Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with to

Should i trust this amazon seller?

earthquakeglue — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:37:03 -0800

I ordered a box set from an amazon user at the end of april listed as "like new" which it wasn't. Asked for a refund, and he asked for more details and pictures which i gave, then i heard nothing for well over a week. So i decided to file an a to z claim on Monday, then today (Thursday) he says how he had been locked out of his bank account due to some banking issue. Now he's all gung ho to give me a refund after i send the stuff back and drop the a to z. I feel a little weary trusting him. He has good feed back, but it's only 6 feedbacks. Should i do as he suggests or continue letting amazon look into it?

I'm bored with my remote online job, in a town. Should I move to a city?

molloy — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 01:40:30 -0800

I am wondering whether to move from a small town to a big city to boost my career. My partner has been offered a job in London, but is on the fence, 50/50, and is looking to me for the swing vote. Her salary, after London costs, would be about the same as it is now. So it's really down to me.

I am currently running a small online business in the coastal town of London, (Brighton). It's easy, pays well, I only have to work one or two days a week, but I don't feel motivated to grow it at all and I do worry about not investing in a career path at all. I am 33 so don't know what else i could/woud do. It just seems crazy to run an online business from central London that I could run anywhere. On the other hand, I do like the idea of looking for new kinds of work and perhaps being on the ground in the city would accelerate that process.

The only jobs I seem qualified for after running a small online business for 6 years, are marketing/sales type roles. Most digital roles indicate they prefer 'fresh' candidates. I get a feeling that if I was 'on the ground' I might have access to more unusual roles. But I'm rubbish with networking.

I like my town, but it's very laid back, and most people here focus more on the life side of the work/life balance. But that rubs off on me I think. IS it crazy to think that being surrounded by busy driven focused people, will make me more focused and driven?

Another thing I worry about, is that I have tried moving to the city twice for a couple of weeks or so, but both times hurried back to the coast with my tail between my legs after being uninspired by the immediate options. But I'm thinking if I commit to a 6 month contract I'd have no choice but to explore more options, as it would very expensive to live and whilst I can probably afford to cover the rent for 6 months, the pressure would be productive I hope.

But why put myself through the stress, when I can just commute up in 50 minutes? Perhaps the stress is the point, though. Perhaps stress brings out the best in people?

How do I prepare myself for my bungee jump?

dinosaurprincess — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 10:03:53 -0800

I am going bungee jumping in one week! But am TERRIFIED of heights! I want to go because I think it will be awesome and fulfilling, but am at the same time, completely scared out of my mind!! What things can I do to prepare myself for the jump?

Name that movie - thriller about man goes into past

jamnbread — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 13:02:26 -0800

I'm trying to think of a movie where a man is having an affair with another woman. During one of the encounters while he should be watching his child, the child accidentally dies I think by falling into a pool. After feeling grieved, he goes through some sort of cave in a park and goes back in time and can make things right again. Apparently, there's something weird about the new neighborhood he's in (spoilers so I won't say more). Anybody know what the movie is called?!

Musicians we are glad did not die young

kenaldo — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:46:43 -0800

Damn you facebook. An acquaintance (at best) posted on facebook that he is glad Jimi, Curt, Hank, etc died young because they would have at some point started being old/fat/lazy/sell out, etc (Fade Away). I want to throw out a few names of people who not only kept making good music but who had a critically better musical period later in life.

Where to get white blackout curtains?

markblasco — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:46:39 -0800

Does anyone have a suggestion for good blackout curtains that are standard full length (84 inches or similar) in white? Ones that actually block the light? We need to block the light from a neighbors TV from coming into our bedroom window at night (I don't know how they do it, but it's like they have a projector shooting into our window until 3 in the morning). We have white curtains now, and my wife doesn't want to change to any other color. The problem I'm facing is that I can't seem to find white blackout curtains anywhere. I have seen them in pretty much every other color, but for some reason I can't find them in just a plain white. Can someone out there help me?

What not to miss in Beaver Creek, Colorado?

gardenbex — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:46:35 -0800

My boyfriend is taking me on my first ski trip to Beaver Creek, Colorado. This is my first time both skiing and seeing the Rockies. Besides skiing and relaxing sore muscles in a hot tub afterward, what else is a must see or must do in this area? Thanks!

Can you start a new business ( private cooking classes) in Asheville, nc

privatechef — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:46:31 -0800

I am considering moving to Asheville and hear a lot about how hard it is to make a living there and how over saturated it is already with entrepreneurs. I am in my mid 50's and have been a successful private chef who is now teaching cooking in various small schools and in private homes. I am not thrilled with the northeast weather and thought of Asheville as a relocation spot. Having just visited there it seemed there is a lot of food buzz going on- I know it's a "foodie" town and think I might be able to succeed there. I am concerned about the rising cost of buying a house in the area and that I could find enough work there. Any input?

How to reduce comcast internet bill, and how fast do I really need?

markblasco — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 21:05:48 -0800

How to reduce comcast internet bill, and how fast do I really need? Details inside. Due to the fact that our internet bill goes up by 3ish dollars every year, and it's now our most expensive monthly bill other than heating, I'd like to get it reduced. I searched online and found advice as to what to say and what to ask for. This all fell apart when they started offering me downgraded speeds.

Currently (according to Comcast), we've got 12mb speeds. I don't know how this varies during the day, but right now speedtest.net is telling me we're getting 23mb.

They offered to reduce our bill by $13 a month if we go down to 6mb, or by $23 if we go down to 3mb.

I don't know how fast is considered "fast", and how much speed we actually need.

Right now our main use of internet is to watch netflix through our xbox. Other than that I do download some larger files from time to time, but rarely, and those are things which could take longer if needed. I can't think of anything else that we need fast internet for.

So, my question boils down to 2 things:

1 - Would we have any issues if we reduced our speed to 6mb, or even 3mb?

2 - Are there any other tips to try to get our bill reduced without lowering our service?

Should I go back to school this year?

Cybria — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 08:25:09 -0800

Should I go back to school this year? I know I should be figuring this out myself, but so far I can't... I'm 27, and I dropped out of college when I was 19 when I got married and had a baby. I'm divorced now and I haven't really had a chance to go back to school until now. However this is also the year I plan to expand my writing business, which is very important to me and will make me a lot busier than I am now. I don't know if I should do one or the other, or try to do both, because I'm scared that my efforts would suffer if I try to do too much. On the other hand, if I put school off another year and next year I am really busy with work, I might end up putting it off another year. I don't know...opinions please?

How to record and transcribe Skype conversation

NorthCoastCafe — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 11:38:48 -0800

What technology and software I should look at inorder to be able to record interviews on Skype on to my hard disk (MacBook Pro) and then be able to manipulate the recording easily in order to type out a transcript? Or, preferably , find reliable speech recognition software that will automatically produce a written transcript I can enter into my word processing program (Open Office.) ? I'm willing to change up software and able to spend no more than $100 to make this work. Is it possible?

Inattentive ADHD

nidora — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 07:44:52 -0800

I have a friend who has ADHD primarily inattentive type and struggles with multitasking in both work and home life. Rather than being the hyper person that most of us visualize, he is the exact opposite, very slow and methodical with some rigidity to how he must follow certain rules. My buddy has been struggling in his work place, because he constantly feels overwhelmed. He does see a therapist, but it doesn't seem like any of his issues (at least in the work world) are getting any better. He told me yesterday that people are constantly telling him that he is not present even when he is at work or at home with his wife. It must really be frustrating for him because I know him to be a good guy with good morals. From a brain perspective, it's kind of a bummer because he does take adhd meds, but he is constantly overwhelmed by everything and he tells me that people seem to get frustrated with him even though he is trying. When we hang out, I mainly validate and offer him some understanding. Any suggestions on how to help my friend? I personally believe that if he could get his work life in order, that he would be more present, but he is constantly worrying about whether he's doing enough and whether people are getting frustrated with him in his office. I keep recommending books like Getting Things Done and other organization books, and his therapist brought up that Executive Functioning Issues are definitely a problem for someone with ADHD. Does anyone have any experience with this and how can I best help my friend? Are there things that others have tried that might be helpful to him?

How to behave around your ex

artystar — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 02:41:09 -0800

What should I wear and how should I behave at a dinner, where my ex will be with his new gf? Hi all, I have already posted about my ex and our relationship which only really ended a month ago. I was overwhelmed by the support from the metafilter community and realised quickly that I had been treated very badly.

In my previous question I mentioned the dinner which is with a political party that we are both involved in. My ex is bringing his new 19 year old gf (he is 27), his parents and his friends. (euggh).

There were mixed responses about whether I should go but I think I'm ready to face it now and am taking a male friend. I may regret this...

Are there any tips, however, on how I behave, what I wear? I want to look good but not like i'm trying to look 19 (Im 26). I plan to ignore him or should I make a point of saying hello? Should I ignore his parents - we get on sooo well....

Any help would be really appreciated. Everyone here really helped me with my previous question, when I have a low point I still read those answers.

Thanks

Where for young liberal professional to live in Texas?

AppleTurnover — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 09:51:35 -0800

This northerner is moving to Texas - where should I live?! I have accepted a job that requires I live in Texas. I actually have my pick to live basically wherever I want. What would you recommend? I am from New England and have never been south beyond visiting Florida. What cities do you recommend?

I'd like to live in a place that's pretty liberal (not Bush country, por favor) and also fun for a young professional - I am 30. A place with friendly people would be nice, as the north can be a little unfriendly at times! And I will have a car and I have lived in places that were very car unfriendly - I don't want it to be a struggle to drive or park anywhere. People tell me Austin or Houston are nice and tell me to stay away from Dallas. But Texas has several other major cities. Which city would you recommend and why?

I will do some independent research on my own - just wondering what's on the table. Thanks!

how to clean glass and powder from the carpet in my apartment?

Oli D. — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 07:57:09 -0800

Fluorescent bulbs explosion -- how to clean glass and powder from the carpet? Broken glass is everywhere. And carpets are everywhere. Someone was changing fluorescent bulbs in the kitchen, dropped them on the floor, then dropped some more bulbs. All these 4 long bulbs exploded, and now glass and powder is everywhere, even went somehow to the bedrooms through the closed doors.
Except for the kitchen and bathroom, the apartment is "wall to wall carpet", and all this carpet is full of tiny pieces of glass + powder.
The person who did all this, swept and vacuumed the floors. I keep finding glass pieces in the carpet here and there every day, more than a month later. I want to ask landlord to wash the carpets, vacuum with shampoo.
Or, should it be done somehow else?
Maintenance people came before, but did nothing so far. I am waiting for them to come again, hope they will come today.
I am in Texas, small college town. This is an apartment complex.

Emirates experience anyone?

pakora1 — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:28:38 -0800

Emirates Airline? We are travelling on a long haul flight on Emirates next month (ecornomy) and wondering about the comfort level and other experiences you all could share. Haven't booked tickets yet but looking at Emirates and other airlines. We have heard that the seats are really bunched up and may be smaller than what other airlines offer.

Questions-

What has your experience with Emirates in an economy class been like (US to Dubai ideally but any other experience is welcome)

Can you suggest an alternate airline to Bombay that worked really well for you (economy)

Thanks al!

What should I charge as an online marketing freelancer?

phoenix_fire — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 05:30:30 -0800

What should I charge as an online marketing freelancer? (Details inside) At my last job at a marketing firm, we billed out at $100/hour, I was paid $15/hour and 20% commission on any sales I made.

I am currently working part-time at $20/hour with another company. (I have done work with them before and will be asking for a raise soon, since my expertise is much higher than it was when I started).

Based on this, I am looking for an official contracting rate for any additional work I'll take on. I am not an agency, so I will not have an office to pay for or a website to maintain. I also want a rate that's affordable for marketing agencies to be able to outsource to me.

I offer pay per click ad management, search engine optimization, and general google analytics consulting. I am among the best in the our mid-sized city for pay per click ad management, but by no means the best on the web (or within an hour's drive), and probably mid to top pack for the other services, compared to the rest of the city.

At this point I'm leaning towards $50/hour. I've also been told a contractor should charge 3x what they would make as an employee; what's a reasonable rate for myself and clients?

I keep getting rejected or ignored and want to quit trying to date

curious-mind — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:46:22 -0800

I want to give up trying to date, I just keep getting rejected, can you guys help me stay motivated and not quit trying? Hey guys, let me start of by saying that I know some of you guys will try to help me out by telling me to be more confident and take risks and try to deconstruct my personality based on my previous questions and what I'm writing here today and give me pointers on what I can do to improve myself.

I've just reached a point now that I am so frustrated with getting rejected over and over again that the thought of making more effort to just hear another no seems very unappealing and down right depressing.

I'm 26 years old, and I haven't been on a real date in a good solid two years since my last relationship broke off. A real date being something I didn't take out of desperation and desire to not be lonely but was attracted and enjoyed their company.

I have a good job, I'm not ugly, I've been told that I am very attractive and cute by at least ten different women in my life time maybe even more than ten.

But the past two years has just been a constant string of no's. I would say that 90% of my energy is spent trying to meet women online and it sucks to send out cute messages to 30 people and see that they get deleted. Over and over again it happens and you just start wondering:
1) Maybe I am not fit enough?
2) Maybe my race is a problem? (I'm Indian btw)
3) Maybe my messages are terrible?

All of the effort I've made to try and date online hasn't worked out.

So the past few months I've tried talking to girls at bars. I usually strike up a friendly conversation and joke around and make them laugh. I've gotten maybe 10 numbers from girls in the past three months. I had good solid conversation, making them laugh and I asked them questions about their life and their interests.

But all of those girls fell of at one point or another after my communication with them a few days latter and none of the ten girls made it to going out on a date with me.

This makes me wonder and ask, "whats wrong with me?" and on it goes with XYZ in my head.
1. Am I ugly?
2. Am I approaching the wrong people?
3. .............
4. .......................

The truth is that neither I or anyone out their on Ask meta filter can really give me a concrete answer because each woman is different and its hard to nail down that common issue that could be holding me back and especially if people who try to help don't know you like this website forum. I'm only bringing this up because I know people still want to help but usually these type of issues are hard to solve.

The reason that I wrote all of this out was to give you an idea of how I'm feeling right now. I've heard that dating is a numbers game. I work in financial sales, so I make cold calls and very strongly understand the concept of filling your pipeline with more prospects. I know that may sound cheesy or unromantic or unsexy but I'm just talking about it from a large scale perspective. I don't treat the women I talk to as women number 5, and I give her my full attention and interest and respect her uniqueness each and every time.

But the idea is that if you hear enough no's you are bound to get a yes. That if you only ask two women out in a year you are most likely not going to be on a date that year but if you ask 20 or 30 the chances go up.

The problem I'm having is just wanting to give up trying. I feel like I've tried so many times and I'm not getting anything from anyone. Its so tempting to throw my hands up and say forget this.

I also understand that relationships and dating are not everything and have a great live outside of trying to meet women.

The general advice is to stop looking for it and focus on yourself and I've done that as well. I've spent time in places with people enjoying myself and treating myself well. Working out, hanging with friends and not focusing on women and making sure my ducks are all in a row.

But there comes a time that you focus on yourself enough eventually you ask yourself, "okay, its nice being happy alone but I sure would like to share this with another person." Which I feel is natural, because technically you could focus on yourself for eternity and think you are becoming more attractive b tending to yourself but have it go on for years and not meet a soul.

I've just reached a point that I want to give up trying, and there is so much advice out there that tells you to try different things and I feel like I've given it my all and I still failed.

I know the best thing is to take a break and renew my spirits to feel re-energized. But even after that when I'm feeling better I still sit there and ponder "What is something I can do different this time around so I dont get rejected?" and the same things always come up from different sources, myself and my brain and others like friends and the internet:

1) Be more confident
2) Make more money
3) Workout and get fitter
4) Enjoy some new hobbies
5) Online Date and talk to girls at Bars/Activities/Groups etc.

Its the same advice that I've read last time and I've implemented it to some degree:

1) I am able to talk to girls at bars or other social places with more ease and less anxiety and not really get tongue tied
2) I have a good job in the financial sector making over 100K+
3) I workout often and I am not overweight but I dont have abs either
4) I play my guitar and enjoy listening to classic rock so much that I am kind of a trivia king of old bands from the 60's.
5) Tried all of this already, online dating and everything else.

I had my profile looked at my various people and forums for critique and posted full body shots and what not. But nobody bites.

I just dont see anything that could help me at this point and feel hopeless after trying all these things. I don't like to quit in life as I feel its a weakness and seals your fate to whatever you run away from, failure or fear. But I am close to just saying fuck it.

Any advice guys, people who have been in my shoes?

What is a reasonable salary increase to move from LA to NY?

Everydayville — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:48:14 -0800

What is a reasonable % salary increase for a move from LA to NY, figuring in cost of living as well as an actual raise in salary? I'm considering a career relocation from Los Angeles to New York, and trying to figure out what % increase in salary is reasonable to ask for. My absolute minimum is 20%, but that's just COL alone (I want to live in NYC as opposed to the suburbs. Living in Queens or Brooklyn is somewhat of a trek to my work in Tarrytown, NY). A 20% increase would pretty much mirror the increase in living expenses and technically isn't a 'raise'.

All other things job-related are great - the company culture, job content, relocation provided etc. I've always wanted to live in NY. I have very little credit card debt and a car that I'm paying off that I would sell as living in the city wouldn't require it. I also don't NEED this new position as I'm relatively happy where I am now... but it's a huge move career-wise. While career isn't my priority (being close to friends and starting a family are more important to me - I'm single and in my very early thirties), I do have a couple friends and family in New York... but I digress.

What is a reasonable increase in salary for this move? Is 30% too much (20% COL + 10% salary raise)? Salary calculators are giving me different ranges for my current position, so it's pretty hard to tell. FWIW, I'm in regulatory affairs, have a doctorate and about 3 years of actual work experience.

Thanks for your help!

How to quiet the "think about other women" impulse and become faithful in thought as well as action?

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 05:43:35 -0800

How to quiet the "think about other women" impulse and become faithful in thought as well as action? I am happily married, have been in this relationship for over a decade and in the last year became father of a wonderful son. My relationship is fun, exciting and one of the best parts of my life. I'm committed to my family, hoping to expand it in the near future and look forward to growing old with my beautiful wife. Yeah, smug bastard me.

But when I'm not with my partner I find myself flirting with other women. Part of me says that this is no real problem, and that I would never take it further. That's not strictly true - twice whilst very drunk I've kissed other women, which is one of the reasons I quit drinking some time ago. But I still find myself thinking about other women and it's starting to make me uncomfortable. It feels like cheating, and my resolve isn't the strongest. Surely there's only a fine line between entertaining these thoughts and acting on them?

Case in point, last night I went to see a band. My wife stayed home, she wasn't keen to take the trip into the city so I went on my own. While I was there a beautiful girl started talking to me, and after a while it was clear she was coming on to me. I was (I hope) the perfect gentleman, didn't lead her on, refused offers of drinks, kept things friendly and made a point of gently showing my wedding ring so as not to give her the wrong idea. She mentioned she'd recently split up with her boyfriend so the last thing I wanted to be was blunt and hurt her feelings.

At the end of the night I said goodbye and went home with a smile on my face, feeling flattered by the attention, and that's obviously where it should end. So why have I spent the next day thinking about her and wondering if life would've been more fun if I'd just gone with my urges?

Of course it would've been the wrong thing to cheat on my wonderful wife and family. Of course it would've been a completely selfish action. And that is why I didn't do it - because my circumstances meant I couldn't, not because I didn't want to.

How do I get to a place where I don't want to?

I hope I don't objectify women, I don't believe I do. Women do fascinate me, and I have a great deal of respect for them. That said, when I'm out on my own my default mode seems to be "look for attractive, fascinating women". I guess that's fairly typical, but as soon as I find someone interesting I'm launching into flirt mode which is just sleazy and horrible. I've never had an extended period of single life, never slept around or dated a lot of people, and maybe that's the root of this, that curiosity about what other relationships would be like. I guess I'm quite superficial and egotistical as I do enjoy the thought of someone finding me attractive, but on reflection that seems selfish - not just to my wife, but that it's got to the point where I'm using flirtatious behaviour in a way which leads people on.

Sure, I'm overthinking this... but that's the problem! Argh! I want to STOP thinking about it, to put it away and be the committed husband and father my family deserves. Like I say, nothing wrong with being flattered from time to time. Plenty wrong with finding myself there last night calculating just how far I could let it go before I'd have to stop it. Just glad I had the wit not to let it get that far, and I'm pretty disgusted with myself that it almost did - hence the ask.

RSS emaildigests slowerweb slowweb

ryanshepard — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 17:58:46 -0800

RSS to email using Gmail (and w/out much tech knowledge) - is this possible? I'd like to have an email sent to Gmail (pref. as a weekly digest) when two blogs that I follow update.

I've read the previous AskMes in which rss2email, PopHeadlines et al are recommended, but I'm not using Outlook, don't want to host any element of this on my own, and require a solution that's not far above the "banging two rocks together" level of simplicity.

Any suggestions, hivemind?

Sheltered Meets Extroverts

Chorus — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 09:47:57 -0800

Your friends scare you with their kindness. Now we're going on a roadtrip - advice? Okay, so. I am runner-up in a prestigious writing competition and the ceremony is next week, a 2.45 hrs drive away and includes an overnight stay at a local B&B.

Two ladies in my writing group are coming along. They are 20 years older than I, bombastic, wholly delighted for me and would *march* to this ceremony to be there. I am often a little overwhelmed by their generosity and kindness (i.e. when they heard about my success, I was treated to lunch and then another day to tea-and-cake. There were also cards and hugs and they made sure they told any other writer they knew D:)

Anyway, often I feel taken aback at how kind and giving they are, and would hate to do anything offensive (even out of ignorance) on this trip. I want everybody to have a blast! In the regular world, we all get on great, but I grew up sheltered and don't want to miss the obvious when it comes to friends and trips. Often they do something lovely (congratulations card) and I'm all 'Damn, I would never have thought of that!'

This creates two worries on my part:

1) I didn't realise our accommodation would be covered by the competition's organisers. Initially I was asked if I wanted a double or single room and I responded with a triple/family room, or a combo of singles/doubles as three would be attending. I was mortified when I then heard the competition was paying for our rooms and a single plus double were now booked. Do I respond to the organisers and just thank them, or respond and apologise / offer to cover the cost (of everybody? Of just the 'extra' person? )

2) The drive is 5 hours round trip and I need your road trip etiquette. I'll be doing all the driving (I have to give a speech and a reading and want to concentrate on the road instead of quietly panicking). I have a feeling they'll insist on me having the single room. I'm not too sure about things like dinner/meals - should we all go dutch? I should definitely stock the car with junk food though for the trip, right?

So much worry! Please MeFi, try and cover all my bases!

Decisions & Subjectivity

nidora — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 19:25:00 -0800

What sorts of things should a person take on faith versus having to make sense of it for themselves? Perhaps this is part of the graduate school process, but my worldview has changed substantially in the last several years. If there is any one thing that additional education has taught me it is that life is extremely complicated and there is only a finite amount of time to dedicate towards all of our obligations including our hobbies and interests.

I've been told by others that human beings are always in a state of movement and that we are rarely if ever static and not moving. That being said, when I re-read a book or article that I had read previously, or I watch a movie that I had seen years before, I find the meanings to be very different than when I first thought I had an understanding of them.

If our understanding of concepts and life in general changes with time, it would seem wise to not necessarily have an opinion on anything?

The opposite extreme of this is that a person could just say that they don't know and that they haven't thought about a particular topic long enough to have an opinion.

Lately, I find myself questioning whether the beliefs that I have will even remotely look like the ones that I initially formed when thinking about a particular topic. e.g. I find that religion can be a source of inspiration and hope for a lot of people, but I have a hard time with how it divides people into "us" and "them". Will this be the core issue for me ten years from now?

I am doing a horrible job of articulating my question, but I guess, what I am trying to ask is that if we are constantly undergoing change, and going through a particular process, doesn't that make our perceptions and beliefs somewhat biased?

macbook old keyboard coffee

ignignokt — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:21:30 -0800

I spilled coffee on my old (2006 polycarbonate) MacBook. Now the trackpad works, but not the keys. How can I diagnose and fix my laptop keyboard? Earlier today, I spilled coffee on my MacBook. Immediately, I shut it off, tried to sop up what I could, then turned it over and took off the top case.

At the time of the spill, the keyboard keys did respond.

After that, I checked the logic board (thankfully, nothing got on it). Then, I pulled the keys off of the top case so I could soak up the remaining liquid then wipe it down with alcohol. I put back on as many of the keys as I could (I broke some of the springing braces that go under the keys), then reconnected the top case, and closed it up.

Now, the keyboard keys do not respond. I type and nothing happens. The trackpad, however, does work. I plugged in an external keyboard, and the computer responds to key presses from that.

Before I buy a new top case, I'd like to know conclusively what's going on. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a way to run the Apple Hardware Test without the keyboard. The external keyboard I used is a wireless USB keyboard that is not ready during startup. Will a conventional USB keyboard do the trick?

Any other ideas about what I should be trying or what's going on here?

Timely London Suggestions.

bquarters — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 08:02:16 -0800

[visiting London post-Olympics filter] Is there anything in London this week that is not to be missed? Last year I managed to line up and get very cheap standing room tickets to Danny Boyle's Frankenstein on the advice of a friend the night before. I also went to a fantastic gastropub in Farringdon on the advice of another friend. Both of those friends have been too busy to give me an updated list- So....any Metafilterians out there with any ideas? Also, should I try to make a meet up? I'm there for a very short time.

Oh, I am definitely going to go to see Damien Hirst at the Tate and am also definitely going to Borough Market. So...all the things listed are basically my interests...obviously!:) Plus..walking. A lot.