Ask MetaFilter

I need to buy a dishwasher - looking for recommendations under $600, preferably based on 4-6 months minimum use experience.
posted by ryanshepard to Home & Garden at 12:43 PM - 9 answers

I supervise a team member who is new to the concept of systems thinking and I'm looking for a good beginner-level book on this. [more inside]
posted by archimago to Work & Money at 8:15 AM - 7 answers

Do you have some good reading on the class and ethnicity structure as depicted in the movie Roma? Looking at both articles and statistics can help sort of questions inside and maybe some perspectives from those not in that culture. [more inside]
posted by sandmanwv to Society & Culture at 7:08 AM - 2 answers

So I took a shower about an hour ago. Everything functioned as normal. Now, an hour later, the shower has just turned itself on. Not dribbling a little water, full-on shower levels. The shower handle lever is still in the down/off position. Is this a burst winter pipe situation? What do I do? I have never had to deal with this before ever. It is the middle of the night, so calling the landlords is not optimal but I could try.
posted by vegartanipla to Home & Garden at 11:32 PM - 9 answers

I always assumed being a foster parent was a good thing. Now I'm not so sure. I need some material that will help me get a grip on this issue. [more inside]
posted by windykites to Education at 6:28 PM - 14 answers

Just for fun, I'm trying to make some citrus confit. Difficulty: I have never made or tasted this before. I have a jar of salt, sugar, olive oil, citrus, salt, sugar, olive oil, citrus, salt, sugar, olive oil in a jar in the fridge right now. Except half my citrus ended up above the olive oil, which has solidified, and the other half are suspended in it. Opening the jar, it smells like pickles. So, AskMe, am I making confit or am I making poison?
posted by headspace to Food & Drink at 5:01 PM - 9 answers

We're moving to Detroit! I've never lived in Michigan or the Midwest before, though she has. What did you wish you knew before you moved to a snowy Rust Belt city? [more inside]
posted by skookumsaurus rex to Travel & Transportation at 1:59 PM - 24 answers

I'm about to start taking Anatomy & Physiology as a nursing school prereq. I knew going into it that this class would probably involve dissection(s). I just found out that we're dissecting a cat, though, and I'm freaking out about it. Please help me figure out how to cope with this! [more inside]
posted by mandanza to Science & Nature at 12:48 PM - 25 answers

I've been dating someone for almost 2 months now. This man can be absolutely wonderful until his anxiety kicks in. He's berated me when we have gotten into arguments, texts for hours, and then tries to turn it around and say I'm emotionally immature.... [more inside]
posted by irish01 to Human Relations at 11:05 AM - 33 answers

I want to launch a podcast and use as the podcast's theme, the Julie Gold song as sung by Bette Midler. How do I find and contact the proper people for permission. And if that's not successful, can I pay for the rights to use the song as an opening and closing theme in the podcast?
posted by CollectiveMind to Media & Arts at 9:52 AM - 8 answers

Can you help me figure out what shoes I saw? No photo available, but will do my best to describe. Lace-up terra cotta/light brick colored leather, low hi-top/ankle bootie-ish women's shoe with gum rubber soles. [more inside]
posted by stillmoving to Shopping at 8:40 AM - 9 answers

When visiting the doctor's office, what is etiquette around referring to the medical staff that we interact with? I know the amount of training and education that doctors and nurses complete and I want to respect their status. So, call an MD "Dr. So-and-so.” What about a nurse? Nurse Last-name? Nurse First-name? Just first name? [more inside]
posted by pithy comment to Human Relations at 8:20 AM - 12 answers

What are the coolest cats playing to soundtrack their lives and good times? [more inside]
posted by mymbleth to Media & Arts at 4:42 AM - 33 answers

I have type A influenza, most likely caught at work as others in the office had it before me. Had to take some unpaid time off as I haven't accrued enough sick leave as a new employee. Tentatively said I'd be back on Thursday and just looked at my schedule to see I've been scheduled for a strenuous task Thursday morning. I'm not sure if my feelings about this are justified. [more inside]
posted by LoonyLovegood to Work & Money at 2:02 AM - 7 answers

I'm writing a story where I'm contemplating that one of the characters is wearing a Gritty costume, but I'm not sure if that would violate some sort of Gritty IP law. The story is set in Philly; hence my desire to use the Gritter [more inside]
posted by angrycat to Writing & Language at 1:57 AM - 7 answers

I made chicken stock in my instant pot and forgot about it until the next morning. Do we think it’s safe to eat? [more inside]
posted by sixswitch to Food & Drink at 7:18 PM - 18 answers

Mr. Mysticle and I have just begun mentoring a 12 year old boy. He likes math. (He also likes cooking, baking, and basketball.) For our first hangout, we all had fun building bridges with marshmallows and toothpicks and then testing how much they could hold without buckling. What are some other activities/projects that would be fun, new, and exciting? [more inside]
posted by Mystical Listicle to Human Relations at 1:41 PM - 12 answers

As a project manager, I frequently have to deliver news of things being late. Understandably people get upset. I've been upset in similar scenarios. What are some good ways to handle these situations? "life pro tips" if you will, for both being sympathetic and not taking things personally?
posted by aeighty to Human Relations at 11:11 AM - 11 answers

The vacant apartment underneath me had a dying smoke detector for months that made my life hell that has since stopped beeping, but now there is a new problem: they have their heat off, and the pipes have frozen as a result. [more inside]
posted by sockermom to Home & Garden at 8:22 AM - 17 answers

If you wanted to do a bathroom renovation how would you pay for it? [more inside]
posted by JenThePro to Work & Money at 7:40 AM - 7 answers

I would like to read some fantasy novels (ideally aimed at adults) that feature unicorns or dragons as characters, rather than cool-but-not-sapient horses/lizards. Protagonists, antagonists, or support characters are all good, so long as they're prominently featured. Other snowflake details below. [more inside]
posted by darchildre to Media & Arts at 5:30 PM - 28 answers

We're traveling in a few weeks. Can we bring anything that would be helpful to TSA staff? [more inside]
posted by pdb to Travel & Transportation at 10:45 AM - 8 answers

Trying to remember in which MST3K episode a certain scene occurred... [more inside]
posted by kuanes to Media & Arts at 8:07 AM - 9 answers

I'm recovering from a stomach bug and have been craving pickles like whoa. I've eaten two small meals today; both left me feeling nauseous, until I gave into my pickle craving. Is there any possible way that pickles could be helping with my nausea? [more inside]
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack to Health & Fitness at 7:27 PM - 12 answers

A friend's Blogger/Blogspot blog is indexed incompletely by Google (i.e. many live posts don't show up in searches). I'm trying to help debug via Google Search Console, but it's comically confusing. Help! [more inside]
posted by Quisp Lover to Computers & Internet at 2:04 PM - 7 answers

I took azithromyxin almost 24 hours ago and I'm still completely exhausted. I'm working on getting a different antibiotic, but what can I do to feel better now? The half life is 68 hours. I've tried food, water, probiotics. Dr and pharmacist were no help. I had to cancel everything today. Does anything help counteract?
posted by mermaidcafe to Health & Fitness at 1:24 PM - 14 answers

We’re going to Big Sur for the holiday weekend. We’ve been following the updates on Hwy 1 and our route is still accessible, hooray. But a lot of the trails we were interested in (Tanbark specifically) are closed. Where should we go that’s still open? [more inside]
posted by stoneandstar to Health & Fitness at 10:41 AM - 6 answers

I'm in search of the perfect undershirt for my husband. He hates undershirts. Details within. [more inside]
posted by DoubleLune to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion at 7:37 AM - 12 answers

StupidFilter: I sent my laptop off to the recycler with ALL my information still on it. I also have everything uploaded to the cloud (I think). Is there any way for me to keep my cloud information but wipe my computer from afar? [more inside]
posted by rue72 to Technology at 6:27 AM - 8 answers

I can’t use the internet in moderation, but it is functionally impossible to cut myself off entirely. Is there anything I can do to improve my situation here? I’m very open to tech solutions, if they aren’t easily defeated. [more inside]
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk to Computers & Internet at 3:24 AM - 28 answers

I'm looking for cook-the whole meal-all-at-once instant pot recipes. Difficulty level: not stews/soups/casseroles. Either pasta dishes, rice dishes (but not risotto), or meat with side that can all be cooked at once and all in the instant pot. [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... to Food & Drink at 8:04 PM - 8 answers

Lately I've been listening to Methyl Ethel and Kurt Vile a ton. Too much. Although they're not identical in style at all, there's something about both singers that's caught me. Any recommendations for other male singers with similarly lazy yet catchy tunes?
posted by MCMLXXXIV to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation at 6:22 PM - 13 answers

I'm trying to integrate a 10 month old male kitten with my existing two cats (9 year old female and 8 year old male) and it is not going as well as I had hoped. The kitten, Sammy, seems totally cool with everyone and everything. Merlin, my 8 year old male cat, hisses at him and hides under the bed. I think if I just let them alone they would learn to co-exist. Pixie, on the other hand, is being a little diva. More info inside. [more inside]
posted by MaryVictoria to Pets & Animals at 6:13 PM - 7 answers

I have a reading challenge for 2019, with a lot of amazing titles and a renewed interest in visiting my local library. I'm close to finishing my third book of the year, but I keep finding myself wishing that I retained more than just nebulous good/bad feelings and a few memorable lines. How do I become the type of person who can formulate long, thorough reviews? What prompts/nudges can I build into my reading to help me remember more of a book's contents? [more inside]
posted by erratic meatsack to Education at 5:12 PM - 13 answers

In my inner circle is a 28-year-old Taiwanese-American man who will graduate with a B.A. from UCLA this Spring 2019 in psychology with a number of business courses. This person is both bilingual (completely fluent in Mandarin and English, also proficient in Cantonese) and bicultural (has lived in the US and in Taiwan, and has traveled extensively in Asia). He would like to start job hunting now for a position in the Bay Area for after college. [more inside]
posted by ClaudiaCenter to Work & Money at 3:44 PM - 6 answers

Is a router with guest network capability the best way to give separate wifi networks to two roommates, each with their own individual devices who do not want to step on each other's toes? Or is there a better option? Is there a particular router that excels at this? [more inside]
posted by acidic to Technology at 2:05 PM - 12 answers

I joined a gym recently (and I'm struggling to get myself to go) after being completely sedentary for years and years. I promised myself I would buy some workout clothes if I hit a certain number of visits. I've been wearing regular fairly heavy cotton leggings and an oversized stretched-out cotton t shirt, but I keep hearing I should be wearing "performance" fabrics. I have 2 concerns: I don't want to pay much money, and I don't want tight or overly fitted tops. I am an older lady on the cusp of plus size with a lumpy, bumpy body, and I want a top that will cover my crotch and my butt and will barely skim rather than cling to my body. I guess I'm looking for full-length leggings, capri leggings for warmer weather, and short-sleeve tops. I don't want a lot of jazzy designs, cut-outs, mesh inserts, etc. I'd prefer plain dark colors. [more inside]
posted by primate moon to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation at 1:45 PM - 21 answers

Around 20 or 25 years ago, an unusual cigarette ad published in various magazines kind of went viral, in that it created a lot of buzz about what was going on in the picture. [more inside]
posted by beagle to Media & Arts at 12:28 PM - 9 answers

I am trying to recall the name of a forgotten/recently rediscovered female singer. She was American 1920s-50s recorded very few songs which were released on vinyl that is now exceedingly rare. Genre may have been blues/jazz and she may have played the piano. I seem to remember she had a brother who might have been more well known.. [more inside]
posted by mani to Society & Culture at 12:09 PM - 3 answers

How worried should I be about vermiculite in the attic of my 1920s rental house along with an older gas heater? [more inside]
posted by beware the frog person to Home & Garden at 11:51 AM - 3 answers