Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with age

8-year-old on Xbox Live...friend or folly?

teg4rvn — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:19:10 -0800

Is xbox live appropriate for an 8-year-old? Non-gamer here with Xbox360 gamer 8-year-old. I understand you can play against others with an xbox live account (my son's cousins 3000 miles away etc..) His thing is sports simulations (FIFA 10, Madden...actually everything) and I think it would enrich his experience to play with real people...more than he does right now. Are there any pros/cons/pitfalls I should be aware of? Remember, he's 8. Appropriate?

in store cigarette display

cameronfromedinburgh — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:50:58 -0800

Does anyone have a link to research linking in-store tobacco counter advertising and teenage smoking habits? I know that some Canadian provinces have tried banning the display of cigarettes in shops, and so have Tasmania and Canada I think. Similair legislation is planned for Scotland but the big tobacco lobby are fighting it and attempting to discredit these studies I've mentioned.

How young is too young to get snipped?

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:35:50 -0800

At what age is it reasonable to consider a vasectomy? (NWS?) I understand the potential for regret or remorse in the case of vasectomies. That being said,
A. How old should one be before one could be sure enough in the decision to get a vasectomy?
B. How young is 'too young' for medical professionals to perform a vasectomy? (Assuming that the decision is wholly that of the person to be operated on)

Just for clarification, my reasons for being interested in the matter are
A. that I have no interest in having children,
B. that I feel it slightly unethical considering the global population, and
C. that if I were to change my mind, I place no special value in a child being genetically mine or not, so adoption would likely be the solution there.

(I'd rather this not be about my reasons for being interested in the matter, but moreso about when I can be reasonably secure in the knowledge that my beliefs on the matter aren't likely to change any time soon, and when I could reasonably get the procedure performed.)

Where can a man learn to dress himself in the Lower East Side of Manhattan?

deern the headlice — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:58:21 -0800

Where can a man learn to dress himself in the Lower East Side of Manhattan? Like a dozen other guys on MeFi, my story is that I'm in my mid-30s and what hipness I had 10 years ago is at least halfway gone. Yet, my wardrobe still consists of Chucks, band t-shirts, etc, not because I'm clinging to youth but because I can never find "grown up" clothing that doesn't look preppy or lame. I'm not dead yet - I still go out to see music and comedy and readings but would not feel comfortable wearing anything too stiff.

Are there any places around the LES in Manhattan (or even in Brooklyn) where I could find some men's clothes with some style but also some dignity? I've looked through similar older threads and read all the H&M and American Eagle and Express suggestions, but that stuff still somehow feels too mall-y or department store-y. I'd even settle for a good used clothing store, I'm just failing to find a good one. Hope I'm not being too hard to please here :/

You are now old enough to....?

marmaduke_yaverland — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:38:43 -0800

Make the birthday cards I send to other people more interesting. What kind of cool, random stuff are you legally old enough to do at different ages? When I was a teenager, one of the things I most enjoyed hearing on my birthday was all the crazy sheet that I was legally allowed to do for the first time (this was much more fun than being told all the things Napoleon and Mozart had achieved when they were the same age).

I didn't want to hear "Happy Eighteen, buy some beer." What I wanted was stuff like:

"Happy 16th - you are now entitled to buy a longbow"
"Happy 18th - You are now able to buy scrap metal. Don't abuse the privilege"

These are made up (maybe scrap metal is true? I'm so old I have forgotten what people actually said to me), but I want true examples. I have a bunch of friends with birthdays coming up (they are reaching their 22-25 years). It would be useful to know if there are any cool things I can mention in my cards to them,. Obviously the amount of new stuff declines sharply as you move beyond your teenage years, but there must be a few things worth hearing.

I'm based in England but I'd like to hear age-restrictions from any country (e.g. if you lived in France, you would now be old enough to breed horses). Also, anything for any age, even if it is outside my friends' age bracket (e.g. you must be over 65 to Prime Minister of Japan, 5 year olds can vote in Paraguay) would be good to know - might come in handy if I widen the age range of my friends or, God forbid, if my friend group ever gets older or anyone has kids. I'm also interested if there is something cool you are forbidden from doing when you reach a certain age. I look forward to hearing suggestions!

How can being bald do for you?

abdulf — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:30:14 -0800

I'm bald and people assume I'm older than I really am. Other than saving money on haircuts and shorter shower times, how do I make this situation work for me? I'm 26 and bald. It started in my 20s and I'm ok with it. One issue, though, is that it makes me appear older than I am. People guess that I'm about 10 years older than my age.

This usually works well in professional situations. I appear to be mature, experienced and knowledgeable. This I am thankful for.

However, appearing to be older than you really are seems to put you at a disadvantage when meeting women. If it's not the fact I have missing hair, then the fact I appear older than I am due to the lack of hair. I've been participating willingly in a "semi-arranged marriage" process for cultural and religious reasons. I have found that being bald is a deal breaker. Even if the girl is interested, her parents won't allow it because they think I'm lying about my age or I just look too old.

I've been otherwise told that I'm attractive, interestingly enough by women in their 30s. However, I'm too young for them as well.

Anyone else been in this kind of situation? How do you work around a lack of hair when it comes to meeting women?

Age difference coming to a head?

brynna — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:28:16 -0800

I'm struggling to cope with my older boyfriend... I'm 21 and he's 36. He jokes that we are both "really" 27. I'm 21 and he's 36. However, we are unconventional 21 and 36-year olds. I just graduated from college, with a job working at a charter school waiting for me in August. He has been a bartender for years.
We live together currently and are both moving to separate states in August.

We have been together for over a year. He is the first man that I've lived with and is wonderful and completely supportive in every way. He treats me just as well as I could ever hope for.

The problem, I guess, is that I think of myself as pretty ambitious and motivated and sickly idealistic. I'll be working at a low-resource school, trying to use my education to change a little part of the world for the better. He, however, has always lived sensually and has been very lucky to come from a wealthy, sheltered family without much reason to escape his "bubble." Now, don't get me wrong; I do NOT feel like this makes me a better person than him, I just recognize that our priorities are different.

Since living with him, I've felt myself become more and more complacent.. Whereas before I may have gone to a lecture, now I'll stay at home with him and watch TV. Furthermore, instead of renting a documentary, we will watch UFC. This wasn't troublesome to me because I saw it as "relaxing" after 4 long undergrad years and before starting a very taxing job.

How can I reconcile this difference between us? He has expressed a desire to move with me to Boston, but I've been so hesitant because I can't stop feeling like I'll slip into this complacent, relaxed coma. I would like to have him come with me to Boston, so long as he could UNDERSTAND and support my desire to implement even a little bit of change. Thus far, it might be best to just let him go even though I would be losing an emotionally nourishing person - he isn't challenging or ambitious to me.

What can I do? Is this an age issue? If so, how can I deal with being the "older" one?

Should I or shouldn't I?

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:13:41 -0800

I'm a 24 year old woman. A man in my social circle, who is probably at least 17 years older than me, and maybe even more (could be anywhere from 42 to 47) seems to be interested in me. I'm confused, and not sure what to do. Advice, please? My extended social circle contains folks from about age 20 to about age 60. The single women in the group tend to be younger, and the single men tend to be older, which leads to a bit of an imbalance (and a lot of May-December romances--though usually not with a gap quite so large as 17-22 years). While it has always been my opinion that, as far as relationships go, age is like place of origin (a difference in age is just a cultural distance to traverse, just like when you get to know someone who grew up in a different part of the world from you) something tugs in my gut when I think about dating someone so much older than me. (Before now, I have dated men 1 year older than me, 5 years older, and 13 years older. Never the same age or younger, for some reason.)

So far, the extent of his expression of interest has been to invite me to events he's hosting, to share cabs with me after group evenings out, to ask to be on my team when we're doing things like playing pool or Trivial Pursuit, and to show real interest in what I like and what I do in conversation (he LISTENS in that way that people do when they like you, you know?).

I genuinely like him and enjoy his company, and were he closer to my age (even if he were 40!) I'd be gung ho in reciprocating his interest. As it is, I find myself alternately flirting because I do like him, and holding back because the difference in age sends up a little red flag.

I know his expression of interest hasn't been huge, which makes this rather preliminary, obviously, but I think I need to sort out how I feel about this now so that I neither lead him on if the age difference really is too much, nor shut him down if it isn't. What would you do if you were in my situation? What are the questions I should be asking myself to figure this out?

My anonymous email address is phoebe.meryll@gmail.com.

Do I break up with my (much older) boyfriend?

pintapicasso — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:21:39 -0800

Dead ex, fifteen year age difference, with jazzy tunes in the background.. help? (aka- do I dump my boyfriend?) I really appreciate some input on this. I need a perspective that is outside of the relationship.
Since last January I have been dating a guy on again and off again. I am 22 and he is 37. He is not a conventional 37 year old by any means - he is a (locally) well-known Jazz musician by trade, very flaky, and disorganized. He works odd jobs to make money but the driving force in his life is music. He is a loner by nature... he has a few friends, through music, but in his spare time he either hangs out alone or with me. The age difference hasn't been a huge problem because I, being 22, work odd jobs and am a bit loopy myself.
he came with a lot of baggage... his best friend and ex of eight years died unexpectedly a bit less than a year before we met and started dating. She was actually seriously dating someone else the entire time they were together.

We weren't friends first. We met, hit it off, hooked up, and kept up the routine. This is my first relationship and I really love him. He is my best friend and we have a blast together. (also the sex is great). It's wonderful to be so comfortable with someone. I think a lot of my euphoria may have to do with being in love with the relationship itself, as it's the first time I have experienced this.

Here's the problem (*dun dun dun*): One of the first few times we talked, he said that he felt "emotionally numb" after his friend died; as though he didn't feel like he would be able to have a connection like that again with someone. He said he didn't think he could date anyone for awhile, but after awhile we got together anyway. And now, over a year later, I feel like he is emotionally closed off. I was reading some poems of his in his journal (with his permission) and came across a letter he wrote to her. He was so passionate in his words, and he has never been that way with me, not to that extent ever. With me it's more playful, superficial and silly.

We also have different expectations of the time we spend together. Right now we have been spending more time together, after an off phase, and we see each other about two or three times a week. I would love to see him every other day, and at least talk to him once a day. He could go days without seeing me or talking to me (note - he saw his ex once a week at most, once every few weeks normally). He is incredibly sweet and happy to see me when we do get together, but I feel like I'm not a big part of his life.

The combination of these two things, plus all the baggage ("i'm not as independent/artistic/cool as his ex) make me really insecure. We talk about this, and I often express that I'm sad and want to see him more. And if not, I want more affirmation that I am important to him. He says that he is busy and that he just isn't up for being social, or wants to relax alone. This is the reason we (always me) decide to stop hanging out, because I am unhappy with the amount of time we spend together and I'm left wanting more. He says that he realizes the positive impact it has on me when he is open and assertive of our relationship (by calling me when he's sick, saying "I love you" bringing me flowers), but that sometimes it just feels "wrong" to be this way. (The time we spend together is always, always positive. Us expressing our appreciation for each other, being smiley, etc.. And, he never gets annoyed when I tell him I want to see him more, or when I do call him more. He just is sad that I am not always happy, and he always comes to see me in those moments.)

But we always wind up hanging out again and I have tried to cut off contact, but we always touch base after a week or so, get together, and have an awesome time. I don't know what to do. Am I a crazy punch-drunk 22 year old who needs to wake up and realize he's not going to come around? That's what my friends say but I just keep going back and they get mad. But I don't complain to them, and I keep this relationship pretty private.

We are on the upswing and I know the cycle is going to repeat itself unless I do something. To be honest, I want to know: is there even a CHANCE that he will change? and if not - and this is the main question - how do I cut this out?

(and yes, I've been casually dating other people but I just don't feel the same way about any of them).

how did you feel when you turned 40?

bananaskin — Sun, 24 May 2009 14:35:37 -0800

How did you feel when you turned 40? I am a woman, just turned 40 a few months ago. I am single, no children. Been divorced for 15 years. Been trying to find a good man to settle down with and make a family but sadly, that has not occurred as of yet.

I have found that recently, I am beginning to feel strangly empty, somewhat lonely, and although age is always relative to the person who is older/younger, I am beginning to feel some sadness that I am now 40 and still alone.

Although I have worked hard to finish school and start a new job, getting modest financial success, I am feeling sad.

Before anyone quickly states "It could be worse" or the like, put yourself in my shoes and see the world from here first. (no kids, over 40 in a world that sees female value in her youth, oh and so much more...)

I would like to hear both thoughtful, compassionate advice as well as any feelings and thoughts of others who have recently turned 40.
Thanks!
bananaskin

If you're a heterosexual woman who cares about such things, at around what age do men stop looking at you?

Sully — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:01:16 -0800

If you're a heterosexual woman who cares about such things, at around what age do men stop looking at you? I don't mean a husband, or a boyfriend - I mean men on the street. Does it happen suddenly, or over weeks, months? How long did it take for you to notice this, and was it liberating, disheartening? Both? How does it change things? Does it change anything? Does it even matter? I am curious.

Studies re racism, memory, age

ClaudiaCenter — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:26:10 -0800

ISO studies re differing perceptions of racism among same-race witnesses. I am looking for studies or case studies to explain why two different black witnesses, both female but one in her 40s, one in her 60s, might perceive or remember incidents of workplace racism differently. We're set for logical explanations and/or explanations specific to our fact pattern -- right now I'm looking for psychological or other sorts of studies about memory, race, and age.

What is the Name of this Indian/New Age CD?

watercarrier — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:40:19 -0800

CD of Indian New Age-y Music? Had a cassette (end of 90's), with a flowery colorful cover. IIRC the name was Morning Ragas or ~something to that effect~. It definitely had the word *Morning* in it. Was bansuri and tabla in ragas but also had some New Age orchestration as well. Lots of slow build ups to crescendos. No vocals that I recall. It was great wake up music. Lost the cassette and can't find the name of the (now) CD. Long shot. But maybe someone, somewhere knows what great music this is/was.

eggselent adventure or journey into barfness?

jadepearl — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:55:27 -0800

I have nearly year old duck eggs. Are they safe to pickle? While cleaning out my refrigerator I noticed that I had 6 duck eggs still left from winter. They are free range eggs and do NOT have a sulfur smell. The date on the cartons says 4/2008 so 1) are they still edible if well cooked; 2) can I salt these in the style of a century egg and not risk salmonella?

They have been refrigerated this whole time.

Help my fiance look older for his interview!

farfaraway — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:09:46 -0800

Help my fiance look a little older for his interview! My fiancé has an interview in a couple of weeks for a job where most people will be at least 4-5 years older than him...and possibly quite a bit more. He's 25, and is applying for a lectureship (equivalent of assistant professor in US) at a university, and he doesn't want to be mistaken for a student! He's very clean shaven and quite baby-faced :) How should he proceed?

Naturally he realises his performance in interview will be more important than how he looks, so please keep responses on the topic of making him look older! Many thanks!

How do I look 32 when I am actually 37?

Anonymous — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:14:01 -0800

How can I look 32 when I am actually 37? I am MALE and about to go on a bunch of interviews for a job where the ideal entry age is 32 in an industry that is *very* age conscious and age discriminatory (it's TV staff writing, fyi). I am 37 and want to register more like 32/33 when I walk into the room... can anyone suggest a comprehensive "look 5 years younger" makeover? The biggest thing I am curious about is what skin-related strategies people recommend. I am already planning on dying my hair to hide grey, making sure my hair style and wardrobe say 32, lose the extra 10 lbs I am carrying right now.

I would say my skin looks my age... 37. Should I microderm? Botox? OTC creams?

I should say that I only need this to be temporary... just for the interviews... once I have the job I won't worry about it -- and I don't plan on lying about my age later... just want to register younger than I am in the interview.

Age me up!

fantine — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 09:18:11 -0800

How can I increase the likelihood that people will not think I am a middle-schooler? Here is the deal: I am a young woman, 20 years old (turning 21 this year), currently in my junior year of college. I’ve found that people rarely believe that I am 20. Last year, in a doctor’s waiting room, a woman was shocked to hear that I was a sophomore in college – she thought I was in middle school. Last weekend, I was checking into a hotel with my parents (as they came to visit me) and the gentleman behind the counter tried to guess how old I was: “13? Or 10?”

I don’t dress like a 14-year old, but I don’t necessarily wear tailored black pants and button-down blouses with heels either. Though the style of clothes I wear varies, most of my outfits fall under the bohemian/artsy category. I don’t wear makeup very often; my hair is past shoulder length and wavy, with side-swept bangs, and I also wear glasses. Another issue is that I am shorter than average, at 5’2”.

While I could wear pencil skirts more often and try to wear makeup more frequently, I don’t want to look like I’m trying to look older per se. Is there something I could change in my comportment that could send a “I am not fourteen” message?

I haven’t linked to any pictures of myself, but I will be happy to find links if that would be helpful.

How do I stop my brain turning to mush?

MrMerlot — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:44:12 -0800

I am approaching 40. How do I stop my brain turning to mush?

OLP5YO?

revgeorge — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:42:59 -0800

Is 5 years old too young for an OLPC? A family member is putting forward the idea of getting my nephew an OLPC for Christmas. The argument for is that it's educational, charitable and there are activities like painting and making music that will engage the child. The argument against is that it's expensive and probably over his head at this point, where he is just learning to read and write.

I can't find any clear age guidelines, but I see mentions that they might be used by children as young as 5 or 6. Do these guidelines exist or does anyone have anecdotes of a 5 year old using an OLPC?

Age gets in my eyes

=^^= — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:03:53 -0800

How is it that as you grow older your perception of people's faces as being roughly in your age group grows with it? I am curious about what goes on in our minds (psychologically rather than neurologically) that enables us to perceive people as our peers in terms of age by looking at their faces.

I've noticed as I get older it becomes more noticeable, particularly when encountering authority figures such as police officers, GPs, teachers etc. some of whom strike me as still wet behind the ears, bloody young whippersnippers who nevertheless -- usually -- seem to know what they're talking about.

My online searches mostly resulted in research papers covering very specific aspects of facial age perception you need to purchase whereas I'm more interested in a global overview of the current state of play or, perhaps, an explanation why my assumption is completely misguided.

Whats the likelihood of a Palin "nu-cu-lar" Presidency?

hal_c_on — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:56:15 -0800

"Resolve an argument" filter: What to use to calculate the life expectancy of a 72yr old male? Yes, we are talking about John McCain. So my brother (currently an associate, but almost a "fellowshipped" actuary by exams) and I (last took calc as a college frosh, and stats as a jr) have been having an argument regarding calculating life expectancies.

When I asked him how I could calculate the life expectancy, or the likelihood of death in 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years...from today, he came back with a life table from the SSA site (duh), He told me that there's about a 14.4% chance of death within 4 years.

Yeah, I can do the same thing. I also know that life tables are awesome when looking at the aggregate, but horrible when looking at individuals. If I wanted to know how many 24 year olds out of 10,000 would die this year, that life table would be spot on. It won't really tell how likely one 24 year old is likely to die accurately.

He told me that the SSA table is the tool actuaries use. Ummm no. I don't buy it. Sure it may be an initial reference point, but there is no way that one studies math for decades only to rely on a chart to make all the decisions. To be fair, he doesn't do THIS kind of actuarial work.

I KNOW that I won't understand the *why* of how the math was arrived at, but how is life expectancy arrived at? What is the likelihood of death for John McCain while in office for the first term.

Although life insurance applications may seem HUGE, they don't ask that many questions (to get the variables that need to be plugged into a formula). They take a simple medical exam (I just went through one: questions, height/weight, blood pressure, and some blood).

Without having ALL the specifics of McCain's medical records, but being able to google a good portion of it, can someone calculate the likelihood of a Palin presidency contingent upon the Republicans winning the 2008 Presidential election?

I've seen some articles all over the place using basic math to arrive at a number (some as high as 40%[1 out of 2.5], and some as low as 0.3%[1 out of 333]), and I don't trust the math behind it. Sure this question has some political implications, but it is a STRICT MATHEMATICAL and SCIENTIFIC question. I don't want Obama supporters telling me that their pappy died at 71, so there's a 95% chance that he will die within the first year, and I don't want McCain supporters telling me that "71 is the new 30". I just want a straight answer.

identify this art style

swbarrett — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 07:25:17 -0800

What is this style of art called? a freind and i are trying to identify this style of painting: JC KUGLER

i would also appriciate some other examples from similar artists

Age discrimination in UN hiring?

mirepoix — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:45:46 -0800

Why is there an age limit to take the UN's national competitive recruitment exams? Apparently, to take the United Nations' open competitive exam for entry-level junior positions, you can't be older than 32 as of December 31 on the year of the test. (For the next level up on the ladder, there's an age cutoff of 39.)

This hurts, because I will JUST have turned 33 at the end of 2009, with a master's degree that I pursued slightly later in life than many of my peers. Why does an older person seeking a career change get excluded from a junior-level job search? Is this discrimination, or is there some validity to their stance? I couldn't find anything in the exam FAQ other than "them's the rules."

Why do my eyes well up with tears when I hear something moving?

onepapertiger — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:01:30 -0800

Why do my eyes well up with tears when I hear something particularly moving? How can I stop it from happening? I didn't used to be like this and then, suddenly, if I heard a story I thought was very sweet or heroic or even totally unfair/frustrating, my eyes just fill up with tears. It could even be one of those very special episodes of Fresh Prince, which I know are totally corny, but somehow, it just does something to me that makes my eyes just well up with tears. I've had depression but I've been successfully treated for it.

This started when I was 20, about 7 years ago, and each year, as I get closer to 30, it is getting worse. I just can't figure out why I suddenly became so sensitive. In normal, everyday life, if I listen to a sad radio story (courtesy of This American Life) or read a touching article, my eyes well up and, sometimes, I actually shed tears.

Why did I get so sensitive at 20? Is it normal for women to become more sensitive in their twenties? Will it get worse? Is it just me? How can I stop this hypersensitivity?

Scientific formulas for happy, healthy, wise children

scottreynen — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:22:22 -0800

What are some (at least somewhat) objective studies on healthy children demographics? I'm specifically interested in single vs. multiple children, and for multiple children, differences in age, gender, relationship to parent (adoption vs. biological), and race. I often hear people say things like "I want to have multiple children so they have good social skills," or "I don't want to have children too far apart, or they won't like each other." But is any of this backed up (or contradicted) by formal studies?

I'd like something less anecdotal and more quantitative evaluating these assumptions. For example, are suicide rates higher among only children? Are girls with much older sisters more often treated for depression? Do mixed-race siblings typically make more or less money than same-race siblings? Please point me to such studies. Yes, I realize every family is different; I'm nonetheless interested in trends.