Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with flow

Does taking breaks for ergonomics hurt flow?

defben — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:16:12 -0800

Doesn't taking breaks for ergonomic reasons hurt "flow"? I've recently been having tendinitis issues at work (I'm in the IT field). I've bought an ergonomic keyboard, started correcting bad habits and I also installed Workrave; a small program that "forces" me to take the occasional break.

I've begun to wonder if these breaks are hurting my overall productivity. Specifically with regard to the psychological concept of "flow". Am I wrong or is this just something I have to deal with?

Will a funnel in a river pump water?

cmchap — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:57:16 -0800

PhysicsFilter: The Setup: a 3 meter hose with a 1 millimeter interior diameter is attached to the small end of a funnel with a 1 meter maximum diameter and a 1 millimeter minimum diameter. This assembly is submerged in a "quick-flowing river" with the large end of the funnel facing into the current (so, "on its side"). The free end of the hose is raised 10 centimeters above the top of the funnel and this happens to be above the water level as well. The Question: Theoretically, will water come out of the raised end of the hose? If so, what is the equation that will let me input the rate of the "quick-flowing river" get the rate of discharge from the free end of the hose? I ran this past my engineer father, and he past some of his engineer friends. We have differing opinions.One of the engineers is pretty sure that Bernoulli's Principle will come into play.

Are there examples of this kind of "pump" in the real world? I'd imagine they're VERY inefficient.

design my resonator

edtut — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:01:04 -0800

how to design a helmholtz resonator for a two phase flow to eliminate noise of particular frequencies in that flow. i need to design a helmholtz resonator for a two phase flow application to eliminate noise of particular frequencies in that flow.
the flow is a multi phased mixed fluid:
- will a resonator be effective in both transient and laminar flow (or how does the effectiveness relate to the state of the boundary layer)
- what characteristics determine if the resonator is a noise cancelling or noise generating device

any relevant resources would be appreciated

Sudden drop in water pressure on second floor

maudlin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 08:27:36 -0800

What can I do to investigate a sudden drop in water pressure (or flow) in the second floor only of my house before I call a plumber this Monday? I've already seen this question, but I bought this new two storey townhouse three years ago and all has been fine up until yesterday.

Basement and first floor pressure are fine in all sinks and the powder room toilet. But the second floor water sources have been weak since yesterday. The flow from the bathtub tap is markedly decreased, the sink is a little softer, too, and the toilet flush is definitely weak.

Given the sudden onset and localization, could this be a leak? (Oh, I really don't want to call a plumber out on a holiday weekend if I can help it, although I know that if this could be a leak, I should move fast). Or could a slowly building blockage show no signs until it just reached a critical point yesterday?

My gas grill has low flow.

rocketman — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:26:10 -0800

My gas grill is broken. Why would the gas flow decrease so that I can only get one burner to cook on high? My grill is two years old, used semi-regularly for a few summers. I'd really like to use it near-daily this summer. The problem is that late last summer, the gas flow reduced severely. I can get a single burner to cook on high, but when I turn on additional burners, the flame immediately goes down, as though the gas flow is being divided among the extra burners without getting more gas into the grill.

At first, I thought my LP tank was low, but replacing the tank with a new one didn't change the problem. Could the regulator valve be broken? If so, is it as easy as removing the existing valve and replacing it with a new one?

Thanks.

Work Flow Systems - Open Source

bright77blue — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:20:28 -0800

Business Process Management - or Workflow Management. I am looking at Bonita and ProcessMaker. Anyone using these? Which one is better for a "non-programmer" in a SMB environment? Oh - and if you have other open source suggestions, let me know. Thanks! BB

What sex is my kitchen tap?

domeheid — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:05:16 -0800

What sex is my kitchen tap? I want to buy an aerator for my kitchen tap to improve the flow of water and make it soft like all those lovely taps in Zurich, Switzerland (it also reduces water consumption by up to 60%), but I don't know which kind to buy: male or female. This website says:

"For taps with a thread on the outside you need a Female Aerator. For taps with the thread on the inside you need a Male aerator."

Here is a picture of my kitchen tap. Does this mean my tap is female? I wouldn't call that a thread and I don't think I could unscrew it.

How can I hone my problem solving skills?

Solomon — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 06:12:43 -0800

What questions do you use to stimulate your thought processes when you have a problem? When I have a problem, I tend to imagine I'm talking to an expert in the field of whatever it is I'm doing, and ask them questions about what I'm doing wrong.

For example, I have a problem in a relationship. I imagine I'm talking to a therapist about it, and try to think about what questions they would ask me about the relationship, to help me solve the problem. I find this works really well, as it forces me to think about the issue, and verbalise the problems, which tends to stir up more ideas and potential solutions.

Unfortunately, I'm not an expert in any field, so the questions I ask myself tend to be limited. And seeking an actual expert isn't always convenient or warranted. Of course, if an expert was warranted, I would contact one. It's just that most of the time, one isn't. I don't want to call Nigella Lawson every time my sponge cake doesn't rise.

I'm familiar with the concept of flow, and seem to be using it when I'm in a problem solving state, for what that's worth. I do collaborate with others when the situation calls for it, and I do research online.

My questions are these: how can I enhance this "concept"? What generic questions could I ask myself to get my thought processes working? Are there any other things I can do that will get my mental "fixing a problem" juices flowing?

Any personal experiences are welcome.

How can I control Line Breaks in Thunderbird?

bwg — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:25:42 -0800

How can I control Line Breaks in Thunderbird? The problem is that e-mail replies often show up with added line breaks due to text-wrapping at 72 characters by the recipient's mail client.

I'd like to have all incoming message, whether HTML or plain-text, automatically displayed as flowing to the edge of the window or preview pane before wrapping.

I tried looking for an extension or setting that would do this but can't find anything.

If there a user_prefs hack?

Cdn flow through shares

Penelope — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:57:20 -0800

Real-life examples of flow-through shares bought by a Canadian. I am considering buying flow-through shares to reduce my taxes this year, because of a capital gain. I have already decided not to invest more than $10,000, which would be less than 10% of my net worth. I have done some research and know they're very high-risk. I called one company in Toronto (Middleton's) who said theirs "averaged an increase of 9% at the end of the mandatory holding period, they'd never had one go bankrupt, and the worst they'd had decreased by 50%". A broker I called basically recommended against them, citing the high-risk. However I am still open to investing the $10,000. Any Canadians used this vehicle, and if so, how did it turn out for them?

Other terms for "in the zone"

arrhn — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:21:03 -0800

What are some other terms for "in the zone" or "on fire" or "in the groove" (flow) in sports?

Inherited car problems, fun for the whole family?

torpark — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 11:31:35 -0800

Inherited car problems, fun for the whole family? I was helping my mother with her car, which developed some problems. It is a late 80s Buick LeSabre, the official car of all grandmothers. I notice some issues and wonder if they are related or dependent.

First off, when the car is coasting, no throttle, it runs fine. When I very lightly touch on the accellerator, it violently vibrates, but if i push a little harder the vibration disappears.
Is this a air flow issue? I notice the exhaust smells rich.

When I look under the hood, i see sometimes the belt tensioner moves back and forth and clicks, perhaps a loose belt as well?

Another fine issue I notice is the engine is bogged down and the transmission shifts hard. I put on the gas and the engine works hard and sounds fine, but the car's excellaration is very poor. I have to let off the gas and wait for the transmission to shift before putting the gas back on.
Is this also related to the throttle,vibration issue?

Does anyone rent Ozone generators?

Thanks.

Female trouble?

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 19:19:41 -0800

A close friend of mine has just called with a female-parts medical issue, and unfortunately I'm a male specimen. As it's approaching late Saturday night where we live, she can't make it to her doctor and is trying to figure out if her symptoms warrant emergency treatment. Any information or suggestions for me to give her along with the advice I already plan on giving ("See a doctor!") would help ease her stressful night. The more inside is only a little bit graphic... She's 34 years old, sexually active, on birth control, and it's been two weeks since she's had her last period, She says it feels like she's having another one right now, complete with very heavy flow, much heavier than she'd have during a regular period. She's had really sudden cramps and is feeling weak (in her words she's 'craving red meat'). She's always taken her pills regularly and is pretty damn certain that she's not pregnant and isn't miscarrying.

She's also been expelling translucent white mucousy tissue from her uterus for the last three days. I've seen it and it doesn't look like anything I've seen come from that part of the body before.

As I said, she will be seeing a doctor. The question lies in how soon she need to see one. I know it's a tough call based on the symptoms listed. I should stress one thing:

If she starts experiencing any physical pain or anything else that even a medical moron like myself could see being permanent or life-threatening, I will in no uncertain terms make certain that she's in the ER within 10 minutes.

WaterFilter: How do you like your faucet-mounted filtration device?

Songdog — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 17:14:18 -0800

How do you like your faucet-mounted water filter? My family and I have just moved into a new apartment. The previous tenants had a faucet-mounted water filter (of the sort made by Pur, Brita, and others) and I'm very interested in trying one of these, but I've got a few questions.

Most obviously: which units do and don't people like, and why?

Second, reading the most recent Consumer Reports review I could find (Jan. 2003) raised my concerns about flow. The article pointed out that after running only 50 or 100 gallons through one of these filters that the flow rate slowed to 10 minutes per gallon. The thought of spending ten minutes or more putting water in my 8 quart pot for pasta is pretty excruciating. I'm hoping that since 2003 one or more manufacturers might have improved the flow rate longevity of their filters (without sacrificing filtration) but I'm hoping people here can offer more info.

Finally, in my Mefi-literature search I ran across LobsterMitten's excellent recent question about the interaction of hot water with the plastics used in these filters. Can anyone offer any thoughts on this?

Finding flow in everyday life

sk381 — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 05:23:47 -0800

I have just finished read a fascinating book called Flow by this guy. I think what I've learnt could change my life forever.
My question is to those who might be familiar with his work and have incorporated it into their everyday life: How do you find 'Flow' in the more mundane, routine things of daily existence? Like a boring commute or doing the dishes, or household work. Anything that doesn't excite you but must be done again and again almost daily? How to structure them so that one can achieve 'optimal experiences' even from the most inane tasks?

Any tips or best practices that you could share?