2056 Ask MetaFilter answers by furtive (displaying 1 through 50)
Hi all, I will be visiting Montreal soon, and I was wondering what shops/grocery stores sell good Asian noodles that are eggless? Be it rice noodles, chow mein, ramen, et cetera but are eggless. Organic would be good too.
comment posted at 12:00 PM on Oct-17-23
Hi MeFites! Mrs. Zen and I are planning for my (hopefully soon) semi-retirement. I'm thinking I'll take on a part time job to supplement our 401(k) and Social Security income (after talking to our financial planner, of course). Anyone out there have any experience being a night shift security guard?
comment posted at 9:41 AM on Aug-18-23
We just booked a trip to Quebec City for a long weekend in late July. We = Mr. Millipede, me, and our four year old boy/girl twins. What must we not miss?
comment posted at 1:00 PM on Jun-13-23
EU / NATO countries are allegedly concerned about capacity gaps donating Leopards to Ukraine. Why?
comment posted at 7:14 PM on Feb-28-23
comment posted at 7:53 AM on Mar-1-23
In the "Intruders Detected" metatalk thread about random objects appearing in your home, I mentioned that the prior owners of our house left what I think is probably a Vietnam War era smoke grenade in the basement. The smoke grenade in question. It was pointed out to me that this might not be a safe thing to store in the house.
comment posted at 2:16 PM on Dec-17-22
I'm trying to find a ceiling fan with a light for the bedroom, and there are approximately one zillion options so of course I can't decide. Does anyone have one they're really happy with, or really unhappy with? The room is around 17' by 12', and I'd like to spend under $300. The last question on this issue was from 2017 and I figure there's probably new products since then.
comment posted at 11:47 AM on Nov-28-22
Serious question: when movies and shows are presented letterboxed... why don't the captions/subtitles make use of the unused black space at the bottom of the screen instead obscuring part of the image? I assume there's a reason.
comment posted at 11:38 AM on Nov-11-22
Even places like Trader Joe's and Costco, it seems like all the "snacks" are terrible for you. I want my kids to eat healthy snacks at school but I want them to like them and for them to not take forever to make. No nuts allowed at their school. Any suggestions? Can be easy to make or store bought
comment posted at 11:46 AM on Nov-11-22
Are you on twitter? What decisions have you made about your non-twitter social media? I am especially interested in replies from people who are Really On Twitter so it's not just a matter of spending a bit more time on Instagram instead.
comment posted at 9:34 PM on Nov-8-22
Growing up, my family never ever cooked anything resembling this magical "beans and rice" concept I hear so much about on the internets. However I've never really understood what it ACTUALLY is. I'm vegetarian, so it sounds like it would be a dinner winner... Please tell me your favourite beans and rice recipes!
comment posted at 8:41 AM on Aug-26-22
So I grew up in Edmonton,, and I have friends/family still there. I go about twice a year for about a week. I don't drive (very very excited about the new LRT). I am going next week for about 15 days. I am dreading it.
comment posted at 7:09 PM on Aug-9-22
I bit my nails for decades and at middle age they are now very soft and bendable. The bending drives me nuts and makes me want to bite them. Are there vitamins or supplements that would help with this? I'm reluctant to regularly use a polish of any sort.
comment posted at 9:49 PM on Jul-4-22
What is a reasonable gambling limit that would allow an unseasoned gambler to have a good time at a casino?
comment posted at 3:24 PM on Nov-23-21
I purchased it new, packed it away four years ago when moving, and never opened it again. I want to restore it to factory defaults and find a way to use it. Have you done this? Any suggestions? If it can't be used, can it be recycled? Thanks!
comment posted at 6:44 PM on Oct-10-21
Which of these cars should I actually consider getting?
comment posted at 9:41 PM on Sep-8-20
Please recommend me some stories in the Weird West genre. Mild specifications below the cut
comment posted at 3:47 PM on Sep-8-20
How do you organise and rearrange your stuff in order to have the best working experience possible, one which maximises productivity and makes you work smarter?
comment posted at 9:10 PM on Aug-10-20
I'd like to create a Youtube video playlist of short videos of odd, somewhat disturbing, and aesthetically pleasing videos to have playing on mute while listening to indie party music. Suggestions welcome!
comment posted at 9:08 PM on Jul-4-20
We have an old home from 1929. The basement does not smell like fresh spring air, for sure! As a result, when our HVAC runs the AC the air that comes through does not smell awesome. Can we do anything?
comment posted at 7:21 PM on Jun-21-20
It’s the end of a beautiful tropical yellow road for my iPhone 5c. My phone call quality has plummeted this year, so I'd like advice on what phone to buy next, while 1) buying used, 2) staying in the Apple ecosystem, and 3) preparing for 5G.
comment posted at 7:35 PM on Jun-21-20
If someone would like to recommend some nice names from classical antiquity that begin with the letter I or J, that would be fine.
comment posted at 9:56 PM on May-13-20
I'm trying to help out-of-work people make some $$ by putting together a vetted list of market research firms that compensate their panel/respondents fairly (rather than big "panel farms" like SurveyJunkie who outsource their panel to other companies and pay their panel like crap). If you've had a good experience giving your opinions on products/brands/life, can you share the company's name and the (ballpark) compensation? I know it varies by person, but it's still helpful to know the range.
comment posted at 6:38 PM on Apr-28-20
We are a couple who are both working from home at rather demanding jobs. We count ourselves to be very lucky, both still be employed and healthy, but going slowly crazy managing parenting/teaching small kids and work. We have tried various schedules but without constant supervision it's hard to corral them. A lot of useless articles are filled with time-spending activities to do with your kids at home as if you had ample spare time. We feel bad since we are doing poorly at our jobs as well as parenting. We know most parents are in the same boat -- what tricks, websites, and methods have you found that has eased your lockdown life? We are not in a position to hire a live-in nanny. School and daycare are doing zoom meetings which is helpful but are more things to schedule during the day.
comment posted at 8:02 PM on Apr-17-20
Do you use a dish soap dispenser that brings you joy? (Also helpful: soap dispensers that you hate or find annoying that I should avoid!) I need a new dispenser and I wash a LOT of dishes. I previously used this simplehuman 15 oz pump. I'm also open to getting the same one if the hive mind recommends it! Thanks for your help!
comment posted at 3:42 AM on Feb-18-20
I'm coming into a small windfall (less than $10K) and am having trouble deciding what to do with it! Dreamy me wants to install solar power but practical me thinks that other things might be more... practical. Please help me decide!
comment posted at 3:47 AM on Feb-18-20
I have an Excel spreadsheet from a 159 pg pdf. It contains names, addresses, state, city, zip, phone number, age, gender and a field code. I need it in a sortable format.
comment posted at 8:12 PM on Feb-15-20
Hi. I am wanting to do a master's in either political science. I am not sure if it would be best to go to McGill for the name recognition, and because Montreal is a nicer and more interesting city.
comment posted at 8:15 PM on Feb-15-20
How do you describe the feeling of disliking a book or a film or other creative work that you expected to like because of its synopsis or glowing reviews. This dislike is almost immediate. The feeling can be anywhere from medium indifference ("boring") to strong irritation or even outright disapproval. Are there certain qualities such as prose style, cinematography or assumed audience* that you notice that you consistently dislike?
comment posted at 8:23 PM on Feb-15-20
We spend all day at the lodge, but we're pretty tired of PB&J and granola. Help me jazz up lunch so we don't end up buying overpriced food from the cafeteria!
comment posted at 8:26 PM on Feb-15-20
Looking for Backpack recommendations
comment posted at 9:33 PM on Dec-14-19
Just booked tickets for a family trip to Japan, flying in and out of Tokyo. Looking for recommendations on where to go (this will be our third trip there).
comment posted at 10:35 PM on Aug-28-19
I have the opportunity to spend a year in Canada with the working holiday visa program they have. What pros and cons should I consider?
comment posted at 9:21 PM on Aug-16-19
Every winter, I get very very sad and flat. I suspect SAD is at play (I live in Ontario). Every summer, I find a great rhythm and think "this is the year! this year I won't give in to the winter blues". Reader, it never works.
comment posted at 9:24 PM on Aug-16-19
We have a few cabins up in Maine. Our outhouse probably needs to be replaced. What are our best options?
comment posted at 9:39 AM on Aug-11-19
comment posted at 9:45 AM on Aug-11-19
comment posted at 9:56 AM on Aug-11-19
I will be taking a once in a lifetime journey from Vancouver to Calgary for two weeks mid-end of June. I would love some help filling in some must sees, dos or eats.
comment posted at 6:32 PM on Jun-2-19
comment posted at 6:39 PM on Jun-2-19
I'm interested in people's personal experiences selling a domain name. What pitfalls would you avoid if you had to to do again? What services do you recommend/recommend against? How would you recommend pricing?
comment posted at 7:54 PM on May-6-19
Can you recommend a free service that will email me when a website changes?
comment posted at 7:40 PM on May-5-19
I would like to assign custom combinations of keystrokes to type special characters (letters in a non-English script, all in the 'emoji and symbols' menu) on my Mac. The keystroke combinations should work systemwide, failing that at least in the browser and office programs. I am 99% certain that this worked on my previous laptop (also a Mac) last year, but I've googled for hours and can't find it, which makes me feel like I'm losing my mind! But mainly, I just need to be able to type these damn letters...
comment posted at 7:47 PM on May-5-19
My nephew is here! And my sister has another question. She's interested in infant sign language. She's asked me to look into videos and books and what have you for learning / teaching.
comment posted at 3:04 AM on Feb-26-19
What do you call the annoying pile of snow left at the end of the driveway after the plow drives by? You know, the kind that creates an extra hour of shoveling just when you thought you were done, and that’s twice as heavy on account of how densely packed and icy it is. I need something snarkier than “Ugh, I need to shovel the driveway again.”
comment posted at 1:26 AM on Feb-20-19
What are the most beautiful places in America I can visit without a driver's license?
comment posted at 7:27 PM on Feb-4-19
I'm tasked with making a dashboard for my org, which will show the current status of our accounts/goals/KPIs. The challenge: We have a lot of qualitative updates. I'd like to use something that can automatically pull some things (Asana, Google Analytics, etc.), but can also handle team members adding in arbitrary text updates. What would you use? [Snowflakes inside.]
comment posted at 2:16 AM on Jan-29-19
I am looking for a low-cost MacBook replacement. I have the opportunity to purchase a late 2010 MacBook Air
comment posted at 9:50 PM on Dec-27-18
And maybe you're not a business owner but maybe you're a decision-maker at your company or you work for yourself part-time...what kind of things do you think about doing at year-end to help steer your next year's business?
comment posted at 1:47 AM on Dec-24-18
I grew up in a Catholic parish that did not have wine at communion until I was about 12. This question made me realise I have no idea how common (or not) this is, nor how common (or not) it is for some individuals to not take wine at communion. Can anyone explain how this has changed over time/place?
comment posted at 9:37 PM on Oct-7-18
Hello, good citizens of Calgary and surrounding areas. The news just informed me that you recently received a record-breaking amount of snow. A friend and I are flying up tomorrow for a weekend in the Rockies, visiting Jasper and Banff. According to Banff Now, roads remain open, so we're continuing as planned. Do you have any advice for exploring the park given the current conditions?
comment posted at 9:56 PM on Oct-3-18
comment posted at 12:00 PM on Oct-17-23
Hi MeFites! Mrs. Zen and I are planning for my (hopefully soon) semi-retirement. I'm thinking I'll take on a part time job to supplement our 401(k) and Social Security income (after talking to our financial planner, of course). Anyone out there have any experience being a night shift security guard?
comment posted at 9:41 AM on Aug-18-23
We just booked a trip to Quebec City for a long weekend in late July. We = Mr. Millipede, me, and our four year old boy/girl twins. What must we not miss?
comment posted at 1:00 PM on Jun-13-23
EU / NATO countries are allegedly concerned about capacity gaps donating Leopards to Ukraine. Why?
comment posted at 7:14 PM on Feb-28-23
comment posted at 7:53 AM on Mar-1-23
In the "Intruders Detected" metatalk thread about random objects appearing in your home, I mentioned that the prior owners of our house left what I think is probably a Vietnam War era smoke grenade in the basement. The smoke grenade in question. It was pointed out to me that this might not be a safe thing to store in the house.
comment posted at 2:16 PM on Dec-17-22
I'm trying to find a ceiling fan with a light for the bedroom, and there are approximately one zillion options so of course I can't decide. Does anyone have one they're really happy with, or really unhappy with? The room is around 17' by 12', and I'd like to spend under $300. The last question on this issue was from 2017 and I figure there's probably new products since then.
comment posted at 11:47 AM on Nov-28-22
Serious question: when movies and shows are presented letterboxed... why don't the captions/subtitles make use of the unused black space at the bottom of the screen instead obscuring part of the image? I assume there's a reason.
comment posted at 11:38 AM on Nov-11-22
Even places like Trader Joe's and Costco, it seems like all the "snacks" are terrible for you. I want my kids to eat healthy snacks at school but I want them to like them and for them to not take forever to make. No nuts allowed at their school. Any suggestions? Can be easy to make or store bought
comment posted at 11:46 AM on Nov-11-22
Are you on twitter? What decisions have you made about your non-twitter social media? I am especially interested in replies from people who are Really On Twitter so it's not just a matter of spending a bit more time on Instagram instead.
comment posted at 9:34 PM on Nov-8-22
Growing up, my family never ever cooked anything resembling this magical "beans and rice" concept I hear so much about on the internets. However I've never really understood what it ACTUALLY is. I'm vegetarian, so it sounds like it would be a dinner winner... Please tell me your favourite beans and rice recipes!
comment posted at 8:41 AM on Aug-26-22
So I grew up in Edmonton,, and I have friends/family still there. I go about twice a year for about a week. I don't drive (very very excited about the new LRT). I am going next week for about 15 days. I am dreading it.
comment posted at 7:09 PM on Aug-9-22
I bit my nails for decades and at middle age they are now very soft and bendable. The bending drives me nuts and makes me want to bite them. Are there vitamins or supplements that would help with this? I'm reluctant to regularly use a polish of any sort.
comment posted at 9:49 PM on Jul-4-22
What is a reasonable gambling limit that would allow an unseasoned gambler to have a good time at a casino?
comment posted at 3:24 PM on Nov-23-21
I purchased it new, packed it away four years ago when moving, and never opened it again. I want to restore it to factory defaults and find a way to use it. Have you done this? Any suggestions? If it can't be used, can it be recycled? Thanks!
comment posted at 6:44 PM on Oct-10-21
Which of these cars should I actually consider getting?
comment posted at 9:41 PM on Sep-8-20
Please recommend me some stories in the Weird West genre. Mild specifications below the cut
comment posted at 3:47 PM on Sep-8-20
How do you organise and rearrange your stuff in order to have the best working experience possible, one which maximises productivity and makes you work smarter?
comment posted at 9:10 PM on Aug-10-20
I'd like to create a Youtube video playlist of short videos of odd, somewhat disturbing, and aesthetically pleasing videos to have playing on mute while listening to indie party music. Suggestions welcome!
comment posted at 9:08 PM on Jul-4-20
We have an old home from 1929. The basement does not smell like fresh spring air, for sure! As a result, when our HVAC runs the AC the air that comes through does not smell awesome. Can we do anything?
comment posted at 7:21 PM on Jun-21-20
It’s the end of a beautiful tropical yellow road for my iPhone 5c. My phone call quality has plummeted this year, so I'd like advice on what phone to buy next, while 1) buying used, 2) staying in the Apple ecosystem, and 3) preparing for 5G.
comment posted at 7:35 PM on Jun-21-20
If someone would like to recommend some nice names from classical antiquity that begin with the letter I or J, that would be fine.
comment posted at 9:56 PM on May-13-20
I'm trying to help out-of-work people make some $$ by putting together a vetted list of market research firms that compensate their panel/respondents fairly (rather than big "panel farms" like SurveyJunkie who outsource their panel to other companies and pay their panel like crap). If you've had a good experience giving your opinions on products/brands/life, can you share the company's name and the (ballpark) compensation? I know it varies by person, but it's still helpful to know the range.
comment posted at 6:38 PM on Apr-28-20
We are a couple who are both working from home at rather demanding jobs. We count ourselves to be very lucky, both still be employed and healthy, but going slowly crazy managing parenting/teaching small kids and work. We have tried various schedules but without constant supervision it's hard to corral them. A lot of useless articles are filled with time-spending activities to do with your kids at home as if you had ample spare time. We feel bad since we are doing poorly at our jobs as well as parenting. We know most parents are in the same boat -- what tricks, websites, and methods have you found that has eased your lockdown life? We are not in a position to hire a live-in nanny. School and daycare are doing zoom meetings which is helpful but are more things to schedule during the day.
comment posted at 8:02 PM on Apr-17-20
Do you use a dish soap dispenser that brings you joy? (Also helpful: soap dispensers that you hate or find annoying that I should avoid!) I need a new dispenser and I wash a LOT of dishes. I previously used this simplehuman 15 oz pump. I'm also open to getting the same one if the hive mind recommends it! Thanks for your help!
comment posted at 3:42 AM on Feb-18-20
I'm coming into a small windfall (less than $10K) and am having trouble deciding what to do with it! Dreamy me wants to install solar power but practical me thinks that other things might be more... practical. Please help me decide!
comment posted at 3:47 AM on Feb-18-20
I have an Excel spreadsheet from a 159 pg pdf. It contains names, addresses, state, city, zip, phone number, age, gender and a field code. I need it in a sortable format.
comment posted at 8:12 PM on Feb-15-20
Hi. I am wanting to do a master's in either political science. I am not sure if it would be best to go to McGill for the name recognition, and because Montreal is a nicer and more interesting city.
comment posted at 8:15 PM on Feb-15-20
How do you describe the feeling of disliking a book or a film or other creative work that you expected to like because of its synopsis or glowing reviews. This dislike is almost immediate. The feeling can be anywhere from medium indifference ("boring") to strong irritation or even outright disapproval. Are there certain qualities such as prose style, cinematography or assumed audience* that you notice that you consistently dislike?
comment posted at 8:23 PM on Feb-15-20
We spend all day at the lodge, but we're pretty tired of PB&J and granola. Help me jazz up lunch so we don't end up buying overpriced food from the cafeteria!
comment posted at 8:26 PM on Feb-15-20
Looking for Backpack recommendations
comment posted at 9:33 PM on Dec-14-19
Just booked tickets for a family trip to Japan, flying in and out of Tokyo. Looking for recommendations on where to go (this will be our third trip there).
comment posted at 10:35 PM on Aug-28-19
I have the opportunity to spend a year in Canada with the working holiday visa program they have. What pros and cons should I consider?
comment posted at 9:21 PM on Aug-16-19
Every winter, I get very very sad and flat. I suspect SAD is at play (I live in Ontario). Every summer, I find a great rhythm and think "this is the year! this year I won't give in to the winter blues". Reader, it never works.
comment posted at 9:24 PM on Aug-16-19
We have a few cabins up in Maine. Our outhouse probably needs to be replaced. What are our best options?
comment posted at 9:39 AM on Aug-11-19
comment posted at 9:45 AM on Aug-11-19
comment posted at 9:56 AM on Aug-11-19
I will be taking a once in a lifetime journey from Vancouver to Calgary for two weeks mid-end of June. I would love some help filling in some must sees, dos or eats.
comment posted at 6:32 PM on Jun-2-19
comment posted at 6:39 PM on Jun-2-19
I'm interested in people's personal experiences selling a domain name. What pitfalls would you avoid if you had to to do again? What services do you recommend/recommend against? How would you recommend pricing?
comment posted at 7:54 PM on May-6-19
Can you recommend a free service that will email me when a website changes?
comment posted at 7:40 PM on May-5-19
I would like to assign custom combinations of keystrokes to type special characters (letters in a non-English script, all in the 'emoji and symbols' menu) on my Mac. The keystroke combinations should work systemwide, failing that at least in the browser and office programs. I am 99% certain that this worked on my previous laptop (also a Mac) last year, but I've googled for hours and can't find it, which makes me feel like I'm losing my mind! But mainly, I just need to be able to type these damn letters...
comment posted at 7:47 PM on May-5-19
My nephew is here! And my sister has another question. She's interested in infant sign language. She's asked me to look into videos and books and what have you for learning / teaching.
comment posted at 3:04 AM on Feb-26-19
What do you call the annoying pile of snow left at the end of the driveway after the plow drives by? You know, the kind that creates an extra hour of shoveling just when you thought you were done, and that’s twice as heavy on account of how densely packed and icy it is. I need something snarkier than “Ugh, I need to shovel the driveway again.”
comment posted at 1:26 AM on Feb-20-19
What are the most beautiful places in America I can visit without a driver's license?
comment posted at 7:27 PM on Feb-4-19
I'm tasked with making a dashboard for my org, which will show the current status of our accounts/goals/KPIs. The challenge: We have a lot of qualitative updates. I'd like to use something that can automatically pull some things (Asana, Google Analytics, etc.), but can also handle team members adding in arbitrary text updates. What would you use? [Snowflakes inside.]
comment posted at 2:16 AM on Jan-29-19
I am looking for a low-cost MacBook replacement. I have the opportunity to purchase a late 2010 MacBook Air
comment posted at 9:50 PM on Dec-27-18
And maybe you're not a business owner but maybe you're a decision-maker at your company or you work for yourself part-time...what kind of things do you think about doing at year-end to help steer your next year's business?
comment posted at 1:47 AM on Dec-24-18
I grew up in a Catholic parish that did not have wine at communion until I was about 12. This question made me realise I have no idea how common (or not) this is, nor how common (or not) it is for some individuals to not take wine at communion. Can anyone explain how this has changed over time/place?
comment posted at 9:37 PM on Oct-7-18
Hello, good citizens of Calgary and surrounding areas. The news just informed me that you recently received a record-breaking amount of snow. A friend and I are flying up tomorrow for a weekend in the Rockies, visiting Jasper and Banff. According to Banff Now, roads remain open, so we're continuing as planned. Do you have any advice for exploring the park given the current conditions?
comment posted at 9:56 PM on Oct-3-18