Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with expert

I quit my "pen pal"--do I need to explain why?

naplesyellow — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:14:12 -0800

I feel weird about dropping my foreign pen-pal-but not weird enough to want to change anything. Am I too cruel? A woman in Germany befriended me last year. She saw my very handsome brother's page on an memorial site...and she claimed to "love him". (yeah..I know...what was my first clue that she is troubled). But I didn't see any harm in writing to her and I really enjoyed learning about where she lives, etc. She writes in impeccable English because she is a translator. It was kind of nice to discuss my brother with her...since not too many people cared about him while he was alive. Over the year, however, she made noises about coming here to the US. She is very effusive and "loving". I told her I have absolutely no room for guests (which is true) and she writes back things like "oh, don't worry, I can stay in your yard in a tent!" She is the kind of person who sends hugs and kisses and "cuddles"...she fawns over me. I know that she is very lonely because she is taking care of her elderly Dad and she never goes anywhere. She was writing to me twice a day...really long long emails. I feel almost like a guy who "led someone on"--but I have completely run out of things to talk about with her. I just stopped writing and answering her. A bit abruptly. She loves to send me stuff and I am completely tired of it. I just didn't know how to tell her that I don't want to write anymore...so I have handled it passively agressively by just dropping her.
I know I have not handled this well...but the question is..should I just never write back and call it a day? She isn't writing either now and I know she is "hurt" because she has written my dead brother some messages about it on his tribute page.
Advice gladly accepted.

What do the makers like?

idiopath — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:42:51 -0800

In the art forms you are experienced or well versed in, what kinds of stuff is notorious for being only liked by the experts, and what kinds of stuff is notorious for only being liked by less experienced or educated casual consumers? For example I compose experimental music, and in music the weird atonal / noisy / structurally complex stuff is notoriously only liked by other composers (though not by every composer of course), and disliked by most folks who are not composers (there are exceptions to this, but that is the general tendency and the cliché). On the other hand most composers are not all that fond of techno or new age / ambient relaxation music like that made by Enya.

This probably applies to other things that are not always regarded as art too - I am pretty sure that there are foods that are notorious for only being liked by chefs or only being liked by people who never cook, and I know that there are a certain variety of programs for general non programming use that only programmers like.

So, in the areas you know pretty well, what do the experts like, and what do the rest like?

Round Table Group - Does it work?

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:26:43 -0800

About every 3 months, I receive an email asking me to join this company's [The Round Table Group (http://www.roundtablegroup.com/)] network of experts as a consultant. Is it worth my time? Is it a rotten deal? Are they blowing smoke? I have expertise in certain areas of engineering. I work at a university as a researcher. In the past I served as a consultant to law firms couple times (one big patent case that made the tech news headlines and another that involved disagreement between two companies on what caused extensive damage to a jet plane). In both cases, I was directly contacted by the law firm (different firms) and in both cases they were more than satisfied by my services. However, this is not a usual line of business for me. I should also mention that I am not the go-to person for the services they were looking for; there is no go-to person, there are a whole bunch of qualified people who could have done the job.

I would like to do more consulting (who wouldn't, right). And this company seem to facilitate this. AFAICS they take a certain percentage from your consulting fee and probably from the firms hiring the consultants too. It looks like, a professor from Stanford University works with them and studies their business plan (does that give the company more credibility? I don't know).

Long story short, any MeFite who may have had experience with this company on either end of the deal (law firm or expert), could you please share your experience?

As always, thanks so much!

(I am sure a number of MeFites have received the invitation email and would greatly appreciate an AskMeFi-thread on the topic.)

Appliance review site suggestions

crookedgrin — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:33:30 -0800

Looking to replace an old refrigerator - where can I find reliable ratings / reviews online (that I don't need a subscription for)? I'm basically looking for a free alternative to Consumer Reports, perhaps with a combination of user ratings and expert reviews. I am always a bit leery of purely customer-rated rankings because it's so easy to cheat. Do I need to pay to get good info?

An "Expert List" tool?

rev- — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:11:30 -0800

Can anyone recommend a simple web-based tool to compile and manage an "experts list?" So, if I wanted to keep a simple database with people's names, contact info, expertise (which would be categorized), and a few basic "notes" fields, and I wasn't a database programmer (but I am a heck of ascript installer), how would you recommend I do that?

Best case scenario: someone knows about a PHP-based script that I can install and modify on my own server.

I really appreciate the help.

Story about why an expert giving a simple fix to a complex problem still deserves to be paid?

mrgoldenbrown — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 19:23:34 -0800

I am trying to find/identify a story about a customer with some problem (plumbing maybe?) and calls in an expert to fix it. The expert fixes the problem in some trivial way (turning a valve?) The customer then refuses to pay the expert's fee for such a simple fix. the punchline comes when the expert replies that his fee isn't for turning the valve, it's for knowing *which* valve to turn.

Excel master needed...where to find one?

titans13 — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 11:45:15 -0800

I run a computer service. I have an issue that is a bit outside the bounds. I have a client who has been using an Excel spreadsheet to track his portfolio. It is pre-formatted for him to enter data and the formulas are all there. Just recently, it started calculating some things incorrectly. The person who originally set it up just passed away earlier this year. We need an Excel expert that can look at the file and don't know where to begin to find one. Checked the local community college but no dice. All ideas or pointers are appreciated.

Looking for a

johoney — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 09:16:08 -0800

8 unit condo in Jersey City needs an energy (HVAC, heating) consultant to look at our boiler and heating system and advise us on how to lower our heating bills. We are keen to consider green options but economy is the main criterion. Thank you for your recommendations and advice. In our building we are currently collecting $$ to replace the oil boiler that fires our central heating. I'm a little concerned given the price of oil and want to be certain that our building is optimized for energy conservation. Do you know any consultant/expert who can survey our building and heating system and make recommendations?

Its an old building, the thermostat is in the hallway, the radiators are vertically integrated with no control valves. Which means that in Winter some apartments are overheated and leave windows open and some are cold.

We'd certainly consider going as green as possible and (before you mention it) have already looked at revofuel though its a bit young at this point in terms of available resources. Thanks for any recommendations on where to find the expert we're looking for.

Talent vs Training

davar — Sat, 13 May 2006 11:44:45 -0800

A couple of months ago I read an article that stated that world class athletes or musicians were not that much more talented than other people: they just worked harder. Does anybody know which article I mean? I am also interested to learn other opinions about this. How good can you become if you are very motivated and willing to invest the time? My personal interest is in long distance running, but I am also interested in general stories/opinions/articles.

How can I become an expert at C++ quickly?

breath — Sat, 05 Feb 2005 09:16:54 -0800

How can I become an expert at C++ quickly? I know that the real answer is "lots of experience and work", but I would appreciate some tips on how to get from here to there as efficiently as possible. [MI] I know how to write small programs in C++, and I consider myself to be very proficient in Java, so I don't need help with the basics.

I do need help with figuring out what I don't know that I don't know about. I know I don't know memory management, C++-specific conventions, compilation/linking or creating libraries.

Any book suggestions, online resources, or good programming projects?