2097 Ask MetaFilter answers by mathowie (displaying 1 through 50)
I'm 50ish business type person in tech and education. Had a conversation with a person similar demographics to me but in medicine. Conversation could be summed up as "I hate Slack, but everyone wants me to use it".
comment posted at 12:32 PM on Jan-21-22
I'm thinking about asking for a shorter work week, probably four days instead of five. I feel like I'm in a pretty good position to make the ask but I want to make sure that this is what I really want and that it would be worth it. I've read articles and books about a four-day work week/shorter work days, but now I want anecdata: what was it like when you scaled back your work week? Who does this kind of arrangement work well for, and who crashes and burns? Also, if you asked for this change, how did that work?
comment posted at 2:10 PM on Aug-4-21
I get a lot of critters roaming around in the night. Coyotes, foxes, possums, probably an occasional Bigfoot, that sort of thing. I would like to automatically capture quality nighttime video and photos of these critters. I would like to do this with a minimum of fuss. What't the best way?
comment posted at 11:40 AM on Jun-8-21
We've started using Slack at work and sometimes co-workers upload a lot of images, which I need to download. There doesn't seem to be a way to download all the images at once, so I have to laboriously download them one at a time. Is there a way to download multiples files at once in Slack?
comment posted at 9:30 AM on Aug-17-20
What practices/habits can I recommend to my office to build culture in a WFH situation?
comment posted at 2:43 PM on Jul-29-20
comment posted at 2:52 PM on Jul-29-20
In Slack, someone tagged a comment with emojis in a witty way. I want to say, "ooh, nice emoji game," in emoji. How can I do that?
comment posted at 3:01 PM on Sep-3-19
While visiting Kansas City, Google maps suggested I visit the spot where the Santa Fe and Oregon trails meet. The only problem? It’s on the Fort Leavenworth military base. How would a civilian check it out? I can’t find any info about how to visit it online.
comment posted at 1:29 PM on Jun-9-19
Is there an app for iPhone that will measure multiple both walking and cycling activity with minimal effort from me?
comment posted at 1:27 PM on Jun-9-19
I've started getting a few invites to Slack channels, based around professional interests, but not necessarily company specific. I can definitely see the upsides here. But, the etiquette is unknown to me, and particularly, I was wondering: Is it okay to join channels and just be quiet a lot, or should I be upping my communication game a bit here, and taking advantage of what Slack-based interaction could offer?
comment posted at 10:31 AM on May-22-19
I help organize an activist group that uses Slack. Many of our members are not particularly tech proficient and struggle to understand how to use it. I'm looking for basic Slack tutorials that will help people get started and don't assume the user already has a fair amount of knowledge or tech savvy.
comment posted at 10:37 AM on May-22-19
Put like that it sounds obvious but I want to make sure I'm not being too pessimistic.
comment posted at 9:43 AM on Jun-29-18
I've seen a number of episodes of House Hunters Renovation, and you'll frequently see a couple say their budget is "$500k total" and they'll buy a $425k house and have $75k "left over" for renovation work. What's the structure of home loans that would make this kind of deal work for the average home buyer? I've never heard of a bank giving out loans that included a big buffer over the appraisal/asking price to cover renovations, so how do people do it?
comment posted at 5:48 PM on Apr-22-18
How can I use Chrome or Firefox's advanced about:config settings to tweak how many pixels/lines are shown for each time you do a full-screen scroll with the spacebar? I'd love to shorten the scroll by about 5% of the window height, but tried everything and can't seem to get it to work (or are there extensions to do this?)
comment posted at 11:46 AM on Nov-14-17
I do a lot of public speaking for work. I usually make a page like this one with downloadable slides in various formats; I'd love to be able to embed my actual talk. I use Keynote to make/present my talks, but its PDF export is suboptimal and I can't upload those talks to Slideshare. Slideshare's PDF and Powerpoint options are no good. Is there somewhere else I can upload a Keynote presentation so that someone can click through it while reading the presenter notes, Slideshare style?
comment posted at 1:07 PM on Nov-12-17
comment posted at 12:28 PM on Nov-13-17
I'm curious how much the temperature of hot water (say, 37ºC) drops as it falls through the air, like in a shower. I don't know enough physics or fluid dynamics to even know where to start googling the problem, but if you had a shower 2m off the ground, and assumed ideal large drops, how much would the water temp drop after falling say, a meter in height?
comment posted at 1:44 PM on Nov-7-17
comment posted at 2:10 PM on Nov-7-17
comment posted at 3:33 PM on Nov-7-17
What fun souvenir can we make with old carpet?
comment posted at 1:49 PM on Apr-24-17
My mother-in-law's garage door opener abruptly stopped responding to the remote control a few weeks ago. But it appears it didn't stop responding entirely—it'll still open/close if you press the button...from about one foot away from the receiver. We installed a new unit, no joy. What gives? What are our options?
comment posted at 4:02 PM on Mar-10-17
I'm working on a podcast where I interview interviewers. For journalists and whatnot. What should I name it?
comment posted at 2:04 PM on Feb-1-17
comment posted at 4:04 PM on Feb-1-17
What gear do I need to achieve this specific guitar tone from Bettie Serveert's "Kid's Allright"? I'm looking to replicate the sound the guitar makes from about 2:29 to 2:42. I really like that heavy, machine-like grinding distortion. I assume there's some kind of effects unit that's key to getting this sound. Any suggestions as to what that might be?
comment posted at 6:19 PM on Jun-21-16
I enjoy spending time in temporarily deserted places that usually bustle during daylight hours. Examples include San Francisco during Burning Man weekend, Penn Station at 2pm on Christmas day, almost everywhere in the US on Easter Sunday, the Financial District in Boston on Saturdays and Sundays, many major European cities during August. Where should I go, and when?
comment posted at 10:57 AM on May-18-16
How can I make beautiful Powerpoint slides like those in this example presentation, titled "Steal this Presentation"? I can't download the presentation as a powerpoint file, only as a pdf. I have no graphic design skills, so I was hoping to find a template or powerpoint file somewhere, so I can just borrow the fonts, layouts, etc. Thank you for any help or example presentations you can link me to!
comment posted at 1:45 PM on Aug-27-15
I'm a big fan of Kitchen Confidential and other "insider", confessional-type memoirs. After just finishing the rather disappointing Heads In Beds, I need recommendations for some really juicy tell-all memoirs about working in the service industry or pretty much anything interesting.
comment posted at 8:41 AM on May-2-15
My family be traveling to southern California for a wedding this summer. I'm open to staying anywhere from LA to San Diego, but am stumped as to where to stay. Help us have a relaxing time!
comment posted at 2:13 PM on Mar-25-15
I want to sell my electric bike. Where should I sell it and how do I protect myself?
comment posted at 6:07 PM on Mar-6-15
I am about to publish an e-book of poetry that includes sensual and sexual imagery. This is a part if Amazon Kindle content guidelines "Pornography We don't accept pornography or offensive depictions of graphic sexual acts. Offensive Content What we deem offensive is probably about what you would expect."
comment posted at 3:48 PM on Mar-6-15
Fastest way to get a U.S. passport renewed for a child under 18?
comment posted at 12:20 PM on Mar-1-15
People on AskMe often ask how to develop their social skills. I have an even more remedial question: why I should bother to develop my social skills? (Or: how can I do so without resenting every moment of it?)
comment posted at 9:36 AM on Feb-19-15
I'm doing some presentations for parents of kids K-12 grades about the nebulous topic of internet safety and could use some advice/stories/resources from real-world parents to help me make sure this is relevant and useful.
comment posted at 10:52 PM on Feb-16-15
Can you identify from screenshots the car that the Mythbusters used in their recent drifting episode?
comment posted at 3:05 PM on Feb-16-15
Are Quora questions all written/edited to follow a stringent style?
comment posted at 2:17 PM on Feb-12-15
I run a menswear website, and we have two paid subscription offerings: a newsletter (delivered on our site and via email) and a physical subscription service (pocket squares, every other month). Our provider, Memberly, is shutting down in a couple months. What's the best alternative?
comment posted at 8:38 PM on Feb-9-15
Vimeo is now removing any uploaded videos that contain any copyrighted music. Are there any services that have similar features to Vimeo, but don't do this?
comment posted at 3:58 PM on Feb-9-15
comment posted at 3:59 PM on Feb-9-15
I have an online shop that sells vintage items. I also have a book of paintings by my favorite contemporary artist. If I use a page from her book as a background for photographing something, does that violate her copyright? More inside.
comment posted at 12:37 PM on Feb-5-15
What's something you did (or are doing) as a parent that's different from "the way everybody does it" that worked really well for you?
comment posted at 9:02 AM on Feb-5-15
If you had a concept for a truly useful app, but not the technical skills to create it yourself, what would you do next?
comment posted at 8:06 PM on Feb-2-15
Can you recommend a female marriage counselor in Durham, NC? Or, failing that, any good female therapist who can help me make sense of my marriage?
comment posted at 7:09 PM on Feb-2-15
My wife isn't vaccinated and she believes that vaccinations are harmful.
comment posted at 4:23 PM on Feb-2-15
comment posted at 6:02 PM on Feb-2-15
Dear AskMeFi, If I were to become a licensed psychotherapist (MFT, LMHC, LPCC; not a PsyD clinical psychologist), would it be within my legal scope of practice to help my patients using holistic traditional Eastern Asian therapies such as meditation, bodywork and body therapies, medicinal herbs, lifestyle guidance, etc? How about if I were to get a second credential or license? Rather... how *could* I make it legal, if there is a way to do so? Practice different modalities on different days? Lots of waivers?
comment posted at 4:51 PM on Feb-1-15
I've started listening to podcasts on my daily one-hour-each-way commute. I'm enjoying StoryCorps, This American Life, and Pop Culture Happy Hour so far. What other podcasts might I enjoy? Bonus points for content relating to books/authors(But NOT podcasts of authors reading their work--I can listen to audiobooks for that!)--but I'm open to other topics. I'm not really into advice-type programs or comedy--funny is fine, but not comedy as the main draw. Thanks in advance--I know you'll steer me towards some great stuff!
comment posted at 9:24 PM on Jan-30-15
I'm asking this on behalf of my wife. We moved to the Bay Area (East Bay) a few months ago because I got a job here in the tech industry. Given our costs, it's not really enough to support both of us on, but my wife is having trouble finding employment.
comment posted at 9:16 PM on Jan-26-15
I'm shopping for a used car right now (current one has 100k miles on it and is breaking down regularly) and I stumbled onto older (2011-2012, but not very old) Nissan Leafs going for only about $11k used. They cost at least double that new, so why are they so cheap now? Are there recalls or wear or drawbacks? Shouldn't electric cars last for a long time and be reliable?
comment posted at 11:38 AM on Jan-23-15
comment posted at 11:52 AM on Jan-23-15
Why don't drivers at least in California don't use their turn signals?
comment posted at 10:21 AM on Jan-23-15
comment posted at 12:32 PM on Jan-21-22
I'm thinking about asking for a shorter work week, probably four days instead of five. I feel like I'm in a pretty good position to make the ask but I want to make sure that this is what I really want and that it would be worth it. I've read articles and books about a four-day work week/shorter work days, but now I want anecdata: what was it like when you scaled back your work week? Who does this kind of arrangement work well for, and who crashes and burns? Also, if you asked for this change, how did that work?
comment posted at 2:10 PM on Aug-4-21
I get a lot of critters roaming around in the night. Coyotes, foxes, possums, probably an occasional Bigfoot, that sort of thing. I would like to automatically capture quality nighttime video and photos of these critters. I would like to do this with a minimum of fuss. What't the best way?
comment posted at 11:40 AM on Jun-8-21
We've started using Slack at work and sometimes co-workers upload a lot of images, which I need to download. There doesn't seem to be a way to download all the images at once, so I have to laboriously download them one at a time. Is there a way to download multiples files at once in Slack?
comment posted at 9:30 AM on Aug-17-20
What practices/habits can I recommend to my office to build culture in a WFH situation?
comment posted at 2:43 PM on Jul-29-20
comment posted at 2:52 PM on Jul-29-20
In Slack, someone tagged a comment with emojis in a witty way. I want to say, "ooh, nice emoji game," in emoji. How can I do that?
comment posted at 3:01 PM on Sep-3-19
While visiting Kansas City, Google maps suggested I visit the spot where the Santa Fe and Oregon trails meet. The only problem? It’s on the Fort Leavenworth military base. How would a civilian check it out? I can’t find any info about how to visit it online.
comment posted at 1:29 PM on Jun-9-19
Is there an app for iPhone that will measure multiple both walking and cycling activity with minimal effort from me?
comment posted at 1:27 PM on Jun-9-19
I've started getting a few invites to Slack channels, based around professional interests, but not necessarily company specific. I can definitely see the upsides here. But, the etiquette is unknown to me, and particularly, I was wondering: Is it okay to join channels and just be quiet a lot, or should I be upping my communication game a bit here, and taking advantage of what Slack-based interaction could offer?
comment posted at 10:31 AM on May-22-19
I help organize an activist group that uses Slack. Many of our members are not particularly tech proficient and struggle to understand how to use it. I'm looking for basic Slack tutorials that will help people get started and don't assume the user already has a fair amount of knowledge or tech savvy.
comment posted at 10:37 AM on May-22-19
Put like that it sounds obvious but I want to make sure I'm not being too pessimistic.
comment posted at 9:43 AM on Jun-29-18
I've seen a number of episodes of House Hunters Renovation, and you'll frequently see a couple say their budget is "$500k total" and they'll buy a $425k house and have $75k "left over" for renovation work. What's the structure of home loans that would make this kind of deal work for the average home buyer? I've never heard of a bank giving out loans that included a big buffer over the appraisal/asking price to cover renovations, so how do people do it?
comment posted at 5:48 PM on Apr-22-18
How can I use Chrome or Firefox's advanced about:config settings to tweak how many pixels/lines are shown for each time you do a full-screen scroll with the spacebar? I'd love to shorten the scroll by about 5% of the window height, but tried everything and can't seem to get it to work (or are there extensions to do this?)
comment posted at 11:46 AM on Nov-14-17
I do a lot of public speaking for work. I usually make a page like this one with downloadable slides in various formats; I'd love to be able to embed my actual talk. I use Keynote to make/present my talks, but its PDF export is suboptimal and I can't upload those talks to Slideshare. Slideshare's PDF and Powerpoint options are no good. Is there somewhere else I can upload a Keynote presentation so that someone can click through it while reading the presenter notes, Slideshare style?
comment posted at 1:07 PM on Nov-12-17
comment posted at 12:28 PM on Nov-13-17
I'm curious how much the temperature of hot water (say, 37ºC) drops as it falls through the air, like in a shower. I don't know enough physics or fluid dynamics to even know where to start googling the problem, but if you had a shower 2m off the ground, and assumed ideal large drops, how much would the water temp drop after falling say, a meter in height?
comment posted at 1:44 PM on Nov-7-17
comment posted at 2:10 PM on Nov-7-17
comment posted at 3:33 PM on Nov-7-17
What fun souvenir can we make with old carpet?
comment posted at 1:49 PM on Apr-24-17
My mother-in-law's garage door opener abruptly stopped responding to the remote control a few weeks ago. But it appears it didn't stop responding entirely—it'll still open/close if you press the button...from about one foot away from the receiver. We installed a new unit, no joy. What gives? What are our options?
comment posted at 4:02 PM on Mar-10-17
I'm working on a podcast where I interview interviewers. For journalists and whatnot. What should I name it?
comment posted at 2:04 PM on Feb-1-17
comment posted at 4:04 PM on Feb-1-17
What gear do I need to achieve this specific guitar tone from Bettie Serveert's "Kid's Allright"? I'm looking to replicate the sound the guitar makes from about 2:29 to 2:42. I really like that heavy, machine-like grinding distortion. I assume there's some kind of effects unit that's key to getting this sound. Any suggestions as to what that might be?
comment posted at 6:19 PM on Jun-21-16
I enjoy spending time in temporarily deserted places that usually bustle during daylight hours. Examples include San Francisco during Burning Man weekend, Penn Station at 2pm on Christmas day, almost everywhere in the US on Easter Sunday, the Financial District in Boston on Saturdays and Sundays, many major European cities during August. Where should I go, and when?
comment posted at 10:57 AM on May-18-16
How can I make beautiful Powerpoint slides like those in this example presentation, titled "Steal this Presentation"? I can't download the presentation as a powerpoint file, only as a pdf. I have no graphic design skills, so I was hoping to find a template or powerpoint file somewhere, so I can just borrow the fonts, layouts, etc. Thank you for any help or example presentations you can link me to!
comment posted at 1:45 PM on Aug-27-15
I'm a big fan of Kitchen Confidential and other "insider", confessional-type memoirs. After just finishing the rather disappointing Heads In Beds, I need recommendations for some really juicy tell-all memoirs about working in the service industry or pretty much anything interesting.
comment posted at 8:41 AM on May-2-15
My family be traveling to southern California for a wedding this summer. I'm open to staying anywhere from LA to San Diego, but am stumped as to where to stay. Help us have a relaxing time!
comment posted at 2:13 PM on Mar-25-15
I want to sell my electric bike. Where should I sell it and how do I protect myself?
comment posted at 6:07 PM on Mar-6-15
I am about to publish an e-book of poetry that includes sensual and sexual imagery. This is a part if Amazon Kindle content guidelines "Pornography We don't accept pornography or offensive depictions of graphic sexual acts. Offensive Content What we deem offensive is probably about what you would expect."
comment posted at 3:48 PM on Mar-6-15
Fastest way to get a U.S. passport renewed for a child under 18?
comment posted at 12:20 PM on Mar-1-15
People on AskMe often ask how to develop their social skills. I have an even more remedial question: why I should bother to develop my social skills? (Or: how can I do so without resenting every moment of it?)
comment posted at 9:36 AM on Feb-19-15
I'm doing some presentations for parents of kids K-12 grades about the nebulous topic of internet safety and could use some advice/stories/resources from real-world parents to help me make sure this is relevant and useful.
comment posted at 10:52 PM on Feb-16-15
Can you identify from screenshots the car that the Mythbusters used in their recent drifting episode?
comment posted at 3:05 PM on Feb-16-15
Are Quora questions all written/edited to follow a stringent style?
comment posted at 2:17 PM on Feb-12-15
I run a menswear website, and we have two paid subscription offerings: a newsletter (delivered on our site and via email) and a physical subscription service (pocket squares, every other month). Our provider, Memberly, is shutting down in a couple months. What's the best alternative?
comment posted at 8:38 PM on Feb-9-15
Vimeo is now removing any uploaded videos that contain any copyrighted music. Are there any services that have similar features to Vimeo, but don't do this?
comment posted at 3:58 PM on Feb-9-15
comment posted at 3:59 PM on Feb-9-15
I have an online shop that sells vintage items. I also have a book of paintings by my favorite contemporary artist. If I use a page from her book as a background for photographing something, does that violate her copyright? More inside.
comment posted at 12:37 PM on Feb-5-15
What's something you did (or are doing) as a parent that's different from "the way everybody does it" that worked really well for you?
comment posted at 9:02 AM on Feb-5-15
If you had a concept for a truly useful app, but not the technical skills to create it yourself, what would you do next?
comment posted at 8:06 PM on Feb-2-15
Can you recommend a female marriage counselor in Durham, NC? Or, failing that, any good female therapist who can help me make sense of my marriage?
comment posted at 7:09 PM on Feb-2-15
My wife isn't vaccinated and she believes that vaccinations are harmful.
comment posted at 4:23 PM on Feb-2-15
comment posted at 6:02 PM on Feb-2-15
Dear AskMeFi, If I were to become a licensed psychotherapist (MFT, LMHC, LPCC; not a PsyD clinical psychologist), would it be within my legal scope of practice to help my patients using holistic traditional Eastern Asian therapies such as meditation, bodywork and body therapies, medicinal herbs, lifestyle guidance, etc? How about if I were to get a second credential or license? Rather... how *could* I make it legal, if there is a way to do so? Practice different modalities on different days? Lots of waivers?
comment posted at 4:51 PM on Feb-1-15
I've started listening to podcasts on my daily one-hour-each-way commute. I'm enjoying StoryCorps, This American Life, and Pop Culture Happy Hour so far. What other podcasts might I enjoy? Bonus points for content relating to books/authors(But NOT podcasts of authors reading their work--I can listen to audiobooks for that!)--but I'm open to other topics. I'm not really into advice-type programs or comedy--funny is fine, but not comedy as the main draw. Thanks in advance--I know you'll steer me towards some great stuff!
comment posted at 9:24 PM on Jan-30-15
I'm asking this on behalf of my wife. We moved to the Bay Area (East Bay) a few months ago because I got a job here in the tech industry. Given our costs, it's not really enough to support both of us on, but my wife is having trouble finding employment.
comment posted at 9:16 PM on Jan-26-15
I'm shopping for a used car right now (current one has 100k miles on it and is breaking down regularly) and I stumbled onto older (2011-2012, but not very old) Nissan Leafs going for only about $11k used. They cost at least double that new, so why are they so cheap now? Are there recalls or wear or drawbacks? Shouldn't electric cars last for a long time and be reliable?
comment posted at 11:38 AM on Jan-23-15
comment posted at 11:52 AM on Jan-23-15
Why don't drivers at least in California don't use their turn signals?
comment posted at 10:21 AM on Jan-23-15