Ask MetaFilter

My apartment complex is installing keyless entry for each unit. As someone who believes that household objects that aren't actual computing devices have no business being on a network or requiring a power source, I am not pleased. Worse, they're responding to valid after-hours lockout cost complaints by providing a phone app that can be used for unlocking the door, which seems like an additional vulnerability in the system. Am I justified in my concern, or should I get over myself? [more inside]
posted by rhiannonstone at 7:50 PM - 32 answers

I bought an iPhone 6 from a friend 3 days ago. It thinks I'm entering the wrong password but I'm not. WTF? [more inside]
posted by Frenchy67 at 6:46 PM - 8 answers

My boss wants a new sleek/fancy monitor/computer for our office front desk, with none of the unsightly cabling that our normal workstations have. Clients won't see the front of the monitor, but they will see the back. What monitors have the sexiest backs? [Snowflakes inside] [more inside]
posted by matrixclown at 8:25 AM - 5 answers

How can I create an alarm that is dependent on time AND location in Android? It used to be possible, and now seemingly isn't. [more inside]
posted by altolinguistic at 10:14 AM - 2 answers

When I'm cooking, I want to be able to say, "Hey, Siri, remind me in ten minutes to turn off the pasta." And then 10 minutes later, I want Siri to say out loud, "Turn off the pasta." I don't want my iPhone to speak all notifications out loud -- just specific reminders I've asked for. This is proving surprisingly hard to do. What am I missing? [more inside]
posted by yankeefog at 9:32 AM - 5 answers

I have a way of increasing increasing the range of vehicle (ICE or electric) by 5% or so. I'm only interested in the idea going to Nissan or Tesla (with preference for the latter). How would I go about this? I have a CAD model of the idea. Tesla seems to have become enough of a bureaucracy that they have no clear ideas box on the web [more inside]
posted by unearthed at 1:40 AM - 8 answers

I'm feeling overly dependent on Microsoft. I have well over ten thousand files of my writing (almost all .doc files, not docx.) that, at the very least, I want to convert to .txt files. So yes, I am looking for a reasonably simple batch conversion strategy. [more inside]
posted by philip-random at 10:55 AM - 17 answers

My iPhone X has recently begun giving me a random, almost mechanical-sounding, beep and I can't identify why. [more inside]
posted by greta simone at 9:21 AM - 7 answers

Is there a way to filter (also known as Outlook rules) email messages in Outlook based on two letters (between hyphens) in the subject line? [more inside]
posted by SockISalmon at 7:00 PM - 9 answers

I'm at a bit of an impasse. I have a really old phone, an iPhone 4S that's probably from 2012 or so. It has a broken screen and the battery barely functions anymore. Hence, I'm in the market for a new phone. At the same time, though, one of the reasons my phone is so old is that I have an uneasy relationship with smartphones. I find myself in the position of needing to buy something that I do not want. Is there a compromise? [more inside]
posted by kevinbelt at 1:51 PM - 15 answers

Is there a desktop media player that will play each file in a playlist more than once before moving to the next? [more inside]
posted by Lesser Shrew at 9:06 AM - 5 answers

Suggestions for a GPS tracker for a child to use while in Disneyworld? [more inside]
posted by CrazyLemonade at 2:17 PM - 17 answers

Probably because my cheapO wireless mouse is dying, right? Is it possible to resuscitate it? [more inside]
posted by Don Pepino at 12:44 PM - 8 answers

I listened to a favorite album, a music file, on my Samsung J3 smartphone and it was clearer than I've ever heard it. But I see the file's properties list it as only at 144kbps-! [more inside]
posted by noelpratt2nd at 4:47 PM - 19 answers

In 2019 is there a reliable alternative to Skype for a softphone / VOIP landline-equivalent? [more inside]
posted by Ian.I.Am at 4:53 PM - 10 answers

I have been Googling. I have reached out to friends. I have talked with colleagues. But I need some experienced recommendations for a company or contractor to design my new website. [more inside]
posted by arniec at 7:26 AM - 4 answers

I need a solution to take regular, monthly online payments but to also manage a mailing list and some kind of member benefits page. Are there any solutions you could recommend? I am in the UK.
posted by parmanparman at 5:24 AM - 5 answers

Seems odd, but have no other explanation, and have been unsuccessful with searching the interweb.. figured I'd ask the hive mind. [more inside]
posted by rich at 5:15 AM - 7 answers

I recently asked this question, Resources re: Inattentive ADHD, and a few of us were wondering about starting some kind of group discussion/chat/club for MeFItes having similar experiences: women, 30s/40s, just recently diagnosed, never treated. [more inside]
posted by Archipelago at 5:27 PM - 32 answers

My work recently installed a "VDI" system using VMWare Horizon. I want to buy something (a laptop? A table?) that makes working remotely as painless as possible. What should I get? [more inside]
posted by Mid at 4:34 PM - 5 answers