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I have an old flip phone that I'm happy with, but my carrier has informed me that the coming switch to 5G is finally going to render it obsolete. Looking for input RE: whether A) this is true; B) what some feature phones that meet my needs might be. [more inside]
posted by ryanshepard at 2:26 PM - 8 answers

Can anyone recommend a professional in NYC to transfer an audio cassette to digital? I have the only copy of some interviews with a late relative. I don't want to risk mailing it.
posted by Mavri at 12:44 PM - 4 answers

I have a series of projects that all have essentially the same steps, just with different dates. I'm looking for something that will let me have a template project with each task separated by a certain number of days.  The tasks aren't exactly dependent on each other, so doing step E early isn't blocked if step B is still outstanding, but usually they're completed in order. [more inside]
posted by korej at 7:53 AM - 6 answers

On our Windows 10 machine, we are getting an unexplained popup message as seen here. The icon in the tray says it's from hpUpdate. I've deleted hpUpdate. The PC is an HP product, but I think the message was generated out of programs related to our recently departed HP printer. Current printer is a Brother. Or, it could be spam not related to anything much. Has anyone any info? I have not yet run malwarebytes, but I guess that's something to try.
posted by SemiSalt at 11:53 AM - 11 answers

If I want to run a window AC unit on solar, what equipment do I need and where would I buy it? [more inside]
posted by Tehhund at 8:27 AM - 12 answers

Can anyone recommend a radio repair shop in Southeastern NH? My beloved Tivoli model two is dying.
posted by Raybun at 3:14 PM - 3 answers

I want to buy a used projector for 1) showing powerpoints in a small group class setting and 2) (not essential but would be nice) showing outdoor movies with friends. I live in a Mac computer universe if that matters for compatibility. I know nothing about projectors and Consumer Reports doesn't seem to rate them. Can you help either recommend some brands or even point me to specific listings on Ebay?
posted by latkes at 1:19 PM - 9 answers

In Muriel Spark's Loitering with Intent, set in London in the 1950s, the main character "rattles the phone to gain attention" when she makes a phone call and gets no reply. What does this mean? [more inside]
posted by hoist with his own pet aardvark at 4:55 PM - 7 answers

My 2005 6cyl Honda Hybrid has failed DEQ inspection because the hybrid battery didn't pass. A new battery is approx $5000. And I'm told Honda dealerships must now program the car to the battery as opposed to in before times when repair shops could do it. The car still runs great but its now illegal to drive until it passes inspection. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind at 2:51 PM - 5 answers

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a pair of Apple's Powerbeats Pro headphones. The sound is great, but the noise isolation is terrible to non-existent. (I also find them very difficult to put on.) I’m going to give them to my husband because he works from home and doesn’t care about noise isolation, but I need a new pair. What are my options? [more inside]
posted by holborne at 11:53 AM - 13 answers

The newest grandchild is delightful but a light sleeper. Irish Coast and other wave scapes from MyNoise.net app send her and KEEP her asleep. Currently, I am losing my phone to her crib. How can we set up an independent speaker to run sea sounds to her crib without tying up our various devices? Or should we just get a very old iphone?
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 11:25 PM - 8 answers

I have Sonos speakers in two other rooms in my house, and a sound bar in the living room. How do I convince Sonos to ALWAYS play through all three? [more inside]
posted by Charity Garfein at 7:18 PM - 7 answers

I have google voice which I almost always have on "do not disturb". This had worked fine, until recently when it has stopped working. How can I fix it? [more inside]
posted by bearette at 5:38 PM - 2 answers

I cannot get a time calculation to work in Excel (Microsoft 365) and it's driving me a little batty. [more inside]
posted by Bebo at 11:56 AM - 6 answers

Technical writers and software people of Metafilter: I'm looking for advice, tips and best practices on how to write a diagnostic manual for a software application. The document would be similar to what you get with your home appliances. How one goes about writing one like that? How to order the material, how to structure the diagnostic steps? [more inside]
posted by kmt at 12:35 AM - 11 answers

These days streaming rules everything around us, but I still have a collection of movies on my computer's HD that I'd like to be able to stream to my cell phone for ease of viewing. What are good options? [more inside]
posted by wooh at 10:36 PM - 10 answers

I'm brainstorming a sci-fi concept where a city has a complex network of aerial tramway cables suspended above it. These cables intersect at various junctions which allow an operator inside the gondola to change directions by switching from one cable to another. Basically steering. I assume this is wildly impossible, otherwise I'd be able to find some example of this already existing in real life. But can we conceive of some method that (with some handwaving) could make for plausible fiction?
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 4:30 PM - 23 answers

I want to find a not-smartphone type phone (like an old-style flip-phone) that works on AT&T's 5G network that is *not* the AT&T Cingular Flip IV (which is the only 5G flip-phone they list for sale. (but the AT&T tech I talked to said I could buy an AT&T-compatible phone elsewhere (AMZ, Best-Buy, etc) that would work on their network.) Details inside. [more inside]
posted by rmd1023 at 12:21 PM - 10 answers

I posted an item for free on Craigslist and think I got scammed, but I don't understand how or what they're going to do with the information they got from me. [more inside]
posted by vakker at 11:31 AM - 15 answers

I have had my iphone SE repaired too many times. I find online shopping for technology to be impossible, and I hate learning new technologies, but I'm ready to move on from Apple. I'll list my specific criteria below. [more inside]
posted by Summers at 4:24 PM - 6 answers