

BLUF: How do I boot a server to OS installation media when the media source is too big to fit on a disc and the server won't boot to a USB drive? [more inside]
posted by glonous keming at 5:27 PM PST - 17 comments

My cat ate a couple of small pieces (about 1 tsp total) of meat that had been sauteed in a pan with plenty of onion. Cat did not eat any actual onion. Onion is toxic to cats; do I need to be worried?
posted by Frowner at 5:09 PM PST - 7 comments

Is there a central “marketplace” where orchestras from small to medium-size markets go in search of new and unusual material to build into their programs? If you had a twenty-minute piece for small orchestra and solo voice, where would you go to pitch it?
posted by John Borrowman at 4:01 PM PST - 5 comments

Someone who reports to me interprets for other members of our staff. Sometimes these other staff members complain about the interpreter's need for breaks between calls, or during long-haul blocks of calls (2-4 hours). Breaks (5 minutes max, mainly rest and water) seem reasonable to me; how do we make them seem reasonable to other staff? [more inside]
posted by Fish, fish, are you doing your duty? at 3:59 PM PST - 29 comments

A friend is bringing me this package of meat in just a couple of hours. Neither of us knows what it is, can you help me identify it? I need to cook it this evening because it’s defrosting as we speak. (Pic inside) [more inside]
posted by Joh at 3:00 PM PST - 14 comments

I'd like to put together a simplified D&D/RPG style adventure game for a group of about 10-15 people over Zoom. Instead of a dungeon crawl/fantasy theme, I'd like to use a space/sci-fi theme. It would be simplified in not using character sheets, maps, or the like, but mostly just story driven with maybe a little dice rolling. Can you recommend any ideas or resources, especially for someone go has never DM'd before? In particular, how do I develop a story with many different paths and options that would be fun?
posted by roaring beast at 2:53 PM PST - 16 comments

My desk is close to a photocopier and people always talk to me when they make copies. Usually, I'm not one who is against chit chat, but I'm starting to find it annoying because I'm actually trying to work. How do I avoid small talk at work without being rude about it? It's starting to get on my nerves. [more inside]
posted by VirginiaPlain at 2:47 PM PST - 37 comments

When I was somewhere between the ages of 11-15 (so 1993-1997), my aunt visited and left behind a book. It was an erotic thriller and at the end it turned out Hitler’s head had been cryogenically frozen to put on modern Nazi’s bodies. What WAS this book? [more inside]
posted by CMcG at 1:27 PM PST - 2 comments

I would like to use a 30-second clip from an episode of Grey's Anatomy in my classroom. It's on Netflix, and I have a subscription. I know that it is legal under Fair Use to show this clip to students, but I don't have access to Netflix during class. [more inside]
posted by tzikeh at 12:47 PM PST - 7 comments

I have a small budget from work I can use to make my work-from-home situation better, and I'm not exactly sure how to use it. What can I buy to make my work-from-home situation nicer? [more inside]
posted by taltalim at 10:34 AM PST - 28 comments

Can anyone recommend any good online multiplayer games that would be playable with a Windows 7 laptop and a wireless internet connection? [more inside]
posted by CarrotAdventure at 10:32 AM PST - 6 comments

We've been with the same vet for years. I've never had any problems with her. [more inside]
posted by kathrynm at 8:24 AM PST - 20 comments

Sure, Halloween is ... [mumble] months away, but it's the pandemic, so what else have we got to do? My girlfriend and I were enraptured by The Queen's Gambit and would like to dress as Beth Harmon and Benny Watts. Would love any and all ideas for doing so. Thanks!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 8:02 AM PST - 6 comments

Looking for advice and compassion from other moms in terms of researching dental providers. [more inside]
posted by lagreen at 12:49 AM PST - 19 comments

We are traveling from Korea to the U.S., and need to show a negative COVID test at the airport. Has anyone had good luck with a particular site? It seems like some locations only send you a text message with the result, which doesn’t seem to satisfy the requirements.
posted by molla at 9:45 PM PST - 2 comments

Trying to jazz up the zoom happy hour and I am straight up out of ideas. Hoping to foster some earnest/fun/thoughtful discussion and reflection. [more inside]
posted by wowenthusiast at 8:19 PM PST - 17 comments

In my last Ask, I requested coping strategies to deal with a bully-boss (owner). Well, I now expect to be terminated on Wednesday. Should I resign for resume optics? [more inside]
posted by shocks connery at 8:17 PM PST - 29 comments

What are some recent-ish, preferably non-fiction books that provide interesting visions of possible utopian futures? I'm looking for books that go beyond specific policies and advocate for grander transformations of society, ideally backed by some research. [more inside]
posted by UncleBoomee at 6:04 PM PST - 6 comments

There are rats in the crawl space under my house. I want them to die. I do not want to poison the food chain so I don't want to use commercial rat poison. Can I make my own? What if I feed them oxycodone? How much oxycodone would it take for a rat to OD and would it be safer for other animals? [more inside]
posted by mygothlaundry at 5:36 PM PST - 20 comments

Six months ago, I moved from Old City, where I lived for twelve years, to New City, where I have never lived before. I'm feeling a lot of sadness and perhaps even regret about the move and I'm still extremely homesick. How do I decide whether to stay here or go back? Snowflakes inside. [more inside]
posted by sevensnowflakes at 4:21 PM PST - 13 comments

I'm 300 lbs, 50 years old, female, arthritic knees, short of breath from 30 years of smoking, kinda agoraphobic. I did quit smoking 7 months ago, and that's a start. How do I get from here to a better place, fitness-wise? Diet-wise? I don't mind throwing money at this, but would prefer not to buy a treadmill or similar (I live on the second floor). What can a complete beginner with my challenges do? Thanks for any suggestions or success stories! [more inside]
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 3:16 PM PST - 49 comments

I'm seeing competing narratives on what happened in Yugoslavia. I am not trying to legitimate them but don't understand the political landscape. [more inside]
posted by mecran01 at 1:47 PM PST - 17 comments

Last year I filed and paid my taxes on time as usual. I mailed the return via USPS. The IRS immediately cashed my check. However, my 2020 e-filed return was just rejected, and when I started investigating on the IRS's website I discovered they show I did not file a 2019 return. What's my next step here? [more inside]
posted by something something at 1:30 PM PST - 11 comments

So my mom & dad were awesome parents up until about age 11. I had an awesome childhood and really good memories, bonded lots with both my mom and dad. From age 11-17 my mom turned into a narcissistic monster and my dad became spineless. Everyone in the family was severely emotionally abused by my mom, including dad who just watched the whole show unfold and did nothing. She was incredibly cruel and would kill pets by "setting them free", cancelled birthdays & holidays, methodically took away things we loved (toys, tv, sweets, games), burnt all trophies I had, burnt childhood photos, isolated us,... Needless to say I was absolutely destroyed after this, it's a miracle I made it through high school. Low self-esteem, destroyed identity, no friends/girlfriend, shame & guilt... She was admitted to a psych clinic and got better, almost "back to normal". I am 27 and both my parents are nice now and act like nothing happened. I have worked a lot on myself, got a degree, travelled the world for 2 years, had a gf... Even now the past still weighs heavy on me. When confronted they will not admit they did anything wrong. My mom thinks she was a great parent. How does one deal with this? I'm consumed by anger, sadness and frustration. Stuck living with them because of COVID atm.
posted by dan22 at 11:18 AM PST - 33 comments

A relative just posted a thing on FB that claims that it was literally impossible for Biden to get X number of new voters in Colorado. I know it is bullshit but my brain is dead. Please help me figure out how to debunk the BS. [more inside]
posted by Bella Donna at 11:14 AM PST - 11 comments

What online daily group fitness program should I join? Special snowflake details inside. [more inside]
posted by catesbie at 11:01 AM PST - 3 comments

I'm doing that thing where I fail to purchase a thing because I get completely bogged down deciding among the options. In this case, the thing in question is a cordless power tool set. Anyone want to tell me, "Just buy this one?" What tools are really worth owning for someone about my speed? [more inside]
posted by daisyace at 10:11 AM PST - 42 comments

Suddenly discovering 50 GB of free space on my hard drive is not good news. I have accidentally deleted a lot of photographs which I would like to recover. More details inside. Is there any (hopefully free) recovery software that you could recommend? Do you have some other advice? [more inside]
posted by Termite at 9:30 AM PST - 5 comments

Due to mental illness of our ten year old daughter, we would like to replace our pointy chef's knives with something that would not be as effective as a weapon. Can you recommend any knives that would be good for chopping vegetables and chicken, but that do not have points that could be used for stabbing? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 9:24 AM PST - 37 comments

The heater in our home stopped working overnight, and we are waiting for a technician to come and work on it. While we wait, we would like to use our gas-powered fireplace to keep ourselves warm in 5-degree weather, but we want to make sure it's safe to do so. [more inside]
posted by JXM368 at 8:10 AM PST - 9 comments

I typically get a refund each tax season, and (after doling some out to savings) I like to treat myself a little with a nice restaurant meal, a day trip somewhere, or something like that. THIS year I can't do that, so I've decided to splurge on getting really GOOD food and pantry items - artisanal flours, heirloom beans, specialty ingredients, stuff like that. Hit me with some options! [more inside]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:12 AM PST - 45 comments

Just bought a new house that happens to have built-in ceiling speakers (installed around 2013 I think). I'm tempted to get them wired up because I listen to music all day and the high ceilings aren't very forgiving with the tabletop radio I currently use. But I've learned the whole kit and caboodle would set me back $1200 or so. Worth it? Or should I just scatter a few $200 Sonos speakers around and call it a day?
posted by lecorbeau at 6:11 AM PST - 12 comments

What professional can remove the stucco from an interior wall and make it smooth? [more inside]
posted by Ms Vegetable at 6:02 AM PST - 5 comments

I have an idea for an app (non-profit) I just came up with that I find needs to get out to the public ASAP (has to do with riding off of the news that Donald Trump was acquitted). I am getting a domain name and website to create a landing page. I'm planning on trying to generate interest for it by contacting the press and posting on social media. Basically, I'm trying to make this go viral (if you take my word for it, this is for a very good cause). Should I still get SEO tools for the website and the like or will I be fine without it?
posted by defmute at 3:16 AM PST - 4 comments

How is it possible, as a trained artist out of practice for many years, to make a small income from making art? If you have done this, how did you do it? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 1:46 AM PST - 13 comments

Past and present pug owners of Metafilter, tell me everything you know about being a pug parent. [more inside]
posted by keep it under cover at 11:49 PM PST - 18 comments

I am trying to eat according to the plate method: 50% non-starchy vegetables, 25% protein, 25% carbs. I would like to plan out some kid-friendly meals according to this method. Specific preferences below the fold. [more inside]
posted by crunchy potato at 9:59 PM PST - 5 comments

I think many of us know the first line transmitted by telegraph and the first thing said on a phone. But what were the first words transmitted by or recorded to other methods of communication and storage? [more inside]
posted by babelfish at 8:39 PM PST - 19 comments

Usually I listen to music/podcasts/books via pandora/apple music/audible etc. through my phone using a bluetooth speaker. These speakers are usually pretty small, don't last long, and the sound isn't great. If someone calls or I want to record a video, everything stops playing. I would like to be able to listen not through my phone. I am also not interested in a smart speaker like amazon echo or google home. This is a thing right?
posted by mokeydraws at 8:12 PM PST - 12 comments

I have a Wagner Flexio 3000. I cannot, for the life of me, remove the reservoir. [more inside]
posted by sara is disenchanted at 5:40 PM PST - 3 comments

We're looking to buy a house in a hot seller's market and are putting in an offer. The seller's agent indicated that the sellers would be interested in an offer that states we will cover any price differential between their purchase price and the bank appraisal. Should we do this? How can we determine how much above the appraisal price we can go? [more inside]
posted by stripesandplaid at 5:13 PM PST - 15 comments

I am thinking about my activist group selling T-shirts to our members. We have about 200 members across the state. There are at least a couple of ways we could go about this, and I wonder whether you have any recommendations or other advice. [more inside]
posted by NotLost at 5:01 PM PST - 4 comments

I was never good at astronomy, obviously. But since the moon circles the earth shouldn't it rise and set in the same place in the sky night after night? [more inside]
posted by Vatnesine at 4:54 PM PST - 6 comments

When we moved into our current house, one of our first projects was laying this floating laminate flooring down in all the rooms. However, we were and are pretty inexperienced with this kind of thing, and we didn't have a plan for the stairs before starting the flooring endeavor. [more inside]
posted by brocrastinator at 4:27 PM PST - 4 comments

There seem to be many many tutorials on the net for this, none of which I can get to work. Am I missing something? Do they all involve using iTunes and first putting the mp3 files into my iTunes library? I don't want to do that. I manage my music library with dBpoweramp. Is there not a way of copying them to my iPhone as if it were a drive? I am a fairly sophisticated Windows user. Not so much iPhone.
posted by feelinggood at 11:13 AM PST - 8 comments

For health reasons, me and most of my family members have been trying to eat well. We are all abstaining from refined sugar, deep fried food, and most processed foods, since it's been easier to abstain entirely rather than moderate. But it's been difficult to find pleasure in foods for special occasions (e.g. we'd normally indulge in chocolates for V Day). Suggestions for how we can bring treats back into our lives? [more inside]
posted by redlines at 9:31 AM PST - 59 comments

How can I make my 4-year old daughter feel special, important and included when her baby brother is born? Looking for ways to make the event feel positive and celebratory for her. [more inside]
posted by piranna at 8:28 AM PST - 27 comments

In my midwest town there are a fair number of homeless. I see them sleeping under bridges and in parks even though it is well under freezing at night. Shelters have turned away my donation box because of Covid restrictions (cont'd) [more inside]
posted by The_imp_inimpossible at 7:03 AM PST - 10 comments

Our two room humidifiers have suddenly stopped doing much humidifying. They’re cool-mist units made by different companies, and they have new filters. [more inside]
posted by bryon at 3:22 AM PST - 5 comments

Scanning a collection of old family negatives, I came across a few from the early 1940s that appear to be 124 film (or 118?). The image sizes are 3¼” x 4¼” (roughly 8.5cm x 11cm). The majority of the negatives, however, appear to be the more common 120 film, in 6x9 frame size. Could there have been a camera compatible with both of these formats that a rural Midwest US family of modest means might have owned in the 1930s-40s, or must these negatives be from different cameras? What if we threw 116/616 film into the mix?
posted by theory at 2:54 AM PST - 3 comments

I've spot stained my jacket - it was dirty in patches so I sprayed on some Tableau Spot Dry Cleaner which instead of drying to a powder and being brush-off-able, sort of soaked in and formed almost like a water ring stain - kind of the opposite of what it's supposed to do... Anyway I've put the coat through the washing machine at 30º on a delicates wash and whilst it's a bit better, I'm still left with faint white stains on an otherwise beautiful 'burnt orange' colour. [more inside]
posted by dance at 2:16 AM PST - 4 comments

How to set up a whisper network to warn of wreckers in a geographically far-flung, mostly virtual recovery group? [more inside]
posted by Sheydem-tants at 2:31 PM PST - 14 comments

Since I installed a new graphics card, I've been noticing that after about 10 minutes of watching video on any medium, the video starts to lag a few seconds behind the audio. I've updated my graphics card drivers to latest and even beta versions to no effect. The audio drivers are ancient and haven't had a new release in several years. Could this be simply a bad graphics card or is there something else I should try before RMAing the card? Thanks
posted by gzimmer at 12:27 PM PST - 8 comments

Bridgerton question. Massive spoiler ahoy! [more inside]
posted by HotToddy at 12:08 PM PST - 10 comments

Looking for a fun, interactive exercise to teach kids that contextualization affects their perceptions.... [more inside]
posted by nouvelle-personne at 10:49 AM PST - 13 comments

My sister is having a baby, and it will be my parents first grandchild. My dad isn't sure what he wants to be called, but he isn't keen on Grandad/Grandpa, anything that ages him really. He is Scottish but lives in England. I've looked online but I'm hoping for some better suggestions I can give him (he has requested my input). Thanks in advance!
posted by ellieBOA at 10:35 AM PST - 64 comments

Allegedly, James Earl Jones was not credited in either Star Wars or Empire Strikes Back for his voice work as Darth Vader (by his choice). If so, when was it revealed to the general public that it was him?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:27 AM PST - 8 comments

I'm learning basic Spanish and I've also been fascinated by the Handmade series on Eater. This video is ticking all of my boxes. Can you help me find similar videos? [more inside]
posted by charcoals at 9:08 AM PST - 4 comments

I speak English, as do my kids and we live in an English-speaking place. I'd love to expose them to another language when they are young, but what's the best way of doing this? [more inside]
posted by heavenknows at 8:49 AM PST - 9 comments

My dog has reached the “cant hold her pee” stage of life. How do I minimize the mess? [more inside]
posted by mrfuga0 at 6:03 AM PST - 14 comments

My husband's job is relocating us, and the flight falls on a day I will likely get my period. My periods are pretty awful (I have endometriosis), and I need ideas to make this suck less. [more inside]
posted by LoonyLovegood at 5:27 AM PST - 27 comments

I work in a niche industry, small enough that professional events always have the same faces. My job is awful and I need to get out, even though I've only been there about 2 months (I've wanted to resign from day 1). I have savings and am reasonably employable. What should I say to the director (my manager) about why I am resigning that won't lead to her badmouthing me amongst our shared professional networks? Ideas and anecdotes would be appreciated. [more inside]
posted by hotcoroner at 1:11 AM PST - 12 comments

I'd like to help support my mom during her retirement. What should I know about doing this well? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 10:50 PM PST - 7 comments

I recall hearing that when the New York Times stopped using Linotype machines in 1978, they made and handed out lead castings from the machine reading "This is the death of a great machine". Is this, or something like this true? What did the castings read? [more inside]
posted by wesleyac at 10:37 PM PST - 7 comments

I need some guidance on how to make two Firefox add-ons work at the same time. Our troublemakers are Skip Redirect and ClearURLs. [more inside]
posted by Charity Garfein at 7:55 PM PST - 5 comments

Tell me about the Garmin widgets, applications, and activity downloads that have changed your life. Or you like a lot. I am wedded to the Garmin ecosystem for exercise over the last 15 years. Now a proud owner of a Fenix 6X Pro, I have lots of storage and love the new compact widget screen. Hit me with your favourites and why you like them. Watch faces too, if you have found something special
posted by Flashduck at 6:31 PM PST - 2 comments

Getting a late start at investing; how best to move a portion of my small savings into this bull/bubble market, knowing it may turn soon? [more inside]
posted by scarylarry at 6:11 PM PST - 19 comments

Does it really matter if you sit upright or lean forward in the spin-cycle position?
posted by jojo and the benjamins at 4:57 PM PST - 2 comments

We are beginning to spend a small fortune on oversized cat collars from places like birdsbesafe.com to stop our cat from killing birds and for him to be more visible when he is outside. I'd like to start making something at home that accomplishes the same thing because every month or so he will lose his collar somewhere (we can't find them and no one has returned them). Cat tax. [more inside]
posted by Corduroy at 4:35 PM PST - 10 comments

I have fallen in love with an Victorian conversion flat, but living in a property like this was never the plan. I only know bad things about living in flats like these, that they are money-pits, that they're draughty, etc. But this place is affordable, convenient, and just feels good. What should I know before taking the next step? [more inside]
posted by unicorn chaser at 2:38 PM PST - 21 comments

Inspired by a recent discussion here; I love the scene in Primer where the character goes "Look, I just want you to understand that what's next is not a prank, okay?" He knows this is insane instead of acting like a cool movie guy. Another similar short scene is in Signs when the alien walks by at the birthday party. They're just as freaked out in the movie universe as we would be in the same situation. Any other examples? I know this is random - thanks!
posted by ftm at 2:02 PM PST - 31 comments

I love the wirecutter for its ability to save me time and angst while shopping, but as a Canadian, it often really lets me down. Its recommendations are often completely unavailable or so expensive the wirecutter would never recommend them (think 3 to 5 times the USD price). Is there a Canada-specific website like the wirecutter? The wirecutter is pretty general, but maybe I could cobble together recommendations from a set of more specific Canadian recommendation sites?
posted by congen at 1:40 PM PST - 7 comments

Help this couple deal with a difference of option, feat. COVID [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 1:23 PM PST - 44 comments

What’s this little move called in music? Where it goes from kind of frenetic and jammy and drops suddenly into a slow fluttery bit? Both a quick tempo change and key/mood change. I associate it with 60s sort of jam-psychedelic-blues-rock music, but this convention must exist elsewhere, too? [more inside]
posted by stillmoving at 12:58 PM PST - 9 comments

My elderly parents' land line is a disaster - most of the calls they get are spam or solicitors, to the point where a ringing phone is habitually ignored. I'd like to set up their land line phone to route all incoming calls straight to voicemail or an answering machine… except for their contact list. [more inside]
posted by Haere at 12:15 PM PST - 9 comments

In the past few weeks I've been thinking how much the reality I perceive is actually a story I construct (sometimes very different from the story other people construct about the same reality!) and how much my perception of reality is limited by and contingent on my words and language. (Does that...make sense?) I would like to read what wiser people have said about this topic from a psychological point of view. [more inside]
posted by Omnomnom at 11:02 AM PST - 27 comments

I received a large sum of money last year, but it wasn't for any work I did/products I sold/services I provided. The company that paid me issued me a 1099-NEC, but I think it probably should be a 1099-MISC. Do I need the company to reissue the 1099? Even if they do correct the 1099 am I going to get audited regardless? [more inside]
posted by mskyle at 10:30 AM PST - 6 comments

Looking for songs with sea-bird sound effects. So far, I've identified seven. Listed chronologically, (my favorite ordering for a playlist) they are: [more inside]
posted by Rash at 10:02 AM PST - 31 comments

I have another urgent problem that I don't know how to solve. I developed a bad tooth ache which is probably another cavity as I am prone to them. This thing hurts like a 6 or 7 which is highly unusual for me. But if I go to the dentist they will stick novocaine with adrenalie into my gums and that will make me start crying so unstoppably that the dentist can't do their job. My dentist does sedation, but I am still paying off the last round of that and I can't afford another one right now. I don't know what to do. [more inside]
posted by bleep at 9:54 AM PST - 23 comments

I messed around with running a Bitcoin miner WAY back in the day, and it looks like the price recently spiked, making my bitpennies worth something. I want to sell, but I haven't kept up with the cryptocurrency fad at all. I have the impression that there's a lot of shady stuff going on in that space, and I need some help getting oriented. [more inside]
posted by cosmic.osmo at 9:53 AM PST - 11 comments

I am looking for a fee-only financial planner to help me figure out what to do with my limited income and savings and how to try to establish some financial security. I make about 65% of my local AMI, only just enough to support myself and my disabled adult son, pay my bills, and deal with student loans and credit card debt, but very little left over for savings. I am 60 years old and I don't own my home but would dearly like to. [more inside]
posted by primate moon at 9:49 AM PST - 4 comments

My very good friend got a mammogram and the clinic contacted her and asked her to schedule a second mammogram and an ultrasound. Is this common for people with fibrous breast tissue? Those are the exact terms used and the only information she has. I know you’re not her doctor. [more inside]
posted by areaperson at 8:23 AM PST - 23 comments

I'm interested in reading gossip about famous people. It's something I know nothing about and I'd love your guidance. [more inside]
posted by cheapskatebay at 8:15 AM PST - 19 comments

My neighbor down the hall is coughing his brains out all day every day. Should I be concerned for him and for me? [more inside]
posted by silverstatue at 8:04 AM PST - 26 comments

I'm looking for suggestions for good, light hearted movies for a combo Valentine's Day/Lunar New Year movie date night. Filmmakers and representation from Asian and Asian diaspora cultures that celebrate Lunar New Year, please and thank you! [more inside]
posted by the primroses were over at 7:48 AM PST - 9 comments

My Logitech K350 started malfunctioning so I need a new computer keyboard. I don't even know where to begin looking for options for replacement. What should I be looking at for replacement? Details about what I like within. [more inside]
posted by msbrauer at 6:39 AM PST - 19 comments

I follow a bunch of Japanese instagram accounts, and the auto-translate frequently does this weird thing where a word is repeated a lot in the translation, when it pretty obviously isn't in the original text. Examples inside. [more inside]
posted by Jobst at 6:25 AM PST - 5 comments

Just over a year ago I posted this Ask about my boss's tendency to lash out with vague, angry criticism during tense situations. The solution was quite obviously to leave, but the pandemic made this impossible; now the situation, predictably, has deteriorated. I have begun the internal transfer process and do not think my boss has grounds to have me fired, but I find myself in a position where I have to succeed at my job despite a shitty, adversarial supervisor, and would love some advice and/or a reality check. Snowflakes and teal deer inside. [more inside]
posted by TinyChicken at 4:56 AM PST - 13 comments

Does anyone know anything about the upcoming loan forgiveness? My four federal/gov loans just* moved into "closed" status, for potential consolidation. I'm concerned I made them ineligible for forgiveness. It may be too early to tell. [more inside]
posted by firstdaffodils at 2:51 AM PST - 11 comments

Remember these? https://www.etsy.com/listing/221121308/ laser-dazer-spinning-disk-creates-moving Or foil like this? https://www.dragonfoils.com/ products/holographic-foils.html [more inside]
posted by varion at 2:02 AM PST - 1 comment

Wondering if there is a good platform for connecting modern web marketing (CCM) tech to direct mail? As in: I searched for product X, I am retargeted with ads for product x, and I get a postcard for product x week later in my mailbox?
posted by specialk420 at 9:26 PM PST - 4 comments

I don't hate my job, I hate the place I work, and I can't get work elsewhere because: a) the UK academic job mark is dead, b) the place I work has ruined me and my CV. I don't know what to do. The questions: have you been here? What did you do? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 9:02 PM PST - 13 comments

I am thinking about working toward a job in the area of politics, advocacy or social change. Do you have any advice, information or resources for me? Any thoughts on what might be the best path to pursue? Good or bad factors about different options? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 8:19 PM PST - 2 comments

Looking for easy-to-follow stories to listen to on audiobook! [more inside]
posted by sweetpotato at 8:15 PM PST - 6 comments

How is gender-neutral language to reference people, a la "Latinx" as used by some in the U.S., handled in the Spanish-speaking world - if at all? How common are such usages, and are they catching on? Feel free speak of any part of the Spanish-speaking world that you might have knowledge of. I'm even curious about Spanish-speakers in the U.S.; if they actually say "Latinx", how do they pronounce it?
posted by Mechitar at 7:30 PM PST - 27 comments

Does anyone know where can you buy a jar of pimenta moida (Portuguese ground red pepper) in New York City? Preferably Manhattan, if possible. Thanks!
posted by star gentle uterus at 6:24 PM PST - 2 comments

I am working on finding a new job, but in the meantime I have to learn how to cope with the one I have. The specific challenge is that my boss is terrible. [more inside]
posted by shocks connery at 6:23 PM PST - 4 comments

I live in NYC and I'm looking at New York City/State law schools. How weird would it be to attend Cardozo (Yeshiva University) if in my life outside of law school I'm a Jewish antizionist activist? Palestinian solidarity work is a pretty big part of my life and my classmates (and professors?) would likely know this about me.
posted by crocodiletsunami at 5:18 PM PST - 6 comments

I have this snowclone/meme stuck on the tip of my tongue. It goes like "something something, X is Y" but those aren't the actual words. It's just sort of... the rhythm of it? Can you help me remember what I am thinking of?
posted by joshuaconner at 4:15 PM PST - 4 comments

A few years ago I picked up a half-dead leaf with a bit of root that someone had thrown out, and stuck it in a pot. Now it is this happy monster, probably 6' in diameter. How do I a: trim it b: keep it in the same size pot and c: hopefully make it a little more vertical and less horizontal? Oooh, bonus if I can propagate for friends. Thanks!
posted by cyndigo at 3:29 PM PST - 13 comments

I'm part of the leadership of an volunteer organization. My co-leaders are are lovely except for one person who is consistently antagonistic. Basically, from my perspective this person acts like the rest of us work for them and don't do a very good job, when in fact we are all equals and they don't even do their fair share of the work. I would appreciate your suggestions for coping with this dynamic. I don't feel like my current stress about the situation is good for me. Thanks!
posted by ferret branca at 2:37 PM PST - 13 comments

I want to find out about meal delivery options in Adelaide, South Australia. Not looking for services that provide ingredients and recipe cards, but rather services that can deliver a week's worth of heat-and-eat meals. (or similar). More details inside [more inside]
posted by McNulty at 2:15 PM PST - 5 comments

Should I get rid of my pre-paid data plan & get a contract plan instead for the convenience? Is it worth it? [more inside]
posted by bleep at 2:12 PM PST - 15 comments

Seeking advice on neighborhoods in the DMV that are walkable, have good metro access, and have a strong, kind, friendly local community (for youngish people with no kids). Also, advice on how to access/be an active part of said local community. Lots of thoughts inside. [more inside]
posted by mosst at 1:51 PM PST - 15 comments

Moved into a new home, Spectrum internet came with a 1 year "lock you in" $25 discount (total is $75 a month). Our neighbors have horror stories about AT&T. The only other game in town is Cox, and their base rate is more expensive anyway. I'm guessing we're just going to have the eat the cost, but before we do: anyone have any tips for extending the cheap rate? [more inside]
posted by ®@ at 1:01 PM PST - 10 comments

I'd like to learn to speak in clear paragraphs, or at least in sentences that have complete syntax and don't end with just a silence or an "hmmmmm". How can I do this? [more inside]
posted by chappell, ambrose at 10:15 AM PST - 13 comments

At the start of the pandemic I bought a domain name for a possible project. I have not used it, and I think the domain might be worth some money. How can I sell it and get the best possible value? [more inside]
posted by alms at 9:59 AM PST - 2 comments

For years, I used a Hitachi Wand vibrator to orgasm. Sometimes I would use it so long it started hurting. So I finally got rid of it. But it's a year later and my clitoris still experiences pain when I masturbate sometimes now. Is this a physical problem or a Pavlovian response? Either way, how do I fix it? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 8:21 AM PST - 6 comments

My 16-year-old really enjoyed our Lord of the Rings movie marathon last weekend, and wants more! She has a specific criterion though: she wants there to be a continuous plot running through all the movies. [more inside]
posted by metasarah at 7:42 AM PST - 53 comments

Can you help me identify this tea from the packaging? Small, single serving tea in foil pouch, almost no english script. [more inside]
posted by Concordia at 7:28 AM PST - 8 comments

I have 10 (?) month old kitten, who I posted about before. He is adorable and hilarious and swiftly eroding my sanity. I'm doing my best to provide stimulation, love, and positive reinforcement, but the stress and sleep deprivation are taking a toll. I've listed the main problems below the fold in the hopes that someone can help. [more inside]
posted by mermaidcafe at 6:55 AM PST - 21 comments

I’m trying to locate a series of essays that I believe were published in the lead-up to Avengers: Endgame, reviewing the whole MCU from start to finish. [more inside]
posted by gauche at 8:19 PM PST - 4 comments

Uncle passed; we found behind a large, heavy red piece of material, with large swastika in the middle. There were dozens of military patches sewn on it. Some in English, (Mars Attack Force, Philippine Army, Honor Guard, but mostly symbols. Any clue what this might be? One theory was that GIs might have kept a captured flag and put their patches on it.
posted by ebesan at 7:44 PM PST - 39 comments

I'm interested in media (short stories/novels/TV shows/movies) that depict "time travel" to the future by some sort of theoretically plausible means, such as cryogenic sleep or time-dilated travel at a significant fraction of the speed of light. [more inside]
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 7:23 PM PST - 43 comments

I have a friend who has been binge watching Scorpion (the TV show that was on CBS) and really loving it. However, the first episode of Season 4 seems to be foreshadowing a lot of emotional trauma for the characters and she can't deal with that in her life right now. Question is whether she should keep watching? (spoilers inside) [more inside]
posted by metahawk at 6:10 PM PST - 3 comments

Trying to talk to a friend who is sliding into black and white thinking in regards to authoritarian communist countries. [more inside]
posted by myelin sheath at 5:30 PM PST - 25 comments

Is there a reason to by the My Passport for Mac as opposed to the My Passport for backing up a mac laptop with Time Machine. [more inside]
posted by andoatnp at 5:23 PM PST - 6 comments

I failed a test. Again. It's the third test I've failed so far in this grad degree I started this year. The thing is, I thought I understood the material and studied hard for it. I'm also exhausted because I'm going to school and working full time. This is for a statistics degree... what do I do? [more inside]
posted by knownfossils at 5:19 PM PST - 15 comments

I'm making sloe gin for the first time but realize I wrongly assumed the caster sugar that the recipe called for was the same as granulated sugar. As a result, the bigger grains of sugar did not fully dissolve and there's a distinct sugar "sludge" situation happening. How do I fix this so I don't end up wasting a litre of gin and all those sloes? [more inside]
posted by elkerette at 5:02 PM PST - 12 comments

I like honey. I'd like to try Mānuka honey, but honey of many varieties is often counterfeit, online sellers are unscrupulous, and this is expensive enough that I'd like to have a reasonable chance at tasting the real thing. Short of visiting New Zealand, which is not a realistic option at this time, are there legitimate sellers of this item? [more inside]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 3:06 PM PST - 4 comments

I'm a woman, early 50s, interested in men. I haven't dated in quite a while but would like to try again. My go-to site in the past was okcupid, but that feels pretty barren. I'm thinking of trying Bumble. Are there people my age on there? Would love to hear first-hand accounts, particularly from women roughly in my age range. I'm also not exactly sure how Bumble works, so explainers welcome! Also welcome other suggestions. Thanks.
posted by gigondas at 3:05 PM PST - 8 comments

We buy the lactose-free 2% milk from Costco (Kirkland brand). It typically froths well, even on the cold stir setting, on our Breville electric frother. Recently, it stopped frothing, where other milks are still frothing fine. [more inside]
posted by ancient star at 1:07 PM PST - 9 comments

I built a website using Network Solution's website builder tool four days ago. On that day, and each day afterwards, I go to the page to try and publish the site. And every day, it says the site is published but it, in fact, has not been and is nowhere on the Internet. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind at 12:29 PM PST - 4 comments

i went to the market yesterday to buy a new bottle of evoo. of the 40+ varieties/brands, not one had the COOC cert symbol that i always look for. many recently used to. what gives? [more inside]
posted by j_curiouser at 11:39 AM PST - 8 comments

I would like to learn how to paint but I am not sure if one needs to learn how to draw very well in order to improve and learn about painting. Would taking a course during post-pandemic in drawing, art fundamentals, and figure drawing help with painting? [more inside]
posted by RearWindow at 11:11 AM PST - 10 comments

The pads of my fingers are red and painful. I'm allergic to penicillin, but I've been handling amoxicillin because my kid is taking it. Could that be it? [more inside]
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:13 AM PST - 12 comments

I'm looking for a vegan nut butter wafer cookie that I can purchase in the SF Bay Area or online. [more inside]
posted by latkes at 10:04 AM PST - 4 comments

Way back in 2008-2009, I used to listen to a podcast regularly that had a title like "We don't hate you because you're stupid, we hate you because..." [more inside]
posted by Fuego at 9:56 AM PST - 3 comments

I'd really like to read a great book (or two?) about the earliest migrations of people to the North/South American continent (I'm not even sure what to call that...). I'm talking WAAAAAAYYYYY back in time, not the colonial or even pre-colonial period. [more inside]
posted by Mrs. Rattery at 9:53 AM PST - 5 comments

I don't know if analyzing the situation threadbare with girlfriends would help, but I don't even have that option, so here I am. Would you have the conversation, or proceed straight to an amicable breakup? Would you wonder what's wrong with your choice of partner, or even your preferences? Sorry for the slightly ranty question, but details below the fold. [more inside]
posted by Nieshka at 9:49 AM PST - 27 comments

I've made homemade bagels several times, from two different recipes, but with similar results: They all end up flattened/deflated. What in my process is causing this? [more inside]
posted by mr_bovis at 8:00 AM PST - 15 comments

We had to have the 2012 Prius jump started yesterday because it wouldn't start. Probably the battery drained because an internal light was left on. After the jump, the car was left idling in the driveway for over an hour. My question is, what should I do today? Should I wait until the weather gets up to the predicted high of 20 F this afternoon and drive around? [more inside]
posted by SandiBeech at 5:39 AM PST - 15 comments

US Tax question: I received a 1099-MISC for a payment that I had to send back. Do I still need the 1099 for filing taxes? More details below. [more inside]
posted by Guess What at 5:31 AM PST - 12 comments

Why does my Aeropressed coffee taste like water no matter what I do [more inside]
posted by Sheydem-tants at 5:05 AM PST - 39 comments

I am still breastfeeding my 7 month old but have been feeling kinda done with it for a while. I am constantly worried about my supply and taking supplements for it. I am still waking up to do night feedings so I am tired during the day but need to restrict my caffeine intake so he doesn't get all hyped up. But I have been waiting for the covid vaccine... [more inside]
posted by Forty-eight at 3:31 AM PST - 20 comments

A good friend of mine has this gawdawful illness, genetic in nature, resulting in degenerative nerve damage throughout his entire body. The level of care needed will cost a small fortune here in the states. Where can he go to have quality living at a discounted cost, due to the dollar being stronger? Wherever he goes has to have not only high quality assisted living care but also good medical care available. Ideally, somewhere beautiful, temperate climate -- he's lived in Texas his entire life and heat is no problem. [more inside]
posted by dancestoblue at 3:25 AM PST - 9 comments

I’m writing something up about Qanon researchers competencies and skills. I don’t know what kind of research they are trying to do, but I need to identify the closest type to tie it to relevant skills. My first instinct is investigative journalism but I think that’s a stretch. Historical research focusing primarily on primary sources, secondary, tertiary, quaternary and beyond as well? Bonus if you can suggest a book or resources to understand the relevant suggested research methodology. [more inside]
posted by Che boludo! at 3:14 AM PST - 36 comments

20-ish years ago, I used to visit a page where a cartoon artist would draw a picture regularly, maybe daily, based on a prompt someone submitted. The art style was flat, 2D and in my memory often included robots. Do you remember this site? It is surprisingly un-googleable for me.
posted by mmc at 2:30 AM PST - 4 comments

What are some resources for discovering what turns me on? I know my turn-offs but not turn-ons. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 12:36 AM PST - 9 comments

I was diagnosed with ADHS in my 20s and medicated with Ritalin for some time, but due to me moving around a lot, lost access to my psychiatrist and then didn't pursue treatment again. Now I'm in my 40s and just had an appointment with a psychiatrist. We had a nice talk and she is supportive of trying medication again but wants me to do an ADHS Test with a psychologist first. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 12:36 AM PST - 4 comments

After a Covid-related downsizing, I've been searching for a new job for several months, with little success. I thought I'd be ok, switching gears to technical writing from working as a pretty junior developer, but the feedback from a few interviews either swings towards "not technical enough" or "not writer enough." At this point, I'm wondering if I should try the dev track again, but I don't know enough there either. Help? [more inside]
posted by Irony at 8:57 PM PST - 13 comments

Someone caught on to the idea I appreciate a certain compliment. Now people do it regularly, but it isn't what they think. Help. [more inside]
posted by firstdaffodils at 8:56 PM PST - 16 comments

The jar of preserved lemons I bought today (curbside pickup) has a strong dent in the edge of the lid. The lid was very slightly bowed up (not swollen, but clearly not sealed) and there was no "pop" when I opened it. The jar says "refrigerate after opening", but...is that absolutely necessary? I mean, they're "preserved", right? [more inside]
posted by LadyOscar at 8:09 PM PST - 7 comments

A friend in the Seattle area has been receiving subscription magazines in the mail, addressed to names they don't recognize but with their home address. They have owned this house for roughly a decade and this is a fairly new occurrence. [more inside]
posted by happy_cat at 7:47 PM PST - 9 comments

ISO a lightweight vacuum. Special snowflake details below. [more inside]
posted by pised at 6:15 PM PST - 9 comments

It's possible that I'll have the nice problem soon of potentially choosing between different job offers, with some complications on preference and timing. I'd love to get some opinions on how to navigate. [more inside]
posted by COBRA! at 4:47 PM PST - 6 comments

Previously. My friend says it's ok to drive a car on a battery when the alternator is bad, because "you can charge a battery up again." I said, "I read driving a car on a bad alternator drains the battery." [more inside]
posted by intrepid_simpleton at 3:18 PM PST - 34 comments

I need to make pins that say "I Speak [Language]" in said language, for multilingual staff to wear at events, without any access to the staff who speak the languages. I am wary of relying on Google Translate, so Mefites, I turn to you! Details and languages below the jump. [more inside]
posted by JuliaIglesias at 2:28 PM PST - 9 comments

Who can I pay a few hundred dollars to pick paint colors/finish for the exterior of my house? I want to send someone pictures of my house, 3-4 pictures of houses I like, tell them the sun exposure it gets and have them give me a few options.
posted by ChodenKal at 2:18 PM PST - 5 comments

My partner and I are planning to live together. We are near retirement and both own houses (with a few years left to pay). Should we move into his place and rent/sell mine? Sell both and buy something new? How do we deal with complicated financial lives as mature people? [more inside]
posted by Frenchy67 at 1:52 PM PST - 8 comments

I have music associated with accounts on Youtube Music, Apple iTunes and Amazon Music. Is there some app that can consolidate all these tracks so they can be found in (and played from) one place? Thanks!!
posted by Misciel at 1:42 PM PST - 4 comments

I adore my girlfriend and her hair. I've noticed that she says odd things about her hair though. Can you help me help her? [more inside]
posted by uncannyslacks at 12:57 PM PST - 31 comments

My job is contemplating moving me from where I currently live to a place with a much cheaper housing market. On sort of a whim, I checked to see if I could qualify to buy instead of renting (I, historically, have not-great credit, so I wasn't sure it would be possible). Surprisingly, I qualified for a mortgage at what seems a decent interest rate... and now I have to math, which is harder than it looks to me. [more inside]
posted by hanov3r at 12:45 PM PST - 12 comments

my partner has a bad knee. increasingly he wakes up in pain from the knee (and other discomforts.) I want to solve this. [more inside]
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:32 PM PST - 9 comments

My current shared web hosting provider winds up on email blacklists (RBL and others) over and over and over again, preventing me from communicating with my family (on AT&T email and Hotmail; also some college/university email systems have bounced my email). Is there a reasonable-cost provider that doesn't? [more inside]
posted by humbug at 9:35 AM PST - 12 comments

I recently purchased a Zojirushi Virtuoso Plus bread machine to replace my old machine. I wanted to make a recipe that called for using the Sweet Cycle, but the machine apparently doesn't have one. Does anyone know what I ought to use in it's place? The cycles it has are: White, Whole Wheat, European, Multigrain, Gluten Free, Salt Free, Sugar Free, Vegan, Rapid White, Rapid Whole Wheat, Dough, Sourdough Starter, Cake, Jam. Which of those would map most closely to Sweet Bread? (Also - what exactly is "European" used for?)
posted by NoneOfTheAbove at 9:13 AM PST - 6 comments

I want to go to a conference but I can't pay directly, my employer has to. How can I ask my boss to take it out of my paycheck? [more inside]
posted by Tehhund at 9:05 AM PST - 15 comments

So, yesterday I quit a job for the first time ever. It was the right decision; I needed a change and certain changes over the past few months were making the job increasingly unpleasant for me. But I feel quite sad about it! [more inside]
posted by mekily at 8:07 AM PST - 8 comments

Wife has extremely dry skin on her hands, that is also prone to eczema. Her hands get extremely dry to the point where they crack and bleed...this ONLY happens in the winter. Wanting a hand cream that doesn't also dry out her skin or cause her eczema to react. Have used: Burt's Bees Hand Salve. Vaseline(with gloves). Baby lotion. Glysomed. O'Keefe's. Eucerin. . Suggestions? Thank you all :)
posted by LOOKING at 3:29 AM PST - 38 comments

Though it seems orderly enough, all online Japanese OCR resources are coming up short with the brief description that accompanies this lovely illustration of a kinugasatake, the Phallus indusiatus, drawn in 1800 by Kamei Kyodo. Help, please?
posted by progosk at 2:45 AM PST - 36 comments

I would like to watch the show Lupin. But I got the impression that it contains some rather disturbing scenes, specifically of (hope this is not a spoiler?) [more inside]
posted by Zumbador at 9:35 PM PST - 8 comments

My question: Is there any danger of an aquarium breaking or cracking by being brought directly from subzero temps outside into a 70 degree house? [more inside]
posted by Archipelago at 9:28 PM PST - 11 comments

A few weeks ago, I picked up some in-tank bleach tablets for my toilet. They're excellent and I basically don't have to clean my toilet anymore, but the internet says this may destroy my toilet. Should I worry about this? [more inside]
posted by wesleyac at 9:04 PM PST - 16 comments

Last fall for my 2008 Mazda 5, I got a set of four new tires, and shortly afterwards replaced the front struts. I haven't been driving a lot these days, and when I drove on the freeway recently at about 60mph/100kph I noticed a vibration that can be felt both by the driver and the passenger. It's not excessive, but it's noticeable. Is it likely a tire issue, or a struts issue? [more inside]
posted by ShooBoo at 8:52 PM PST - 11 comments

My boss and I have very different management styles. How do we mesh this? [more inside]
posted by Toddles at 6:32 PM PST - 7 comments

I have probably 1,000–2,000 4x6 photos that I want to go through, and sort by date/location. I would like to use a few Rubbermaid-like storage containers that not only would be the right size (a little over 6 inches wide, and then maybe 12–18" long), but that would also provide some protection from elements when stored. [more inside]
posted by blueberry at 6:28 PM PST - 11 comments

Yesterday I tried to transfer a file from one laptop to another, by plugging them together with a usb-c to usb-c. That didn't work, and maybe it caused this problem? My HP Pavilion x360 now will boot up and run and works just fine, as long as I use an external monitor, external mouse, and external keyboard. The touchscreen doesn't register anything, the screen doesn't display anything, the built-in keyboard and laptop don't do anything (but the power button works). I already "Reset windows" and downloaded updated drivers, neither worked. It seems it's a software or bios issue? Any help would be amazing!
posted by maxexam at 6:04 PM PST - 8 comments

I am in Georgia, so we cannot use the ACA website to get a policy, we have to go through an insurance agent. Thanks Gov Deal and Trumplstiltskin! (more after the fold) [more inside]
posted by rudd135 at 5:57 PM PST - 9 comments

The closing minute of season 3 episode 5 of Deadbeat has a character using an unusual rope/wooden ladder [image]. Does this style of ladder have a name and what was the original use?
posted by Mitheral at 4:23 PM PST - 2 comments

I'm getting a new dining room table and need some nice, comfy, modern (but not midcentury modern!) chairs to go with it! Where should I shop? Can you work around a chair that's slightly too tall or unpadded? Advice from short people and Bay Areans especially appreciated. [more inside]
posted by phoenixy at 2:52 PM PST - 16 comments

I tried ordering 5-6 pounds of brisket via grocery store pickup, and ended up with an ENTIRE 16 pound brisket. Now, I need recipe ideas... [more inside]
posted by daikaisho at 2:32 PM PST - 16 comments

I've been tasked with setting up a GoFundMe for a friend whose family has been hard hit by Covid. I've never done this before, and the last question I find on this site is from 2017, and didn't have many answers anyway. Have you done this before? What do I need to know? [more inside]
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:15 PM PST - 6 comments

I love my job and I have a specialized skillset that means I would have to take a huge paycut and/or move if I quit. Unfortunately I have gotten into a spiral where my boss thinks I can do no right. None of it is related to work product - it's more about how I navigate or fail to navigate our toxic workspace. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 1:58 PM PST - 29 comments

Need ideas for quizzes and other activities for building group cohesion and building contacts among our undergrad students. [more inside]
posted by biffa at 1:55 PM PST - 7 comments

Help! We recently adopted a new doggie (yay!) who is a ping-pong ball in the car (boo!) … All the dog hammocks I looked at online look like they are made for ultra-chill, ultra-small doggies who stay quietly where you put them and never move. I would like to take my dogs to the park without them getting injured or my car turning into a rolling shag carpet. [more inside]
posted by Armed Only With Hubris at 12:24 PM PST - 11 comments

Can you recommend a remedial math course for at home/homeschool learning? [more inside]
posted by Francolin at 12:24 PM PST - 4 comments

Years and years ago, I bought the perfect office chair at a used furniture sale. It was perfect for just one reason: in addition to the seat being able to go up and down, like every chair, there was a mechanism for the back to be adjusted backward and forward, and stay there. It seems that most chairs these days have the tilt mechanism but the back is not otherwise adjustable. Has anyone seen this kind of chair out in the wild?
posted by madonna of the unloved at 12:20 PM PST - 12 comments

My partner and I had a falling out with his mother over a year ago when my son was infant. She is a not-always-safe narcissist, but it still breaks my heart that she doesn’t know her only grandchild. Is there a way? [more inside]
posted by AlmondEyes at 12:10 PM PST - 48 comments

Most attempts to reach my dreamhost-hosted domain time out. I am not experiencing any other issues with other domains, even others hosted on dreamhost. What's going on? How can I fix it? [more inside]
posted by msbrauer at 11:21 AM PST - 10 comments

I work with people whose first language is Spanish. They speak English well, but their writing is... not great. Part of my job is to help them with their business writing so that it is in clear and precise English. They go to the thesaurus a lot, which ends up making their writing worse, not better. I want to give them an example sentence in Spanish of what they're doing. [more inside]
posted by tzikeh at 9:40 AM PST - 13 comments

This is my usual instant oatmeal brand: I add boiling water and it's ready in 5 minutes - it's not amazing but it's decent. I recently bought this Zojirushi rice cooker and tried cooking this oatmeal in it: it took an hour, and the result was a stodgy mess which stuck to my ribs. I don't understand why the extra effort and time produced a worse result - am I missing something, or perhaps this is just not a good way to cook oatmeal?
posted by my log does not judge at 8:38 AM PST - 17 comments

My house was built in the early 1800s in Philadelphia. I am not sure if these are the original floors but they are clearly very old and predate the addition which was built late 1800s/early 1900s. Image Close up image As you can see in the images, there is quite of bit of grain and color variation in the boards. Any ideas?
posted by nolnacs at 8:32 AM PST - 22 comments

Last year, I asked for exercise bike recommendations... [more inside]
posted by Frowner at 8:30 AM PST - 10 comments

Halp me fix or decide to replace drivetrain, please! I just replaced the cassette and chain, so I'm not sure what's next. [more inside]
posted by Dashy at 7:54 AM PST - 8 comments

Hello fine people. I have been searching for a new Windows laptop. The main reason for this is my collection of older software that I would love to keep, including Adobe CS6. I also actually prefer Windows to macOS for a number of productivity reasons for my work. However, I can't seem to find a Windows laptop that checks all the quality boxes like a MacBook Pro (oh, that buttery smooth trackpad!). Could I realistically use a Mac as my prime Windows machine? [more inside]
posted by Don_K at 7:45 AM PST - 12 comments

My second grader loves math. In school learning multiplication and fractions, and he's mastered addition and subtraction. I'd like to buy him some activity books to encourage his interest. Ideally these would not just be learning 3rd and 4th grade math a year or two early. Instead, I'd like to find other, adjacent topics for him to explore. I've had some luck with logic puzzles, and a little with coding. What else should I look for? Specific book/workbook recommendations are especially appreciated.
posted by david1230 at 6:36 AM PST - 27 comments

So, I've recently started listening to a lot more jazz. I know there are certain types of jazz that I really like, and certain types I don't like, but I don't have the vocabulary to describe them. My family never listened to much jazz when I was growing up so it's not a musical tradition I'm very familiar with. Where can I read an overview of the major sub-genres of jazz and start developing my vocabulary so I can find more of what I like? [more inside]
posted by mekily at 6:19 AM PST - 12 comments

I've got a lot of Stuff going on right now, and it's messing with my focus and concentration, esp at work, but also during my leisure time and the time I spend on my creative pursuits. How do I mentally compartmentalise better? [more inside]
posted by unicorn chaser at 5:30 AM PST - 4 comments

A close relative keeps claiming they're updating their will and need my date-of-birth and last 4 digits of Social Security number. Does that actually make sense, or why else could they want this info? And can anybody suggest a polite, kind, appreciative way to say I'm not comfortable giving this out? [more inside]
posted by Bardolph at 3:04 AM PST - 28 comments

Here is a youtube walkthrough of a short (cute) game. Where would you say the speaker is from? [more inside]
posted by taz at 11:15 PM PST - 24 comments

I am interested in hearing suggestions and experiences related to a long-distance move, particularly when I don't have that much stuff I really need to move, but one big-ticket item I'd like to move. Details below. [more inside]
posted by AppleTurnover at 4:06 PM PST - 28 comments

My 4.5-year-old's preschool has a scheduled nap time, during which the kids are supposed to go to sleep or at least be quiet. My kid has been getting into trouble because he will *not* be quiet and is now frustrated and acting out, and I'm trying to figure out options. [more inside]
posted by splitpeasoup at 3:04 PM PST - 24 comments

I find myself unexpectedly missing an old friend who died nearly 20 years ago. What on earth do I do with this? [more inside]
posted by bighappyhairydog at 2:26 PM PST - 17 comments

Can you help me sort out the ethics and logistics of visiting my parents? [more inside]
posted by prewar lemonade at 2:21 PM PST - 24 comments

I'm trying to run Might & Magic: World of Xeen in a classic Mac environment, but no matter my configuration, the function keys—which are required in order to play the game—don't work properly. Details within. [more inside]
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 2:02 PM PST - 2 comments

I got way too high last night and today I still don't feel okay. Please help [more inside]
posted by Amy93 at 1:24 PM PST - 23 comments

I have a newish-to-me HP Elitebook 2760p with Ubuntu on it. The touchscreen was working earlier today and it has stopped working. it doesn't recognize my touch or the stylus at all. I know nothing other than how to find the terminal. Please hold my hand and help me fix this problem. Thanks!
posted by aniola at 12:49 PM PST - 11 comments

How easy is it to image a Mac laptop with an old time machine backup? [more inside]
posted by andoatnp at 12:47 PM PST - 3 comments

I'm trying to sew a dress for the first time. I'm using a Butterick pattern (B4443 dress E) and sewing by hand. I'm currently making a muslin, but the final dress will be made of shweshwe (woven cotton), and Bemberg lining (woven viscose). I have questions about seam finishes, thread, and knots, especially as regards strength vs. bulk. Any other advice also welcome! Halp. [more inside]
posted by evidenceofabsence at 12:25 PM PST - 10 comments

I've had another relationship break-up. And I think I need to work on my self-esteem and liking myself more. We were fundamentally different people (in terms of values, politics and other things), he also didn't take care of himself physically, mentally, or financially and I could see my own needs disappearing. I knew in the 1st month there were some red flags but I carried on. I think I need to like myself more in order to not stay in relationships that can't work. [more inside]
posted by blue_eyes at 11:33 AM PST - 7 comments

I write songs mostly using GarageBand for iOS. I would like to get better at making arrangements that follow rock (and pop) "protocols" or "standard practices." I've been listening to rock and pop music forever (since Jerry Lee Lewis and The Big Bopper, actually), but I have little idea of how a rock band arranges songs. I want to learn more! [more inside]
posted by DMelanogaster at 10:40 AM PST - 32 comments

Tested positive for COVID on Wednesday. Symptoms are almost gone, starting to think about life after covid. NY Health And Hospitals said I need to quarantine for 10 days, and after that, I'm safe to go back out into the world (provided I haven't had a fever in 24-48 hours). However, this seems maddeningly vague. Can you please answer some questions for me? [more inside]
posted by Sloop John B at 10:09 AM PST - 8 comments

I'm looking for a galvanized bucket on wheels, to transport ash. Must have wheels and a lid! [more inside]
posted by silverstatue at 10:02 AM PST - 9 comments

This is a long shot but in grad school, one of my professors mentioned a poet who left their manuscript outside for a year and then made edits based on what was left? Any idea who it is and/or the name of the work? [more inside]
posted by degoao at 9:43 AM PST - 5 comments

For allergy reasons, I avoid most store-bought breads. I'm a good baker (decent at breads), but I am a full-time healthcare working mom, so don't have a lot of spare time. Is a bread machine a useful thing for me? [more inside]
posted by stillmoving at 9:05 AM PST - 20 comments

Hi! My son is 14 and has worn these slippers from LLBean for many years. He's now outgrown the largest size and I am looking for a replacement. [more inside]
posted by Kangaroo at 8:50 AM PST - 10 comments

I've been struggling with significant bleeding over the last few years and previous remedies have stopped working; I need to pretty quickly decide what to do next. My gynecologist feels that we can take one of two paths: hormones or a hysterectomy leaving my ovaries. I could use some help making the decision. [more inside]
posted by purenitrous at 8:20 AM PST - 20 comments

I am in a group that uses Slack. But we have two overlapping subgroups that we want to split up. Maybe you can help us with the best way to do that? [more inside]
posted by NotLost at 8:09 AM PST - 7 comments

My husband's $600 stimulus check arrived on 15 January; mine still has not. How and where do I report this? [more inside]
posted by Spathe Cadet at 6:15 AM PST - 8 comments

I failed all three phases of "Do what you say you’re going to do, by when you say you’re going to do it, or update people accordingly" from Ask A Manager advice in my new job. What can I do to prevent this from happening in the future and present some coherent plan that won't result in a late project with decidely mediocre work product in the future. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 2:48 AM PST - 9 comments

My lawyer goofed and cost me some money, but not a 'sue for malpractice' amount of money. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 2:47 AM PST - 7 comments

I am looking for the definitive glioblastoma resource - if such a thing exists. Where do those who study this go to learn about the latest research, promising therapies and best practices?
posted by Dragonness at 11:39 PM PST - 5 comments

In the 1990s I read a short story that consisted of a single sentence. It was a very long sentence -- I think it spanned about 1.5 pages -- but it was just one sentence. And it was a real story, as well, with characters, unexpected turns, and a climax. I believe it ended in a driveway. [more inside]
posted by Winnie the Proust at 7:50 PM PST - 8 comments

I'm having trouble finding an online recording of this poem, "Magyar Bárd Sorsa" by Gyóni Géza. Does one exist?
posted by michaelh at 7:39 PM PST - 1 comment

I started my new (full-time) job this past week. It's been quite overwhelming, and I'm seriously having qualms about keeping my part-time retail job, for a number of reasons. More inside. [more inside]
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 6:11 PM PST - 21 comments

Is there an accepted or widely-used gender-neutral term for someone who produces sperm? And also for someone who produces ovum? [more inside]
posted by crossoverman at 5:09 PM PST - 19 comments

I'm looking for a wireless keyboard that includes a touchpad that can switch between multiple devices. [more inside]
posted by NoneOfTheAbove at 4:18 PM PST - 7 comments

I made a necklace with handmade clay beads in the theme of Alice in Wonderland. I would like to make more themed necklaces but I am really struggling to find stories with representative 'elements' I can depict.. [more inside]
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 2:25 PM PST - 35 comments

My neighbors keep smoking and I can smell it. Is it unsafe for me to be outside while they do that? [more inside]
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:05 PM PST - 12 comments

I'm a longtime dabbler in coding, and for the first time have a project that goes beyond the usual paint-by-the numbers stuff I'm used to. I'd like to create a web-app that ingests a checklist (in PDF form with the metadata intact or scanned) determines which boxes on the form are checked, and uses that to present appropriate follow-up questions for user input. [more inside]
posted by Sockdown at 1:51 PM PST - 9 comments

As a securely attached person (i.e. one who neither jumps into nor avoids relationships), what are the early phases of dating like for you? [more inside]
posted by bearette at 11:40 AM PST - 5 comments

Call Me By Your Name is a great movie but I also like that they’re hanging out in a lovely villa in a sunny spot, bike touring the town, etc. Any other good movies with this kind of setting? Thank you!
posted by ftm at 11:32 AM PST - 24 comments

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a documentary called One Million American Dreams. It's about Hart Island. I thought it looked good, but triggered me in a way that no film ever has. It's made me pre-occupied with what will happen to me after I die. I'm afraid that I'll have no close family/friends when I die. Can people die w/o close next-of-kin and NOT be buried in a potter's field? Can these arrangements be taken care of before death? How does this work? [more inside]
posted by VirginiaPlain at 11:27 AM PST - 14 comments

Fashion history is a casual interest of mine. I’ve never studied it systematically, but just by viewing lots of pictures, I’ve picked up enough knowledge to be able to fairly accurately identify when an item of American or European women’s clothing was created, to the decade. E.g., if I see an item of women’s clothing, I can usually correctly date it to, say, the 1810s or the 1940s or whatever. [more inside]
posted by Transl3y at 9:47 AM PST - 25 comments

Is it reasonable for production of a 50-page glossy professional association magazine to take at least eight weeks from receipt of the last edited article to delivery of the paper copies? Members are complaining that the content is outdated by the time they receive their copies, so we'd like to shave it down if we can. [more inside]
posted by rpfields at 9:18 AM PST - 22 comments

(Asking for a friend). I'm looking for (Type 2) diabetes-friendly cold breakfast cereals. Not a fan of oatmeal either hot or cold/overnight type. I am ok with a little bit of sweetener, either sugar/honey/regular or alternative sweeteners, but in general I'm not a fan of super sweet cereals. The best one I've found so far is Arrowhead Mills Organic Oat Bran Flakes. I have access to various stores, including online, organic groceries, Trader Joe's etc..
posted by gudrun at 8:29 AM PST - 18 comments

My friend can hardly talk about any subject other than her family relationship troubles. It's been going on for two years and I'm burning out. [more inside]
posted by Coffeetyme at 8:27 AM PST - 11 comments

So, I have a bank account in Colombia with some money that I have saved up throughout the years. I'm moving to Canada and I want to transfer my money there eventually. [more inside]
posted by Tarsonis10 at 5:56 AM PST - 11 comments

I have an opportunity to apply for a new position with my current employer. I’m really torn on what to do and need some outside thoughts! [more inside]
posted by bookmammal at 5:17 AM PST - 19 comments

Hi all, I’m feeling lost and would appreciate any advice you can give me. I had a job interview for a position that I thought is similar to what I’m doing now at my current job, based on the job descriptions that are posted online. I was prepared to go into the interview and letting the interviewers know about my past experiences and how they align well with the job descriptions. During the interview, they told me that the main job responsibility isn’t stated in the job descriptions and turned out I hardly have any experience in it. They definitely threw me off my game and I admitted that I don’t have any experience but I would be willing to learn. I thought I handled the rest of the interview well. However I did not inquire about the job as much as I should have because I was so nervous to show them that I have no clue what the job entails. They did briefly explain the role but I still can’t picture what a typical day would look like. [more inside]
posted by missybitsy at 4:36 AM PST - 13 comments

It is too late for me to ask for help at my job with a pretty key function and I can't ask for help from others because then people will know how incompetent I am. Can I find a "tutor" to pay to help me? Or is this a lost cause? Also, bonus imposter (maybe truly an imposter) syndrome burnout. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 12:31 AM PST - 11 comments

It's a breakup playlist with a twist. Finding that even thinking about relationships is not good for my mental health right now, but trying to be upbeat, I'd like your picks for songs that remind you of the beauty of life, minus the references to partners (or even sentiments like "you'll find someone good soon" - I'd just rather not dwell on that atm.) Or just good bangers with positive lyrics. Looking for an "I'm resolved to go on," "Life is amazing" kind of feel. [more inside]
posted by Hardcore Poser at 9:16 PM PST - 29 comments

Request: Please suspend your disbelief and assume that what I'm creating is exactly what the world needs. I'm building a new cryptocurrency (as a non-profit) inspired by the disruption created by what happened with GameStop stock and how it showed the public just how absurd Wall Street/our financial system is (to say the least). I want to make sure I can ride off of the buzz around this disruption before people lose interest. Unfortunately, It's going to take me a few weeks to create it. Does anyone know if it's a common practice to do that with new cryptocurrencies: just throw up a landing page and give an idea of what the currency is all about and then collect emails until it's created?
posted by defmute at 8:21 PM PST - 5 comments

I recently moved into a new apartment. Yay! However, the elevators in the building have lighting with a lot of flicker, which causes me discomfort and headache. I complained, but was told that flickering is a normal part of LED lighting and that there is nothing that the managers can do about it. I don't believe that. [more inside]
posted by tickingclock at 7:37 PM PST - 10 comments

my kid is done with her gap year and has been accepted to three colleges. she's been asking for my thoughts and i want to be informed. Thanks!
posted by j_curiouser at 6:46 PM PST - 17 comments

My 3 year old constantly tells me to "stop yelling," to not "talk to [her] dad like that" and to "calm down" when I feel I am having normal conversations (albeit usually about something I am passionate/excited about) with my husband. [more inside]
posted by shesdeadimalive at 6:40 PM PST - 25 comments

I've been consulting part-time for a tech app. The CEO asked me 3 weeks ago if I'd have any interest in going full-time. I expressed enthusiasm, he expressed even more enthusiasm. Unfortunately, nobody has brought it up since. Do I sit tight or poke them to figure out next steps? [more inside]
posted by stella1 at 6:33 PM PST - 4 comments

There has to be a service or a guide for how to pick an adoptable dog. I am completely at a loss for how to sift through all of the profiles and rescues and still take into account our family dynamics. [more inside]
posted by tafetta, darling! at 6:32 PM PST - 5 comments

I have a lovely 2011 Hyundai Accent that I believe the alternator went out on yesterday (we did the voltage test after the battery light came on). A friend was going to fix it, no big deal he said, but now we are under a Winter Storm Warning. So I might have to take it into my regular mechanic Monday, who is a great guy, but you know, more money. The friend also recommended getting the electrical system checked. [more inside]
posted by intrepid_simpleton at 5:03 PM PST - 17 comments

I’m looking for a website that listed several chord progressions. One of the progressions they listed was a minor- and seventh-heavy progression they described as sounding “royal”, and the blurb started “doesn’t this make you feel like you’re coming into a castle?” The other blurb I remember from it is the I-V-vi-IV being “the axis of awesome”, which looks like a pretty common term. Does anyone else remember this?
posted by pxe2000 at 4:03 PM PST - 4 comments

What can I do with rice that came out of my rice cooker soggy? I probably put too much water in it. It is mostly white rice with some brown mixed in. I made fried rice with it but it was very mushy. What should I do with the rest? Can I roll it into balls and air fry it somehow? Any other suggestions welcome.
posted by amy.g.dala at 3:42 PM PST - 16 comments

Sometime around 2003 I seem to remember some kind of website competition prioritizing smallest file size? And one winner(?) made a faux shopping website with like ASCII art depicting the furniture you could buy? Does this ring a bell to anyone? [more inside]
posted by nevers at 3:36 PM PST - 7 comments

How best can I use stale banana bread? [more inside]
posted by freethefeet at 3:30 PM PST - 8 comments

If you've seen my recent questions, you'll know that I need a new job. I have an interview next week for joining a large team with a contract to migrate applications off of a government client's mainframe using node.js and Angular. I currently develop Java EE web apps. While I'm competent in Javascript, I am not very familiar with this proposed stack and some of the jargon. A little help please so I don't sound like a moron? [more inside]
posted by kitcat at 2:46 PM PST - 9 comments

I do a lot of writing in Notepad. Which is fine. But I'd like a better way to edit txt files! Snowflake details below … [more inside]
posted by HoraceH at 2:39 PM PST - 30 comments

I'm looking for specific terms to put in purchase orders to get the most out of our new Hololens 2s. [more inside]
posted by BeeDo at 1:48 PM PST - 2 comments

My husband, S, and I have been sleeping on the same bed for many (many!) years. We're now in a financial position where we can afford to get a new mattress (or maybe an entire new bed). But how to choose? Firm, medium, extra firm, memory foam, covered coil...so confusing, and is it really preferable to go to the actual mattress showroom to make an informed decision? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by Oriole Adams at 1:12 PM PST - 20 comments

I bought a 2020 Kia Soul and love it, except that the sound system in my previous 2013 Soul had HD radio stations on the FM band, and would also play music from an Ipod plugged into the USB. New Soul does neither, at least as far as I can tell, and there's no CD player. Is this a plot to make me subscribe to Sirius or something, or am I overlooking a solution?
posted by tizzie at 1:10 PM PST - 12 comments

My housemate's car is on the verge of death and he wants to try to buy a new one this weekend and has asked for help. If you have recent experience with new car shopping during the pandemic, I'd be interested in what your experiences were like. [more inside]
posted by Candleman at 1:07 PM PST - 13 comments

I'm looking for examples of picture books where the basic premise is that a character keeps making (I guess finding/receiving/doing is ok) a more and more extreme version of [SOME THING]. Early versions of the thing might be normal or a little bigger/better/more extravagant that typical, but by the end it's madness! Like let's say a character makes a bigger and bigger sandcastle, starting from a single bucket tower and ending with a real royal palace with a moat and a dragon and cannons and haunted portraits. [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:17 PM PST - 25 comments

I have been assigned a project and would love to hear your recommendations on how to do this right. I have been asked to digitize and archive a family’s entire collection of photos/home movies. I’ve been doing this in piecemeal over the years, but finally got approval to get ALL my boss’s photos/movies at once, to be digitized/archived for storage/preservation. I’m excited at the idea of doing this in a comprehensive way and create a SYSTEM! I don't have a background in archiving, so I want to see if anyone has any ideas on a workflow or tips. [more inside]
posted by brbmaroon at 11:39 AM PST - 6 comments

Why is my Chromebook download speed so slow? [more inside]
posted by pdb at 10:38 AM PST - 4 comments

We needed 1 jalapeno pepper for a recipe, but the store only had them in bags. So I now have 4-5 jalapenos that I'd like to use. But none of us likes food that is too spicy. We all have a mild tolerance, but we'd never choose to put sriracha on something on purpose (though we own it and cook with it and happily eat those dishes). I'd love links to recipes, ideally vegan. [more inside]
posted by Mchelly at 10:03 AM PST - 21 comments

I like to find ways to spend time with my almost-six-year-old that we both enjoy. During lockdown, a thing I really like is getting out of the house and going for a walk. That is boring for him unless we have a destination, but many of our destinations are unavailable. Do you have ways to make going for a walk fun for a little kid? [more inside]
posted by ManInSuit at 9:14 AM PST - 40 comments

I have a Pixel 5 en route and will need a headphone adapter. Google's adapter is $13, the Amazon's Choice adapter is $10, generic adapters on ebay start at $1.50. Is there a difference? Would one give, say, better audio quality than another (and how would I know)? Are all compatible with a Pixel 5? Would I be throwing money away on the Google adapter ($13 seems a lot for what it is)? I'm just looking for a headphone adapter here, not one which allows charging as well.
posted by my log does not judge at 8:05 AM PST - 8 comments

I have been experiencing nasal congestion since October. The results of a recent CT scan of my sinuses (according to the doctor’s) office “did not indicate urgency” – so my follow-up appointment is not for a few weeks. But I'm so stuffy! [more inside]
posted by Lescha at 7:58 AM PST - 20 comments

My wife's favorite mug was accidentally knocked off a table by our 14 month old and I would like to try to find a replacement. Details inside. [more inside]
posted by sewellcm at 7:43 AM PST - 16 comments

Suggestions? [more inside]
posted by ZenMasterThis at 7:36 AM PST - 5 comments

Short version question: Does anyone know of any specific resources in the Orlando area to help an elderly couple find a nursing home? They have a little equity in their house, little to no savings and relatively small income. My mom has been insisting on 2 bathrooms due to long term issues, but that is just not gonna happen on their budget. [more inside]
posted by Glinn at 7:36 AM PST - 4 comments

I'm interested in trying one of those mysterious meditation biofeedback devices. However, they are pretty pricey and it's hard to get a handle on if/how any specific model actually works from the marketing language. If you have tried one, what was the experience like? [more inside]
posted by space snail at 5:59 AM PST - 3 comments

What app or program, like Scrivener or Smart Edit, do you use to organize your academic writing? [more inside]
posted by RajahKing at 5:53 AM PST - 11 comments

I would like to upgrade my home TV watching experience and wonder if a small projector might be better than trying to find room for a big TV. However, looking at reviews makes my head spin so I was hoping the more tech-minded folks here could chime in. Difficulty: Australia. [more inside]
posted by ninazer0 at 1:42 AM PST - 9 comments

I have a dilemma and I need feedback ASAP. I am in a large southern city and currently live in the metro area about ten minutes from work (although I’m currently teleworking full time and maybe I definitely). After searching for a new home for almost a year, I’ve narrowed my choices down to two. I need help! [more inside]
posted by GeniPalm at 9:37 PM PST - 28 comments

I am curious to know if it is possible for Canadian lawyers to work part-time in government positions, non-profit, legal aid, clerking, or in small law firms? [more inside]
posted by RearWindow at 8:35 PM PST - 8 comments

I recently got out of a 4+ year relationship, and I’m surprised to find that the thing I’ve been struggling with the most is realizing how sexually incompatible we were. Honestly, I expected to have other regrets, but this is the thing I’ve been fixating on. Is it reasonable/realistic to think I can find someone that I mesh with sexually as well as emotionally? And how do I do it? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 8:30 PM PST - 18 comments

Hi all! I am transitioning from an eat-whatever-i-want diet to a healthy, plant-based, whole foods diet. I have a pretty open palate. I like and will try a lot of foods, but mostly enjoy salty and savory flavors. I want to go healthy but don't want to sacrifice taste/flavor. I need ideas, please help! [more inside]
posted by koolaidnovel at 7:33 PM PST - 32 comments

i've been unemployed and job searching for the past year because of covid and my industries (journalism + adjunct teaching) having terrible budget cuts. this week i very unexpectedly got a job offer at a slightly sleazy marketing strategy firm -- it's not aligned with anything i'd want to do longterm, feels borderline unethical, and i'm not desperate for money (i have a little savings and have been living with my parents). but, it's work and income...it would help me fund moving back to a city that i left before covid and would like to return to, would mean i could stop looking for work..and my dream job doesn't feel like it exists, anyway. i have reservations, but how much of that is my gut vs my anxiety? is this irresponsible to turn down given the circumstances? [more inside]
posted by lightgray at 6:59 PM PST - 20 comments

The main character was a young woman with a huge crush on a mechanic that had recently returned to town from jail. It was a quirky comedy, with a lot of deadpan humor, I think. [more inside]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:06 PM PST - 7 comments

I have a FB account, and decided to create an accompanying IG account. Initially, I had trouble connecting account A to FB. So, I created account B with a name I didn't like as much, but it seemed to work. FB also encouraged each account to be connected. I remember connecting the first one, but realized later the second needed to be connected to it too. After I logged into FB from the IG account B, it was. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind at 5:35 PM PST - 0 comments

For security reasons, I use a waiting room for my one-on-one zoom meetings. The problem is when I've started the meeting and I am waiting for the other person. Instead of just starting at myself on the screen while I wait, I often look away to do something else. When the person finally enters the waiting room, the "allow" button shows up on my screen but I don't see it unless I remember to constantly look up and check. Is there any way to add an auditory signal for the waiting room? [more inside]
posted by metahawk at 5:30 PM PST - 13 comments

My husband tested positive for Covid - asymptomatically - in December. We both tested positive - symptomatically - this week. It doesn't make any sense, can anyone come up with a plausible theory of what might have happened? Testing dates etc. inside. [more inside]
posted by zibra at 4:52 PM PST - 14 comments

My favorite genre of bedtime reading is currently diaries or "seasonal memoirs" (like a chapter dedicated to each month or season) that are non-fiction, low on trauma, mostly about every day life, and insightful about the local environment/climate. I want an endless supply of these books. Examples of what I've loved so far inside. [more inside]
posted by mostly vowels at 4:43 PM PST - 30 comments

Looking for a phone system that will keep a record of all the calls, and possibly record them. My dad is starting to answer calls from doctors, sometimes appointment confirmations, then he promptly forgets it before he tells anyone. [more inside]
posted by Sophont at 3:17 PM PST - 5 comments

To get my tubes tied now with my scheduled C-section, or to put off the decision for a year or two and then get a separate surgery? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 2:32 PM PST - 22 comments

Copyeditors: Hi. In titles, per AP and others, I know forms of "to be" are capitalized. But what about the very words "to be" themselves? Example: Don't Pretend to Be Something You're Not. Do I cap the "to"? And has anyone ever heard whether this whole rule can ever apply to headlines or A-level heads within a paper?
posted by noelpratt2nd at 1:31 PM PST - 5 comments

I'm sorry, my google-fu can't even. My dog and I would like to spend a couple of days walking on the beach and gazing at the Atlantic Ocean. We would like to do this as soon as possible. We are not deterred by cold, snow or ice, only by crowds of people without masks. [more inside]
posted by chocolatepeanutbuttercup at 1:25 PM PST - 13 comments

There used to be a way to see your ranking in the Spoonflower design challenges. Even if you weren't one of the top designs, there used to be a way to see all the designs in order of how many votes they received. Now I can't find this, only the top 70 designs. If anyone knows how to see all the results, could you link me or explain to me where I can find that? Thank you!
posted by WalkerWestridge at 12:21 PM PST - 2 comments

I currently work for a company that has a great reputation in my industry and great financials. People are jealous that I work here. But very soon I will be given the choice of resigning or being fired. This has ever happened to me in my 25 year career. How do I explain this to other people and employers? [more inside]
posted by FlatHill at 12:05 PM PST - 23 comments

My partner and I are considering moving in together. We are compatible in many ways, but we differ pretty significantly in the way we approach food and meals - one of us almost never cooks, and eats out (takeout/delivery these days) nearly every lunch and dinner. The other cooks almost every meal at home. Folks in a similar situation who cohabitate - how do you meet in the middle, or otherwise come to a satisfactory compromise? [more inside]
posted by btfreek at 10:35 AM PST - 32 comments

I need to be able to dial in the flow of argon to a precise measurement, something like 28.5 SCFH. It's for orbital welding 1/8" stainless tube. Typically I use the 196AR-60 from Gentec, and I was hoping to find something where I could set the flow digitally.
posted by jwhite1979 at 10:22 AM PST - 2 comments

My dad has recently gotten his old Commodore 64 up and running, and he has a huge library of pirated games on floppy (please don't arrest us). The only problem is that there seems to have been some trick to getting the game to start once you're on the title screen, and neither of us remember it since it was 30+ years ago. What was it? [more inside]
posted by fiercecupcake at 10:03 AM PST - 6 comments

In all the talk about stripping her of her seats on the education and budget committees, the detail I've not seen is how she got them in the first place. Is it typical for newly-elected freshman congresspeople to be assigned to committees at that level? If not, who was responsible for the decision to include her?
posted by ook at 9:22 AM PST - 12 comments

We just bought this bed. We had measured to confirm that we could fit the headboard through the door, but we neglected to measure the clearance of the staircase going to our master bedroom - the headboard is just barely too big to fit up the staircase. If we trimmed the legs by just 2 inches or so, we could get the whole thing to fit up the stairs. I have zero woodworking experience - is it a bad idea to try cutting the legs myself? [more inside]
posted by UncleBoomee at 8:48 AM PST - 14 comments

Do any non-backlight e-reader support hoopla? [more inside]
posted by asra at 8:43 AM PST - 3 comments

What technology platform(s) should we consider for our elementary school talent shows and (separately) fundraising "coffee house" nights? [more inside]
posted by TurkishGolds at 8:37 AM PST - 1 comment

I'm looking for Sunday-size (20x20 grid at minimum) medium-easy printed book of crossword puzzles. The LA Times Sunday puzzle is pretty much my ideal, but I think I've already gone through all of their books. My skill is at about a New York Times Wednesday level, so their Sunday puzzles are a little harder than I enjoy. [more inside]
posted by metasarah at 7:52 AM PST - 4 comments

My public two-year college admissions office - of which I am a staff member - wants to take up marketing's suggestion that they contact previous applicants who did not matriculate for a "study" asking them their reasons, with an offer of entry into a drawing for a $100 gift card as an incentive to participate. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 7:08 AM PST - 25 comments

What are some 4WD/AWD cars that are on the smaller size? I'm thinking sedan up to maybe a small crossover. [more inside]
posted by cozenedindigo at 1:34 AM PST - 37 comments

I'm a junior software engineer and I realistically only work 25 hours/week [more inside]
posted by typify at 10:06 PM PST - 28 comments

I would love thoughts on how to establish genuinely productive working relationships with people that habitually point out flaws in everything, while rarely pointing out anything that is positive. Bonus points for thoughts on how to respond to such people when the flaws that they point out are voiced in a snarky manner, or as nonconstructive criticism, rather than pointing out true and fixable problems.
posted by mortaddams at 7:49 PM PST - 24 comments

I'm looking for informative podcasts where I'm going to learn something, done in a conversational, friendly way, by subject-matter experts. The expertise might be due to academic degrees or real-world professional experience, but it is not "pair of friends reads Wikipedia article on X subject and then recites it back with color commentary" or "host interviews an expert" or even "host goes on a journey to learn about X". [more inside]
posted by rogerroger at 7:30 PM PST - 30 comments

Looking for your best, short videos (<15 mins) or articles that could lead to an interesting conversation among 10ish coworkers. [more inside]
posted by pear at 7:05 PM PST - 6 comments

My wife conducts painting workshops using zoom, and needs a camera to to show her demonstrations from either "over her shoulder" or "above her head". The solution we have been using isn't tenable ( placing her Mac on a step ladder). [more inside]
posted by lobstah at 5:53 PM PST - 9 comments

We have a 1.5 year old mixed breed dog, who is generally sweet but can sometimes snap in seemingly unpredictable moments. We have an upcoming appointment a professional trainer, but in the meantime, I'm interested in your tips and resources for dealing with an unpredictable dog. [more inside]
posted by smokyjoe at 5:31 PM PST - 10 comments

I have recently gotten VERY into the craft of "diamond painting." It's basically paint by numbers but you stick rhinestones on an adhesive canvas instead. I am hoping there is a way to take this to the next level! [more inside]
posted by Neely O'Hara at 5:08 PM PST - 6 comments

What manga should I be reading and why and where? [more inside]
posted by signal at 4:28 PM PST - 6 comments

I'm working on a science fiction piece. Some people fly a spaceship through some star-trekky anomaly, and they start to shapeshift at random. Currently it includes this language: "The first time it happened, everyone on board freaked. Our uniforms didn’t fit, some of our genders felt unfamiliar." Is "genders" the right term to be using here? [more inside]
posted by HeroZero at 3:17 PM PST - 14 comments

My elderly aunt has some hearing loss and watches TV so loud that it's disturbing the upstairs neighbours. They've asked her to lower the volume many times, but she forgets immediately. She has hearing aids, but refuses to wear them. They have now complained to me, the landlord. How can I handle this situation? [more inside]
posted by ohmy at 2:46 PM PST - 40 comments

Also please link me to helpful guides and your favorite non-celebrity academic people's profiles on the interwebs. [more inside]
posted by MiraK at 2:18 PM PST - 7 comments

Is it possible that my recurring problems with fleas all stem from an initial infestation in 2018? [more inside]
posted by thesmallmachine at 12:42 PM PST - 15 comments

I am poorly educated when it comes to pre-colonial India and I would like to know more. I have a good handle on global history including China, but India is a big dim hole before the Dutch. [more inside]
posted by typetive at 11:49 AM PST - 5 comments

A few years ago, I purchased the home edition of Office. NOT Office 365. Then a couple of years ago I joined a firm that uses 365 subscription. [more inside]
posted by jtexman1 at 10:40 AM PST - 8 comments

I have a chunk of Salt Pork, and most of the recipes I can find involve baked beans, I would like to hear your 'non-bean' recipes.
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 10:17 AM PST - 16 comments

Wanting to buy a high-quality rug online and not get burned again [more inside]
posted by BeatriceB at 9:27 AM PST - 4 comments

I am trying to move a Google Slides presentation from one account's Google Drive to another account's Google Drive. The only solutions I'm seeing online tell me to download the file and then upload the file, but downloading the file turns it into PowerPoint and I don't want that. How do I preserve the Google Slides format while moving it to a different account's Drive? [more inside]
posted by tzikeh at 9:08 AM PST - 7 comments

I'm looking to create a series of manuals that share information. I want to be able to create a library of Word documents stored on the SharePoint cloud and then other documents that combine any of the library documents into them dynamically so that when a change is made to the library, every document that shares that embedded information is updated. [more inside]
posted by archimago at 9:03 AM PST - 3 comments

I have a lot of equity in my current house. I am refinancing to a lower rate. I am also building another house in the next year. I will carry a mortagage on both homes for at least the next 5 years. I have this harebrained idea that I should take a bunch of money out of my current house when I refinance to pay down the construction loan I'm going to need soon. [more inside]
posted by Patapsco Mike at 8:49 AM PST - 7 comments

I'm not sure the written resume always makes language skills clear. What is the best way to express proficient second language skills relevant to a new job if not directly asked? I don't think it's great to show off and begin speaking in an interview in language 2 when not invited to. Extra difficulty - It's Spanish. More inside..... [more inside]
posted by Che boludo! at 8:48 AM PST - 17 comments

I'm looking to refinance my primary residence (a co-op apartment) and get some money out. What are the tax implications? Is this money considered capital gains? What about all the costs associated with the refinance (are these at all deductible)? How does the IRS look at it?
posted by timnyc at 7:44 AM PST - 3 comments

This morning, I rowed for 40 minutes on a Concept 2 rower, wearing a Garmin watch heart rate monitor. I was rowing at pretty low intensity, because I’ve been running for the last year, and I’m not in rowing shape. Looking at my heart rate after the workout, it was around 110 or below for the first 35 minutes, and then abruptly went up to 160 and stayed level there for the last 5 minutes. What gives? [more inside]
posted by LizardBreath at 7:26 AM PST - 10 comments

I was a teen at the time and a neighbor lent me his paperback copy of the novel. I loved it, gave him back the book and eventually quit thinking about it – until now. I have scant, scant, scant detail to share but hoping it’s enough for someone to recall the book I’m hoping to find. Embarrassingly, here’s all I can share… [more inside]
posted by cklehmann at 6:50 AM PST - 5 comments

I want to make an almond flavored cake. I have almond butter and whole almonds and typical cake ingredients (flour, sugar, etc.). How can I make this work? [more inside]
posted by carrioncomfort at 6:29 AM PST - 14 comments

Short version: ugh, cats messing with my interior decoration ideas. Literal cardboard wall, tapestry to hang on it, and the silly felines won't stop pulling it down. Longer version inside. [more inside]
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:14 AM PST - 13 comments

Looking for recommendations for an app with read aloud picture books, ie where the child can flip the page and the next page reads itself out loud (the pages don't flip themselves, the child can pace themselves) [more inside]
posted by Cozybee at 11:23 PM PST - 8 comments

When you have a migraine attack or similar, how do you occupy yourself when you can't sleep anymore, but screens or books or sounds are also not options? [more inside]
posted by LoonyLovegood at 10:07 PM PST - 26 comments

So, I'm a CS graduate, I have decided to pursue a Master's Degree in Computer Science in Canada. I've applied to several places, and received acceptance to 3 universities thus far. I've discarded one already, but the other two greatly interest me. I am not sure how I should go about choosing and the reality of having succeeded is weighing upon me. [more inside]
posted by Tarsonis10 at 9:27 PM PST - 14 comments

I would like to set up my router so that between say 10am and 6pm, Youtube can only be used for 15 minutes, on any device. I would settle for 15 minutes PER device, but ANY device would be better. Please point me to software that will do this. OpenDNS apparently only either blocks sites or not, no time limits or schedule allowed. [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:25 PM PST - 9 comments

Looking back, The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest had some very "adult" writing, in the sense of featuring situations that took its audience seriously. I'm still remembering how one of the reoccurring villains is a former CIA agent who was disavowed by the U.S. government, a victim of American imperialism and blowback. The show was at times both fanciful and oddly grounded, and didn't feel like it was geared towards a young audience. What other childrens' cartoons had similar quality of writing? [more inside]
posted by Apocryphon at 6:15 PM PST - 23 comments

37 year old single mama to a beautiful 6 year old little girl with whom I have full physical custody of. Her father is not in the picture right now other than virtually due to his choice to move across country. I have been single for 4 years with a couple of unfortunate dating experiences that I have gained a lot of insight from. I am by no means prioritizing my love life or dating over my daughter as she is my priority, but I do know that I would like my chance at love and a family. How can I get over feeling as if my life is just too much for anyone? How can I get past feeling insecure about my current situation enough to open up my life and heart to someone who seems very willing understanding and respectful of my situation. [more inside]
posted by MamaBee223 at 2:33 PM PST - 21 comments

All I want or need is a printer to print black-and-white, less than 10 pages a week. I want to print (non-sticky) labels for returns or print postage for Etsy stuff, and maybe print the occasional knitting pattern. I'd like to send docs to it over wifi or Bluetooth. I have a Windows 10 laptop and an Android phone. Bonus points for small size and availability on Amazon Prime. I haven't owned a printer in like 15 years so I have no idea what's out there that fits this bill but there must be something!
posted by fiercecupcake at 2:05 PM PST - 22 comments

Can we make our lives better by installing a pedal or knee faucet valve in our kitchen and/or bathroom? Do you have any specific recommendations? [more inside]
posted by amtho at 12:11 PM PST - 10 comments

Hi all, I am chairing a conference which is going to have sessions dealing with historical trauma, racial reconciliation, and similar topics. Our committee is interested in creating a quiet retreat space available for people to care for themselves in case the discussions become painful. We will be in a typical convention hall setting but can set aside a room for this. Please help us plan to set up the space: what should we include, what should we avoid? Thanks.
posted by Miko at 11:41 AM PST - 19 comments

Do you have recent direct experience with Tubelox? Facebook has been showing me ads for it, and my daughter would love it if it actually works. But does it? It's expensive, and I don't want to buy it if it's frustrating junk. [more inside]
posted by Winnie the Proust at 11:40 AM PST - 6 comments

I have eaten lemon poppyseed loaf cakes or lemon pound cakes that were deliciously moist and intensely lemony. I have never been able to reproduce this in my own kitchen, despite trying a variety of different recipes. Please share with me your recipes that reliably produce moist lemony cakes. [more inside]
posted by darchildre at 11:24 AM PST - 23 comments

As work-from-home continues, I'm looking for additions to my afternoon hot beverage selection. I have decaf coffee, chamomile, and peppermint teas. I'm looking for teas that have a savory or at least not-sweet/citrus/fruity taste. I like black coffee, genmaicha tea, Lapsang souchong, and I'm looking for decaf teas in that flavor family. Tastes like barley, fennel, etc. I'm also looking for these to be hot, and zero or very low calorie without artificial flavors. Specific brands and products would be very useful. Thanks!
posted by mercredi at 10:12 AM PST - 34 comments

PDF.JS is set up to accept only data, http, and https so it can stream that data rather than loading all of it. I want to load all of it. The extension PDF.js in chrome allows one to read local data. How can I change the PDF.js code so that it will accept local PDF files?
posted by metatuesday at 10:06 AM PST - 3 comments

I'm having a hard time finding a straight answer to how to write this in APA format: 1 to 2 minutes. [more inside]
posted by Lutoslawski at 8:34 AM PST - 5 comments

When practicing a piece you've mostly mastered - especially an older piece - how do you note where you've made mistakes so you can practice those sections? [more inside]
posted by kristi at 8:25 AM PST - 12 comments

I am in the process of buying new glasses, and I have the option to add an anti-fog coating to them. If you have that on your glasses, does it work? And specifically does it work to prevent fogging outdoors when you where a mask? Are there any downsides to an anti-fog coating that I should be aware of?
posted by nanook at 7:51 AM PST - 13 comments

I got a job at a great tech company. I start Feb 22. Today I found out our dog has cancer and the first oncologist appointment is an all-day one on 2/23. What do I do? [more inside]
posted by arniec at 7:26 AM PST - 16 comments

My taxes are actually rather simple, but I am an American living abroad and married to a foreign national without a tax number, and so I can't seem to use turbotax etc. Had a great accountant, but they want 500USD to file for me, so hoping to find cheaper alternatives. More details within! [more inside]
posted by wooh at 6:51 AM PST - 9 comments

Our oldest’s birthday is about 1 week before the cutoff for kindergarten registration, so if we send him to kindergarten in fall 2021 he’ll be one of the youngest in his grade. So we’re wondering whether to send him or give him another year to mature. The evidence on the pros and cons of academic redshirting is mixed. So how do we make this decision since it can’t really be evidence-based? [more inside]
posted by Tehhund at 5:55 AM PST - 49 comments

When I search for these things the results get clogged with PC building enthusiasts and advertisement-articles. I'm looking for a genuine opinion on a good PC, workstation or laptop that is pre-built and can handle gaming and occasional 3D animation in Blender, and preferably in a compact case. [more inside]
posted by picklenickle at 10:09 PM PST - 6 comments

Hi everyone, I'm looking for research, articles, books, anything that do any of the following in regard to burnout: [more inside]
posted by fairlynearlyready at 8:42 PM PST - 3 comments

I am trying to remove the gas cylinder from the bottom of an office chair without scratching or harming the cylinder. I've tried most every suggestion I've found online. I will explain in detail below, and I welcome Mefite comments, but I think I could use ideas from the world of serious mechanical problem solvers. My question is, where do I find them online? [more inside]
posted by Jackson at 8:14 PM PST - 25 comments

The song BANG! by AJR has occasional voice actor interludes by Charlie Pellett. A video game streamer I watch, Baertaffy, made a rap with similar voice actor interludes by Wayne June. What other songs could I listen to that have these type of interludes?
posted by vegartanipla at 8:12 PM PST - 13 comments

I'm no astronomer, so my description might be lame. But in the opening sequence of the Big Bang Theory, the viewer enters the solar system from the outer orbits, after traveling through the cosmos and beyond several other galaxies. They pass Saturn, Jupiter, the Sun, Mercury and Venus before coming upon the Earth. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind at 7:44 PM PST - 9 comments

I'm a beginner at composting, and have bought a kitchen counter bin(1.3 gallon) for collecting food waste, to be added to an outdoor tumbler. But I live and eat alone, so it will take a long time, ordinarily, to accumulate that much "green." One FAQ I'm using says to add fresh waste to the "brown" in the tumbler. How necessary is it that it be fresh, or how long would be too long to be adding to a single load in the bin?
posted by mmiddle at 6:44 PM PST - 13 comments

For inspiration, I'm looking for quotations from books/articles/whatever depicting characters engaging in complex contemplation -- imagining branching futures, solving math problems, doing engineering-y shit in their heads. Ideally, reflecting the beauty of the process.
posted by insteadofapricots at 6:43 PM PST - 14 comments

I'm doing research for my novel. If you're a humanities or social science PhD, what made go that route? How did you choose your field? Tell me your story!
posted by swheatie at 4:11 PM PST - 12 comments

Many years ago a friend's father shared a book of illustrated poems with me, and I cannot for the life of me remember the name? Maybe you can! They were short, illustrated, by a male author, and probably published in the 80s or 90s. [more inside]
posted by nancynickerson at 3:24 PM PST - 3 comments

Zoom automatically shows up in full screen for me, and once reset reverts to full-screen every time I enter or exit a breakout room. I would like it not to. Is there a way to prevent this? Am I missing a setting? [more inside]
posted by charmedimsure at 3:17 PM PST - 2 comments

I just bought a 16 foot Old Town canoe and the only convenient place to store it would be hung up in our garage. I searched for ideas and it seems everyone has their own idea about the best way to do this. Are there a couple standard ways to hang a canoe overhead so it's easy to get up and down, but secure while up? I'm as overwhelmed after searching as I was before. I don't want to reinvent the wheel. [more inside]
posted by Tehhund at 3:17 PM PST - 10 comments

I am seeking recommendations for a podcast to listen to while I'm falling asleep. Something quiet. To me, that means soothing, consistent voices, with no excitement, hilarity, or arguments. If there are ads, they have to be the same voices/tone as the rest of the podcast. These are my two biggest problems finding appropriate 'casts, and rules out anything from iHeartRadio, Wondery, MaxFun or other networks. Additional snowflakes within. [more inside]
posted by dazedandconfused at 3:08 PM PST - 43 comments

New job, new work-issued laptop, new external display problems... [more inside]
posted by praemunire at 2:52 PM PST - 5 comments

I was hired remotely last year for an entry-level data analyst job during the pandemic. While my team and I seem to have a good general rapport, I would also say there's a strong sense of being silo'd (which I think might be more a consequence of learning to work together remotely, and less of anyone's fault in particular). I've given a lot of thought to my job in the past (maybe honestly more than I should have), but lately I've more seriously considered how this job has made me feel and wondered if this something I should continue to put up with, and if so, how I can put up with it better. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 2:00 PM PST - 8 comments

My niece is studying graphic design [more inside]
posted by fantasticness at 1:35 PM PST - 8 comments

still adjusting to working from home [more inside]
posted by winterportage at 1:18 PM PST - 40 comments

I'm asking to help a friend who is in a situation where putting off therapy any longer is going to have drastic consequences. They are immunocompromised and need this therapy to be virtual. How should they navigate this? [more inside]
posted by FirstMateKate at 11:56 AM PST - 14 comments

"Let's Hear It for the Boy" is a song celebrating a total dud of a boyfriend. He's mean and sullen, he dresses badly, he's unromantic, he's a cheapskate, he's a bad singer: slow clap for this man. Is this song alone, or are there others that similarly shovel praise at a manifestly undeserving dude? [more inside]
posted by Beardman at 11:28 AM PST - 52 comments

I spend 3 to 4 hours a day on a concrete floor and my feet get sore, especially the ball of my foot behind my little toe. Can you recommend a shoe that will give me some relief? [more inside]
posted by donpardo at 11:15 AM PST - 22 comments

My eldest grandchild has various sensory things that make many items of clothing annoying or uncomfortable. I want to make a pair of pants for him. It occurred to me that it would be fun to make a pair of pants for myself as well. [more inside]
posted by Bella Donna at 11:14 AM PST - 7 comments

Some of the HIIT and Strength workouts on Apple Fitness+ require dumbbells but, having never been to a similar gym class, I've no idea what weight(s) I should get. [more inside]
posted by fabius at 11:04 AM PST - 9 comments

I’m helping set up a Switch and various usernames and logins for a child. Parent wants to make sure no personal info from child is exposed to strangers. I’m curious when and where this happens, as I noticed an issue when we played Minecraft. [more inside]
posted by curious nu at 10:43 AM PST - 1 comment

I haven't slept a full night in two years. And all my talks are remote, which makes it hard to read the room and derive energy from the audience. Today I gave a talk that was bad enough that someone commented on how many "ums" I use. Quick fixes to help me get better given I don't have time to take public speaking classes or read full books? [more inside]
posted by redlines at 10:30 AM PST - 16 comments

We're told not to use rapid Covid tests to decide that you are "negative" and are free to socialize without risk of spreading Covid to others. [more inside]
posted by DMelanogaster at 9:31 AM PST - 22 comments

My BFF recently moved to Toronto from Texas and his birthday is coming up. [more inside]
posted by *s at 9:15 AM PST - 21 comments

I have a 2018 Toyota Yaris iA (which is sold as a Mazda 2 in other markets), automatic, and didn't drive it enough during the pandemic. It's having increasingly severe problems: First it needed to be repeatedly jump started, then maintenance lights on the dash turned on. Now it seems to be having problems shifting gears. My guess is that it needs a new battery, but I'd like to know if there could be something else causing these issues, and if it's something I can fix or if I need a professional. [more inside]
posted by arcolz at 9:13 AM PST - 12 comments

My son recently turned 4 and I've realized that he's now at an age where he might be able to start playing video games with me. We tried out Kirby Epic Yarn and it went great! On the other hand, he had a hard time with the steering in Mario Kart and Yoshi's Woolly World was a bit hard. I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations for games for the Wii U that might go over well with someone in kindergarten. Thanks!
posted by NoneOfTheAbove at 8:33 AM PST - 10 comments

Seeking tips for navigating a "matrix" (or at least matrix-inspired) management structure in which I don't really have a boss but also have seven bosses. [more inside]
posted by geegollygosh at 8:33 AM PST - 5 comments

Do any of you have experience using Fiverr to get freelance gigs? I'm looking for some pretty basic gigs like light editing, writing, and so on. Trying to get the side-hustle going. I appreciate learning more about your experiences!
posted by Fister Roboto at 8:31 AM PST - 2 comments

Hi Hive! I just got an appointment for relative's COVID shot at Dodger Stadium... many questions: When should I arrive for 11 am appointment? How long have the lines been at that time of day? Are there bathrooms available? thanks for any advice.
posted by calgirl at 6:53 AM PST - 6 comments

Hi, I know next to nothing about tennis rackets but looking to get a couple of rackets. What is a good (couple of) starter racket(s) that hopefully comes with a bag to keep the rackets in. Amazon links work best. Thank you!
posted by cashman at 6:37 AM PST - 4 comments

Bright kid here had a brief lapse and put a small plastic tub holding coarse salt down on a stove element that, while not on, was still hot. Yes, it melted. [more inside]
posted by zadcat at 6:35 AM PST - 9 comments

Noob question about white balance and what-not [more inside]
posted by troywestfield at 6:05 AM PST - 12 comments

I have a stim. I've been doing it since I was a tiny child, but now I'm doing it a lot, and it's causing me some physical problems. Is there a way to stop doing it? [more inside]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:38 AM PST - 7 comments

I'm trying to work out the most good I can do for trans people in the UK with my money. Ideally, I'm trying to get the biggest impact for my money so although I've given to crowdfunding legal fees agains the recent Bell v Tavistock case, I'm looking for something more directly useful to people. [more inside]
posted by Braeburn at 5:24 AM PST - 2 comments

Winter around here means put on a sweater. I steamed a potato (big baker) 12 hours ago, and forgot it overnight in the machine. After it turned itself off, it cooled down to room temp and stayed there 10 hours. Room temp in this case never got higher than 73 degrees.
posted by tilde at 5:08 AM PST - 8 comments

My daughter's best friend from school (10+ years ago) is going through a serious illness (potentially terminal) and I connected with her mum, who I knew not at all, and asked what I could do, and our coversation has become nearly daily, where I'm part of her "dump out" circle. I'm honoured, and I've learnt a lot from metafilter but please, from those who needed someone to dump out to, what's the best things I can do, and things I should avoid? [more inside]
posted by b33j at 4:10 AM PST - 13 comments

There are field mice living in my backyard. Usually that's not a problem but just lately two of them have started coming into my house. Someone has been trimming the fringe off my Kelim carpet so I suspect they are building nests and I can soon expect to see a few more little ones running about. [more inside]
posted by Zumbador at 3:33 AM PST - 11 comments

I seem to have accidentally started a ball rolling on my suburb's Facebook Group on starting a new community garden. I have a spot and a member if parliament who belongs to the group has given instructions on how to acquire that spot, and other well-informed people have given me some tips on contacting other groups for waiting lists so I can collect members. What else do I need to know? [more inside]
posted by b33j at 1:01 AM PST - 4 comments