InsectBiteFilter. Help! Last Sunday in Phoenix, Arizona I was chilling outside and then some insect stung/bit/injected my neck. It was not a bee/wasp/spider/ant. It was a tannish brown color and I think it had transparent green wings but I can't recall for sure. It was about half an inch long. I tried to just forget about it but each day the sting gets more painful. I just hope there's no brood in my neck. Anyone know what kind of critter this could be? And, yes, I know I should go to the doctor but I wanted some hive-mind reassurance that I'll be fine. Thank you so much! Dang bugs.
posted by m_lazarus on Jul 16, 2009 - 13 answers

Help me find this essay about a spy... [more inside]
posted by overglow on Jul 10, 2009 - 3 answers

How safe exactly is a subscription VPN like Witopia? [more inside]
posted by reformedjerk on Jul 9, 2009 - 7 answers

What resolution would the Hubble Telescope be able to discern, if we pointed it at my back yard instead of into the stars? Would it be able to pick up individual blades of grass? Would it be able to see bacteria or anything not visible to the naked eye? Could it see the illuminated dial of my watch at night? [more inside]
posted by crazyray on May 12, 2009 - 19 answers

My mother has become increasingly paranoid recently. How can I help her? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 15, 2009 - 8 answers

LadyFilter: I found a lump where there should not be a lump. (And it's not on my breast.) I do not have health insurance. What to do? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 10, 2009 - 17 answers

My friend suddenly believes that everyone he knows is a police informant. This includes me. How can I help? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 10, 2009 - 34 answers

Facebook Security: Are there reliable security settings for Facebook so that I can talk about my job to my friends network without worrying about others seeing it? [more inside]
posted by scaryblackdeath on Feb 26, 2009 - 11 answers

The company I work for is behaving very strangely. Am I being paranoid, or should I start looking for a new job? (Posted anonymously for job security reasons.) [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 18, 2009 - 18 answers

I started a new job a couple months ago at a small company, and since then, there has been some theft of company property. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 5, 2009 - 9 answers

Help me not descend into extreme paranoia. Last night a male intruder approached me in my back yard. Police came and "caught" him. I have always been on the fairly cautious/paranoid side of personal security so I am afraid this incident may spiral downward to a place I do not want it to go. Any thoughts? (Longer story below) [more inside]
posted by murrey on Dec 21, 2008 - 31 answers

My PhD Orals Chair just suggested I postpone my orals, scheduled for Monday. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 12, 2008 - 16 answers

I see the world, and all in it, as something vicious and ready to attack me, and that influences far too much stuff in my life. Help. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 8, 2008 - 30 answers

Writing about yourself on the internet - safe or unsafe? [more inside]
posted by NeoLeo on Dec 5, 2008 - 22 answers

I smoked marijuana early this morning and had terrifying experiences. What happened, why, and what should I do now? I could use some reassurance. [more inside]
posted by elektrotechnicus on Dec 1, 2008 - 48 answers

There are mice in my apartment. Hijinks ensue. Now what? [more inside]
posted by spec80 on Nov 17, 2008 - 29 answers

Recommendations for a cognitive behavioral therapist in the Houston area for my mother? He/she is going to have to deal with a lot, especially because she is irrational and suspicious. [more inside]
posted by Nattie on Oct 22, 2008 - 6 answers

How do you deal with PMS, especially associated anxiety and paranoia? [more inside]
posted by mynameisluka on Sep 28, 2008 - 14 answers

I'm trying to figure out how to be less paranoid and obsessive and how to not replay past and future negative scenarios in my head constantly – eventually getting myself in trouble. Often, I go over negative things that I've overheard or have suspicions about, and negative recent occurrences (like getting fired recently or conversations that might have left me in a bad light in someone else’s view). I feel paranoid about anything I cannot control and have ever had problems with perhaps. I was recently fired from a job for generally being too confrontational with my boss about things I saw going wrong and things I was feeling paranoid about. The thing is -- the paranoia is somewhat justified, and I have a hard time believing that it's possible not to worry about stuff all the time. And now at my new job I feel that I’m at risk of the same behavior, feeling jaded already about my new work situation and worrying constantly about everything in my life (and about not having a life, and even about worrying too much itself!) – how can I feel more relaxed and just chill out? [more inside]
posted by albatross5000 on Jun 23, 2008 - 10 answers

What is this mysterious process that hijacked my shortcut? I was using Photoshop CS2 and entered the shortcut key for "Save for Web" (Alt+Shift+Ctrl+S) and instead of getting the Save for Web dialog, a very minimalist login box appeared. Intrigued, I brought up the Task manager, right-clicked on the "Login" entry in the list, and selected "Go To Process." The process turned out to be C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\vidifker.exe. [more inside]
posted by Optimus Chyme on Jun 4, 2008 - 9 answers

How can I avoid debilitating paranoia when smoking marijuana? [more inside]
posted by plexi on May 6, 2008 - 34 answers

[ParanoiaFilter] How can I tell if someone has accessed or opened a file on my computer? [more inside]
posted by mehmet on May 5, 2008 - 10 answers

Is Cox cable spying on us? My husband was mesmerized one morning by the miracle manna preacher on our Cox cable. The next day, there was a pre-recorded voice mail on our phone from Mr Miracle Manna himself telling us to press 1 now if we wanted our own miracle manna. This seems to be too much of a coincidence. Does Cox have a way of tracking what we watch and then informing their advertisers?
posted by TorontoSandy on Apr 4, 2008 - 7 answers

I have been searching the site but have not found my specific situation. I would like to know if there is a way to tell that you are being video or audio recorded at work. Not on the computer, just in general. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 28, 2008 - 13 answers

A friend of mine, who is highly educated (married with two kids, accomplished medical researcher), is absolutely convinced that September 11 was a huge conspiracy initiated by members of the US government. She has a detailed complex explanation for everything. She takes it deeply personally when I scoff at her, telling me I should read the evidence before forming an opinion. I see her as gullible and she sees me as ignorant. Is there an analysis available comprehensively somewhere addressing the conspiracy theorists to the satisfaction of the leading academics in the relevant areas (material engineering, aerodynamics, media relations, architecture etc)? How do you deal with people like this? [more inside]
posted by vizsla on Mar 19, 2008 - 62 answers

Do I have anxiety? [more inside]
posted by Schuby on Feb 18, 2008 - 21 answers

Should I get a NEXUS pass? (For US-Canada border crossing.) [more inside]
posted by patr1ck on Feb 6, 2008 - 11 answers

What is it about marijuana that can make the user feel paranoid?
posted by cookie googleman on Dec 15, 2007 - 21 answers

Someone bought a telescope in my name on Nov 7th. That's all I know. How do I protect myself even though I don't know what store, or more importantly, what method of "payment" was used to complete the transaction? [more inside]
posted by JakeLL on Dec 4, 2007 - 11 answers

I've been depressed on and off for 20 years but this is new, and scary. (Contains probably too much information but I'm trying to cover any potential questions) [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 22, 2007 - 50 answers

Does anyone else live with the constant feeling things are about to take a turn for the worse? [more inside]
posted by hansbleep on Oct 12, 2007 - 32 answers

iButton work bathroom conspiracy. Sometime ago I noticed a small silver object blue tacked to the wall high up in one of the executive bathroom cubicles at my workplace. [more inside]
posted by numberstation on Sep 20, 2007 - 13 answers

Hi AskMe! I don't spend much time looking at msconfig, so this might be nothing. But I'd like to be sure, and Google isn't up to snuff. [more inside]
posted by EatTheWeak on Aug 11, 2007 - 7 answers

My sister is getting her wisdom teeth taken out... and I dont want her to be put under. [more inside]
posted by silverstatue on Jul 23, 2007 - 60 answers

What is this weird painless lump at the base of my toe? [more inside]
posted by otherwordlyglow on Jul 23, 2007 - 12 answers

Wasp paranoia??!! [more inside]
posted by fillsthepews on Jun 26, 2007 - 12 answers

How did a username I've never seen before get into my IE7 autocomplete list? [more inside]
posted by desjardins on Jun 13, 2007 - 7 answers

New ISP offers static IP addresses. Should I take 1 or 8? What can I use them for? Should I be concerned about the RIPE database? [more inside]
posted by boosh on Mar 1, 2007 - 7 answers

Does Veteran's Administration medical treatment information get to the insurance world? [more inside]
posted by Mom on Feb 11, 2007 - 1 answer

I feel like I'm losing my mind but I'm too worried about my medical records to do anything about it. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 10, 2007 - 31 answers

How can I talk rationally to someone amazingly paranoid without further agitating them? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 4, 2007 - 28 answers

How do I stop myself from being affected by my friends' relationship problems? [more inside]
posted by divabat on Nov 20, 2006 - 9 answers

help me with my paranoia! as its making me terribly unhappy. [more inside]
posted by angelmouse3003 on Oct 10, 2006 - 18 answers

Small problems or worries that are nothing during daylight, seem huge and insurmoutable during the hours of darkness, bordering on paranoia. Is this some form of mild depression, or a SAD related thing? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 22, 2006 - 23 answers

ShippingParanoiaFilter: How often does online package tracking show items going astray at the outset of their journey, and how often do they arrive without packing slips? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 4, 2006 - 5 answers

SoutheastDCFilter: Survival Skills for the Urban Jungle? [more inside]
posted by Alterscape on Jul 27, 2006 - 17 answers

Tinfoilhatfilter: There seem to be several designs for DIY RFID-blocking (read: duct-tape-and-foil) wallets (e.g.). Is there a comparable product available for purchase pre-made (preferably more elegant- / conventional-looking)? [more inside]
posted by grobstein on Jan 15, 2006 - 7 answers

Let's say, hypothetically, that you are a victim of a man-in-the-middle attack, perhaps via the handy arp-spoofing feature of the somewhat creepy program known as ettercap. How could you tell? What are the telltale signs?
posted by Astragalus on Jan 4, 2006 - 10 answers

In relation to this post on the subject of personal privacy: is there really good reason to be concerned? Is there any point in keeping personal information private anymore? [more inside]
posted by Acey on Dec 22, 2005 - 13 answers

For reasons that don't particularly make sense I believe that someone is spying on me with a camera hidden somewhere in my room. Ignoring for a moment the fact that I'm clearly nuts, what exactly would the law be on this (I live in the US)? [more inside]
posted by Astragalus on Dec 14, 2005 - 49 answers