Ask MetaFilter is a discussion area for sharing knowledge among members of MetaFilter. This page is limited to recent questions that have answers marked as "best" by the person asking the question.
March 18
I just purchased and opened a Walgreens instant + reusable cold pack. I have tried to activate it, but it is not even a little cold. Help!
posted by nat at 8:28 PM PST - 4 comments
posted by nat at 8:28 PM PST - 4 comments
I would like to buy a key fob for my 2008 Gen 2 Toyota Prius, and I'd like to do it online if possible. I can't figure out what is legit and what isn't online.
posted by kensington314 at 11:32 AM PST - 1 comments
posted by kensington314 at 11:32 AM PST - 1 comments
March 17
I just got the pixel 7 a year ago but I'm tempted, largely because I'll be visiting beautiful landscapes this summer and I think the camera on the pixel 8 pro might be a lot better. Is this foolish? Are there other reasons to upgrade after only a year?
posted by janey47 at 6:04 PM PST - 2 comments
posted by janey47 at 6:04 PM PST - 2 comments
Who is the actress standing between Margot Robbie and America Ferrera at the Oscars, as seen in this video of Ryan Gosling singing "I'm Just Ken"?
She's singing here at 2:42.
Thanks.
posted by themanwho at 3:31 PM PST - 2 comments
posted by themanwho at 3:31 PM PST - 2 comments
March 16
I buy diapers for my daughter from Amazon. The price varies from $50 a pack up to $95. I've got a camelcamelcamel alert set up so that I know when low prices happen, but sometimes there are long stretches between low prices and our stock runs out. I see that there's an option to "Subscribe and Save" 5%-15%, but... what's the subscribe-and-save price? Is it whatever the price is that day, i.e. it'll bounce around between $50 and $95? Or is the price locked in when you first subscribe?
posted by clawsoon at 8:14 AM PST - 7 comments
posted by clawsoon at 8:14 AM PST - 7 comments
March 15
On May 12, 1963, President Kennedy 1) federalized the Alabama National Guard and 2) deployed federal troops outside Birmingham. Which US military units did he deploy?
posted by LonnieK at 6:40 PM PST - 1 comments
posted by LonnieK at 6:40 PM PST - 1 comments
I'm trying to remember the name of the rumored They Might Be Giants compilation album that was supposed to come out in the mid-90s. I think I read about it on Usenet at the time. It would have been similar to Miscellaneous T in that it would have included all the B-sides from the Elektra singles.
posted by themanwho at 3:57 PM PST - 4 comments
posted by themanwho at 3:57 PM PST - 4 comments
Looking for legit ways to buy/order Onitsuka Tigers in the US
posted by zara at 3:12 PM PST - 8 comments
posted by zara at 3:12 PM PST - 8 comments
Due to immigration and displacement, I have family members all over Europe. My much younger adult cousin (who I have never met and lives in Germany) recently lost her father (my uncle) who I met only once as a very small child.
posted by Lescha at 12:08 PM PST - 7 comments
posted by Lescha at 12:08 PM PST - 7 comments
I have inherited what I estimate to be literally one ton of turquoise and other semiprecious stones in Tucson, AZ. I have reason to believe that there could be a significant (six figure) amount of value in this collection. Do you know of a reputable local place I can sell this to?
posted by cmoj at 9:50 AM PST - 7 comments
posted by cmoj at 9:50 AM PST - 7 comments
What are some restaurants with tasty vegetarian options in Manhattan? Looking especially for places south of 31st, and ideally north of Houston. We'll be there in April, so if it's closing on March 31 don't tell us! We love Xi'an food but aren't sure Xi'an Famous Foods has anything vegetarian. We also love Malaysian food and can't get any Malaysian vegetarian options where we are. Outdoor dining is a plus.
posted by rednikki at 7:36 AM PST - 13 comments
posted by rednikki at 7:36 AM PST - 13 comments
I'm looking to buy a small UV flashlight to observe fluorescence in some mineral samples, but after hearing about the party where the NFT bros suffered eye damage from the wrong type of UV lights, I'm concerned about just picking a random one off Amazon. What should I be looking for, and is there a reputable supplier out there? (Difficulty: must ship to EU, would prefer to spend <€20.)
posted by nanny's striped stocking at 6:27 AM PST - 8 comments
posted by nanny's striped stocking at 6:27 AM PST - 8 comments
It's mud season in Vermont. I have a gravel bike. What is your routine/strategy for getting your bike clean after each use? Not interested in youtube videos of how to clean bikes.
posted by Xurando at 4:10 AM PST - 11 comments
posted by Xurando at 4:10 AM PST - 11 comments
March 14
In this text from 1966, Robert Smithson quotes Roland Barthes as saying the “undifferentiated mass of organic sensation.” But I can’t find the origin of the quote. A skewed translation? or possibly just made up by Smithson? Any ideas where it might come from appreciated.
posted by 0bvious at 12:38 PM PST - 3 comments
posted by 0bvious at 12:38 PM PST - 3 comments
I’m looking for fun ways to gift my wife between $100,000-$250,000. This will be surprise proceeds from the sale of an asset, mixed in with some inheritance sharing. Get creative!
posted by CharlesDeP at 10:40 AM PST - 58 comments
posted by CharlesDeP at 10:40 AM PST - 58 comments
So, we use an old-fashioned magnet board, something like this to plan a semester’s teaching schedules of about 60 full-time and part-time faculty/staff.
My colleagues are heavily invested in this system, and they know it backwards.
Suggestions requested for a camera backup and replacement software.....
posted by lalochezia at 8:35 AM PST - 6 comments
posted by lalochezia at 8:35 AM PST - 6 comments
I'm designing a vacation & sick leave policy for an extremely small company, and I'd like to make it as friendly as possible to employees. I've had good vacation and sick leave policies in the past, but I'm having trouble remembering the exact details of how they worked, so I'd love help from Metafilter: if you have a great vacation & sick leave policy, what does it look like exactly?
posted by technotaco at 8:32 AM PST - 57 comments
posted by technotaco at 8:32 AM PST - 57 comments
I'm fasting for Ramadan for the first time in many years, and I'm struggling with the work aspect of it. Any advice?
posted by unicorn chaser at 5:57 AM PST - 30 comments
posted by unicorn chaser at 5:57 AM PST - 30 comments
March 13
For a story: I'm looking for examples of something a Chicagoan living in London for the first time might find surprising/strange -- but which is considered an unremarkable part of daily life in London. Challenge: needs to be a clear visual, not an intangible concept.
posted by egeanin at 8:56 PM PST - 75 comments
posted by egeanin at 8:56 PM PST - 75 comments
Do any computer companies still make ultracompact (sub-13 inch), high-performance/high-end laptops? Something like the old 11-12" Macbook (/Air) or the Thinkpad x280. All I see in this space are Chromebooks and 2-in-1s that lean more on the "tablet" side of things. (I would get an iPad Pro with the keyboard in a heartbeat, if only it ran an actual proper OS.) Is there any sort of activity in this space, or is it just completely dead?
posted by btfreek at 1:54 PM PST - 19 comments
posted by btfreek at 1:54 PM PST - 19 comments
Boyfriend and I will be observing the total solar eclipse in Broken Bow, Oklahoma on April 8th and then driving around for about a week before I need to catch a train in Texarkana. I'm figuring a 500 mile radius or so from either of those places is a good place for our wandering - so that's east Texas, southwest Arkansas, northwest Louisiana. What places in that area do you love? Where should we steer clear of?
posted by queensissy at 11:56 AM PST - 13 comments
posted by queensissy at 11:56 AM PST - 13 comments
Help us! My area has a need for a very specific polling/scheduling function. We need two things. Allow participants to pick a day of the week, and allow only some number of responses for any one day.
posted by lillygog at 11:10 AM PST - 2 comments
posted by lillygog at 11:10 AM PST - 2 comments
I have a mic with a mini XLR to 3.5 mm TS cable, which is currently plugged in to a USB audio card with TSR jack. It only works when it's pulled out a little bit. What's the easiest way to get it to work while fully plugged in - new audio card, new cable, or can I buy a converter jack?
posted by one_bean at 10:47 AM PST - 9 comments
posted by one_bean at 10:47 AM PST - 9 comments
I have to-do items in several categories, and I would like to be able to view them on my laptop or iPad as a series of columns, such that one column would be one category's to-do items, so that I can see the various lists side-by-side. Do you know of an app that can do this?
posted by Well I never at 10:32 AM PST - 3 comments
posted by Well I never at 10:32 AM PST - 3 comments
How do I know if I am dealing with real people or not?
posted by winterportage at 8:25 AM PST - 13 comments
posted by winterportage at 8:25 AM PST - 13 comments
I have a new job! Yay! It's WAY busier than my last one! Yikes! I'll get the hang of it eventually! Yay! But the meantime-learning-curve phase sucks! Boo! I need some short-term self-care ideas! Please?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:50 AM PST - 17 comments
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:50 AM PST - 17 comments
March 12
I've done some research into the genre, and the zone is absolutely flooded with light to heavy erotica. Glad the readers and writers of that are finding each other, but it's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for stories with a classic sci-fi focus, mainly on the premise and not how the premise could be horny. Any influential classics?
posted by PikeMatchbox at 4:38 PM PST - 27 comments
posted by PikeMatchbox at 4:38 PM PST - 27 comments
This coming Saturday I am hosting a meeting for a group of 10-20 volunteers. The venue is a school classroom. The school is providing the room free of charge, but they asked me to have my own public liability insurance for the day. I'm in London, UK.
posted by snarfois at 2:28 PM PST - 6 comments
posted by snarfois at 2:28 PM PST - 6 comments
I'm looking into taking two teenagers to Mexico for about a week at the end of August. The place that seems to check the most boxes--direct flight from PDX, beaches/outdoor fun, ruins, a decent-sized city to explore--seems to be the Yucatan. But the weather...
posted by gottabefunky at 12:29 PM PST - 7 comments
posted by gottabefunky at 12:29 PM PST - 7 comments
(Content warning for non-graphic description of disordered eating) I am dealing with some worsening eating disorder symptoms and am not sure what my first step would be in accessing treatment. Would appreciate thoughts, ideas and what might be a place to start?
posted by lizard2590 at 11:18 AM PST - 6 comments
posted by lizard2590 at 11:18 AM PST - 6 comments
We're going to Pasadena for a long weekend, staying in the hotel where my partner's conference is held. The kid and I will mostly be on our own. Where should we eat, and what kind of activities will be low-key and fun? We'll have a car.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 9:42 AM PST - 27 comments
posted by Lawn Beaver at 9:42 AM PST - 27 comments
Why is the latest iPhone iOS suggesting incorrectly spelled words and how do I get it to stop?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:13 AM PST - 14 comments
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:13 AM PST - 14 comments
What websites, books and advice would you recommend to someone who is about to embark on a job search who's been in the same place for a while, has been a bit coasting and not super confident about new job finding ability based on prior experience? Snowflake details below fold.
posted by sandmanwv at 7:53 AM PST - 5 comments
posted by sandmanwv at 7:53 AM PST - 5 comments
We had one tea mug left that was perfect, but it broke a while ago, and I am fed up with all the other mugs we have that aren't perfect. Unfortunately, the maker's mark disappeared from the bottom of the mug, and I can't find a similar one in dozens of image searches.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:27 AM PST - 6 comments
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:27 AM PST - 6 comments
I'm traveling by train from VT to SC and have a 12-hour layover in DC. Can I sleep in the station like I might at an airport?
Their website indicates the building is closed, so I assume there's no food available.
When I called the number listed, it was no longer in service.
posted by MtDewd at 6:56 AM PST - 8 comments
posted by MtDewd at 6:56 AM PST - 8 comments
My phone battery capacity went down to 80% over the first 20 months but has since, for whatever reason, been magically hovering there for the last six months. It seems stuck at the magic 80% level no matter what. Three things I have tried: 1) disabling optimized battery charging; 2) cycles of running the phone until the battery is discharged; 3) leaving the phone connected to power after fully charged. What are other ways I can operate a device to optimize speeding the process of reducing its battery's capacity below the 80% threshold, without voiding the device warranty?
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 6:06 AM PST - 21 comments
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 6:06 AM PST - 21 comments
March 11
I wanted to ask the hivemind’s advice about obtaining art prints to hang in your home. We really like this painting and wanted a high quality print.
We reached out to the artist's estate by email and phone a few times and it ultimately just fizzled out because they weren't too responsive. any other ideas or suggestions?
posted by Lucubrator at 8:44 PM PST - 5 comments
posted by Lucubrator at 8:44 PM PST - 5 comments
Is this snail dead? Is it riding the current to travel? Its white foot was 1-2 inches long. It was seen yesterday afternoon in the Puget Sound near Seattle, 15-20 ft below the surface.
posted by tylermoody at 6:42 PM PST - 3 comments
posted by tylermoody at 6:42 PM PST - 3 comments
Hypothetical: The world’s resource consumption halves overnight due to science fictional reasons. You are writing a pithy headline on the environmental impact of this change along the lines of “Climate change estimates rolled back X years”. What’s a reasonable value for X?
posted by Lorc at 10:51 AM PST - 12 comments
posted by Lorc at 10:51 AM PST - 12 comments
I'm thinking of using a tally counter to help fight against intrusive thoughts and memories. Has anyone used this technique for this purpose, or for something related (like compulsive behaviors)?
posted by akk2014 at 10:03 AM PST - 11 comments
posted by akk2014 at 10:03 AM PST - 11 comments