February 13
How to privately rename text threads in Google Messages
How to rename a text thread where only I can see the name (in Google Messages)??? [more inside]
Custom Jeep question
Where can I find more information about this custom Jeep? It was in the Super Bowl Haagen Dazs commercial.
GarageBand 101
I want to learn how to use GarageBand on my Macbook so I can record basic drum/guitar/bass rock songs on my own. I'm assuming some kind of YouTube tutorial is the best way to go. But there are so many! [more inside]
Glaucoma, Uveitis, Laser Iridotomy advice
I'm seeking advice about some eye conditions. I'll briefly define them, in case it jogs an anecdote. Narrow Angles: when the eyeball's internal drainage area is small, increasing the risk of blockage, aka Angle Closure Glaucoma: a vision threatening emergency where a fluid blockage increases eye pressure. One preventative strategy is Laser Iridotomy: burning a small hole in the iris to create a new permanent drainage channel inside the eye. But this may trigger Uveitis, a persistent internal eye inflammation that may have an autoimmune or genetic component. If you know anything about this topic, I have questions! [more inside]
Broad question about broadforks
I'm hoping to field some opinions about broadforks from people who have spent more time using them than I have. [more inside]
How Do I Pick Up Narcotic Meds After Surgery?
I live alone and am planning to get laparoscopic hernia surgery next month. I live a small block from the hospital and a small block from my supermarket pharmacy. The hospital says they should be able to help me out with someone to walk me home, but they do not have a pharmacy on-site. So how do I pick up narcotic meds from my supermarket pharmacy: do I just have to go stand in line, 2hrs after surgery? I've never done this before: is that do-able?
Cd's to fall asleep to
I'm looking for music(on CD) to play as I fall asleep. [more inside]
What is this word game?
I lost all my open tabs -- ugh, gutted -- and one thing I can't find again is a particular word game that I might have read about here...or maybe not, but can you help me find it again? It might be from the UK? [more inside]
How to rid my compost bin of its flying insects? Or are they okay?
So we have a covered compost bin in the corner of the yard. We're careful not to put any bones or greasy food remnants into it (and now the city wants that stuff in their green, yard waste bin anyway). Yet like every composting experiment I've undertaken, removing the lid means a face-full of flying insects escaping. Nothing I see in the compost literature ever addresses this. Not to worry, their larvae are processing the compost? Or does this mean something's amiss with my composting mixture? [more inside]
Sunday
I'm looking for poetic/metaphorical ways to refer to the day of the week Sunday. Like 'a day of rest'. Preferably not overtly religious like 'the day of the Lord'.
Character name pronunciation in D.H. Lawrence
Just started reading D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers and wondered... how is the family’s last name pronounced? [more inside]
YANMD Should I have a heart ablation for SVTs?
I've had SVT (SupraVentricular Tachycardia) episodes for many years, well managed with Valsalva Maneuver, hydration, heart rate app. But I had an unusually severe and painful episode last spring, so just completed a fresh cardiac workup.
For anyone recently diagnosed, this is the least exciting heart condition you can have. [more inside]
Looking for a good oral HSV doc in Southern California
My partner has had persistent oral herpes for over a year at this point, and persistent difficulty getting doctors appointments through her Obamacare/Covered California insurance. She is thinking about going out of network and is seeking recommendations. Some additional questions below the fold. [more inside]
Bro do you even yield?
What is your High Yield Savings Account and do you like it? I need to move some savings into a HYSA and I have analysis paralysis for some reason. [more inside]
Postcard Ledges/Rails
I have a lot of postcard-type items I would like to display on a rotating basis. I've seen ledges that people simply rest photos or postcards on and that seems ideal. Not sure if I'm looking for the wrong search terms or just impatient, but it feels like I'm not seeing what i want. Google fu this all you want for me. All I need are reasonably priced, shallow wooden ledges/rails with a lip to hold postcards. What can you find? [more inside]
How do I deal with grief that intertwines with my sports fandom?
One of my closest friends passed away last month. I’ve found lots of help, from friends and family as well as literature, in dealing with grief. However, one aspect has been unexpectedly difficult to navigate, namely our shared sports fandom, and not having him around to celebrate or complain, depending on our team’s fortunes. Have you ever been in a similar situation? [more inside]
Hmm, "shakes," you don't know what you're gettin.
"He shook his shoulders" - what gesture is this? [more inside]
Help matching edited photos to their originals (Mac)
I have a folder of photos directly off a digital camera. I want to match them to another folder of edited photos with different file names. [more inside]
February 12
Financial safety in the age of Musk
So, now that not only does Musk have access to data of people across the USA, but he's also seized money from New York, what are prudent steps to take to keep money safe these days?
Apple 2FA on non existing device
As asked in this previous question, I'm trying to set up my mother's iDevices. It keeps asking me to enter the Passcode for a device that doesn't exist. [more inside]
How to pick up a friendship post- uneven job loss situation?
My organization went through a very tough 2023-24. At the end of 2024, several of my colleagues lost their jobs, while my job and a few others went to part-time. It was very stressful and we had a long period (four months or so) in which we all knew how our jobs were ending - or not. [more inside]
How much should I pay this lad?
20-year old neighbor has zero work experience and is almost old enough to work with a local special-needs nonprofit to get subsidized work doing restaurant, landscaping, etc. work. He thinks he may have ADHD or similar condition; his Dad is going to get him tested soon. [more inside]
Protect PC Build in Progress from Cat Hair
I am building a new PC this weekend for the first time in a decade. It'll probably take me a few days to get it done, so I need a way to protect the exposed components and case when I'm not working on it because I have a curious cat and a LOT of cat hair floating about. Would a large clean towel (or towels) draped loosely over everything enough?
YYZ Pearson - storm impact for tomorrow morning
I am flying out of Toronto Pearson Airport tomorrow morning at 9am, and am trying to guess the impact of the impending snow storm with respect to it causing my flight to be delayed or cancelled [more inside]
Can I get treatment for ADHD-like symptoms with a bipolar diagnosis?
I'm diagnosed as bipolar, and I also have a lot of ADHD-like symptoms, like inattention and executive dysfunction. I've read both that these can be symptoms of bipolar, and that ADHD and bipolar can be comorbid. [more inside]
How to export/back up pinterest links?
Pinterest has become a swamp of genAI pins and horrific AI based automoderation, and I want out. But I have 400 recipes on a pinterest board and I want to get a list of those links exported from my board. [more inside]
External drive for Mac for photos
Looking for recommendations for external small/portable mac-compatible drive for photo archive. [more inside]
Help me smell amazing
Occasionally I'll read something like "[famous person] smells amazing" or I'll see a meme that says something terrible like "You know that person is aserial killer right? Yeah, but they smell *amazing*" and I'm wondering as a male in his late fifties how I can smell amazing, but not in a way that assaults people like a teenager with axe body spray. [more inside]
Is it "Internet" or "internet"?
More than idle curiosity prompted my question. Increasingly, I worry that my continuing to capitalize "Internet" will mark me out as A Old, to my professional disadvantage. I would still hyphenate "e-mail" if I thought I could get away with it, so I'm too much of a fuddy-duddy to trust my own judgment. [more inside]
How to seek asylum?
I’m Canadian, and I’m growing increasingly worried that some time in the next four years or so, a hostile and powerful country might invade Canada. What steps can I take to set my family up to flee the country if necessary? [more inside]
What is taking up all my Mac storage, and how do I track it down?
I have a MacBook Pro (c. 2020) with a 500-GB SSD that is running out of hard drive space. In the "Storage" pane of System Settings, the bar chart at the top shows 432 GB used, including 226.5 GB of "System Data". But when I go to the "Macintosh HD" window in the Finder, tell it to show hidden folders, and tell it to calculate the sizes of all the folders (visible and hidden), it adds up to a little shy of 200 GB. Why is there such a discrepancy? [more inside]
Deciding when it's time to leave the US for safety
For trans and other marginalized people considering leaving the US for political/safety reasons, what will trigger your decision to go? I'm transgender and I don't want to leave but I don't want to wait until it's too late either. [more inside]
How can I reduce my stress surrounding birthday gifts for children?
I have lots of relatives of varying ages from 2 to early twenties. Nieces and nephews.
Halp. [more inside]
Currency shenanigans
I am to pay for the accommodation on an upcoming trip and be reimbursed by my friends. The Europeans can bank transfer me, but for the Americans, might local cash be better? [more inside]
February 11
Looking for an excellent piano tuner AND technician in New York City
I really need to have my 1908 Steinway upright piano tuned -- it's been about 5 years. But there are some notes that have become "wonky" as well : strange sound quality, and a couple that don't really sound unless you pound very hard. So I don't want just a tuner, but somebody who can deal with this situation in a very old piano.
Do you know anyone who can do this job? I am in Manhattan.
How would you manage this type of information?
At my work, we deal with repeated situations where we have to manage a large number of lengthy responses to questions, as well as comments on those responses. We need ways to manage the details, and right now, we are mostly using annoyingly elaborate spreadsheets with a lot of version control problems. What tools or methodologies or ideas do you have on how to manage the info? [more inside]
Google Workspace for Education alternatives
What alternatives are available for use in a school setting? Sharing of educational materials for teachers and students a priority. Email would also be useful. And an alternative to Google Classroom (although I understand this is a big ask as Classroom is a leader in this field). [more inside]
Another low-stakes spreadsheet question
I have a spreadsheet filled with data collected over the course of the year. I’ve also created a secondary sheet (pivot table?) showing week-by-week summaries aggregated from the main sheet. In the pivot table I want to prevent negative values from being included in one of the AVERAGEIFS formulas that I’m currently using. How do I do this? I’m working in Apple Numbers, but formulas seem to work the same as in Excel for the most part. [more inside]
What do I need for a passport?
My one and only passport was issued in 2006, so it's expired. I need a new one but not sure what documents I need to bring. [more inside]
How hot could my car get on a sunny 32F day for a couple hours?
I went to a meeting at a library and left the dog in the car. 30F when I parked. v. light breeze. Could it have gotten hot enough to be unsafe? [more inside]
being the less-depressed one
My partner has chronic, fairly intense depression with a potpourri of other challenges. I have my own bundle of lifelong mental illness stuff that is less acute but still pretty draining. Looking for resources about having a depressed partner - not "how to support them" [although that is of course important] but about processing/dealing with the effects it has on me and on our relationship.
Are there any central resources for these US politics things?
- is there a place to see the text of these executive orders, ideally with commentary about what they actually require? As an example, I've heard some are for a department head to research funding than can legally be removed, and not directly removing the funding.
- Is there anywhere with a list of ways to financially support the many legal challenges?
Responses to Trump education policy
Please share the best statements or other responses you've seen responding to the Trump executive order on K-12 education. Looking for examples to help shape/embolden an organization's response. This statement from the NEA is an example of the type of thing I mean.
Accessory for air fryer
I have an air fryer. I like it and use it a lot. Just recently I bought what the mfg. calls a barrell pot. It's just a high walled pot with a wire handle for easy removal from the air fryer. I bought it on a whim. [more inside]
Do iPhone docks still exist?
I walk into my kitchen. I pull my iPhone from my pocket. I plug it into a... thing. It plays my podcast or music over a speaker and charges my phone. It's an iPod dock like it's 2012 but it's for my iPhone. Bluetooth is not involved. My phone's microphone is not involved. My thermostat is not involved. Cables are not involved other than the power cord that goes from the wall to the thing. The phone sits on its lil' USB C throne and sound flows out and electricity flows in. What is this thing? [more inside]
How do I know if I can play a given game with my hardware?
I generally only play smaller/less demanding games on my PC, and don't worry too much about specs. And I've not had a problem yet. But sometimes I'm not sure if my system can handle something. And now that tons of Steam games work on Linux and I play some PC games with my kid, I'd like to get a better sense of how to know if a given game will work ok. [more inside]
Send me your favorite cleaning and organizing content
I really like watching content where people tidy or clean up a space. What are your favorite shows, YouTubers, and content creators who organize and clean up? [more inside]
Timelapse from thousands of jpg files
I want to create a timelapse video from a few thousand stills that are jpg files. What Windows 10 or 11 compatible software with a GUI should I use? If there is a cost, I'd like to be able to test it out before buying. [more inside]
Can you read the name of this Czech village?
Can you help me figure out where my grandmother was born from the handwritten info on her passport? [more inside]
Stories about letting people make mistakes (not swoop in to prevent it)
My mom has been living separately from my dad who is domineering and harsh. As she's learning to do things for herself, she sometimes makes mistakes and then feels regret and anguish. I have an urge to swoop in and prevent the mistakes, so that I don't have to watch her lament. Can you share wisdom about letting her learn by making her own mistakes? [more inside]
February 10
Gross logistics
A person I care about faints when he vomits. He is struggling with optimal logistics in light of this, and seeking ideas. More awful details inside! [more inside]
What is this "OH" hammer logo?
What does this sticker mean? Someone asked the same question on Reddit, but never got an answer. Trying to re-create it from memory, it looks sort of like this, or maybe with a heavier crossbar more like this. I have seen this as a window sticker or bumper sticker on several cars (NW Washington State, US) and am curious what it means.
Is there still some powder left in that keg?
My steroid inhaler indicator says the container is empty. But it does not feel that way. [more inside]
What is a "celebrity estate?"
What is the legal basis for the "estate" of a dead celebrity taking legal action? [more inside]
Computer-generated transcription that won't steal data?
I'm working on an ethnography project with a nonprofit organization that involves interviewing community members about potentially sensitive information. I'd like to use a free AI-transcription service to do the bulk of the transcription so I can focus on making corrections and other aspects of the work. Looking at services available, I'm guessing that most would save my recordings/transcripts for their own data mining purposes, which I don't want. Is there a free or low-cost (<$100 USD) one time payment service that will guarantee not to keep my files?
What is routine maintenance for an HVAC system?
There are a lot of advertisements for yearly checkups or routine service for heating/air conditioning units. What is this and is it really necessary?
Please ID this logo
...found on the back of a t-shirt. In case it helps, the t-shirt is all back and the front has a picture of an astronaut.
Picture is here. Thanks!
How to care for my cat's teeth
Jasper is diabetic (among other things).
He is very chill about his insulin injections and me checking his blood glucose but he is not onboard with me brushing his teeth. Looking for advice on a possible alternative. [more inside]
To Arch or not to Arch? Linux nerds, help me beanplate a new distro.
It's starting to look like it's time to nuke my OS from orbit and install a new one. Please help me decide which distro. [more inside]
Should I plead guilty to a speeding ticket or hire a lawyer for it?
Should I plead guilty and pay a fine and fee for a speeding ticket or hire a lawyer to handle it for me? (83 in a 55 in Westchester, NY.) Additional details below. [more inside]