Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with recommendation

Heart Rate Monitor

hepta — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:01:47 -0800

What is the best heart rate monitor for my needs? I've seen this AskMe and others but am in slightly different circumstances and have come looking for recommendations.

I'm a somewhat fit 20-year old female and I want to get a heartrate monitor to help me figure out better workouts. For what it's worth, my main workouts are running, biking, and erging (indoor rowing machine) so a heart rate monitor that doesn't interfere with those movements is key (I know I likely won't have trouble with the running/biking aspect but erging is a somewhat different motion than those two). I also do some weights but I don't know the benefits of monitoring heart rate while doing those, but if there are some feel free to enlighten me!

Budget is not a huge deal but I am a student and if at all possible would like to keep it cheaper than more expensive. I don't want a chest strap part, if that can be at all avoided. I am really pretty clueless here - they come on wristbands, I think? Will the lack of chest strap make it less effective? I looked at Amazon but they came up with ~1000 results so I figured AskMe was a better starting place :)

Also, I think I have a handle on what heart rate zones to be working out in for specific endurance/cardio/etc results but if anyone has some great online resources about that, I would be really happy to check them out!

Dear Professor Flake...

zoomorphic — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:00:51 -0800

Grad school application crisis: one of my professors who agreed to write a recommendation is completely flaking out. I've tried my best to communicate my needs, but she seems either too busy or suddenly, inexplicably disinterested in cooperating. I don't want to alienate her but I don't want to get screwed over when one of my references went off the grid. I emailed three of my college professors back in August or September to see if they'd be willing to write recommendations on my behalf as I applied to grad school. They all sent back really nice, affirmative responses. Whew! One professor recommended that I use Interfolio, which is like a middle man for schools and professors providing references. Professors upload one copy of a recommendation, which is given its own email address. Instead of listing a professor's email in the online application, I list that email, sparing the professors the task of email five different universities with the same email.

Two of my professors uploaded recommendations right away, but the third (who was always a bit scatterbrained) has not. I've emailed her several times, the last email two ago, and she's replied that she will get to it. But she hasn't. My first application is due, recommendations and all, on Sunday. Interfolio seems to only work on business days, so essentially the last day is tomorrow. The university will not accept late or incomplete applications.

The thing is, I don't want to alienate the professor before she writes the application by sounding impatient and high-strung, especially since I have a far less intimate, friendly history with her than with my other two references. But obviously I don't want to get screwed over because she said she'd offer a rec and then didn't.

Clearly I'm overthinking this, but in my state of hair-tearing stress, I can't formulate an email that doesn't sound completely insane or accusatory. What should I say that sounds professional, understanding and urgent?

Are there any great book recommendation engines/websites out there?

ShootTheMoon — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:38:04 -0800

Are there any great book recommendation engines/websites out there? Something like how Netflix will look at your past rentals and recommend movies to watch next. Bonus points if it can integrate with GoodReads reviews, as I already have a list of books read and rated on that site.

I did see a previous Askme question, but it was a few years old. Was hoping something new has come along.

Embarrassed about my GPA

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:35:06 -0800

Recommender (former professor) wants to see my grades for graduate school. My last year and a half was stellar, but before that I have a smattering of Cs (five). Should I say anything? I'm a recent college graduate. For the last three semesters I had straight A's, but before that things were mixed - a combination of As, Bs, and Cs, thanks to a mix of laziness, family issues, and a long-distance relationship gone-wrong that had lasting effects. My GPA ended up being a 3.35 after dipping down to 3.0, and I'm proud of that, but not very proud of my lack of focus before as well as my overall GPA.

I'm applying to architecture graduate school, and a recommender (former professor at an Ivy, young but established and accomplished) wants to see my grades. When I took classes with him I was in focus-mode, my grades were pretty great, and I came off as a sharp and focused student. (Uh, which I _was_ by then.) Now, I'm worried that showing him my grades will be more detrimental than helpful if he sees my GPA. Should I add a note explaining the situation? Should I somehow weasel out of showing him my grades? What would you do?

Thanks! (Asked anonymously because my account is linked to my real identity.)

Looking for a Therapist for a Friend in Richmond, VA

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:32:32 -0800

TherapyFilter: Asking for a friend of a friend—can anyone recommend a competent therapist accessible to someone living in Richmond, Virginia... especially someone especially good at handling issues of anxiety and panic? (Anonymous for the privacy of the individual[s] in question, in case someone could track them through me.)

Specifically, the friend-of-a-friend (a straight, white male in his early 20s, for what it matters) seems to be having issues with anxiety that increasingly have been manifesting in ways that resemble classic panic attacks—I'm thinking specifically the catastrophizing of physiological arousal leading to the positive-feedback cycle of anxiety that potentiates the attack. A doctor prescribed him an anti-anxiety medication of some sort, but he's considering therapy to help as well. However, to my knowledge, this doctor wasn't really able to proffer any suggestions as to who he could or should see to get some therapeutic assistance. As such, we're looking for recommendations for an excellent mental health professional to help him through his problems. I've heard that while many therapies tend to have similar therapeutic effects for many problems, panic disorders do have a history of better treatment through Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, so maybe keep that in mind? (That being said, if you or someone you know had a positive experience with someone from a different therapeutic modality for similar problems, feel free to recommend them, too!)

(There's also a thread wherein said friend identified said friend-of-a-friend's mannerisms as rather remarkably fitting the diagnostic criteria of Paranoid Personality disorder; however, this is a Wikipedia diagnosis, neither of us are clinical professionals, and the friend-of-the-friend is interested in dealing with his anxiety, so speaking in terms of both pragmatism and respect for his own ability to manage his well-being, anxiety/panic would be the primary specialty he'd be looking for. Nevertheless, it does characterize at least some issues as an individual close to him—and, to an extent, he—perceives them, so could be relevant if you have numerous doctors in mind and someone has a relevant specialty.)

If you don't have any specific recommendations, you can still be helpful! As is evident by my asking the question, neither I nor the friend (nor the friend-of-the-friend, I would imagine) have the faintest idea of how to find a high-quality therapist anywhere, nevermind in the Richmond area. If there are any general sites or resources we can look at—especially that provide something approximating reviews—that'd be excellent as well!

If you don't feel comfortable posting here, toss me a line at mefi.richmond.therapy@gmail.com

Thank you in advance for your help!

Did you know there were giant beavers?

showbiz_liz — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:48:10 -0800

Good books about prehistoric life which are NOT about dinosaurs? When I was little I had a children's book about prehistoric mammals. I still remember it as one of the raddest things I have ever read, and I still bring up dire wolves and kitten-sized horses at every possible opportunity. Of course, I had a book about dinosaurs too- who didn't?- but they were so well-known to everyone that they didn't seem as cool to me.

I want a more grown-up book along similar lines. Doesn't have to be mammals or even animals, and it could be pre- or post-dinosaur. Could cover the whole span of time from the beginning of life to now, or it could be about some small period of prehistory which most people have never heard of. Just hit me with some prehistoric awesomeness.

Installing Radiant Heat Flooring

crush-onastick — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:10:18 -0800

Chicago home improvement filter: We'd like to get an estimate for installing radiant-heat flooring in our condo (6-flat built at the turn of the last century. We own a duplex down, with the primary living area being on the ground floor) or possibly replacing the HVAC with baseboard heating. Anything, really, because the conversion from whatever-it-was to the gas furnace HVAC it now is was badly done and the place is freezing all the time. Any business or contractors you recommend? Suggestions for going about this the right way? Dire warnings? Our condo is two bedrooms, three baths, living room with a separate dining room and an enclosed sunroom. There is a small finished basement. The living room and dining room are hardwood floors; the rest of the house is carpet (except the baths and kitchen, which are tile). At a minimum, I'd like to put radiant-heat flooring in the kitchen and baths, but I'd like to find out if it's possible and financially-viable for us to convert the whole place to radiant-heat flooring or baseboard heat because the furnace doesn't do it. We've had the furnace inspected, cleaned, tuned, but it's not efficient. When it was installed, the duct-work was poorly placed (for one thing, the vents are at the *top* of extra-tall walls, so all the heat floats up to the high ceilings).

No, we have no interest in doing this ourselves. None. Not even touching up the paint afterwards. But I don't know where to begin finding someone to assess the possibility and doing the job for us. I have asked a friend--who is an architect--but he was not much help.

Who gets to be the lucky person to write me a letter of recommendation?

carpyful — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:02:10 -0800

I'm applying to graduate school and need 3 letters of recommendations. However, I am having trouble deciding the right people to ask. HALP. I'm applying to MPA/MPP programs for the Fall of 2010. My work and academic careers have not been ideal and now I'm not sure what to do. Here's my situation:

I got my BA in May 2007 with pretty good grades (I got nearly all A's in my political science courses, which I majored in). Even though I did well, I was the type to do my work and leave class -- I never spent time talking to professors at all. It's now been 2.5 years since graduation and I feel uncomfortable asking any of my old professors for letters of recommendations. Also, I no longer live near my school so I'd have to do this all through phone or email. If I go this route, I'll be contacting my polisci seminar professor. I got an A in the class and an A on my thesis paper.

As an undergrad, I spent a summer interning at my local Congressman's office and my local state Senator's office (both in the same summer, part time with each). This was in the summer of 2006 which means that it has been a while. The only saving grace is that I used one of my internship supervisors as a reference to get my current AmeriCorps gig last year so I've had some communication there.

After graduating, I didn't really know what I wanted to do so I spent a little over a year working in unrelated fields. I did some private tutoring and freelance design to keep busy. Even though I did good work and have maintained some connections with my clients, I feel that the work is so unrelated and short-lived (most of my freelance work was 3-6 month gigs and my tutoring jobs lasted about 9 months) that they might not be great to use for applications.

The only place I am confident in getting letters of recommendations from is the place that I am working at now: I am an AmeriCorps VISTA at a nonprofit doing work I enjoy. I know a few higher-ups in my workplace that would probably write me letters. I am tempted to get more than one person from my organization to write me a recommendation but I would imagine that isn't the best idea ever.

Finally, I am in a cohort with other VISTAs (we are all in different workplaces and meet twice a month for trainings) and the supervisor of that program would write me a letter, as well. I worry that getting a letter from my work supervisor and my VISTA supervisor would be confusing and detrimental.

So to summarize my questions:
Which 3 people do I ask for letters of recommendations?
Is it worth asking professors from undergrad who I never really spoke to (but got A's in the class)?
Is it worth asking people I interned for in 2006?
Is it worth asking clients that I did work for in unrelated fields?
Is getting a letter from more than one person in a workplace weird?
If I get a letter from my work supervisor and a letter from my VISTA supervisor, will that be seen as negative (since most people won't know the difference)?

As you can see, I am in need of guidance.

Some say I have a way with words.

the NATURAL — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:16:31 -0800

You are a paid writer/screenwriter/columnist/blogger. What can you tell me about how to best break into this profession? Now, obviously, talent matters, and whether or not I have any of that good stuff remains to be seen. But are there tips/secrets that you could offer to an aspiring writer as they look to break in to this realm?

For what it's worth, I'm 9 months removed from my B.A., and looking at going back next fall for my M.A. (probably in English, either Lit or Creative Writing) and looking to start freelancing for a local lifestyle magazine. I keep a blog, mostly for my own amusement (clipping entertaining passages from my reading).

Recommend some French-language books (or sites) for a intermediate French-learner.

Kurichina — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:01:22 -0800

Recommend some French-language books (or sites) for a intermediate French-learner, to (hopefully enjoy) reading with the aid of a dictionary and bescherelle. I'm looking for some French-language books to read but am at an odd spot in my comprehension. I don't want to read a textbook or books for kids, but my comprehension isn't high enough to read any truly complicated texts. I recently tested at a Government of Canada B/C Level (i.e. I'm comfortable with multiple tenses/forms but they do not come automatically), and was told by my tester that while my grammar was fairly solid, my weak vocabularly was primarily to blame for being in the B rather than C range. I think reading would be a somewhat entertaining way to get going on improving my vocabularly while I'm waiting for a class/ The sort of literature I'm looking for:

- novels (could include young adult or contemporary as long as it's a. good - do not want to be reading some schlockly teen romance, thanks - and b. not hugely complicated - I'm willing to use my dictionary, but hopefully wouldn't be constantly swithcing back and forth between dictionary and book)

- non-fiction (politics/history/art/entertainment etc, again as long as it's not hugely complicated)

- short stories

- magazines with somewhat 'meaty' and/or interesting content (like a Walrus or Geist sort of publication)

Essentially, I'm looking for the right balance between meaty enough to be interesting, but dumb enough for me to read in my second language. Know of anything that fits the bill? I've seen this question but I'm looking for specifically for something that would suit my language level.

Where to take a vegan friend without "punishing" the carnivores in the party

dorgla — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:17:51 -0800

Where in Seattle has good vegan lunch options? Don't want a strictly vegan venue, as the rest of us are omnivores, and we'd like to wash our lunch down with beer, if possible.

Your favorite espresso maker

zenpop — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 10:32:18 -0800

My espresso maker just gave up the ghost, after 15 years of great coffee and service. What's a really dependable, good new machine to purchase? As functional as it was cool looking, I had a fire-engine red Francis and Francis unit (shown here http://tinyurl.com/d75rd3 ) I think I paid about 700 bucks for it at the time (and see they've really gone up). Too, Ferancis was bought out by illy -- I'm open to something different).

So I'm wondering Meta peeps -- what do you recommend for a new machine/purchase?

Please recommend the best American whiskey.

Help, I can't stop talking! — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:35:32 -0800

Please recommend the best American whiskey. A friend of mine is moving to Colombia for a year. She wants to bring a gift for her hosts, and was told that American whiskey is something that is hard to come by and largely appreciated by the community down there. She wants to do this up proper. What bottle would you bring if you were in her shoes?

Recommend me a gym

sailoreagle — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:42:27 -0800

Brighton-UK-filter: recommend me a gym. I've recently moved to Brighton, UK, and I would like to start going to a gym; but I have honestly no idea where to begin picking one. Google's turned up a bunch of options, with varying reviews, but I'm interested in personal experience - I'd rather not waste my money on something that looks good on paper but is vastly different in reality.

If it matters any, I'm female in my late twenties, and my boyfriend (obviously male, also in his twenties) is also interested. We'd both prefer something more than "just" a gym - ie. something more like a fitness center, with a gym, a swimming pool, etc.

Is it weird that all the music I listen to is sung by men?

tumbleweedjack — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:24:49 -0800

Is the music you listen to gender-biased? I realized today while making a Mix CD for somebody that all the artists I listen to regularly are male. Is that just me, or is it the same for the rest of you? Can you recommend me some good female musicians based on the guys I'm listening to now? So lately my listening habits include the following:
Blind Pilot
Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
Peter and the Wolf/Red Hunter
Sufjan Stevens
Wilco

What women should I be listening to?

Insert Creative Title Here.

the NATURAL — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:05:10 -0800

You are a subscriber to McSweeney's and/or The Believer. Convince me that [either magazine, or both] is worth the not-insubstantial subscription costs. I've heard great things about both of these periodicals, but living in Hawai'i (not the most literate or quirky of places) finding these to peruse through and form my own judgment will be next to impossible.

And, although there's a special offer ($90/both for a year), that's still a pretty penny for someone like me, fresh out of school with meager wages yet an insatiable need for literary input.

Please convince me to:
- subscribe to one
- to subscribe to both
- to subscribe to neither
based on what you've experienced of McS/TB.

Thanks, MeFi.

What album is so good that you never skip a song?

cranberrymonger — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:56:01 -0800

What album is so good that you never skip a song? You know those albums that peter off halfway through or rely on a couple singles? I don't want 'em! I'm looking for solid albums that are listenable from beginning to end.

I'm partial to rock, folk and pop and not-so-partial to rap.

What should I be reading?

csjc — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 03:33:11 -0800

I ask you, educated and oh-so cultured MeFites, what should I be reading? Everything's in order, except for my RSS feeds. I'm in need of a good mix of wit, news, and good ol' amusement from the world over to serve as nothing less than my daily reading material. Help me stock that RSS reader. A little background on myself: I'm a 15 year old, suffice to say "linguistics junkie" from Vancouver, Canada.

As far as news goes, I like to have a variety of angles, political and geographical. Whatever you think would leave me with the most accurate and comprehensive knowledge of world news. Locally, if any Vancouverites could oblige, please do.

Otherwise, I'm open to anything. I haven't done well keeping up with all the news lately, but a couple places I enjoy visiting, are, for example: languagehat (of course), and The New York Times book review. I'm generally a big fan of book reviews, interesting short fiction, food, design, geography, history, travel, theoretical physics, photography and anything linguistics-related. I'd like to have a couple links under each of those headings, at least to peruse during the day.

I know there's a lot out there, but I'm only asking for the bare essentials, or at least your personal favourites.

Anything in French or German would be appreciated too, even Swedish/Danish/Norwegian... if you have anything in mind.

How do I ask for letters of recommendation?

BuddhaInABucket — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:23:32 -0800

When and how should I ask for letters of recommendation? I am applying to grad school this year, and applications are due in December. I will be asking professors and people I've worked for for letters of recommendation... I just haven't got the slightest clue how to go about doing it, as I've never done anything that's required a letter of recommendation before.

"He spoke of the English, a noble race, rulers of the waves, who sit on thrones of alabaster, silent as deathless gods"

prufrock — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:02:35 -0800

BookRecommendationFilter: I need recommendations for books about English culture. Doesn't necessarily have to be anthropology-heavy. Bonus points for being humorous. I'm already aware of Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island, Jeremy Paxman's The English: A Portrait of a People and Kate Fox's Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour

Also, this might be pushing it, but I wouldn't mind very English authors whose work sort of reflects certain facets of English culture in different time periods. For example, E.M Forster, Kazuo Ishiguro and, to some extent, Evelyn Waugh/P.G Wodehouse.

Short essays and stuff are also welcome. What I'm not looking for is some sort of English history in the vein of A History of the English-speaking Peoples

Thanks!

Recipes for Lychee

defben — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:19:36 -0800

I received some lychee as a gift and I'm not sure what to do with them. Can anyone recommend some recipes that use lychee?

Sinead O'Connor "Lullaby for Cain"--similar music?

Dukat — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:44:25 -0800

MusicRecommendation Filter: Help me find music like Sinead O'Connor's "Lullaby for Cain" from The Talented Mr. Ripley. I like the slow, melodic, yet loungey-feel of the song, and the fact that's got a nice female voice without being too operatic-warbly. English preferred, then maybe French. Is there a name for this kind of music? Pandora and other music search engines don't recognize the song, so failed me.

Rolling Stone: Yay or Nay?

the NATURAL — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:04:18 -0800

Subscription to Rolling Stone: worth it? The main issue isn't the music/movies/pop culture coverage, which I could get timelier and probably more unadulterated in EW -- I'm attracted to magazine writing (Esquire and the NY'er are two of my favorites) and I'm curious if Rolling Stone still runs upper-echelon pieces -- scrolling through the Amazon reviews, people seem to take issue with apparent declining quality in the magazine's writing. Obviously, I could just buy issues for a while, but saving money is always a good thing -- and none of my friends subscribe.

The current issue, featuring an evaluation of the Obama presidency including input from Paul Krugman, looked promising -- and after watching Generation Kill and reading the book, I went back and read Evan Wright's original piece on the RS site, and it was amazing. If I had been subscribing at the time, and had received that in the mail, it would've been like Christmas. Can I expect this on a semi-regular basis, or are these pieces just rare exceptions to the norm?

If it's something in between, would it be worth $20 to just take the plunge for a year and go along for the ride?

Thanks, MeFites.

Excel Programming Book

Miss Otis' Egrets — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:33:28 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good book for medium-advanced level vba programming for Excel?

Where can I find a simple, compact printer scanner?

cranberryskies — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:31:58 -0800

Recommendations for a compact laser printer + scanner? (Am not looking for an all-in-one with fax option.) I've searched on the web and in metafilter but can't find a solid recommendation for a simple, compact laser printer + scanner for home use. Our requirements include:

- printer must be laser
- printer must have scanner
- preference for no fax (makes machine bulky and complicated)
- preference for black and white
- must operate with a mac

The search for a new printer has been interesting, as I'm finding that there are very few printer+scanner options, and most are all-in-one printer+scanner+copier+faxing, which is too much functionality for us. I found posts that are similar to what I'm looking for here and here, but we're not looking for color, and we are looking for scanning functionality.

This is the closest I can get to what we're looking for.

Preferences are for as simple as possible and as compact as possible.

Any recommendations based on what you've used??