Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with testing

Was the Rockport Institute worth the money?

Rubbstone — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:26:00 -0800

Anyone ever used the Rockport Institute before? Was it helpful?

Looking for racism tests

shetterly — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:28:22 -0800

Do you know of any good tests for racism? I've only found two that seem promising. The first is the race test at Project Implicit, where they found "75-80% of self-identified Whites and Asians show an implicit preference for racial White relative to Black."

The other, described in Color Blind or Just Plain Blind?, isn't as well-documented; it found, "When white participants believed that they were the only witness they helped both white and black victims very frequently (over 85 percent of the time) and equivalently. There was no evidence of blatant racism. In contrast, when they thought there were other witnesses, they helped black victims only half as often as white victims (38 percent versus 75 percent)."

The first suggests 20-25% of whites and Asians are not at all racist or are racist against whites. The second suggests 38% of whites are not at all racist. I'm sure there must've been other attempts to measure racism, but my google fu is weak.

Testing IIS websites locally over virtual machines

LeiaS — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:29:21 -0800

I'm running IIS on Windows 7 to test a website locally. How can I access my local site through my virtual machines? I'd like to test my website locally across multiple browsers before putting them into our staging environment. I have two virtual XP machines set up on my Windows 7 laptop, with various browser versions on each. I want to be able to see my locally-hosted site on these virtual machines.

For example, I have http://site.leia.dev pointing to my folder of files on my Windows 7 laptop. I can view that URL in my Windows 7 browsers. In my IIS settings for the site, I have the bindings for "all unassigned" IP addresses on port 80 to use site.leia.dev as the host name.

Is there a network setting I'm missing to make my virtual machines recognize IIS as a server? Is there a specific IP address I should use instead of my host name?

Where can I get tested for ADD?

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:20:53 -0800

[Chicago Filter] Where can I find a place that tests for adult ADHD/ADD, and accepts insurance up front? Most places I've tried want me to pay up front and then send the bill to my insurance company, which would be fine except the price ranges from $600-$2000. I don't have much time to save up the money because it's urgent (poor performance in college, not really looked into earlier because of at-home issues, in case anyone is wondering.)

I can pay up front/bill the insurance later if the price is ~$300, so if you know any places like that that would be great also. Thanks in advance!

A mental health/academic support quandary

Anonymous — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:30:25 -0800

I have some information which may be critical to my friend's future/safety, but I obtained it in a somewhat dubious way. I'd just like to hear your thoughts on the position I'm in. So my friend has major, chronic mental illness--major depression and probably Borderline Personality Disorder, among other things--and tends to self-destructive behavior, including one past suicide attempt and many threats. He's studying for a standardized grad school admission test, which is critical to his future (he has unique opportunities this year). He's studying using an online course, and is taking the test in just a week or two. He claims that he's reasonably far along in the materials, but that he hasn't touched any of the practice tests yet.

For various reasons (mostly past behavior and a shifty disposition on the topic), I had a very strong suspicion that he wasn't actually keeping up with his work. Anything that wrecks his chances of getting into grad school this year would be a suicide trigger for him--he's made that much clear--so I'm very concerned that on some level he's knowingly sabotaging this so that he has an alibi for desires he admittedly already contends with day-to-day.

So here's the sketchy part: I figured out the password to his online coursework, and found that indeed, he's done practically nothing, and last logged in over a month ago, but he did do the non-written parts of the initial practice test, and got something really low (around the 30th percentile). I don't necessarily take that score to mean much, because he may have just been blowing through the first test to get a feel for the difficulty level, but I am highly concerned by the fact that he doesn't seem to be studying. The only reason I sunk to this is that there's at least some small possibility that a life is at stake.

One monkey wrench is that a large portion of the study work for the course (I think a safe majority) is in the books, so it's conceivable that he's moving along OK in those and he's just lying for whatever reason about how much he's bothering with the online work. I can't think of much of a motivation for that, except that I know he wants me not to worry too much about him, so perhaps he's glossing over the details for my sake.

Eventually I will come clean with all this, but I think it's also dangerous to subject him to the stress of the revelation right now. In the future, when he's in a relative upswing in terms of mental health, I think he'll likely interpret it as a justified intervention; right now, of course, it'd probably feel like at least somewhat of a betrayal. Is there any subtler way I could try to steer this situation without blowing my cover? And, more than that, do you guys have any general thoughts about what to do from here that might be more coherent than my own?

I'm sure I'll get at least a few critical responses about what I've chosen to do so far. I myself am somewhat morally conflicted about it, but understand that there are more nuances to the background of this than I've included here, and I'm about 95% sure that my friend will ultimately be grateful that I did this.

Any private responses can go to askme.alter.oct09@gmail.com. Thanks so much in advance!

Lead testing next steps

Lazlo Hollyfeld — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:59:23 -0800

My wife and I recently had some lead testing done in our apartment which turned up some very high levels. Now we are trying to figure out what to do next. Issues involving lead testing, abatement, leases and tenancy inside. My family (myself, my wife and our 18 month old daughter) moved into our current apartment in New Haven, Connecticut, in the beginning of June. When we looked at the place we were happy with condition it was in, as the paint seemed new and in good condition. On moving in we noticed that there was some old, chipping paint in the window beds. Last week we had some unofficial testing done by a local lead abatement company. We had done the same thing in our previous apartment, and gotten back borderline levels. We got the results for our new apartment back yesterday and the levels are very high, as in 10-50 times the acceptable limit. The soil in the backyard tests at 4x the limit.

My understanding of CT state law is that if we have an official inspection done and their findings match ours, the landlords are responsible for the lead abatement. My wife spoke to an inspector from the New Haven DPH, who confirmed this, but could not give us much guidance as to how long, difficult or expensive the abatement process might be. We brought this all up with our landlords and they expressed a desire to not go through official channels and maybe have some cleanup done off the record. Our landlords are an older couple who are very sweet and well intentioned, but we don't really trust their ability to deal with the cleanup on their own.

The way I see it, our options are either to get an official inspection and start the process of getting the lead cleaned up, or to move out and find somewhere else to live. Since we would need to vacate at least ourselves and maybe our stuff during the abatement process, and going the official route wouldn't put us on good terms with the landlords, we're currently inclined to go the "move out" route.

This would involve breaking our lease which lasts for another 10 months. Our landlords are not particularly computer savvy, so they have asked if we would do the work of listing and showing the place, which is fine. Our main concern is that if we can't find someone to move in by the time we move out that they will try to hold us responsible for the rent. We would like to get something in writing from them officially breaking the lease.

So the question is, is this a situation where we need a lawyer? If we destroy both copies of the lease, is that good enough? Are there other factors or options that we haven't thought of?

Just as a note, today was our daughter's 18 month checkup and we had her blood tested. We should know the results early next week, but since we've been here such a short time I expect that every thing is ok. Also, when we look at new apartments, we plan on testing before we sign a lease.

Diabetic cat question

markcmyers — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:47:31 -0800

My diabetic cat has an off-again-on-again pancreas, so his insulin needs vary. I asked my vet about home monitoring using a glucometer. The vet said no one she knows who's tried it with a cat has succeeded. I tried it following this excellent video and found it was a piece of cake. Now we adjust his insulin based on twice-a-day readings, just as humans do (three times a day). I'm considering offering free home-monitoring training to owners of diabetic pets in my community who might benefit from home testing, as a public service. Do you think this would be useful?

How should I build an online testing site?

LakesideOrion — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:28:03 -0800

I'd like to build a Web site that: asks users 50 specific yes/no questions, tallies their answers and then spits out a percentage answer at the end of the quiz. Are there any platforms/services out there (sort of like what Ning provides for social networks) that would help me build a test to share with my co-workers? The purpose my test is to help the test-taker to assess threats. Sample questions might include, 1.) Did the caller sound angry? 2.) Does the caller have a history of making threats? 3.) etc... I would want people to be able to go to this site and take the test over and over again if needed. Bonus points if: 1.) The importance of individual questions can be weighted differently, 2.) The test can be password protected, 3.) The platform let's me point a URL to my test, and 4.) The platform lets me add a logo / design elements to my test. Does such a platform exist? Thanks for your help MeFi!

SAT guide IP question

diode — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:27:53 -0800

I need help with intellectual property issues regarding the SAT test prep guide and a digital study guide I am building. My friend is a professional SAT test prep guru. We're working on a study guide, a digital version of what he does with his clients one on one and in groups. The SAT people have a guide they sell which is essential to effective study for the SAT. We think we can resell the guide as part of the course, but wondering if we can refer to the guide questions as part of our digital course, meaning referring to the copyrighted guide's questions and working through them. How can we figure out what's legally permissible? We know we can talk to an IP lawyer. I'm hoping to get some insight from the hive mind on this.

How do I go about finding out how many servers (as a function of number of users) I will need to host my web application?

tomargue — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:33:39 -0800

I'm putting together a business model for my web application. As part of my expenditure, I need to estimate how many servers I need as a function of number of users. What's a good first step to finding this out? Depending on whether my application can support 100 concurrent users or 10,000 concurrent users, this will vastly change my estimates of server costs. I guess, in general, the number of concurrent users per virtual server will change dramatically depending on the type of web application[1], so I was wondering what the steps are to estimate number of servers required (presuming I can make a good guess of how many users will be online at any one time).

The first step I tried was load-testing my application to see how many users a single server can handle. My application is a GWT application (running on a GlassFish server) and I have actually been having a bit of trouble doing a load test due, in part, to the way GWT handles AJAX. That is, I tried jmeter, but ran into problems in the way jmeter encodes Content-Types. I was thinking if there was an easier way.

I was thinking about estimating the session size for each user then dividing Virtual Machine memory by that amount. But then, I'd also need an estimate on the CPU usage, too.

Maybe the numbers of users per virtual server doesn't change too much from web application to web application...and a "rule of thumb" exists: e.g., 1,000 concurrent users per server, or something like that. My gut instinct says such a rule doesn't exist...

[1] For those who are interested in the details, my web application is an online file manager and general life-organizer that uses hierarchical labels. At its most basic level it allows you to make to-do lists quickly: this would mean that the data exchanged between the client and server is minimal: text. But I've made it so you can also upload files, e.g., music files, and play them online: streaming data would be resource-intensive and probably hard to make a theoretical guess. That's why I'm thinking that load testing under a variety of conditions is the only true way to estimate number of concurrent users. In which case, any suggestions on how to load test GWT applications would be highly appreciated.

Am I on the right track? If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear.

I want to be the only one to know if something's wrong.

citystalk — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:55:42 -0800

Can I get 1 blood test for 100s of possible problems, anonymously?? Because I am paranoid about my already unfairly tainted medical insurance records (sending my premiums to the moon and making my coverage horrible enough to warrant paying for this out of pocket), I would love to get an anonymous blood test (in Los Angeles or by mail) done and be tested for a zillion different things from thyroid to testosterone levels to diabetes, any blood disorders, etc.

Is this possible???

Will these totally legal drugs keep me from getting the job?

croutonsupafreak — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:31:54 -0800

I may have to take a pre-employment drug test very soon, and I'm worried about whether the totally legal and authorized stimulants I'm taking are going to keep me from getting hired. Are my worries reasonable, and if so is there anything I should do to protect myself? I've got to either accept or reject a job offer on Monday. If I accept it, I suspect that I'll be asked to go pee in a vial somewhere within 24 hours of saying "yes." I've always passed these tests in the past, but I'm worried because of my totally legal recent pill use.

I have a prescription for Vyvanse, an ADHD-treating amphetamine, and I take these pills five days a week to function at work. I hadn't been diagnosed and prescribed anything last time I started a new job. I took my last Vyvanse pill on Friday, and plan on taking another tomorrow morning before I head to the office.

I'm also sick right now, and this morning I took some Sudafed (the controlled substance kind that you have to show ID for). If I'm still feeling this crummy in the morning, I'm planning to take another so that I can be a functioning worker bee instead of a mess of hacking phlegm.

Should I skip these pills tomorrow as a precaution? Should I mention them when I go in for drug testing? Are my worries unfounded?

Why me read suck?

mediocre — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:32:26 -0800

After about 20 years of believing myself to be a perfectly accomplished reader, I have been told that in fact 66 percent of America is better then me. Why? So a little bit ago I decided to go back to school to get a degree or generally put myself on a career path that will end with an internship-come-career in Public Radio, or Public Television, Although I would prefer radio, I think that it is an unfortunately overlooked side of the public broadcasting coin and will always be around no matter how many people have an intertube in their bathroom and kitchen and bedroom and foyer..

I've always been good with words, and a relative encouraged me to try journalism. I've always wanted to be a freelance writer and somehow make money off it, but never though it a legitimate option (do you know any freelance writers who can even support themselves?) But the idea made me think of my secret desire I've had since I was a kid to go into radio. So I am on a path, working with my advised at a local community college, to pursue a course of study that will make me an attractive candidate for Public Broadcasting internships.

This is entirely unimportant to my question however.

I always felt school to be an intellectually stifling experience, and never finished high school. Nor did I ever attain an equivalency, whenever the issue came up with prospective employers I would simply lie. They would never follow up because I never came off like someone who lacked a basic 12th grade education. But when I decided to attend college, it became important that I have that academic scarlet letter(s), the GED. I took all the tests, and certainly passed them all well enough to get the "degree", even mathematics which was a subject I feared enough to never take the test for nearly a decade. But when I saw my test results, my score in the Reading subsection of Language Arts was shockingly low. a score of 490 or 46th percentile was frustratingly low. I felt a number of the questions (all multiple choice) were asking for something that could not have a "correct" answer: subjective interpretation. For example, one question asked me how a character from Portrait Of A Lady would react to a statement his scene-mate would possibly say, of these two of them seemed likely. No one more then the other, and being that this is asking for an interpretation I don't feel as though it's truly possibly to have a "right" answer. Certainly there could be a wrong answer, but how did my interpretation of the text make for such a low score? It was the final test of that day, so I was mentally tired to say the least, but I feel cheated. I am better then 46th percentile, but I don't want to bother re-taking the test and paying the fees just for my own self edification.

Is this just another fault of standardized testing? Or does subjective interpretation in fact have absolute correct and incorrect answers? Will this embarrassingly low score on a section of my GED follow me around as to make re-testing something that would be advantageous of me to do?

Recipe for truly succulent, traditional Jewish brisket?

roxie110 — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:01:41 -0800

How do you make truly tender, succulent Jewish-style brisket? I've had a craving for brisket-like-my-grandmother-used-to-make for about a year now. I finally got the meat and my mother's recipe and cooked it today. The taste is great and the thin end of the meat turned out close to what I was hoping for; the thick end is cooked through but not moist and falling apart like brisket in my world should be, and when I stick a fork in it gives a lot of resistance. I don't know if I over- or undercooked it. I should mention that my "dutch oven" (really a stockpot) was too narrow so I used a Calphalon deep covered 13" nonstick skillet instead--maybe a big mistake? I am such a brisket novice.

Below is a quick recap of how I cooked it. I've looked up a ton of recipes but each one is slightly different, and life's too short to try every one. My question is this: who has a foolproof (mostly) recipe for truly tender, traditional Jewish brisket!? And just as important, how do you know how long to cook it and when it's done? (Can you overcook a brisket, as long as there's still liquid in the pan?)

Recipe I used for half a first-cut brisket, about 3 pounds, fat trimmed:
Preheat oven to 350. Place thickly sliced onions, carrots, and a couple chopped garlic cloves in bottom of Dutch oven. Rub ketchup, ground pepper, paprika, and one envelope onion soup mix on all surfaces of brisket. Add liquid to 3/4 inches deep (I used 1.5 cans low-sodium beef broth; most of liquid was absorbed by the end of cooking). Place chunks of potato around meat. Cover tightly and roast for 2.5 hours. Baste two or three times during cooking. Remove from heat, cool meat, and slice across the grain.

Help! And thank you!

890 Ok?

Anonymous — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 09:01:09 -0800

Give me the straight truth here, please. I recently took the GRE. I was pretty upset with my score: 500 on my verbal and 390 on my quant score. My writing was a 4. I'm a psychology major with a communications minor. What are the chances of me getting into grad school? My GPA is a 3.5 at a small liberal arts private college.

Robot Mac user

ShawnString — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:20:07 -0800

How would I simulate daily useage patterns on a Mac for testing purposes? My ideal would be something hands free that I can just start running and doing something else. Sorry if this is a little inside baseball. Basically what I do now is, boot up the computer, run Activity Monitor (updates frequently) then open a couple of 3D examples in Grapher. Let that run awhile (usually pegs out processor). Then I will stop grapher, let that sit idle.
What I am looking for (and I may just have to write a Automator script to do it) is something that will simulate a little better normal use.

what medical tests to have for prevention?

binocularfight — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:36:06 -0800

i finally have good health insurance and i'm going to the doctor! what sort of tests should i have done to make sure everything is ok? i finally have health insurance that covers testing, and i'd like to have a round of lab work done to make sure everything is running smoothly. i am certainly going to have a gynecological exam, but i was hoping y'all could give me some advice on some other tests to request. i'm going to ask to have my triglycerides and cholesterol tested. a while ago, i had heard something about a blood test that people should do that is an early indicator of heart disease, but i can't remember what it is. if you could tell me that one, or anything else that you think i should do, i'd really appreciate it. i haven't had health insurance in a while, and consequently, i haven't had any tests done in a while. while i understand this is weird, i'm REALLY excited to have bloodwork done. so aside from the standard physical and gyno exams, what should i request?

about me: i'm a 27 year old female in seemingly good health. i'm very active, i eat well and exercise and get plenty of rest. however, my dad died 4 years ago and i ate to deal with it. i gained 40 pounds. i have since lost about 25, and am 5'6" and about 175 pounds. my goal is to lose about another 25, to put me in a better place than i was before. i'm doing this slowly and healthily, so i don't need any diet coaching. i am worried about what the weight gain could have done to different systems in my body. i gained mostly in my abdomen, which i know is bad for adding a risk of heart disease and diabetes. also, my dad had demensia, and there is a risk of heart disease and high blood pressure in our family. finally, i had bronchitis last winter and still have a tight feeling in my chest (although i'm fine otherwise, and not producing anything from my lungs). the tightness isn't severe, it doesn't affect my exercise (actually, exercise makes it feel better usually) and it comes and goes, but i haven't been able to shake it.

thank you so much for your help! i really appreciate your time in reading and responding. take care, everyone.

What is Windows Test Technology and where can I learn about it?

seiryuu — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:23:44 -0800

What is Windows Test Technology and where can I learn about it? I've heard of Windows Test Technology (technologies?), but Google results really don't offer any helpful information about what it is or how a person would use it. Any tips are appreciated!

How does the recent decriminalization of Marijuana in Massachusetts effect the drug testing policy this state has had for so long?

bostonhill — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:15:54 -0800

How does the recent decriminalization of Marijuana in Massachusetts effect the drug testing policy this state has had for so long? Will Marijuana be taken off the drug testing roster?

My fever didn't reach 103, so I'm not hot-blooded.

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:08:16 -0800

Fatigue and low-grade fever for three weeks but no other symptoms. Why is my doctor so freaked out, and what is he testing for? I went to the doctor today for a routine thyroid function test and happened to mention that I've been feeling run-down, exhausted, and have had a low grade (99.4-100.4) fever more days than not for the past three weeks. There was an immediate switch in his normally calm demeanor as he asked a bunch of follow-up questions about other symptoms (none) and timing and such.

He told me he suspects a viral infection, and ordered a chest x-ray and a test for Epstein-Barr (mono). He first told me to come in on Monday for a follow up, and then changed his mind to Friday, and said that the office would work around my schedule to make sure I was seen.

The phlebotomist did 2 cultures - one she said was for mono - and took 6 vials of blood - one is a CBC and another for the thyroid test. She was vague when I asked about the other tests, and the doctor was with his next patient so I couldn't ask him. What might he be testing for?

What is the most common aptitude/job suitabilty test, or battery of tests, given to upper-level executives in Canada?

OlivesAndTurkishCoffee — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:21:23 -0800

What is the most common aptitude/job suitabilty test, or battery of tests, given to upper-level executives in Canada? I don't know any upper-level executives that I can ask, but I have heard numerous times that for many senior positions at Fortune 500-type companies new candidates are put through tests to ensure they are right for the job.
Does anyone have any experience with this in Canada? If so, what companies administer the tests? Has anyone found any to be particularly helpful (either as a genuine measure of employability or as a means to self-understanding)?
I have looked into aptitude testing in general, and have gathered info about Myers-Briggs/ Johnson O'Connor/MBII, but I was wondering if there are others I have overlooked.
I am only interested in tests I can take here in Canada, and only the ones used seriously by employers.

How to ace the Psychology GRE?

solipsophistocracy — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:24:47 -0800

Can you point me to some good resources to prepare for the GRE Subject Test in Psychology? I found a ton of great resources for the general test online (mostly thanks to AskMe), but am having less luck with the Psychology subject test. I've been told that it's not much more complex than a comprehensive exam for an introductory psych course, but I'd really like to blow it out of the water.

I have the ETS guidebook, and I'm willing to purchase another book or some software if there's something out there that really knocked your socks off, but I'd prefer to find some free resources online.

I'm also interested in any study strategies you might have (but for this test in particular, not just general test taking tips). If you took the test, what did you like/dislike about it? What surprised you? What would you have spent more time focusing on?

I have about nine weeks to prepare, and have planned for about an hour of study per day.

Confession: I really miss the McPizza. Take me back to those glory days!

Keter — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:59:07 -0800

Help me, I want to be a corporate guinea pig! A friend of mine is headed to a city known for its preponderance of market testing (Columbus, OH), which got me thinking... are there any sites or blogs that could inform me as to chains undergoing market testing in particular regions of the country? I'd love to sample some of these wacky, soon-to-abandoned products of retail R&D departments everywhere... if only when I visit my friend in a few months. Any ideas as to how I can do this?

Anxiety before HIV test

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:03:33 -0800

How do I deal with HIV test window period anxiety? I had a risky encounter (unprotected sex) with a girl last week -- I trusted her when she said she'd been tested, which she told me on the way to the bedroom (had she not said anything I wouldn't have asked, and just used a condom). Before the encounter, I thought I knew her pretty well as she'd been a friend for a few months. Shortly afterwards she announces that she has a new boyfriend and cuts off all contact with me. I know I should get tested, but HIV tests aren't conclusive until after 3 months since it takes time for the antibodies to show up. I wouldn't be so worried if she'd still be talking to me. My question is ... how do I deal with the anxiety for the next three months? I don't you to tell me I made a mistake, I know that, and it won't help. I know what I have to do, and that I just need to wait it out -- but in the meantime I've been driving myself crazy with nervousness.

For the next three months I just want to live my life normally and only worry about HIV if I actually test positive.

I also realize that it might be absurd of me to insinuate that this girl is going around deliberately infecting people with HIV ... It doesn't seem likely...

Preventive Medicine

netbros — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:24:03 -0800

Are expensive, precautionary tests for health preventive maintenance an abuse of the medical system? We change the oil, belts, and filters in our cars on a regular basis to avoid failure. We update our computers appropriately with the latest security patches. Women get mammograms, men prostate screenings. Occasional chest x-rays have become routine. But what about the more expensive diagnostic testing?

My grandfather died of heart disease. My father survived a heart attack when he was 52, but has had two angioplasty procedures since. Obviously, at age 55, I am at high risk for heart disease, but am otherwise very healthy. A couple years ago I talked with my physician about testing my arteries before they clog or blow. He ordered a preventive stress test, and everything looked rosey.

Is this kind of testing abusive? How about MRI or CT-scan for those with a family history of stroke? Will this kind of preventive testing cause insurance rates to go up for everyone? Should it be more common? Thanks in advance for your help.