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I'm a writer for an organization whose editor is a real stickler for detail - his comments on my writing are always "Need to beef up here", "This is a little weak", and "Add some things here to make it a bit longer." I know that means adding more detail, but I don't know how to do that. I think I write too fast. What writing exercises can I do to strengthen this lack of detail? ADHD diagnosed, too.
posted by adverb to Writing & Language at 4:56 PM - 8 answers

By 'default' lock screen, I mean, the screen you immediately see first when you unlock/wake up your phone, without swiping, where you might see your wallpaper or ultra recent notifications. I see you can put widgets in the "Today" view to the side of the default lock screen, and now the "Home" screens. But not where I want 'em. True? If not, how do ya do it?
posted by bitterkitten to Technology at 4:06 PM - 2 answers

In a quite short amount of time I'm going to be expected to hire and manage humans in an office context. This is not a thing I've ever done, expected to do, or wanted to do. What are some resources I could use to get very quickly up to speed on How To Hire and Manage? [more inside]
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese to Work & Money at 7:03 PM - 11 answers

Help, I bought a 2x4 Kallax from IKEA thinking that it could be mounted 4' up the wall horizontally, and that's exactly what the adorable pictographs on the instructions say not to do! Is there a way for me to mount this safely to my plaster wall? [more inside]
posted by oxisos to Home & Garden at 6:04 PM - 15 answers

It’s a semi spoken word song from within the last few years about seeing an indie icon - I think Father John Misty - on the subway in Brooklyn and then getting pushed onto the tracks by him. Does this ring any bells?
posted by chappell, ambrose to Media & Arts at 11:56 AM - 2 answers

I have to move to a state that has medical reciprocity with New York State. I cannot find the list and my doctor hasn't been responsive, but. he says there are 30+ states. My doctor needs to be able to see what medications I am getting in his office in New York State, while I move somewhere more affordable. I'm currently in Oregon, but they don't have reciprocity with NYS, but Washington State does. How can I find the list of all the states that share medical information, including prescriptions, with New York State? The doctor says over 30 states are on that list. I need this so I can figure out where I can move.
posted by Kombucha3452 to Law & Government at 11:16 AM - 7 answers

Are there any stores in Canada other than Petsmart or Amazon who will ship me dry dog food? Ideally free or reasonably priced shipping, but any options are helpful. [more inside]
posted by randomnity to Pets & Animals at 9:28 AM - 7 answers

I am looking for recommendations on a smart plug with some fairly specific parameters, mostly importantly that can be controlled both by remote control and via iPhone and Android app. Snowflake details inside. [more inside]
posted by pineapplerunner to Technology at 9:21 AM - 9 answers

Seeing a Revenant gif has reminded me: I've been trying to identify a film I saw for ages. I believe it was set on the West Coast, sometime from the mid-1700s to the late 1800s. The main character is... ill? injured in some way? and spends most of the film trying to get to the coast, or some other body of water. [more inside]
posted by sagc to Media & Arts at 8:52 AM - 4 answers

Is the "meeting house" in Crucible (Arthur Miller) a civic hall or a church? [more inside]
posted by plant or animal to Writing & Language at 8:42 AM - 5 answers

About two decades ago, a wedding invite was made using Macromedia Flash creator something. It contains shapes, tweens, and sprites. And a soundtrack. Now, I cannot play or convert it. None of the obvious solutions work - the best I get is an audio file with the soundtrack. [more inside]
posted by weft to Technology at 7:57 AM - 4 answers

My car seems to have lost 30,000 from the odometer reading. Just how? [more inside]
posted by shaarog to Travel & Transportation at 6:25 AM - 6 answers

Is there anyone here who lives in the Salt Lake City area that is experienced with Affinity Designer 1.8? I'm hitting the wall and the help files aren't helpful. I'm not trying to do anything fancy, just import and delete brushes, templates and assets.
posted by ydaltak to Media & Arts at 3:19 PM - 2 answers

I'm moving to Canada from the US. My phone plan (Red Pocket) doesn't work in Canada. I'll get a Canadian plan and phone number, but I also want to keep my US number for receiving calls and texts in Canada. How to do this? I seem to have already packed most of my working brain cells, so I don't understand what the internet is telling me and need MeFi to walk me through the process. [more inside]
posted by hoist with his own pet aardvark to Technology at 12:16 PM - 10 answers

I’ve lost my home broadband temporarily and have to use only what I can get on my cell phone, which can be variable depending on conditions. Need some help figuring out how to make best use of what data capacity that I have. [more inside]
posted by mccxxiii to Computers & Internet at 10:48 AM - 8 answers

YANMD. I think both my daughter and I experience simple partial seizures. If not, what do you think they may be? In any case, what steps might you take to reduce our "episodes"? More below the fold. [more inside]
posted by turtlefu to Health & Fitness at 10:41 AM - 16 answers

What is the best way to handle cold sales emails and LinkedIn requests? [more inside]
posted by amycup to Work & Money at 9:05 AM - 15 answers

I'm a man who participates in maybe what I'll call "extracurricular activities": going to museums, concerts(when they did them), picnicking in parks, doing zoom classes, book readings, volunteering with organizations, even online political activism. When I do these, nearly always are majority or nearly all women who are participating. Is this confirmation bias, something because I live in NYC, or actually a thing? If it is a thing, what are men doing? Are there any studies or articles that discuss this or talk about this?
posted by sandmanwv to Society & Culture at 8:04 AM - 40 answers

My son is struggling with school and I need some help figuring out what his options are going forward. Would really value input from people who have gone through something similar, or their parents, as well as educators and career counsellors. [more inside]
posted by widdershins to Education at 7:21 AM - 8 answers

I had a tumultuous relationship for several years with someone who was emotionally and verbally abusive, and in which I was dishonest and cheated. It’s over and I’m glad, but I still can’t stop thinking about it. [more inside]
posted by switcheroo to Human Relations at 11:50 PM - 16 answers

I heard a speaker say that when Ted Bundy was asked how he could kill another human, he replied "there are so many people . . . what does it matter?" Can you help me find this quote, or find who actually said it? [more inside]
posted by mecran01 to Human Relations at 9:27 AM - 3 answers

There is a regional Korean-American chain, H-Mart, with beautiful pre-cut meat which looks just like the meat they bring out at Korean BBQ. What should I do with it? I do have access to a gas grill. What marinade should I make? Can I do it on the stove-top? What should I serve with it? They have a bunch of the salads/sides I can get. I look at the meat all the time and really want to make something fun for a party.
posted by shothotbot to Food & Drink at 8:46 AM - 15 answers

Extended heat and smoke conditions have caused an eczema flare-up. How do I get my skin to calm down? [more inside]
posted by Wavelet to Health & Fitness at 10:10 PM - 8 answers

I've got a couple of favorites in Santa Rosa - would like to branch out and find a few more really good ones - please tell me which are, in your opinion, the absolute best in the three North Bay counties named above and why. Bodacious level of detail greatly appreciated. I am interested in clothing primarily.
posted by flowergrrrl to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion at 9:52 PM - 3 answers

Lately I've been having more frequent thoughts about luck, particularly of the bad sort, and feeling like it's been following me around. I know this is not a productive way of thinking. I would like to figure out why it's taken root so deeply in my psyche, and how I can stop seeing everything negative that happens to me through this lens of poor fortune. [more inside]
posted by keep it under cover to Health & Fitness at 9:28 PM - 12 answers

We like the process of puzzling through a mystery and getting to a solution through brainwork and teamwork. Problem is most TV shows of this format focus exclusively on murder, which we don’t find good fodder for entertainment. Also the cops tend to be lionized, which we also don’t much care for. [more inside]
posted by rikschell to Media & Arts at 8:59 PM - 45 answers

Of course I didn't d/l it and soon after McAfee deleted it. [more inside]
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock to Computers & Internet at 7:42 PM - 16 answers

Roughly how safe is a 15 min journey for one person in a UK black cab, assuming driver screen, that they sanitise between customers, masks worn and contactless payment? [more inside]
posted by Flitcraft to Health & Fitness at 6:23 PM - 7 answers

I read this book some years ago about what might have been the first "lost colony" established in the North American region by English explorers, somewhere in the Arctic or Northern Canada. For years, I've been searching for it, but I cannot find it. [more inside]
posted by kitten kaboodle to Media & Arts at 4:34 PM - 4 answers

Hi everyone; I used to receive email notifications when a video was released on youtube,the ones I subscribe to. All of a sudden,I don't get those emails any more. Does anybody know why? Is this a new youtube policy? Thanks :-)
posted by LOOKING to Computers & Internet at 2:12 PM - 6 answers

My SMS messages are disappearing on Google Hangouts. Help. [more inside]
posted by nayantara to Technology at 1:57 PM - 4 answers

My wife and I have an adorable 4 month old and want to dress our little family up in a group costume but we’re coming up blank. I’m chubby and femme, my wife is pretty androgynous and would definitely dye her short hair any rainbow colour for the right costume; our baby is a generic cute baby. [more inside]
posted by Sweetchrysanthemum to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion at 9:47 AM - 29 answers

Sadly I live in an area without Thai restaurants nearby, so I've been trying to make my favorite dish at home. It hasn't worked yet. [more inside]
posted by Dashy to Food & Drink at 8:29 AM - 8 answers

In the mood for some short spec fic collections by women. I’d love to hear your recommendations. [more inside]
posted by xenization to Media & Arts at 8:23 AM - 18 answers

I wear slippers basically all the time now, and my slippers, while very comfy, are lined with synthetic fabric, so they make my feet sweat, and then my feet are colder than if I wasn't wearing slippers and also gross and smelly. What would be better slippers for me to buy? [more inside]
posted by jacquilynne to Shopping at 8:15 AM - 25 answers

My fancy new Cuckoo rice cooker has a prop 65 warning on the box for DEHP. My other buying option was a Zojirushi cooker, so my question is if anyone has bought a Zojirushi lately and noticed a prop 65 warning. If all current rice cookers carry the warning (and since the operating temps aren’t that high) I'll likely keep it. I'm not asking about the warning itself because I think it would just generate chatter. [more inside]
posted by bonobothegreat to Shopping at 7:22 AM - 11 answers

I know very little about contemporary Africa and looking for books to plug that gap. Specific detail requests below the fold. [more inside]
posted by Megami to Society & Culture at 12:34 AM - 13 answers

Painters, help! I want to paint a large (koi fish) over a background (stars, galaxies). I know how to paint each thing separately, but I am just getting back into painting after a long hiatus and need some tips on executing it properly. [more inside]
posted by chatelaine to Media & Arts at 3:34 PM - 5 answers

We are considering have a child at age 39 or 40. What are the risks to the mother and child of having a baby at at this age? I'm looking for stats on complexity of the pregnancy and birth defects, or the increased risk of things like autism and down's syndrome. We've had two healthy children, if that matters.
posted by david1230 to Health & Fitness at 1:49 PM - 12 answers

Ok, long shot here but the specs are: [more inside]
posted by Twinge to Media & Arts at 1:37 PM - 4 answers