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I have a big solar system with quite a few batteries and inverters to supply 230V to our off-grid homes. I also have a pretty reliable and existing 9,000W 32Amp 230V single phase petrol generator, and although it's not a modified sine wave, it isn't a pure sine wave either. It's just Hz & Amps fluctuate a bit with the engine speed changing during use. How can I add a voltage regulator hardware module, onto the conventional generator, to convert it into an equivalent regulated pure sine wave power output? [more inside]
posted by many-things to Technology at 2:25 AM - 1 answer

I will be in Lithuania during June. I'd like to visit a Joninės celebration. I'm seeing mentions of June 23 and June 24...what day is this supposed to happen? Should I plan for the evening of June 23, or June 24, or is it specific to the town or location?
posted by gimonca to Society & Culture at 8:34 PM - 0 answers

A few people over in the Socky thread expressed an interest in a tee-shirt, and I'm not averse to it. But, how? I don't have much money to contribute to capital or time or space for running a tee-shirt production and distributor, and I assume it's just a few people who would want one, so I guess print-on-demand is the best way to go. But with who? And how is it best to get started?
posted by JHarris to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion at 8:07 PM - 3 answers

Due to circumstances I’m about to start listening to a lot more audiobooks, and I’m looking for recommendations within a few criteria: [more inside]
posted by ejs to Writing & Language at 7:44 PM - 10 answers

I use Safari on an old iPhone. The text on the Google website has suddenly shrunk. [more inside]
posted by lokta to Computers & Internet at 1:35 PM - 1 answer

My partner and I want to significantly limit screen time at home for us, a teenager, and two pre-tweens. My partner wants to get a safe or some kind of lock box where we all keep our phones and tablets locked away the whole time we are at home. There is a lot we like about this idea, particularly that it is simple and all-encompassing. At the same time, we both have aging parents, the kids' other co-parents, and jobs that occasionally reach out with urgent or emergency needs. Is there a hybrid of this low-tech solution involving some other tech or creative thinking that will help us unplug at home while also staying connected for the important stuff? Some additional specific considerations inside. [more inside]
posted by TurkishGolds to Technology at 12:59 PM - 12 answers

I am the owner of a Bubble Gum flavored Ice Tickles Freeze 'n' Eat Bar, because two years ago my girlfriend slammed her finger in the car door and this was the only ice we could find at the nearby convenience store. The only way I can conceive of to consume this thing is with alcohol; what should this cocktail be? [more inside]
posted by kensington314 to Food & Drink at 12:47 PM - 9 answers

My newly licensed teenager got in an accident on her second solo outing in my car last week. All involved are fine except for our poor vehicle. I'm trying to figure out the best plan of action. [more inside]
posted by gottabefunky to Grab Bag at 11:43 AM - 23 answers

I have crap health insurance with Anthem BCBS purchased on the New York State exchange. [more inside]
posted by swheatie to Health & Fitness at 10:31 AM - 3 answers

Each bathroom in my late-70's house contains a little in-wall electric heaters. They look like this: photo 1 photo 2 Can you help me replace them? [more inside]
posted by eraserbones to Home & Garden at 10:22 AM - 8 answers

I found my almost-8-year-old pouring over a book about minerals and asked what he was doing. He said that since I won't give him unlimited tablet time, he's going to build his own tablet, so he's learning how to do it. I think my response surprised him: "Great idea! Let's build a tablet!" Ok, so how do we build a tablet? [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... to Computers & Internet at 9:07 AM - 7 answers

What apple juice brand can I buy that still tastes like full fledged apple juice? [more inside]
posted by raccoon409 to Food & Drink at 7:56 AM - 8 answers

It's time for me to book PickleFest accomodations for me and two others. The past two years we've stayed at AirBnBs but I don't feel good about doing that anymore. What are my alternatives? [more inside]
posted by Kitteh to Travel & Transportation at 7:04 AM - 4 answers

Can you tell me about silicone/wax ear plugs? Or whatever kind doesn't go in your ear canal? I'm looking for something to sleep in. [more inside]
posted by dianeF to Shopping at 1:54 AM - 12 answers

I have a doctor appt at the UW Roosevelt Clinic and want to get something good to eat for lunch beforehand. Please give me your U District restaurant recommendations. I don't care what it is or how much it costs as long as it's delicious.
posted by HotToddy to Travel & Transportation at 5:35 PM - 8 answers

What happens? Why does the teacher choose that particular student? How does the favoritism manifest itself? (Bonus points: What adverse reactions might either party encounter from their peers?)
posted by Lemkin to Education at 5:15 PM - 14 answers

I want to get a horse size 40" ball like these but my GSD will deflate this in a matter of seconds. Do they make a solid rubber ball this large? [more inside]
posted by falsedmitri to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation at 3:53 PM - 11 answers

Like many people I have two physical screens, and I’m becoming increasingly more keyboard oriented as I realise how much time and fiddliness a mouse involves. My system is Windows 10 22H2. One thing that really annoys me is that when toggling between open windows (Alt+tab+arrow keys) or creating a window (Window key E) is that I've found no way to move the new window to the other screen; I always have to use the mouse. [more inside]
posted by unearthed to Computers & Internet at 1:41 PM - 11 answers

I have acquired this precise ThinkPad directly from Lenovo.com. What is the latest and greatest in making sure there's no bloat and plenty of security? [more inside]
posted by kensington314 to Computers & Internet at 1:16 PM - 8 answers

Mr. rekrap and I are in search of our next long TV binges, with snowflakes and criteria inside. [more inside]
posted by rekrap to Media & Arts at 11:44 AM - 64 answers

I'm loving apples suddenly, especially cooked ones... escalloped or scalloped, whatever. [more inside]
posted by Czjewel to Food & Drink at 10:31 AM - 4 answers

Okay to eat? Standard issue metal can of cooked lentils, no dents, rust, or bulging. Assume the lentils are okay but maybe not? Hive mind, please do your thing.
posted by Bella Donna to Food & Drink at 10:30 AM - 11 answers

My 8 year old is behaving poorly on an extended vacation. We're camping with him and his two younger brothers. We're at our wits end and won't be home for another month. I'm after some ideas for corrective measures because at 8 there's not much we can take away and if we keep restricting screen time he'll be 18 before he's allowed to watch a movie. Asking here because I don't trust parenting forums or Facebook and I'm not sure where else to turn. [more inside]
posted by anonymous to Human Relations at 10:05 AM - 36 answers

We're going to cancun with 2 adults and 3 kids in April. I want to buy travel insurance. [more inside]
posted by MisantropicPainforest to Travel & Transportation at 9:52 AM - 12 answers

I have mould growing on my tiled bathroom floor just in front of my glass shower door (not inside the shower). What are good nontoxic cleaning options to clean up the mould? Would white vinegar do any good?
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries to Home & Garden at 9:32 AM - 9 answers

I'm finding it surprisingly hard to identify an Android tablet that can power, via HDMI-to-USB, an external monitor. [more inside]
posted by Dr. Wu to Computers & Internet at 9:09 AM - 14 answers

I'm currently in a middle management position trying to run projects and programs at scale. My clients and superiors increasingly want data-driven reporting, metrics etc. to back up project proposals and charters. I have some grad school training in data collection and analysis. I'm making this work in a rough way, but when I look around at the market for the job I want to have in 5 years, there's a heavy emphasis on being able to generate and prepare these types of reports. I'm trying to identify which kind of training would best help me be more fluent at this type of work. [more inside]
posted by edbles to Work & Money at 8:03 AM - 6 answers

I was working on a PowerPoint this morning. I saved it and closed it. When I re-opened it, every single image had been replaced by a blank rectangle with a red x in it and the words "This picture cannot be displayed." [more inside]
posted by tzikeh to Computers & Internet at 4:41 AM - 8 answers

As you'll remember from the zombified stare of Bill Murray in "Lost in Translation," long-distance jet lag ain't no joke. When traveling between New York and Tokyo, day and night are reversed, and the symptoms--extreme fatigue, digestive issues and depression--linger for two weeks. Obviously, the culprit in jet lag is the jet. Take away the jet, and you take away the lag. Nobody suffered from jet lag in the age of Ferdinand Magellan. So, slow travel is the key. [more inside]
posted by Gordion Knott to Travel & Transportation at 10:09 PM - 20 answers

Do you recognize the landmark in this old photo of my father? [more inside]
posted by southern_sky to Travel & Transportation at 6:28 PM - 7 answers

My elderly aunt has recently split from her partner. Her long-term savings (retirement savings) was somehow under his control and he is not returning it now that they’ve split. Obviously she needs a lawyer, but she is reluctant to spend a lot of money as she is extremely freaked out about money now, for good reason. Do you know what the options are? What kind of lawyer, and how to find this person, and if there are low-cost options? This is Maryland. [more inside]
posted by Ollie to Law & Government at 5:40 PM - 10 answers

I'm involved with an improv theatre school and we would like to get the word out in our City. We don't have a comms person, also we don't have anyone onboard with FB/Insta/Tiktok/social media expertise. We were thinking of getting a freelancer from say Fiverr but not sure if we'd be able to get someone who has the right improv tone of voice for it. What would you suggest? Btw, also curious as to what a freelancer charges these days. Is it better to pay by task or by the hour?
posted by storybored to Media & Arts at 4:26 PM - 5 answers

i'm a self taught hobbyist sketch artist in my mid thirties - i have a mfa in creative writing, and make genuinely not-enough money in my current field of adjunct teaching and writing - recently i started taking a few art classes at a community art school and it has radically changed my relationship to my art. i am fantasizing about going to art school full time and dedicating myself to my art - is this reasonable or should i stick with keeping it a 'hobby'? more, long details within - [more inside]
posted by lightgray to Education at 3:21 PM - 39 answers

I'm looking at getting at 55" TV for digital signage. Which is the best smart TV system for that? I'm hoping to be able to just drop images into a Google Drive or Google Photos folder and have them show up automatically rather than using a USB drive. [more inside]
posted by roaring beast to Technology at 3:16 PM - 3 answers

I’m looking for advice or tips to convince my aging parents to get help around the house when they are resistant to doing this. Have you been an adult who eventually realized you needed assistance? Have you talked your parents into getting help when they thought they could take care of everything themselves? [more inside]
posted by davidstandaford to Human Relations at 11:58 AM - 30 answers

Many older people in my life (60+) are having their beliefs drastically changed by things they see on social media, so in the last few years, their values have swung far over from where they used to sit. If I suggest new media for them to consume, they'll try it. So, what should I suggest? YouTube channels would probably be the best, but open to other platforms too.
posted by vanilla.extract to Media & Arts at 11:44 AM - 12 answers

I have a packet of dry gravy mix. It makes one cup [more inside]
posted by Czjewel to Food & Drink at 7:57 AM - 14 answers

This will require a fair bit of explanation so I'm going straight to below the cut. [more inside]
posted by Rhedyn to Media & Arts at 7:27 AM - 38 answers

My weighted blanket suddenly doesn't feel heavy anymore. What is happening? [more inside]
posted by LoonyLovegood to Health & Fitness at 2:30 AM - 7 answers

I'd like to hear a version of Jerusalem in a minor key. Bonus for other important songs transposed major to minor or vice versa. [more inside]
posted by Hactar to Society & Culture at 12:41 AM - 5 answers

Recently, I noticed that the little pie indicator for iCloud in my sidebar was sitting with a mere sliver for days on end. It claims to be uploading four files. I can't get it to either finish, or stop. Help. [more inside]
posted by Well I never to Computers & Internet at 10:52 PM - 3 answers

I plan to give a gift to my sister of items for the bath or a home spa treatment, that type of thing. Do you have any suggestions? One thing she has been interested in in the past is a foot mask, but I am open to any thing related. We live in the USA, she in the Northwest and I in the Southwest.
posted by NotLost to Shopping at 10:45 PM - 11 answers

Looking for engrossing, moving memoirs and novels about becoming middle-aged, but not about marriage or parenting/children. What's your favorite? [more inside]
posted by cboggs to Writing & Language at 10:34 PM - 6 answers

There is mold growing in my window AC unit (GE Profile PHC06/PHC08). It is definitely mold, not just dirt or dust. What should I do? [more inside]
posted by catquas to Home & Garden at 3:26 PM - 4 answers

I would love to find a memoir I read in the late 70’s written by a European man in Africa who became known for being able to rid villages of black mamba snakes. There was much more to the book, but the snake wrangling was memorable. Or maybe I’m conflating more than one book? Thank you.
posted by Gusaroo to Writing & Language at 3:11 PM - 3 answers

I have a giant pile of kale from a farm stand. So, picked literally this morning. Tonight for dinner we are having the tomato feta pasta that went viral during Covid. How should I cook this kale to complement that? [more inside]
posted by BlahLaLa to Food & Drink at 2:44 PM - 9 answers

This question has confused me utterly. I even timed myself scrambling eggs today - it takes me less than 35 seconds at just-over-lowest heat for fairly dry eggs. Yet all the recipes described and linked in that thread refer to from 5 minutes at medium heat to 40 minutes at low heat. [more inside]
posted by I claim sanctuary to Food & Drink at 11:24 AM - 29 answers

I have about three cups of cherry tomatoes. What should I make with these? [more inside]
posted by NotLost to Food & Drink at 10:21 AM - 16 answers

As a home buyer or seller, do I qualify for getting some of my money back? [more inside]
posted by Toddles to Law & Government at 7:27 AM - 1 answer

I, who dislike eggs in all forms, have stupidly volunteered to make scrambled eggs for a guest. Moreover, the guest likes creamy scrambled eggs, a thing I have never in my life encountered and find completely unrelatable. Metafilter scrambled egg discourse is full of terrifying absolutes and contradictions, but I don't need the best outlier recipe with a weird trick, I need a robust recipe that will turn out OK-ish, not disgusting to a scrambled egg eater, even if I don't taste it at all and have no idea what I'm going for. Help? [more inside]
posted by Bardolph to Food & Drink at 3:59 AM - 31 answers

My friend (who lives in downtown San Francisco) believes she might have bedbugs, and was looking for recommendations for local pest control services (she already tried Terminix, with less-than-satisfactory results). [more inside]
posted by gtrwolf to Home & Garden at 12:05 AM - 5 answers

I work at a small startup, and recently I was informed (by a health clinic I was trying to make an appointment at) that my insurance is marked in the system as being "inactive" starting on April 1st. When I emailed our HR person about it, the response I got was... weird, and made me nervous that my company isn't being honest with me. Would absolutely love input from anyone who's knowledgeable about employer-sponsored small group insurance plans and/or HR on this - details inside. Thank you! [more inside]
posted by second banana to Work & Money at 4:59 PM - 7 answers

I am planning to delete my account. What is the difference between html and json formats? If I want to see my photos and captions later which will open better? [more inside]
posted by Lawn Beaver to Computers & Internet at 4:34 PM - 5 answers

My dad (85 yr old retired geology professor) and I (55 yr old science teacher) have an 8 hr road trip coming up to visit family back where he grew up. Last summer we had some audiobook hits and misses on a similar road trip. Humor and/or narratives from 50s/60s/70s is probably best bet, not science. More inside… [more inside]
posted by chr1sb0y to Society & Culture at 2:52 PM - 25 answers

What is vinegar fermentation supposed to look like / am I doing it right? [more inside]
posted by Joey Buttafoucault to Food & Drink at 2:08 PM - 2 answers

I buy a lot of secondhand items, and discount items from Amazon, the dollar store, etc. My young kids play with these items, in their damp little well-licked hands. What are some general principles to follow, to avoid unhealthy components like lead? [more inside]
posted by vanilla.extract to Science & Nature at 2:06 PM - 7 answers

Okay, I have had purely barbershop cuts for many years, but do I need a salon? The cut in question is a K-Pop-esque two-block cut. [more inside]
posted by Frowner to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion at 9:23 AM - 14 answers

I recently watched the Columbo episode with Ruth Gordon, "Try and Catch Me." The murder victim is found with black paint under his fingernail from -- and pardon me for not spoilering a TV show from 1977 -- scratching an arrow in some metal to lead to the clue that reveals who his murderer was. Where else has this been used? [more inside]
posted by The corpse in the library to Media & Arts at 8:26 AM - 2 answers

My 7 year old has been a picky eater his whole life, along with having a really sensitive gag reflex. Things are okay with mealtimes, but sometimes the mention of food makes him gag so much that he almost throws up. Like, turns read, starts sweating, has to try really hard not to vomit. Suggestions? Is myofunctional therapy what we need? Details inside... [more inside]
posted by dabadoo to Health & Fitness at 7:58 AM - 36 answers

All my hobbies are passive - with one major exception, but still. I usually just sit and read and watch and scroll. Why, and how can I change this? I want to be a person with more hobbies and interests. [more inside]
posted by unicorn chaser to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation at 5:35 AM - 36 answers