Ask MetaFilter

I'd like to get a new version of a jacket I had when I was younger: a heavy-ish windbreaker with a knitted collar, cuffs and waistband. Sort of like a baseball jacket but the collar came about halfway down the chest and it was buttoned.
posted by brachiopod to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion at 5:14 PM - 3 answers

Are the Halloween skeletons identifiable as male or female skeletons or are they so fake you can't tell? [more inside]
posted by Art_Pot to Science & Nature at 5:08 PM - 3 answers

Pork shoulder emergency! I’m attending a potluck tailgate tomorrow. I was going to make my Famous Salt-and-Pepper Pulled Pork, which I cook on a smoker overnight, but I just realized I’m out of charcoal. I’m not going to buy more charcoal tonight and I don’t have time to make pulled pork in the morning…help me figure out what to make! [more inside]
posted by griseus to Food & Drink at 5:04 PM - 4 answers

I'm renting a small office in Alameda County, California, in a city where residents and businesses have to actively opt out of the local Community Choice Aggregator. I asked my landlord which of the plans - 100% renewable or just cleaner and cheaper than PG&E - the building is signed up for, and they told me they're just with PG&E. My question: what reasons - good ones, or somewhat reasonable bad ones - would a business not sign up for a Community Choice Aggregator? [more inside]
posted by mistersix to Work & Money at 3:38 PM - 11 answers

I'm a lady in my late 40s who grinds my teeth at night. Over the years dentists have addressed this with a custom nightguard (which I wear religiously), fillings, and more recently, crowns. I just had an intake appointment with a new-to-me dentist who wants me to get a series of CT scans to look for misaligned bones and fit me for a new device, which I understand is known as the Vivos Method. She says that this will eliminate the need for more crowns and root canals. [more inside]
posted by kitschfrau to Health & Fitness at 3:32 PM - 0 answers

I just bought a hybrid Volvo XC60. It's a mid-sized SUV that gets about 40 miles on a full charge. Because most of my driving is local and less than 10 miles per day, I could easily go for months at a time not using the gas engine. But would that be bad for the engine? Does it need a certain amount of regular usage to keep it running optimally? I've looked through the owner's manual but I couldn't find anything about this. Lots of information on charging it, deciding which mode to drive in (pure electric vs. hybrid vs. pure gas) but there's nothing that addresses whether running indefinitely on pure electric is ok. If you don't have an answer 'for sure', I'm ok with an opinion based on solid mechanical knowledge.
posted by MissPitts to Technology at 1:53 PM - 9 answers

My son is 4 years old and has been in various kinds of therapies for 2 solid years, as well as attending preschool with an aide. He is still nonverbal and has made noticeable but minimal progress in most areas (communication, toileting, engaging with peers, etc.) I have recently heard of MeRT and gotten interested in it, and there's a clinic in my city... [more inside]
posted by Forty-eight to Health & Fitness at 1:35 PM - 7 answers

We’re in Europe, got Vodafone SIM cards in Spain, supposedly 100GB data for 30 days. However, the 100 GB is only in Spain, it’s 8 GB if you’re out of Spain (they don't tell you this up front), so we ran out of data already in a few days. Can anybody suggest a better company that will let us use a decent amount of data in Germany, Turkey, Balkans, Italy and France? [more inside]
posted by signal to Travel & Transportation at 12:15 PM - 8 answers

At wits end editing Canva audio track for presentation tomorrow morning! [more inside]
posted by latkes to Computers & Internet at 11:28 AM - 1 answer

I feel silly asking this, but how and why does load-shedding work? [more inside]
posted by blnkfrnk to Technology at 10:51 AM - 10 answers

I need to create a 3D tour of a rental property. How? [more inside]
posted by pdb to Technology at 9:57 AM - 2 answers

What are the strategic reasons for and against early voting? Am I helping or hurting my party if I vote as early as I can? [more inside]
posted by wenestvedt to Law & Government at 9:57 AM - 21 answers

Somehow a relative's dinky but long-lived family website has overtaken all the top results when you search for my name on Google. These results include pictures of me from my childhood that job recruiters and fellow professionals in my industry do not need to see. What steps do I need to take to get at least some of these things removed? I also need to figure out why my website, which used to be the first result when you searched for me, has been completely scrubbed from Google.
posted by The Adventure Begins to Computers & Internet at 9:03 AM - 6 answers

Looking for information on starting up a non-profit for the purpose of filmmaking, as a fact-finding mission to see if this is biting off more than we can chew. [more inside]
posted by AzraelBrown to Media & Arts at 8:45 AM - 5 answers

What desktop app, phone app, or website do you wish existed? [more inside]
posted by Number Used Once to Computers & Internet at 8:35 AM - 19 answers

Heading to Boston for a weekend trip later this year and would love to check out the city's cocktail scene. Please let me know about your favorite spots! Thank you!
posted by DavidNYC to Food & Drink at 8:08 AM - 4 answers

I need a dense, bright warm-white LED light strip that comes with twinkle patterns, like the ones commonly found in LED light strings. Ideally USB plug or otherwise connectable to a 12V or 5V battery pack. Does this exist without some sort of elaborate Arduino diy? [more inside]
posted by Bardolph to Technology at 7:24 AM - 11 answers

From "Wuthering Heights". The narrator says, 'No wonder the grass grows up between the flags, '. If he says, 'No wonder the grass grows up among the flags.', what's the difference between them? Thank you for helping my English.
posted by mizukko to Writing & Language at 6:47 AM - 26 answers

In my organisation we frequently have to run fiddly batches which are fraught with potential errors - one step forgotten and it's a world of trouble. I am looking for a web app or (likely) Microsoft desktop software that we could use to create template checklists for common processes/tasks that we 'tick off' (like a pre flight checklist) prior to running the (for example) batch. These should be easily sharable and updatable by the whole team if possible and we should ideally be able to re-use them time after time [more inside]
posted by dance to Work & Money at 6:41 AM - 5 answers

I’m not a big fan of winter, but my usual winter escape is no longer available. How can I embrace winter when I live in NC and it’s not that wintery? [more inside]
posted by raccoon409 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation at 6:32 AM - 7 answers

I'm reading an English locked-room mystery and a character said that "The hasp... ripped through the frame of the door.” This door is locked with a key and can be locked / unlocked from either side of the door. In England, does that make sense? [more inside]
posted by The corpse in the library to Home & Garden at 6:28 AM - 4 answers

Anyone else, especially other autistic people got any tips for handling being photographed in everyday situations and managing to present well? [more inside]
posted by Flitcraft to Human Relations at 4:06 AM - 13 answers

I sometimes end up leading discussions on fiction in a classroom-adjacent context. I often feel my natural approach (analytic, thinky) doesn't mesh well with what participants would find satisfying, but I don't quite understand how an alternative approach would work. If you've been in great book discussions, explain what kinds of questions/topics they contain? [more inside]
posted by sockroy to Media & Arts at 3:50 AM - 4 answers

I live in one city (Toronto) and am increasingly starting to suspect that a lot of the things I want, professionally and personally, are way more abundantly found in other cities (NYC and the Bay Area). I don’t think I’m in a position to move, for a number of reasons, most notably that I have 50% custody of a great kid. I’m interested in hearing of ways people have had integrated “second city” in their life. I welcome personal anecdotes, things to read or look at, or anything else that could be helpful. [more inside]
posted by ManInSuit to Grab Bag at 4:39 PM - 38 answers

How can I protect white quilting fabric as I sew? [more inside]
posted by archimago to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation at 4:35 PM - 3 answers

My hot water heater failed within the 1 year period where labor is supposedly covered. The company only wants to cover $100 for removal and re-installation which seems ridiculous. I need help understanding if the language in the warranty should indeed cover the full labor costs and if yes how to pursue this with minimal headache? Language under the fold: [more inside]
posted by 12%juicepulp to Law & Government at 2:23 PM - 2 answers

Can you give me the specific location(s) of a place to grab fresh flowers inside Midway airport? Ideally, on the way to the Rideshare pickup spot?
posted by TigerMoth to Travel & Transportation at 2:02 PM - 1 answer

Do you (or did you) use a kneeling chair several hours a day for work? What's good and bad about it for you? What changes (technical or habitual) did you have to make for it to be a workable solution? [more inside]
posted by kensington314 to Grab Bag at 1:37 PM - 11 answers

In my Pacific Northwest (USA) residential neighborhood, there is all kinds of bad driver behavior. Managing this falls to traffic enforcement (Police) + street design (Dept of Transportation), but both are short staffed. Meanwhile, we have yahoos going 40 in a 20MPH zone, running stop signs, etc. What kind of traffic calming measures have folks employed successfully? [more inside]
posted by 4midori to Grab Bag at 1:22 PM - 16 answers

I just received my new home insurance policy documents for the coming year, and the total annual cost was increased by 41% over last year even though I haven't had a claim in years. I'm now shopping for a new insurance company. Can you recommend a good insurance company for someone who lives in Toronto, Ontario? [more inside]
posted by orange swan to Grab Bag at 12:17 PM - 2 answers

My website is down. I am not technically savvy. I have relied in years past on my website developer. I believe he has Alzheimer's based on recent repeated chats and how he keeps asking questions I just finished answering. I've given up on trying to get through to him. [more inside]
posted by dances_with_sneetches to Computers & Internet at 12:15 PM - 10 answers

My mom lives in New Mexico where her house has a big outdoor covered porch in the backyard that is quite high with wood beams. At certain times of year she started noticing staining and droppings under the porch and a wildlife guy said it was from bats. She has never actually seen the bats and it seems like they are roosting there at night, not during the day. [more inside]
posted by forkisbetter to Home & Garden at 11:26 AM - 7 answers

I have posterboard circles and I want to glue stuff to the back. I've done it before but I forget what glue I used. [more inside]
posted by TWinbrook8 to Grab Bag at 11:18 AM - 2 answers

I'm a theater/performance maker, and I applied for a grant from my city. I did not receive the grant (which is fine), but I received a notification that someone requested all of the information available from the city relating to the grant (i.e. not just my application materials, but all the records the city has that relate to this grant). What's the best course of action here? Do I need to take any action? [more inside]
posted by hapticactionnetwork to Law & Government at 11:07 AM - 5 answers

USPS hold mail form appeared in my mailbox with someone else's name on it. Should I be concerned? Should I let it be filed? [more inside]
posted by mosst to Grab Bag at 8:22 AM - 6 answers

So our 92 year old mom is completely bedridden, confined to a second floor bedroom. She has 24-hour in home LPN care and an RN who comes by every 10 days or so. Her longtime PCP retired last year and the new doctor in the practice has stated that she must come to the office for her annual physical so she can be examined in person. [more inside]
posted by mmf to Health & Fitness at 8:14 AM - 6 answers

I posted a question (link below the cut) last month regarding a THC overdose and a resulting trip to the ER. Since then, I've had difficulty connecting with people anymore, and sometimes feeling like things aren't real. Is this lingering shock? [more inside]
posted by Jangatroo to Health & Fitness at 7:24 AM - 18 answers

I'm looking for entertainment while I work from home. [more inside]
posted by winterportage to Media & Arts at 7:14 AM - 20 answers

Am I being a healthier manager of my digital world by ruthlessly deleting unsolicited messages or am I hurting the career track of some workers by refusing to answer survey questions about their performance? [more inside]
posted by tronec to Shopping at 5:00 AM - 27 answers

While https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp is a well organized database for recent Japan patents, I am searching for several patents from the 1930's. This article details a method to determine the year from a patent number, but then falls back to snail-mail enquiries for more info. Does anyone know of a more recent online resource for older Japan patents?
posted by fairmettle to Computers & Internet at 9:28 PM - 0 answers

I’m interviewing for a job in Calgary but I’ve lived on the East Coast of the US all of my life. In theory this would be a career-defining role, but I’m worried about quality of life changes. [more inside]
posted by Farce_First to Society & Culture at 6:49 PM - 19 answers

I’m new to Pittsburgh and have already registered here to vote. I want to campaign for Harris but my disability and lack of vehicle prohibit canvassing. As well as local opportunities, I’d like to see links to info about what kinds of campaigning tend to be most helpful.
posted by mermaidcafe to Law & Government at 5:31 PM - 7 answers

A project I worked on is getting some online press. What's the best way to save it? [more inside]
posted by nouvelle-personne to Computers & Internet at 3:17 PM - 13 answers

Can anyone translate the writing on these Japanese candy wrappers? The first three lines are the same, and I believe the bottom line on each would identify the flavor. [more inside]
posted by mefireader to Writing & Language at 1:59 PM - 9 answers

I have a chef’s knife I’d like to know more about. So far my searching and translating attempts have failed. Imgur link
posted by kiblinger to Food & Drink at 1:10 PM - 7 answers

My son has asked for a music player for his 8th birthday. I've bought him what is essentially a cheap android that has no sim or camera. Is there a fast way to disable everything but an mp3 app and maybe spotify? [more inside]
posted by Silentgoldfish to Technology at 12:57 PM - 13 answers

Anyone have a recommendation for a great ENT doctor in Berkeley, Oakland, SF, or nearby? [more inside]
posted by animalcule to Health & Fitness at 12:50 PM - 2 answers

Pretty much the title. My workplace changed to a different instance of our platform, and Chrome keeps opening the old one and I can't access student records. I don't want to clear ALL of my cache - just the work stuff. 2023 Macbook Pro M2. [more inside]
posted by tzikeh to Computers & Internet at 12:05 PM - 13 answers

I have two issues in my apartment that I was hoping I could ask for assistance here first, to see if those two issues are something I can resolve myself before putting in a maintenance ticket. [more inside]
posted by dubious_dude to Home & Garden at 11:57 AM - 26 answers

I have a 9' x 30' area that I want to use as a parking spot for a car. Right now its just dirt. I want to use some sort of grass permeable system. What have you done? [more inside]
posted by falsedmitri to Home & Garden at 10:47 AM - 10 answers

How did you know they were right for you? Did it take time or did you immediately now? Where did you first hear about them? How did you do your evaluation to land on this person? [more inside]
posted by dede to Health & Fitness at 10:02 AM - 13 answers

Is there someone I can pay to help file out-of-network claims with my health insurance company for me? [more inside]
posted by novalis_dt to Health & Fitness at 8:48 AM - 2 answers

I've recently started looking for a job and have updated my LinkedIn profile. Whereas my facebook and IG accounts are set to private, anyone on LinkedIn - e.g. potential employers - can see my profile and access a significant amount of information about me. How do I manage the LinkedIn settings maze to - admittedly counterintuitively - best protect myself while sharing personal information at the same time? [more inside]
posted by 7 Minutes of Madness to Technology at 7:09 AM - 4 answers

There is a very weird Instagram video making the rounds. I can't figure it out, and this bothers me. [more inside]
posted by Ursula Hitler to Media & Arts at 12:25 AM - 9 answers

How do you handle vampires you can’t stand because your spawn have taken a shine to each other? And how do I make this not weird for the spawn? [more inside]
posted by starelephant to Human Relations at 11:56 PM - 16 answers

Attention Susan! Attention Humans! I remember two little rapping robots that were “by the bench!” THE BENCH BY THE FOUNTAIN! [more inside]
posted by varion to Media & Arts at 9:19 PM - 4 answers

2016 Honda Fit, 4 new tires Sept 2022. 1 tire had a slow leak and needed to be replaced in summer 2024. Drive about 4000 miles a year, mostly city driving on not great roads. [more inside]
posted by rhymedirective to Travel & Transportation at 5:15 PM - 11 answers

See my previous question about my elderly mom being scammed online. The situation has not improved, and she has now lost a few thousand dollars to this scam. She refuses to believe that her 'boyfriend' is fake, and I'm at my wits end. I've done a lot to try to report this, but nothing has happened. Are there any resources to help with this kind of thing that maybe I haven't tried? [more inside]
posted by tryniti to Human Relations at 4:02 PM - 21 answers

I’m British, but I’ve never hired a car before. I might need to do it for the first time, at a time of fair personal stress when I don’t have much extra bandwidth for learning new processes. I’ve read the RAC guide to car hire but I don’t know what else I don’t know. [more inside]
posted by penguin pie to Travel & Transportation at 3:38 PM - 17 answers

I'm looking for data (not info on the impacts or causes) on the prevalence of US or even western society young children (grade school) being more supervised and having less ability to be independent than over time. Looking to see if there's some data (even if it's survey data) .
posted by sandmanwv to Society & Culture at 1:00 PM - 7 answers