Most Favorited Questions in the Past 24 Hours (7 days, 30 days, 12 months, all time)
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Variants and the vaccinated
Can you point me to some actual evidence-based recent thinking about the risk of getting sick from a Covid variant after being fully vaccinated? [more inside]
Who designs the funky fountains at malls?
Who designs those jazzy fountains/water features at parks, malls, airports, etc? [more inside]
How to explain that you know how to do something but can't explain it?
This could be any skill and not just my immediate example. I had a job interview and the data analysis person asked me about my data cleaning and merging several sources together for analysis techniques. I had no clear answer. Literally, my technique is to look at the data and their sources and go to work based on what needs to be done. I like to think that I'm good at it. [more inside]
Growing up with depressed parents.
Resource request. [more inside]
Wet cat food efficiency.
I wish to regularly provide my two cats with 'wet' cat food on a regular basis without the waste of endless tiny cans. Is this probable in an efficient and affordable manner?
To marry, or not?
People of MeFi who've remained un-married: how has it worked out for you; what have been some of your greatest challenges/rewards; and what advice would you have to give someone who might be headed down a similar route? [more inside]
Family movie night
Can you recommend movies that will delight both me and my daughters (seven year old and nine year old)? No Disney/Pixar or Myazaki please, we've seen most of them. [more inside]
Feed my family: quick and easy meals
I need to get dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less. What are your favorite/go-to quick and easy recipes? One-pot wonders, favorites, meal hacks all welcome. Bonus points for quick, easy meals that also make leftovers (6+ servings). [more inside]
Russian Dance
A friend shared this video with just a comment about the sleeve length, but I'm transfixed by it. It looks full of symbolism and I'd love to know more, is it traditional? modern? what does it mean? Is it Russian? Can anyone help?
Fighting Misinformation One Meme At a Time
Some members of my extended family keep posting anti-COVID vaccination shit on their Facebook pages. What are some good pro-COVID vaccination memes, articles, arguments etc., that I could post on my own page that might help them reconsider, or at least make me feel like I tried to help them see the light? The material I am looking for needs to be accessible for people with a high school education or (functionally speaking) less, so technical articles from medical journals won't work for my purposes.
Why is a friendship breakup worse than a slow-fade?
I've seen many MeFi comments criticizing an explicit friendship breakup. They say it's better to slow-fade. I agree with that approach for acquaintances and distant friends. However, for closer friends, I've found it confusing to be on the receiving end of a slow-fade. It takes months to figure out whether the friend is genuinely busy or is slow-fading. It feels drawn-out and painful. In other arenas of life (dating, work), we value clear communication and closure. Why not for friendship? [more inside]
I cannot get the words out of my head and into my mouth...
I have a problem that I'm getting really sick of. My mind is always teeming with thoughts and I have a constant internal monologue, but I have a lot of trouble *speaking* them. How can I begin to explore what this is all about and possibly improve? Do you experience this? [more inside]
Cooking 101: Is there a "spices and seasonings starter pack" I can buy?
Watching too much America's Test Kitchen and SortedFood (and Mythical Kitchen) during lockdown made me realize I don't have many spices in my pantry, just your basic salt, pepper, and a few other odds and ends.
So, is there a "starter set" that one should get? That comes with, say 10-20 of the most frequently used ones? [more inside]
Free or inexpensive very basic PDF editor that is NOT open source
Recommendations for a PDF editing program that can merge PDFs, delete individual pages, and rearrange page order? Doesn't need to be able to edit text and might even be better if it can't. NOT OPEN SOURCE and not web-based. [more inside]
What delicious things should I plant? (Absolute beginner edition)
I, an utter novice gardener and notorious possessor of two black thumbs, would like to (slowly, carefully) ease into the world of edible gardening. I have a newly installed raised bed of approximately 8 ft x 2.5ft that gets full sun in Seattle. I have an endless appetite for vegetables and herbs. I also have zero knowledge and skills. What (and how much) should I plant?? [more inside]
True stories of emotionally supportive men
Do you, a heterosexual woman, receive verbal emotional support from your partner? Can you provide a typical example with specifics (preferably including what was said)? I'm not looking for that one heroic time they really came through but more what you've come to expect day to day. The point of this question is to better understand the range of possibility in real life.
Googling "cult movies" does not help
I really loved "Midsommar" and am now really enjoying a horror novel about a fictional religious cult. Are there other movies/shows/books about "creepy stuff that happens in cults"? (It has to be fiction though. I don't want to watch anything about real people getting hurt.) Thanks!
On rest, productivity, spontaneity, and balance; how to schedule time?
Hello. I am curious to know how fellow humans balance their time. Do you purposefully plan rest days? Do you work your butt off and only rest when you burn out? Do you set aside a chunk of time each day to relax, or every week? Month? How do you turn off the “productive” / hustle mindset when there’s always something to be done? [more inside]
Who's the worst musician to become famous as a musician?
This is a silly question that I keep thinking about when I've got nothing else on my mind. Who is the worst musician to become reasonably famous or successful as a musician? Some examples and caveats inside. [more inside]
Sand in the backyard - what could go wrong.
We recently adopted a greyhound. He's wonderful. He likes to run, unsurprisingly. He is tearing up our back lawn, which was already in crappy shape for various reasons. Is sand and pine straw a workable solution? [more inside]