Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with growth

Does hair stop growing?

Neekee — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:44:30 -0800

Hair growth question: some people say that their hair will only grow until a certain length. Is this a myth? How would the follicle know when to stop growing? Some of my friends claim that their hair will grow until a certain length and then just stop. At first, I thought that this was just a broken-hair issue (that older, longer hair would "break" with brushing), but then I met people with perfectly healthy, strong hair that claim the same thing. Is this just a myth? How would the hair follicle know when to stop growing? Are they just impatient and get haircuts before they allow their hair to grow longer? Is it just an impression that hair grows faster when it's shorter?
My hair doesn't stop growing so it's hard for me to understand.
Thanks!

Dealing with a possible growth hormone deficiency

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:44:45 -0800

Our son may have growth hormone deficiency. The endocrinologist has recommended some additional testing, and the process sounds terrible. Has your child been through this? Can you tell us how it went? Are there alternatives? Our three year old son is very short for his age (off the bottom of the standard growth charts). After a recent visit to the endocrinologist, it looks like he's going to need additional testing. The testing methodology sounds gruelling -- no food after midnight through the duration of the test, which will start early in the morning and last around six hours. That's six hours with an IV and his arm immobilized. But wait, there's more! If he is diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency, he's apparently in for a regimen of daily injections. Every time I think about this I get upset. He's only three!

Have you had to shepherd a child through this diagnosis? Can you offer any tips for making the processing as bearable as possible? Are there any alternatives that the doctor hasn't mentioned?

Obviously the diagnosis is important. If he does have an actual deficiency it could have a significant impact on his health. I'm just afraid of traumatizing the little guy. Thanks for your help!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T - it means wierd things to me...

kitcat — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:29:06 -0800

I think I'm ready to transition from being a person who primarily wants to be liked to a person who primarily wants to be respected. I'm very respectable. I'm responsible, interesting, a good and caring person, yada yada.
But I don't openly stand my ground. I don't take leadership roles. I avoid talking about my achievements. If I've asserted myself, I feel funny about it and backtrack into being sheepish and self-effacing. All this, because I'm afraid that while I might be respected more for doing these things, they feel icky and make me uncomfortable. I don't want to intimidate other people. The thought of being an intimidating person horrifies me. I also don't want to become insensitive to others. I don't want to be seen as arrogant, or a jerk. I don't want to come off as though I think I'm better than other people. The qualms go on and on...

When I was much younger, I got my social currency from being pitied. People were attracted to a) dominating me; or b) taking care of me. Now that I'm not such a moron, I get that social currency from being likeable and thus well-liked. But I think I'm ready to graduate to being respected.

Please help me figure out how I can do this, especially given my wierd hang-up(s)!

What should I learn within 6 - 8 weeks?

gocubbies — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:24:32 -0800

What should I learn within 6 - 8 weeks? I have an open summer and 3 years of professional IT experience. What certificate/degree/accreditation should I earn this summer? More details inside. I am currently getting an MBA and have the summer off. I would really like to spend the summer acquiring some sort of professional education (in just about any topic). I understand the idea of "learning to grow" and not "learning for the resume," but in this economy I would really like to acquire some education that I can use to bolster my resume. Cost isn't really an issue. Online courses or independent study would be ideal as I'm in the Midwest and not really within driving distance to any major universities.

I'm thinking about completing the CAPM. What do you think? Thanks in advance.

Mushroom Identification Help?

rmless — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:49:07 -0800

What are these mushrooms that are growing in my houseplant? Overnight these mushrooms seem to have sprouted in my Dracaena marginata plant. They are about 2 inches high and the caps are gray and ribbed with tan tips. They look a lot like limpets.
What are they and should I be worried about my plant?
Should I keep this one far from my other plants?
I am guessing this means I overwatered?
What should I do about them- dig them out or ignore them?
Can I eat them?

What is growing on my tree?

Steve3 — Sun, 24 May 2009 07:56:23 -0800

What are these red, spiky... "things" growing on the leaves of my linden tree? Link to pictures inside. Picture 1
Picture 2

Just noticed them this (Memorial Day) weekend. They're just a few mm long, on maybe 5-10% of the tree. It's a young tree, planted 3 years ago from nursery stock.

I'm wondering if this could be a danger to the tree, or just something that can harmlessly live on the tree with no ill effects.

When to go simple, when to go complex?

world b free — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:56:28 -0800

When creating, would you pursue a simple premise you know you can execute to perfection, or would you pursue a really complex you know might flop? I know what I'm really asking about is how to get through a creative process. I do believe you should learn how to draw before you can paint Abstract Expressionism. Maybe I just need some reassurance from Internet strangers.

One piece of me-specific information: I've been at this for about five years, but wouldn't say I can do it at a professional level yet.

Where to start on a demography paper?

dunderwood — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:07:47 -0800

paper filter: I'm doing a paper on information technology's effect on population growth/migration. Where do I start?! I have a 12 page paper due friday (i'm a procrastinator). I was wondering if you folks could give me an idea on where/how to start. It's for my Economics of Population course so it has to be more towards demography.

I'm having a hard time finding articles through my schools online database search. Any help/resources would be highly appreciated!

It came from the public sector

XMLicious — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 06:55:24 -0800

Why would two non-profit organizations merge? I was doing a bit of research on a particular non-profit organization that is a national concern in the United States. In the course of this I discovered that the NPO was originally formed decades ago and that for the first twenty years or so of its existence it provided its community services only to a single region within a single state. But then about ten years ago it started expanding its operations: first it became state-wide, then it became nation-wide and changed its name to a generic non-regional one.

Then it started gobbling up other NPOs in its sector! It has merged with something like twenty or thirty other NPOs all across the country, to the point that it's now the top or 2nd largest provider of its type of service in the nation.

This seems strangely aggressive and commercial to me, almost... metastatic, as though something has gone wrong in this organization or its entire non-profit sector. In the absence of the profit motive is there anything that could explain this sort of behavior, or might this be indicative that something nefarious is going on?

Checking into its Form 990's, it of course has shown a drastic increase in its revenue as it has grown. Its executives make between $200k and $500k, which from the reading I've done does not appear to be exceptional for a large NPO. The one thing which is a bit odd is that there's also a PR consulting firm that's always one of the top two or three contractors every year, which appears to be owned by a guy who was the press contact back in the 1900s when it was still a small local outfit. The compensation to the PR firm is usually in the $400k vicinity, if I recall correctly, but one year it spiked up to almost $800k.

The name of the NPO is Money Management International.

What is this thing?

jeffrygardner — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:43:06 -0800

What is this thing I found on my chain link fence this morning? It's near a spiderweb, but it doesn't look like what I thought spider eggs look like.

Resources for growing a home business

acoutu — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:09:18 -0800

What are your best resources for growing an established home-based business? I've got a couple of established home-based businesses. I'd like to do more reading about growing them to the next level. I have an MBA, but that focused more on growing high value ventures. I'm interested in turning small businesses into slightly bigger small businesses. I'm especially interested in the transition from "work in the business" to "working on the business" and from owning all the work to letting go and using leverage to grow the business.

Books, magazines, articles, websites, case studies, anecdotal advice -- anything is good. I should emphasize that these businesses are already established, so I'm not looking for help in starting a business. Thanks!

Modern Renaissance man?

mjewkes — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:13:58 -0800

What should I study and train in to get the most out of life? Inspired by the claim that ten years of practice can lead to mastery in any discipline, and being interested in everything and deeply wanting to live life the the fullest, I've decided I'd like to train to be a polymath.

However, I don't think that oil painting, philosophy, and blueprints for flying machines are the recipe for a modern polymath. And there is so much out there to learn that I could never hope to even start to learn it all.

So MeFi, I need your help - what broad or specific areas should I study or practice in order to be the fullest, most well-rounded person and get the most out of life?

Attack of the killer lawn

barc0001 — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:44:43 -0800

I need advice on how to discourage grass growth without killing it outright. Any thoughts? I have a section of my yard with very agressive lawn growth. It's a small strip in the back where apparently there is an underground spring flow path. The land has soil on it, and then about 4 or 5 feet down is bedrock, so this spring "flows" along the soil and bedrock and makes the back 10 feet or so of my yard a perpetually moist growing factory. As a result, the rest of the yard has about 3" of grass height right now, and the back bit is pushing 7". I was away this last week, so that 7" growth is from the last 14 days or so. Is there any way to "discourage" the lawn from such aggressive growth or otherwise slow it down? I don't necessarily want to kill it (though I probably wouldn't shed any tears if that came to pass accidentally), just get it more in line with the rest of the grass.

Giant Kitty

Ms. Saint — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:00:54 -0800

My cat is big. What are the chances of him getting bigger? My cat, Commie, is big. Very big, very fuzzy (and very sweet, aww). He is also now a year old, the point at which cats are considered adults, so I had figured this was the biggest he would get.

However...

For the fun of it, I was learning about different cat breeds to see what kind of blood he might have in him. I'm willing to bet he is either part Maine Coon or part Norwegian Forest (though I'm leaning towards Norwegian Forest). According to different online sources, both of these cat breeds are known to keep growing until they are 5 years old.

So, I don't have any definite evidence what Commie's bloodline is, and he is most certainly a mix-breed cat (I have no doubt of that). But, if we assume he has some Maine Coon or Norwegian Forest blood in him, how likely is he to keep growing for the next four years? How much will he grow? If the answer is "it depends," are there any physical features that could indicate the answer (in the same way, for instance, that a kitten's paw size indicates what their full-grown size will be)?

If Hawaii, why not...?

greytape — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:32:27 -0800

Why has the United States stopped where it has? Are there any plans for further enlargement? I'm curious as to why the United states isn't looking to grow further as the EU is. Surely there'd be some Caribbean islands that would be keen on membership? And why not Canada/Mexico?

Is the issue that no-one wants to join, or that the US is happy as it is?

Politics and environmental issues in the US Southwest: good sources for news and gossip?

salvia — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:55:14 -0800

Anyone follow environmental issues or general politics in the US Southwest (AZ, NM, UT, CO)? I'm trying to get a crash course about what's happening in the region and then stay up to speed. What are the best sources for political gossip? For environmental news about the region? All I've got so far are the major newspapers, High Country News, and a couple (rarely updated) blogs.

I'm most curious about the key environmental and regional planning issues in the southwest now. Who are the big players (nonprofits, state agencies, cities, others), and what are they working on?

I realize this is a broad question, but anything will be much appreciated. I work on these sorts of issues in the Bay Area, and since I love the US Southwest, I wish I had a better understanding of what is going on down there.

How big will that kitty in the window be?

MeetMegan — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:41:21 -0800

How can I figure out how long/tall/big my kitten will grow to be? Just got back from the vet's office, and I felt brushed off when I asked this question. Obviously I'll find a new vet, but since my question isn't pressing and Coal is doing just fine, I'm not going to pay for another appointment to find out how big he'll be.

He is about 14" long fully stretched out. He's 18 weeks old, and weighs 4 lbs 15 oz. Is there any way to figure out how large he'll be when he's fully-grown?

population max

bluedogg27 — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:18:43 -0800

Does anyone know of a serious attempt to calculate the maximum potential global population (human)? I assume this would entail a complex computer model that would calculate changes among a large number of interrealted variables.

Limits to growth?

regicide is good for you — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:54:58 -0800

If cities (or the pressure on city services) grow faster than the wealth held by individuals grows, how does the bottom not fall out given that municipal growth is largely funded by taxes? Business tax doesn't seem like a satisfying answer, since they tend to not pull their weight, and since many cities seem to have placed most of the tax burden on residential.

Unlimited urban growth in our current economic system seems impossible. Doesn't it? How has it managed to work so far? What dangers lie ahead?

See Spot. See Spot on Spot.

cior — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 13:20:25 -0800

What is this strange growth on my dog's chin? It appeared out of nowhere about a week ago, and has increased in size. It doesn't seem to be hanging on by very much tissue. It doesn't seem to be painful to her, and she's mostly ignoring it. It has a flaky/scale texture, is not moist and does not ooze.

She's a very nervous bitch, so I'd love to avoid traumatizing her with a vet visit if possible. Does anyone know what this is, and whether or not it merits more professional attention?

About her: mostly inside dog, cute JRT/Beagle mix, consistently healthy, up-to-date on all of her shots/meds/etc.

What is this mysterious spongy thing in my garden?

chihiro — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:29:51 -0800

What is this strange thing growing in my garden? I had lovely tulips in my garden earlier this spring and they've finished now, but when the weather is warm and humid (as it has been lately), these strange, spongy, slightly rude-looking growths emerge where once there were tulips. I've Googled all manner of keyword combinations, can anyone tell me what these things are? Pictures here.

Limit to growth

bluefrog — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 10:00:28 -0800

Why is economic growth necessary? Sorry for this utterly naïve question. Our current economic system seems to need growth to stay on track, while unlimited growth is being questionned on ecological grounds. So why is growth necessary, in real terms (GDP/inhabitant)? There's the start of an explanation here but I'm not sure I really understand.

What's the ramp going to be on Vista?

wflanagan — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 07:35:16 -0800

What is the ramp of Vista going to be like? I'm researching how many computers, on the whole, and as a percentage, are going to upgrade to Vista in the first few months (6 or so) of Vista's introduction.

I am looking for any numbers, statistics, or other research. Ideally, i'd find:

1) The aggregate by month # of computers running Vista
2) The percentage of new computers versus existing computers upgrading to Vista
3) Geography-based information on these statistics.
4) Broken down by laptops versus desktops.

My GoogleFu comes up with a bunch of stuff.. but WAY old. Now that we're close, and everything is settlling in, how is this sucker gonna ramp?

It has lots of implications. IE7, applications that don't work with Vista, etc.

Any thoughts or better links than the ones I found?

Thanks,

William

Will using 3rd generation ice make me sick?

longlight — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 22:46:19 -0800

Will using ice that melts and is then refrozen over a couple of weeks (thru a portable icemaker) make me sick? I have a portable icemaker in my office. Each day I pour some water into it and make a couple of pounds of ice. What ever is not used, melts back into the reservoir and gets refrozen the next day (usually with some fresh water added). This goes on for about two to three weeks before I drain it, rinse it out with some mild soap and a cap full of bleach. Then I leave the top open for the weekend to try to dry out the insides.
Is there a risk of getting sick from some bacteria growth or legionnaires disease or something?

How do you cope with incompetent team members?

koenie — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 07:17:25 -0800

How do you cope with incompetent team members? I'm currently working on a project with a low-skilled partner. He has a great personality and tries to do his best, but I often cringe when I have to review his work. His English is abominable and his writing style is even worse. He doesn't seem to be able to grasp the big picture and tends to ramble on about insignificant details in nearly incomprehensible prose.

I'm quite the perfectionist and I'm having quite a difficult time dealing with this. I procrastinate on reading his output and discussing ideas with him. I get that funny feeling in my stomach when I think about the effect this will have on our grade.

However, I do recognize that my behaviour may be causing the most problems in this situation, and that I simply have to make the best of it and move on. Can you give me some advice on how to handle this?