Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with projects

I just want some answers!

soelo — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:47:23 -0800

How do I actually get the documentation that I have been asking for at work? I am already looking for a new job, so no need to give me that advice.

At work, there have been many new projects lately with lots of misunderstandings or just unclear directions from our supervisors. In a recent meeting, my first question was how often they wanted the data and they could not tell me weekly or monthly. We went forward assuming weekly, but there has still not been any specific answer.

I've been in this role for nine years, and two years ago our direct supervisor changed from one who required (and wrote) documentation for new projects to one who is much more laid back. This is when the smaller problems became much bigger. Most of these projects do not come from him, but from his boss or other people at that level in our department. I feel as if they know he won't stand up to them so they walk all over him, and by extension us.

In order to solve this problem, I have suggested that we use Sharepoint to document the details of projects. Other groups in our department use it, but my supervisor has ignored my suggestions. He has not said why, but I suspect he is afraid of learning new software. In the meantime, we still have these problems. When I have time, I can document some of my work and try to keep up with the new projects. But I have no training in documentation, plus we have a group who does the documentation for most of the other groups, but they don't support us.

I am not out to prove that we are always right. I know we make mistakes, but I am tired of seeing us blamed for anything that goes wrong. We feel scapegoated, like we are pawns in the sick game of office politics.

So, I'd like suggestions on how to get the documentation and clear answers that we need.

The Best Way to Get Work Done

CollectiveMind — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:58:42 -0800

I have some ideas I want to bring to fruition. Is it best to focus on each one at a time until I either complete it or go as far as I can go with it? Or is it better to schedule my time so I work on each of them a little each day and move them all forward at once?

Doohickey to deter people from interrupting me at work.

therubettes — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:37:02 -0800

I would like your suggestions for something I could place on my desk or computer which would clearly and visibly indicate to me and others my work status. The status I wish to illustrate is either a) Working on project X or b) not working on project X. I work in a small company and have been charged with project X. On a regular basis I am asked by co-workers and managers to help them out on things other than project X. I am being judged by my performance on project X and would like to strictly limit my time on anything other than project X. In an effort to track whether or not I am on project X and to deter myself and others from taking me off project X I would like something to place on my desk which I can set according to whether or not I am working on what I should be working on.

Ideas I have are a little flag and flag pole which could be up when on X and down when off X, or an Action Man who could be lying down dead when off X or shooting his gun when on x, or some sort of On Air / Off Air lights like they have in a radio studio.

It can be fun but should be safe for work visible from 15 paces or so and leave people in no doubt that I am busy and they had better think twice about interrupting me. I used to have a 'Do not disturb' sign for my door but have since move to an open plan office.

Read some good suggestions about workmate interruptions in this previous question but would like this 'thing' which you will hopefully suggest.

Where can I find photos of NYCHA housing developments?

Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:42:38 -0800

I'm looking for photos of NYCHA public housing - particularly, the interior of apartments and communal areas. Where can I find photos like this online? I have no idea where to begin looking - I've found photos of building exteriors quite easily, but I'm having remarkable difficulty finding photos of the interior.

Photos of public housing in NYC is a priority, but if those are too difficult to find, I'd be interested in photos of similar public housing developments in Chicago, or other large cities. Floorplans would also be of interest, but again, no idea where to begin looking.

Seeking your ideas for fun and interesting hobbies and skills.

tomble — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:40:49 -0800

I feel like I'm in a bit of a rut! I'm looking for a number of new projects, skills, and interesting things that I can learn or work on. I'm planning on trying out something new every week, dedicating a number of hours to learning new things, embarking on interesting projects and otherwise doing things I wouldn't normally do. I love hands on tasks, making things, cooking and unusual skills. I'm not interested in anything like performance art.

All suggestions welcomed

So far my list includes :

Learning to tie a range of different knots.
Building a solar food dehydrator
How to start a fire without matches or a lighter
Juggling
Make an article of clothing from scratch
Making cheese
Build a kinetic sculpture for my back yard
Build a crystal set radio
Learning how to whistle
Using templates and a pressure washer to clean the path outside my house, leaving decorative patterns of unwashed concrete.
Writing a song.
Learning to solder properly and making an electronic something.

So, any ideas welcomed!

I was given grow lights - what should I grow?

iftheaccidentwill — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:57:00 -0800

I was given grow lights - what should I grow? A friend recently gave me three different grow lights. I have a 400w metal halide, a 250w high-pressure sodium, and some sort of special fluorescent thingamajigger. I'm going to mount one of them above a 3'x3' table in my living room for an indoor garden.

What (legal) plants would be really neat to grow over the winter? I'm thinking especially of edible plants, but am certainly willing to consider others. I already have quite a few house plants, but I'd love to work on something a bit different or useful.

I'm not sure that it matters, but I live in Winnipeg which has pretty brutal winters. I also live in an apartment.

For a start, I'm thinking of growing peppers to play around with my own hot sauce.

Grouping Outlook tasks into projects

tommasz — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:45:32 -0800

I'm looking to replace Shadow Plan on my Treo with something more robust. All I'm really looking for is a way to group individual Tasks into projects. I have a somewhat unique situation that's always been a problem for me in the past. My work computer is a PC running XP and Outlook 2003. I have a Mac at home. My Treo essentially bridges the two and Shadow has clients for all three platforms so it was a good choice for this. But my Treo 700p is starting to sputter and I'm probably going to end up with a Blackberry (Verizon) before the end of the year. Shadow is not available for Blackberry but I've been thinking about replacing Shadow anyway because it tends to lose linkages between itself and the Tasks app on the Treo.

Since I'm mostly concerned about projects at work, it could be something that works only in Outlook 2003. I've tried Agendus, but it caused Outlook to crash constantly (the Palm app was okay). I've looked at Jello Desktop, but I'm not really doing GTD and it just didn't do what I wanted. Action Project Manager also caused Outlook problems and some of it didn't seem finished. I don't have MS Project so anything that requires it is out of the question.

So, is there anything out there that groups Tasks, or am I stuck with Shadow?

Recommendations for new and unusual crafts?

psychostorm — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:44:02 -0800

Knitting, crochet, beading, sewing.. what am I missing? Looking for some unusual craft techniques and projects. Oh hivemind, I'm asking for your most obscure and unusual self-contained craft techniques and skills that will keep a long-time crafter entertained over the long autumn nights. (Level of experience if it helps: intermediate jeweller, no stranger to beadweaving, improving knitter and crocheter.)

I'm looking for separate craft techniques and projects rather than something that is a sub-set of another craft. So, good examples would be quilling or kumihimo. Not so good: Tunisian crochet.

Bonus points for crafts that do not require the purchase of a whole heap of new, single-purpose supplies.

Where can I find pictures of empty walls with footprint of frames that have been removed?

pakoothefakoo — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:20:13 -0800

Where can I find pictures of empty walls with footprints of picture/art frames that have been removed? Awhile ago, I read an article which I vaguely remember being about the crash of the art market, and there were accompanying photos of rooms with empty walls with art removed leaving footprint of long gone frames.

Does this ring any bell? Where can I find them, or similar pictures?

Also any ideas how can I reproduce the effect?

3-5 days and good programming skills. I wanna build something cool!

cgg — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:37:11 -0800

I have 3-5 days (starting tomorrow!) in which I'm off from work, and have really nothing planned. As a developer geek in a crappy economy, I'm looking at looming unemployment and/or the start of a freelance career in the very near future. I want to this time making "something" that I can use in my portfolio to show potential employers/clients. What on earth can I build? Ideas for sites are a dime a dozen, except for when I need one. I'd like to build something cool that I can show off. Trouble is, I'd like to get it out, at least v0.1, after only 3-5 days of work. All my ideas involve considerably more effort than that. And I at least want it to be somewhat fun and/or interesting and/or to teach me something new... I can write boring code at work.

So mefites -- what should I build? I know the LAMP stack pretty well, where the 'P' can be either PHP, Python or Perl (although right now PHP is my strongest language). I can thnk in SQL -- databases are not a problem. I have more than enough hosting and a good dev environment. I can learn things (APIs, etc) pretty quickly. Maybe something fun with Google Maps? A Facebook app? An entire site? I'm open to all and any ideas...

Yes, there are better uses for my time. I should be networking, yadda yadda, but this is my vacation and I don't wanna. :) I never get to write what I want to write anymore. Assume my resume is up to date and polished.

Musical Fun Has Begun

cloeburner — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:47:35 -0800

Anyone know any good music games/activities for inner city elementary school kids? I am teaching a summer music class in east Baltimore and I would love to hear some suggestions of music crafts and games for kids.

Additionally, I would like to build some instruments with the kids, perhaps a thumb piano, but if anyone has any other simple music projects, I'd love to hear it. I have lots of electronic supplies [I plan on focusing on hip hop and baltimore club production] but I would also like to introduce the musicality of everything to them [bottles, grass, cans, strings, etc.].

What say you, hive?

Looking for a website where users can get together, share/critique new ideas, and volunteer to collaborate on new projects.

Muffpub — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:28:54 -0800

Are there any sites out there for organizing people to work on collaborative projects or new ideas? I can't find anything on AskMe about collaboration that doesn't involve specialized tech-related projects or collaborative office software. Am I missing something? If there's something out there on the internet that can do this I'd love to be a part of it. For example, "Write for my blog," "contribute to my map of the area," perhaps even more cerebral stuff like "critique the new political system I invented!" If there's a fun, useful wiki/crowdsourcing type space where people can get together, brainstorm, and work together, I want to find it.

I'd like to emphasize that I'm looking for something as open-ended as possible. Ubuntu Brainstorm would be a wonderful idea if it weren't limited to Ubuntu. Think that, but for the whole internet! Where is it?

(The history behind this question: This MeTa thread I posted last week ended up morphing into a discussion on the existential nature of MeFi Projects and the possibility of a collaborative space on Metafilter, but an important precondition to that discussion was whether or not sites like this already are out there on the internet. If you don't know of any other site on the internet like this but think it may be a cool idea to propose that we do it right here on MeTa, say so, but please remember that AskMe is not for talking about Metafilter.)

Apologies if this is impossibly open-ended or chatfilter.

So you want to be a Toubab...

levijk — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:57:33 -0800

What's it like volunteering in Senegal with Projects Abroad? I'd like to get out of the USA for at least a couple months to gain perspective and broaden my horizons. I can read simple French so I'd like to visit a francophone locale to become bilingual. I've no education and limited funds, so teaching English in a former French colony seemed like the best idea. Currently reading this page about volunteering in Senegal.

Anybody done this? Anecdotes and advice welcome.

Can I change my motivation schedule?

Metroid Baby — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:04:18 -0800

I regularly get bursts of creative energy and motivation to work on personal projects right smack dab in the middle of the workday, when I can't do a thing about them. But when I've got free time, I don't feel like doing anything. How can I better synchronize my motivation with my free time? It happens on a weekly if not daily basis: I'll be about an hour or two into my workday, and I just start to think "wow, I would love to be home cleaning the house" or "ooh, I remember that idea I had for a project; I want to start working on it right now!" And, of course, I have to do my actual work instead. The same thing sometimes happens when I'm on my way to the gym or in the middle of a run.

However, at the end of the day, or on the weekend, I don't get that rush of motivation. I never want to clean the house when I have time, and my great ideas just don't sound that interesting. I have plenty of time to do things, but I'd rather just veg out.

I suppose my great ideas during the workday are a form of procrastination: it's the time of day when I'm most awake and alert by necessity, but my mind will sometimes drift to other things that sound more interesting at the task at hand. (I do like my job a lot and can usually focus quite well; for the purposes of this question assume that I cannot/will not change my job or work schedule, or work on personal projects during work hours.)

I know action precedes motivation most of the time, and I have a feeling that the answer might just be to force myself off the couch and go do something even when I don't feel like it. But when I do that, it's not always very effective. Also, I love the feeling I get when I'm able to actually put my creative energy to good use, and I'd like to experience that more.

If there are any tricks you've used successfully, I'd love to hear them. Thank you!

Where on the web to post non-coding projects/requests in for bidding?

querty — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:48:28 -0800

outsourcingfilter: Where on the web to post non-coding projects/requests in for bidding? For outsourcing programming/web/coding projects, there are many sites to submit your requests in for others to bid on. Then there is Etsy Alchemy for handmade goods and crafts.

What about custom graphics? Where would I go (besides Craigslist) if I want a custom vector logo done?

What about engineering? Where would I go if I want a custom lawnmower robot made?

Those are the two main fields I'm looking for answers to, what about projects for other fields?

Looking for sites where you can post a project for others to bid on.

MS "Tasks" on steroids?

NekulturnY — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:47:59 -0800

Project management software seems to be focused on a small number of complex projects. I'm looking for software to juggle around a large number of rather basic projects. I was playing around a bit with Openproject and looking at screenshots of Open Workbench, and it struck me that they are all very focused on tracking pretty complex projects. The user is basically forced to go "in" a project, and check out the status and planning of all the subtasks in said project.

My problem is that I have to keep track of a large number (think: 40 or 50) of simple to medium complex projects (basically: input > planning > execution > feedback > delivery).

I need to stay mostly "out" of the projects and supervise them, prioritize one or another without entering into the project itself (this should be done by my direct reports). I want to have a good, intuitive overview of all tasks (in what stage are they? which ones are urgent? which ones are nearing deadline?). I want this on a 24" computer screen without endless scrolling up, down, left and right.

Sometimes however, I need to "inside" the project to see which subtasks are being worked on. I probably need some filters/dashboards(due date, client, direct report working project, type of project).

A "Tasks" list (MS Office) on steroids, is what I'm looking for basically. Am I being unreasonable?

Souvenirs for project well done?

ajohnson1200 — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 21:15:23 -0800

Team appreciation / project mementos: just got done with a 6 month long project involving a team of about 30 people. I have somewhere in the range of 10k to 15k to spend on an outing and (suggested by mgmt) some kind of memento. What should I get? I've got the outing planned (day at local pub / mini golf / movie theater / pool hall / restaurant) and I've read this and this. It was suggested by my manager that I procure something for every member of the team, some kind of trinket or memento to remember the project by but I don't want something completely lame. Industry: software.

Small projects for a high-school senior on gap year.

zhang.chuck — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 11:48:49 -0800

Can anyone recommend some projects or self-improvement/self-studying for a high school senior taking a gap year between high school and college? I am already planning on doing some traveling and working at a job/internship, but I've heard from friends who have taken gap years that doing something for too long gets repetitive and detracts from the experience (especially since, as a high school senior, I will probably be going more for the "experience" of living in the real world rather than doing anything terribly meaningful).

I'm planning on doing a couple of different things for about three-four months at a time, and I expect some down-time in between.

I'd like to do something in that time-- but I'd probably want to put in 3-4 weeks of hard effort, rather than something that stretches out over a year. I'm interested in political science, history, economics-- generally, current events.

What can I do in that kind of time that will be personally meaningful and interesting?

I just watched 5 hours of TV. That's what I did yesterday, too.

AquaAmber — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:55:04 -0800

ISO ideas for projects to do on business travel - portable, long-term, skill-building, relatively inexpensive things to do with my evenings. I find myself in a new job that requires quite a bit of travel (up to 2 weeks out of the month, normally a bit less). While normally fairly adept at entertaining myself, I'm striking out here. I have no access to a car and won't get reimbursed for "sightseeing" taxi trips. I will also frequently be in a shoddy neighborhood and it won't be safe for me to walk around at night. I do have internet access.

The question is: what projects are portable enough for me to take from place to place?

I've already considered knitting but I've always seen that as more of a television accompaniment. I don't need any more suggestions on things to do online - that's everywhere. I want something tangible. I've tried calligraphy, for instance. What else?

DIY websites for Fixing your Condo

matthelm — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:52:46 -0800

I just bought a condo and am looking for websites that are dedicated to doing DIY things to improve your home ranging from doing cheap/green projects, cool home gadgets, to major remodeling jobs... There is a site that I kind of view and is a good example of what i am looking for and that site is: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la Any and all ideas are welcome!!!!

All my walls are blank, and I don't wanna pay

sandking — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 08:27:59 -0800

Can I "dumpster dive" for free art by hanging around art colleges at the end of a semester and snagging unwanted class projects? What would be the protocol for doing such a thing? Is there any other situation in which I could snag free art?

Help me organize my time and projects by the hour.

metalheart — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:51:29 -0800

What time/project management software or sites might be able to help me view my week in hourly clumps and allow me to check off completed tasks or monitor their success? I've tried a number of GTD services, but none of them has been quite right, so I'm looking for suggestions. I've searched through Ask MeFi, but I've not really found anything like what I'm looking for, so here goes.

I really want to manage my time better. I already do pretty well on the whole, but I want to do better, so I can accomplish more. I already use Google Calendar for basic things, like house chores, but I've found it doesn't really cut it for me on other things--for whatever reason.

Pen and paper doesn't work for me, as I'm a very computer and mobile-oriented person. I've tried Todoist and liked its more textual system and idea of checking items off as you completed them, but it too fell short in the end. (It wasn't as intuitive as I'd have liked.) I tried Basecamp, but I hated the interface design and found it to be way too basic.

Currently, I'm trying out RescueTime for my computer time management, but I'd rather if it could do offline goal tracking and statistics as well...

It seems, overall, that I need a few features from each of these services, really, and I can't seem to find anything that fits that.

What I would like to find is some (preferably) web-based or desktop software that will work more on an hourly basis. What I mainly want to do is work a certain number of hours on various tasks, each week. I'm a student, and it's my summer holiday. I want to freelance several hours a week, work on art for a number of other hours, write, etc.

What time/project management software or sites might be able to help me view my week in hourly clumps and allow me to check off completed tasks or monitor their success?

P.S. - It'd be great if there were some sort of mobile alert thing for this as well, but it's not necessary. Would just be a nice to have.

How is this color-changing LED array being driven?

jjjjjjjijjjjjjj — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:18:24 -0800

Electronics/LED Folks: I bought a few cheap, poorly-assembled LED color-changing orb-things and I'm pretty sure they're the coolest objects I have ever owned. I cracked 'em open, and damned if I know what is going on in there, but it looks simple/cheap as all hell. Help me figure it out, I'll post a build-log/parts list somewhere, and in short-order we can all be ass-deep in home-made, disarmingly sublime mood-lighting. So it's about the size of a tennis-ball, made of hard, milky plastic, and it cycles in a smooth, slow gradient between Red, Green, and Blue. (8-Second Video: Globe On, Globe Off). That's it. It doesn't look like much, and it's no danger of "blowing anyone away" or anything, but lemme tell you... it has absolutely transfixed the dozen or so people that've been to my house in the week I've owned it. I'm talkin' young, gadget-savvy folks who absolutely should know better. But we all love the stupid little thing.

Cracked it open, and inside are three 1.5V watch batteries, 3 LEDs (one each: red, green, blue), a resistor, a switch, a board, and a tiny mysterious shiny black spot.

I'd like to know what method they're using to cycle thru these colors.

This schematic represents my closest attempt at understanding the build. I'm sure you'll agree that there is at least one key element missing. It is my (unfounded, but) strong suspicion that this missing element is a very simple one (though I am very interested in answers, simple or otherwise).

MORE PICTURES:
* LED board, top
* LED board, bottom
* Switch/Battery assembly

There's a huge chance that I've unknowingly left out something of dire importance. I will try to clarify/photograph anything that is needed. I have the disassembled globe on my workbench as we speak... multimeter at the ready.

Another related question: Would there be any way to run a common anode high-power RGB LED star off of a configuration similar to what is being used in the globe above? I'm interested, very generally, in novel methods that can be used to drive RGB (or separate "R, G, and B") LEDs. I'm slowly getting the hang of PWM and microcontroller/Arduino-based methods, and I like what I've learned... but I've not come across much that deals with any other methods. Thanks to all.

Weekend project ideas?

adiabat — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:39:51 -0800

I spent some pleasant time this past weekend planting a windowsill herb garden. What are some other similarly self-contained projects I can do in a day or two this winter? By "self-contained", I mean things that won't require me to invest a lot of money in new tools, or invest a lot of time (more than a weekend) in learning a new skill — something that can be wrapped up within a couple of day. A windowsill garden was simple and inexpensive, and I'm looking for more of the same. I lean toward the crafty end of things, but would welcome (or might even prefer) other ideas.

I'm just looking for weekend project ideas to ward off the seasonal blues and make me feel like I've done something productive with my days. It would be extra nice if the results of these projects could be given as gifts.

(I'm sure there must be past AskMe posts in this direction, but I didn't see quite what I was looking for in my search. If you have links to past posts, go for it.)

Wanted: Ideas for beginner's audio projects

yoHighness — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 07:59:19 -0800

Teaching audio recording & editing to beginners at Uni (for this certificate). Looking for ideas for mock projects to get them going in the practical session. I've got to demonstrate Adobe Audition, Audacity & GarageBand, and have to have students get their feet wet using them (all in the space of one three-hour slice). I've got a lab with Macs and PC's with above software, a bunch of head- and microphones ... What I'm really lacking is creative ideas for mock projects that will get them going playing around. A radio show about [...]? A jingle for [...]? A podcast about [...]? (Yes I am going to use the Metafilter podcast as an example, too :-) ... Anyway, help me to inspire 19-25 yr old UK students to get going on loop-based composition and recording voice & stuff. Many thanks for your help!