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I recently got written up last week at work saying if I make one more mistake of a certain kind (wrong item), I will be let go. I have been looking for a new job for a long time, and just received an offer today, for a 16% salary increase, and seems like a much better company, but the just does not start until beginning of February. [more inside]
posted by anon1129 to Work & Money at 2:48 PM - 20 answers

I found a mysterious clip thing, and can’t figure out what it’s for. Pics [more inside]
posted by curagea to Grab Bag at 12:30 PM - 4 answers

I need to figure out how to eat primarily whole, fresh, minimally processed, plant-dominant meals without either throwing away so much produce or going to the grocery store every day. Difficulty level: I cook for one, and currently have no access to garden plots or CSA shares. [more inside]
posted by CancerSucks to Food & Drink at 11:30 PM - 31 answers

I have been at my job as a customer service rep for a while now. Since I have been here (less than 2 years) there has been about 65% turnover, with 6+ being fired, and 6+ quitting (only 9 CSRs currently), several who started and were fired or quit since I started there. I was just made to sign some papers the other day saying that if I have one more order entry error, I am being let go. [more inside]
posted by anon1129 to Work & Money at 1:53 PM - 41 answers

Soon after doing a big Windows 11 update, Chrome started the fantastically irritating habit of pushing very unasked-for news notifications in vertical rectangles on the bottom-right corner of my browser window. This must stop. [more inside]
posted by Lemkin to Computers & Internet at 10:21 AM - 5 answers

What can I do to sell my house? It has been on the market for 45 days, the price is really competitive and was lowered from 305 to 250. Nothing. There was one open house. Nothing. [more inside]
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes to Work & Money at 4:09 AM - 62 answers

Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 Professional in 10/2025. Neither of my machines has hardware compatible with Windows 11. One is an older Dell Optiplex ready for replacement; the other is an HP ProBook laptop that runs just fine. But since I am looking at a significant overhaul of my digital setup involving a new tower computer and replacement of the operating system on the laptop, maybe it is time to get away from Microsoft and Windows? [more inside]
posted by cool breeze to Computers & Internet at 2:43 PM - 22 answers

I'm looking for an internet-connected warning light that I can turn on or off via an app or website. [more inside]
posted by snarfois to Technology at 2:42 PM - 5 answers

I blogged, approximately one million years ago, via Blogspot. There are about 500 total posts and most of it still seems to be there. Is there an easy or automatic way to print it all out? Or to compile it into a digital doc? Basically, I'd love to save it in some fashion but not so much that I want to spend a ton of time or energy on it. I am, however, willing to pay money.
posted by BlahLaLa to Computers & Internet at 1:25 PM - 16 answers

Does using the Google PhotoScan app supply your photos to facial recognition surveillance companies and databases? [more inside]
posted by ojocaliente to Technology at 9:15 AM - 6 answers

Sometimes at construction sites you'll see extension cords laid across a sidewalk, perpendicular to the sidewalk, with a little cover-type thing over them that's meant to prevent a tripping hazard. Do these have an actual name, or are they just called "extension cord cover thingies"?
posted by scratch to Grab Bag at 11:18 AM - 6 answers

We have inherited from our son a cat with arthritis/pain issues. We also inherited a little bottle of CBD oil he was using. It works really well, but we can't find anywhere to buy it again. [more inside]
posted by feelinggood to Pets & Animals at 11:06 AM - 4 answers

On my Yamaha MOXF8, I can select one of their 7000+ patterns ("arpeggios"), then specify a chord, then the keyboard plays a pattern in that chord/key automatically. I do not have the kind of encyclopedic pop music knowledge that all existing help seems to assume. To succeed, I need: 1) exact button press sequences an expert would use to have fun this way (I can do it in a basic way), and 2) how to choose awesome arpeggios from the 7000+ provided by Yamaha. I seek examples: video, articles, whatever. (I don't need chord progressions or cadences) [more inside]
posted by amtho to Grab Bag at 9:34 AM - 11 answers

Due to recent events, my wife and I have decided to stop using Amazon. For many years I have been in the habit of buying things for the house, etc. from Amazon on a regular basis. We live in a small community where local shopping options are quite limited. Major shopping meccas are an hour away. What do you recommend to replace Amazon, especially for home goods and such?
posted by Rivvo to Shopping at 9:12 AM - 22 answers

My son and I both have Subaru Imprezas. His is a 2019 sedan, currently in an airport parking lot in Cedar Rapids, IA. Mine is a 2024 hatchback, currently in Baltimore in my building garage, which is covered but open to the outside air. Both of these have gas cap doors that will not open. He is almost out of gas. I have half a tank, but I need to drive 120 miles tomorrow. Any advice? I am willing to buy special tools if I can get them locally.
posted by ubiquity to Technology at 8:42 AM - 12 answers

And how could the name distinguish its extraterrestrial origin?
posted by Lemkin to Science & Nature at 7:25 AM - 7 answers

A long question ahead, so thanks in advance for reading. In short, I’m looking for advice on patterns of behaviour, and either accepting them, or (maybe?) changing them. I struggle a lot with swinging between high and low energy days, and find myself often cancelling plans and retreating to bed. I’m trying to get to a place where I can get better at either accepting these patterns, or figuring out what’s problematic and what’s not. Have you been in this situation? Can you accept yourself and your body – and how? CW: discussion of body weight and image. [more inside]
posted by sedimentary_deer to Health & Fitness at 6:12 AM - 11 answers

My starter only doubles when I feed it with rye flour, but does not double with wheat flour. I plan to bake with 75% KA bread flour, 25% whole wheat. Do I need to get the starter to be just as active with wheat flour before I use it becauae it doesn't seem to be fully active with wheat at this point? Feeding details inside. [more inside]
posted by dabadoo to Food & Drink at 5:00 AM - 4 answers

I have a 1TB external hard drive and I would like to transfer its entire contents to my NAS. What’s the best way to do this? I realize I could just drag the contents over through Windows Explorer but wanted to check if there was a better way.
posted by NoneOfTheAbove to Computers & Internet at 2:34 AM - 14 answers

Looking for recommendations for my dad. [more inside]
posted by cotton dress sock to Health & Fitness at 1:46 AM - 1 answers

How long can you test positive on a home antigen covid test (aka rapid test)? A nurse told me that people can still test positive on home antigen tests for three months (and it not be a new infection, and not be contagious) - that’s certainly true of PCR tests, but I had not heard that about home antigen tests before. Could you direct me to factual medical citations or tell me your relevant direct personal experience if you continued testing positive on home antigen tests for two weeks or more (with it clearly being the same covid infection, not testing positive again a few weeks later after symptoms had gone away and while not testing in the mean time, where that is more likely to have been a new infection)? [more inside]
posted by eviemath to Health & Fitness at 6:57 PM - 13 answers

I have done something. My laptop, a basic Dell, now thinks I`m French. How do I fix this is my question. I cannot write a question mark.... just whatever this is É [more inside]
posted by walkinginsunshine to Technology at 4:21 PM - 2 answers

My partner has a clicking or squeeking sound in his ears. Have you experienced this too? Details below. [more inside]
posted by Garm to Health & Fitness at 3:41 PM - 11 answers

My entryway has stupid sliding doors that get off track all the time. Maintenance shrugs and says it's fine. (It is not fine.) I think the problem has something to do with this, but I a: have no idea what it is called and b: no idea of how to fix it. Help, please? Thank you!
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet to Home & Garden at 12:56 PM - 5 answers

I do HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) and want to record some of my longsword matches both for personal critique and (maybe) putting on social media. I just wanted to see if anyone had anything other than GoPro to recommend? Recording will mostly just be on a tripod and indoors so wanted it see if I could get something a bit cheaper that doesn't have all the bells and whistles that a GoPro does but also isn't just using my phone. Thanks!
posted by Captain_Science to Technology at 11:21 AM - 5 answers

A human, out in space, encounters an alien engineer. These aliens have no means of birth control and don’t menstruate, so they regularly pump out litters comprising four archetypes: scientists, scholars, engineers, and soldiers. They must reproduce/give birth in order to continue living. They may reproduce asexually. The aliens must live within tight resource constraints (limited food, space, fuel). Since their frequent (monthly?) reproduction reliably generates possible successors, they feel no compunction pushing unneeded offspring out the airlock. They are surprised at the possibility of birth control and how that affects human choices.
posted by Jesse the K to Media & Arts at 8:08 AM - 10 answers

I'm in the DC suburbs 48 hours after getting 8 inches of snow. My house is on a cul-de-sac about midway up a steep, 1 mile hill. Said hill is a sheet of ice for all practical purposes, and unascendable without a very powerful 4WD. I want to call to bitch at my county department of public works about my hill, but I'm curious if there 's anything I can request/demand/expect other than the putting down of salt. Thanks!
posted by BadgerDoctor to Science & Nature at 7:53 AM - 12 answers

For the past year or so, I've been trying to keep a journal for capturing memories and working through feelings and thoughts for mental health. I'm expecting to be journaling a lot more intensely soon while trying a new therapy, and my journal is... clonky. It's just a LibreOffice file where I copy and write over my prompts every time I want to do a new entry. I'd like to improve on this! [more inside]
posted by space snail to Computers & Internet at 5:41 AM - 14 answers

Went to a new dentist today for some terrible tooth pain. Thanks to the way they took basic x rays, I’m in triple the pain and had my day ruined. I sent them requested feedback and wonder if there’s more I can or should do re talking to them / reporting. It’s equally possible I just need some words of support. YANMD. [more inside]
posted by mermaidcafe to Health & Fitness at 6:40 PM - 18 answers

Can you identify this symbol on this ring? The ring itself is intriguingly small.
posted by Iteki to Grab Bag at 3:40 PM - 10 answers

Iron Brew was originally made in Jamaica and then in the US by Maas & Waldstein. It is now the national soft drink of Scotland, with the name changed to Irn Bru. I'd like to purchase a print (or have it printed for me) a copy of an original American advertisement for the product to tweak the noses of my friends in Scotland here. Does anyone know where I could find it or where I could find an image that I could send to a shop to get a high quality print of? [more inside]
posted by Hactar to Media & Arts at 2:47 PM - 4 answers

I have paused my Audible account for Amazon reasons and want to spend my FIVE Audible credits before canceling. Difficulty level: non-fiction and non-depressing. [more inside]
posted by M. to Society & Culture at 12:11 PM - 15 answers

Friend's family member is about to die. I was told in confidence by their partner. What is appropriate behavior when the inevitable happens? [more inside]
posted by greta simone to Human Relations at 11:14 AM - 10 answers

Like many millennials, I'm generally not a big fan of AI, so I'm not sure if my bias is showing or if this is actually as crappy as it feels to me. [more inside]
posted by anotheraccount to Human Relations at 9:36 AM - 31 answers

USPolitics: Who is working effectively on lobbying persuadable (R) and wavering (D) senators to block RFK’s appointment to heading HHS? How can individual voters help? Background as of 4 Jan, 6 Jan
posted by lalochezia to Law & Government at 8:54 AM - 2 answers

I am saving a document from Word as a PDF. Two small sections of the document change text when I do so. The word "invoice" changes to "ĒǴĤĞĒȄĖ" and the phrase "Bill to" changes to "ŦZææAdç". I just pasted those in from the PDF, so those are the actual new letters in the PDF. The two phrases are in different fonts and different styles in the original word document. Both fonts and styles are used elsewhere in the document and convert fine. WTF? How do I fix this. [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... to Computers & Internet at 10:40 PM - 17 answers

I recently had my bathroom faucet switched from two knobs to one center handle. It seems to work OK, but it’s different from what I’m used to seeing. When the handle is at 6 o’clock, it’s off. At 5 it’s cold, at 3 it’s warm, and at 1 it is hot. At 12 o’clock it is off again, but if I keep going to 11 it’s comes back with pure hot water. Not sure why it would do that, or what it’s for. Does anyone else have something like this?
posted by bashos_frog to Home & Garden at 9:45 PM - 7 answers

Back in 2018 I bought a Fujifilm x-pro1 camera with a 23mm lens from a friend. It works great, but I got busy with other life stuff and really never used the camera like I wanted to. Recently, I pulled it off the shelf and decided I wanted to try a smaller profile lens to make it a little more portable. But this new lens — a TTArtisan 27mm F2.8 — won’t focus in either auto or manual focus mode. [more inside]
posted by misskaz to Media & Arts at 2:59 PM - 6 answers

I experienced a mental health crisis due to overworking and my own messed up priorities at my previous high-powered job. I left the workforce and took time to recuperate. I recently started looking for work again and now have a full-time job offer at a new company. What can I do to increase my chances of not burning out at this new job? [more inside]
posted by dede to Work & Money at 11:54 AM - 11 answers

I'm planning a Peru trip where I'll be doing the 4-day Inca Trail trek. I'll have a few days in Cusco beforehand to acclimate, and I'll have 2-4 days afterwards, and I'm particularly looking at birdwatching opportunities. I'll be going in the first week of April. [more inside]
posted by umber vowel to Travel & Transportation at 8:17 AM - 1 answers