Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with stupidity

Help me adios this photo from my FB page

HotToddy — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:50:12 -0800

Wasting my AskMe on Facebook, grrr: On my page, under "Photos," it says "Photos of HotToddy" and "HotToddy's Albums." The albums are indeed photos I have posted, but under "Photos of HotToddy," someone has somehow posted a picture that is not of me and that I want removed--but there is no option to delete. What to do?

Burned my hands with cleaning products. Now what?

dizziest — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:14:36 -0800

Mild chemical burns on my hands -- do I need to see a doctor? Cleaned something (not the toilet) using toilet bowl cleaner on Sunday, and stupidly didn't consider the fact that the harsh chemicals shouldn't touch my hands. Now it's Tuesday, and the red itchy spots haven't disappeared. If anything, they're slightly worse.

Now, before you chide me and tell me to see a doctor immediately and not be an idiot, they're not that bad. Still red, still painful, but only the tiniest amount of blistering (I had to stare for a while to even see it), and not so painful that I haven't been able to live my life just fine. Still, it concerns me that they still hurt and that they seem to be worsening.

Also, my insurance kind of sucks and I'm in my last week of grad school with a major project due on Thursday. I definitely don't have time to deal with the student care center (slow, awful, probably expensive) if it's not strictly necessary. That said, if someone with medical training tells me it's necessary, I'll go.

Otherwise, feel free to tell me about your experience, but know that I've already googled this plenty and am well aware that it's always a good idea to seek medical attention for chemical burns. I've read enough FAQs about this to notice that they're all copy-and-pasted versions of the same thing, and they seem to think I'm pretty much on the line between ok and not ok to just let this shit heal itself.

Removing melted/burned plastic from Stainless Steel Pan

carterk — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:17:57 -0800

How do I convince my wife- and myself- that I've removed all the melted, burned plastic from the inside of our All-Clad Stainless saucepan? Trying to de-crystallize honey we keep in a plastic squeeze bottle, I inadvertently left it and a couple cups of water in the pan on low overnight. In the morning it was a delightfully bubbling mass of brown goo. I've scrubbed the pan and now there's no tactile or visible residue. Still... is it safe to use this pan?

A smile on my dial without wincing awhile?

springbound — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:36:17 -0800

Poorly-positioned wound in corner crease of mouth means it won't/can't heal. Super duper fast wound healing solutions, apply within! I got a pimple on the corner of my mouth. I picked it. I KNOW! I'M AN IDIOT! It became a wound, whose attempts to heal, being right on the corner crease of my mouth/lip, have been continually thwarted. Every time I smile, laugh, or attempt to eat even a spoonful of the most liquid food items, it splits open again. My best effort to not open my mouth has thus far lasted about ten hours. A woman behind a counter selling me a drink made me laugh; that was ten hours wasted.

The problem is basically a little bit of split flesh. It starts to heal, I move my mouth, it tears. Rinse, repeat.

Help me not look like a kid with a cold sore any more. People are going to start to wonder why I'm pulling out of coffees and dinners every which way, and if I keep walking around with my face to the ground like this I'm eventually going to walk into something and do myself some *real* damage. Or someone else will when I look funny at them with the squinchy, pursey look I'm affecting in an attempt to hide it.

Is there anything I can do to make this thing heal quick? And/or anything I can cover it up with while it does? (I know bugger-all about makeup and have a concealer stick but that just dries it out and makes it look worse.) I'm going to be embarrassed just going to a chemist; I want to whisk something away off the shelf without having to ask for their help or even raise my head to a point where they're guessing what I'm buying it for.

I'm in Australia, if that helps with product suggestions.

Mary and Joseph, PUT that away!!!

sixcolors — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:08:47 -0800

Should I tell my parents (especially my father) what I saw a friend messing with in our living room? It wasn’t anything that belonged to us, of course, it belonged to him. What I saw him messing around with was pretty bad, bad enough I don’t want to name it here.

Last weekend I brought a friend home for a few minutes, because I had to use the bathroom. My parents were sleep, so they weren’t aware of anything that was going on. I told my friend to come and sit in my living room since it would be too cold to sit in my car.

So, I went into my bathroom, and then to my bedroom for…maybe…5-7 minutes total. In that amount of time, my friend for some fucked up reason thought it would be a good idea to take out something he had no business taking out. Something he should never mess with it in a public place, in a car, around children, let alone in my parents’ living room!

Well, I forgive this guy, and just chalk it up to a temporary loss in judgment. We all have those moments.

Meanwhile, my father had someone do something in his living room that he would never approve of.

I’m kind of in a dilemma here. I think my parents have the right to know what goes on in their house, but I am scared of what might happen to my friend if I do tell on him.

I don’t think my mother will do anything, she’ll be a little upset, but I think it will end there. My father, on the other hand, might do something more. I wouldn’t be surprised if he would try to press charges (though I don’t think he would be successful), threaten this guy with physical harm, actually carry it out if he happens to see the friend again, or “ban” me from seeing the friend. I could see my father spying on me to see if I am still hanging out with him or not. My dad is a drama king. What my friend did was stupid, but he is a good friend of mine and doesn’t deserve my father’s potential wrath.

How on earth should I handle this?

I maed you an encrypted volume but then I losted it.

desjardins — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 12:41:26 -0800

I encrypted a bunch of stuff using TrueCrypt, but I forgot where I put it. Help me find it? Yes, I feel dumb. Three months ago I encrypted a bunch of files so my housesitter couldn't access them. I remember the password, but I don't know where I put the volume. Since you can name it anything, how can I go about finding it again?

Windows XP desktop with 2 internal hard drives. Could be on either one. The volume would be around 10G in size.

Stupid Javascript question

bytewrite — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:23:46 -0800

I want to have data with spaces in it, in a link that is sent to a javascript function but it does not work. What am I doing wrong? I want something like this to pass the data to a function, imagine inside a a link in the onClick=somefn('Data with a space'). It works fine for data without a space but doesn't work for data with a space.

Is my cat abnormally stupid, or is she a little blind?

gwenlister — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:57:50 -0800

Is my cat abnormally stupid, or is she a little blind? (note: I'm leaning towards that she is stupid) I adopted my cat, Rhubarb, from my local SPCA in January. I love her so hard, I can hardly breathe, but her behaviour is weird. I have had cats before, but they have seemed fairly intelligent. Rhubarb, on the other hand, seems ridiculously stunned. For example:
- Every morning when I wake up I call for her and she comes into the bedroom for her morning cuddles. More often than not when she attempts to jump onto my bed she misses and ends up jumping head first into the side of the mattress. She'll do that once or twice until she gives up and just meows from the floor until I pick her up. (In her defense, it is an extra high bed, but still...)
- she has yet to figure out how to open a door that is already slightly ajar (ie. she hasn't figured out how to put her paw in the door and open it enough to fir through)
- I put a sock on her head once (it was loose, don't freak out) but rather than trying to get it off she just sat there and didn't move until I took it off....
- she sometimes falls off the bed during her morning cuddles. She likes to flop down on her side so I can rub her tummy and sometimes she kinda flops off the side of the mattress.

Someone suggested to me that much of this could be due to her maybe having problems with her vision. Could this be the case? Cats are supposed to be graceful and gymnastic. Should I get it checked out? I mean, she seems fine apart from being a bit stupid/clutzy.... And she isn't a clutz all the time (last week she managed to jump right into the freezer into the one tiny clear area in it), just often.

Opinions?

Xander Cage + James Bond?

Anonymous — Mon, 26 May 2008 18:22:04 -0800

Resources for thrill seekers and general superhero/spy training in Texas? I've decided to go through a second childhood. And I'm gonna learn how to do all of the things I've always wanted to learn how to do but there's no reason to learn because, come on, I'm a twentysomething secretary living in a small suburb of Dallas - there's no logical reason for me to learn this stuff!

....... but i still want to learn how to do these things!

Instead of looking independently for a place to rock climb, a place to learn how to shoot and learn swordplay and knives and learn how to speak Russian or Serbian and swimming and martial arts and learning to ride a motorbike and learning how to do a 180 AND a 360 in a car and all of that kickass shit... are there any resources that I can use to find various places, instead of me scouring the net, looking for not only legitimate places but also references?

The only thing I can generally find is "thrill seeking", but that's extreme sports - and while I would love to learn to snowboard, I don't want to limit myself to just sports.

(Asking anonymously because my friends read AskMeFi and will call me an idiot for wanting to learn all of this cool stuff.)

Help me get my mail!

Anonymous — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:49:44 -0800

Moronfilter: I've lost my mail key and can't replace it. Is there any way to get my mail? I live in an apartment, and we have the usual wall of mailboxes on the ground floor. About a month ago, due to circumstances too complicated to explain, I lost my mail key. I spoke to the super about it, and he said that he doesn't have a spare mail key and that they'll have to change the lock on the mailbox. He indicated that this would be very expensive, and I can't afford to pay for it right now. I caught the mailman about three weeks ago and convinced him to give me my mail, but I haven't been able to get my mail since then. I pay all my bills electronically, so it's not like they're going to turn off my electricity, but at some point I'm going to need to get my W2 and various other important documents. Plus, for all I know there's a letter saying that I've won the lottery or am being audited by the IRS. I need to get my mail. Are there any options to do this, other than to wait and ambush the mailman on a semi-regular basis?

Anonymous because a couple of people in real life know my metafilter handle, and I would be rather humiliated to have them know I haven't checked my mail in three weeks!

FTW USB hubs on monitors

zackola — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 07:19:19 -0800

Is there any way that the USB hub built into one of my monitors can remain on, while the monitor screen is turned off? I have a Dell 2007WFP and a BENQ fp241w. Both have USB hubs built into the monitor. I'd like to use them to charge/sync my iPod overnight, but when they are turned off, there is no power flowing to the USB hubs built into them. Setting the screen saver to blank is not an option as that still gives off a lot of light (in a studio apt). What am I missing here? This seems like a huge design flaw.

Good lord.

somersault — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:15:53 -0800

How do you maintain dignity and self-control while being dumped? Furthermore, where do you live? I realize there are a million questions floating about on Ask MetaFilter in regards to post-break up blues, heartache, et cetera. I've skimmed through as many as possible but nothing seems to quite fit my situation and inquiries. I hope my questions, though cliche, are not redundant.

Previously, I posted this question in regards to my now defunct relationship. He broke up with me last night. Please feel free to insert my regret, stupidity, and humilty right here. Needless to say that I did not break up with him nor did I even mention that I had been seriously considering it. Firstly, this is because I am a coward and despite my "slumbering" displeasure, I would rather endure than face it. Secondly, this is due to the fact that although we were not together for a long period of time, we were living together. I moved in with him several months ago. The lack of my living options (due the fact that I'll be moving in the fall for grad school) were definitely a deterrent to breaking up with him. He covered most other expenses. I know. I'm an awful person.

Anyway, last night we got into another horrible, alcohol-fueled argument and he broke up with me. We have had similar arguments in the past month, one in which resulted in me packing some of my stuff and threatening to leave. In the light of day, the issues we argued about were petty and absurd. However, the smallness of such arguments obviously did not negate the blow outs that took place. I feel that I am mostly at fault for these arguments. Had he not cared about me as much as he did, I think things would have ended a lot sooner.

Long story short, he told me to pack my things and get out. After some negotiating (on my end), he slept on the couch and I slept in the bedroom. He said some things about the possibility of working things out the next day. In the morning, he woke up early and took a walk. I began packing some of my belongings. When he came back, he did not say a word to me and got ready for work. Despite the glaringly obvious "get-the-hell-out-we-are-over" evidence, I felt at a loss. I asked him if we could talk and he shortly retorted that he did not want me to be there when he got back from work and then left. I promptly left as well, carrying my purse and a small shoulder bag.

Aside from the emotional upheaval of the situation, I feel completely fucked in other practical issues. I have nowhere to go and limited funding. It is impossible that I could put both a down deposit and one month's rent as of right now. I could possibly scrounge up enough money within the next two weeks, but that is two weeks from now. As far as family and friends are concerned, I feel they are out of the question. Has anyone here slept in their car for an extended period of time? Have you ever been in a situation where you do not have anywhere to live for the next two weeks to one month due to a break up? If so, what did you do? How does one go about applying for a second job (to earn more cash) without a mailing address?

Also, several days before our unexpected break up, he gave me an expensive birthday present. Would it be wrong of me to either return it to the store or pawn it in hopes of making ends meet now? Or do you think I should give it back to him?

Furthermore, I am supposed to pick up the rest of my belongings (some of which I need right now in order to job hunt) on Sunday. How do I deal with this difficult situation? I am very angry, sad, and hurt. I wish we could work things out and part of me believes we could. Then again, I might be the delusional ex. Regardless of what is plausible and what is not, I know I should not act rashly. I know I need to be objective, which is difficult for me right now. I also know I need to avoid being the crazy, needy ex begging for reconciliation. I feel that would just frustrate the situation. Is there any hope for reconciliation? If so, what can I do? If not, what can I do to make things easier? As stated previously, there are some things that I left (in my haste) that I need to assist me in finding a job or a living space. Would it be inappropriate of me to contact him tonight and ask him if I could stop over?

Sorry for the lack of brevity. Thanks in advance.

How do I keep from getting stupid?

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 19:55:53 -0800

How do I keep from getting stupid while I'm unemployed and job-hunting? I graduated from college in May '06 and have been working part time (in a fairly mindless job) while hunting for the "right" sort of real job.

It's been a long process and over the past month or so, I've felt like I've lost quite a bit of the mental acuity I used to have. My jokes and stories aren't as succinct, my questions aren't as on-point, I have trouble coming up with names of people and places (though I've always been more of a concept/face kind of guy), and am generally just not as quick or sharp as I when I'm at my best.

What can I do to bring my brain back up to speed? How to I keep from getting even worse?

Wikipedia moron

bamassippi — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 13:43:08 -0800

Some jerk on Wikipedia is getting a little possessive with an article. He erases almost every bit of work that others contribute only to replace it with unattributed facts and useless information.

How do I combat this?

It gets a little old having to re-replace information everyday only to have him re-remove it.

Dumb calculus question...

killdevil — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 15:27:50 -0800

Stupid calculus question inside. So I have a detailed plot of a curve that looks rather like exponential decay, but no equation has been given to me to describe the curve.

I would like to find the instantaneous slope of the curve at any given point along its length. Am I correct in assuming that this is really just the first derivative? (I took calculus a long time ago).

I have been provided with a method for finding slope at any point along the curve by physically drawing a tangent to the point and computing ITS slope. Given my desire to use basic calculus to solve this instead, is there an easier/better way for me to calculate slope that doesn't involve irritating sketching of tangent lines and use of straight edges?

A concise, simple-to-grok explanation of what I need to do will win the day....

Mental Action

Eiwalker — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 15:42:49 -0800

Can we believe at will in the same way that we can raise our arms at will? I can raise my right arm pretty much whenever I want to, simply by trying to make it go up. I can do it without trying to do anything else as a means to that end. For instance, I do not try to act upon my brain in a certain way, nor do I know which muscles I'd have to flex. I just want it to go up, and, somehow, I execute the action.

Are there any cases where a person can acquire a belief in the same way?

By "belief" I shall mean a high probability of being true that one ascribes to a proposition. E.g., I take there to be a 97% chance that it will rain in Argentina in the next three days.

Some things that might help in thinking about the question:

1. Could I go from 97% to 96% at will? In this case I'd be modifying what I take to be the likelihood by only one percentage point. If the modification is small, should this make the task easier?

2. Be careful to distinguish between really taking there to be a so-and-so likelihood versus merely supposing so for the sake of argument. We can merely suppose anything; really believing is a different matter.

3. If believing at will is possible, should we expect that smart people are more likely to be able to do it than dumb people? If so, this suggests that believing at will is a kind of talent. Or would dumb people be more likely to be able to pull it off? If so, this suggests that believing at will, though it may be an ability, is not a talent, and is more likely a result of intellectual vice: stupidity or irrationality of some kind.

Did I commit Mail Fraud?

Anonymous — Tue, 30 May 2006 04:52:24 -0800

Did I inadvertently commit mail fraud? First off, I'm an idiot. That is not under dispute.

Whenever I move into a new apartment, I always get mail addressed to the previous tenants, sometimes many months after they have moved out. Usually, I just toss any letters not addressed to myself or my roommate in a drawer in case the tenant comes back to retrieve their mail (It's happened.) I've never thought twice about this behavior, and honestly thought I was doing the former tenants a favor.

At my current apartment, I receive between one and three pieces of mail a week addressed to three different names. This has been going on for the two years I've lived here. Over the past six-ish months, I've been receiving many more pieces of mail for one of the names than for the other two. I just thought the guy was an idiot and didn't properly forward his mail. Into the drawer they went.

Last night, I was informed that this name was my current upstairs neighbor.

I must have fifty pieces of mail spanning the months, from auto insurance junk mail to what look like bank statements. Do I deliver them upstairs with an effusive apology and hope I don't get sued? Do I return them to the post office? How liable am I for damages incurred due to unpaid bills, lost paperwork, etc?

For what it's worth, this guy is loaded. Two Porches parked in the driveway loaded. If there are any damages, I imagine a lot of zeros would be involved.

This is all just an innocently idiotic mistake. It's something I've done for years without even an inkling that I should be dealing with this mail in any other fashion.

So, Mefites, what do I do?

Hot wings eating contest

exhilaration — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 12:27:14 -0800

I need tips for winning, surviving, and recovering from a hot wings eating contest. They're the spiciest hot wings I've ever tasted and I'll be eating as many as I can handle on Saturday. I think we're going to go with a "no water" rule. Any tips to help me? How can I prepare beforehand? Any drugs that'll help me cheat? I've never taken an antacid in my life (I'm 26), should I take one before? Or after? What brand is best? Will this give me the runs? We're doing this at lunch time, so should I skip breakfast?

bad kitty

luriete — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 14:21:47 -0800

Last week my wife put one of those toilet cleaning puck things - 2 discs, one blue and one white (a type of chlorine bleach, I think) in the toilet tank. Apparently one of us or our houseguest left the toilet open and one of our two cats - the stupid one - drank a quantity of the water, even though he had a big bowl of fresh water by his food (yes, we're now being very careful to leave it closed). My questions: 1) did he drink it because it tasted good, the way some animals will eat antifreeze, and 2) is he gonna be OK? He's acting a little odd - staring at his own shadow and attacking invisible things, growling at nothing, but then again he's kind of brain-damaged anyway (flea anemia as a feral kitten). He's 9 yrs old and otherwise in good health.