Ask MetaFilter

I am lost with passwords for my iphone, my google account, my mac passkey, password ........ Draw me a chart that explains all this. Why can't I pick ONE thing, run it by a password strength tester, memorize it and be done?
posted by ebesan to Computers & Internet at 3:28 PM - 10 answers

I feel like my brain just short circuits periodically. I don't know why and I can't stop screwing up because of it. [more inside]
posted by anonymous to Human Relations at 2:06 PM - 10 answers

My question is a follow-up to a previous AskMeFi post. I want to configure my home network to block web ads, but without affecting my ability to click on links I receive from promotional emails. [more inside]
posted by akk2014 to Technology at 1:16 PM - 2 answers

We had this discussion earlier today, but our list was sadly pitiful. There must, surely, be a lot of things you can feasibly do with something as versatile as the potato? Or, maybe not? (And, yes, we thought of putting the potato up your bottom - it's a done thing in England, so there is no need to repeat that suggestion).
posted by Wordshore to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation at 11:55 AM - 38 answers

As Americans headed to Japan next month for vacation (previously, thank you all btw), I've been pondering whether we (or others traveling abroad) should be taking any steps to identify ourselves passively or preemptively as anti-Trump, and how. [more inside]
posted by BlackLeotardFront to Society & Culture at 10:53 AM - 25 answers

I have come into ownership of this Rado Golden Horse watch, or anyway one that looks very much like this--steel on the outside, but a slight brass tint on the watch face that you can miss if you blink. There is a tiny (gravity-controlled?) rotating anchor on a red background, and the date is also red. [more inside]
posted by kensington314 to Shopping at 10:09 AM - 3 answers

A while back my mother-in-law got my kids a toy that plays a song on a loop. Can anyone identify the original? It sounds like it’s been sped up. Here’s a link to a recording I made of the song.
posted by Kattullus to Media & Arts at 8:38 AM - 2 answers

Looking for a video about gay rights, I think it was from some time between 2000-2015, details to come. [more inside]
posted by Brandon Blatcher to Human Relations at 8:28 AM - 0 answers

It's been a while since I posted an AskMe to help me make a book and the technology has changed since then! I'd like to make a book with recurring characters, settings, and other elements. My art skills are...meh? I was thinking the best way to do this might be to use one of those programs content-creators use to make simple animations. I could have my characters and my settings and objects and arrange them, move them, make them have expressions, etc. the way I need them and then take a still (or just make the still). What software do I want? Note: the art would not be the focus of the book, so it doesn't to be amazing or do any heavy lifting quality-wise. [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... to Computers & Internet at 8:24 AM - 8 answers

When I try to activate Password Autofill on my Macbook, it opens up a dialog asking for a code, and another small window next to it showing me said code. This is pointless. [more inside]
posted by signal to Computers & Internet at 7:05 AM - 5 answers

Okay, so it appears that at least in the spring into summer there will be real supply chain problems due to tariffs. What am I not thinking of, stock-up wise, that one actually can stock up on? [more inside]
posted by Frowner to Shopping at 6:27 AM - 10 answers

I swear I am not a high school student doing an assignment. Someone on metafilter posted a link to an online version of Grapes of Wrath (I lost this link immediately) and so I read the book over the past week. It is, like all Steinbeck, compelling, and I’ve been especially thinking about the ending for days now. …Warning birth complications ahead… [more inside]
posted by Vatnesine to Media & Arts at 5:36 AM - 10 answers

I'm working on my Advanced Healthcare Directive, but I'm not actually sure how to answer some of the questions about medical care I do/don't want to receive if I can't make my own decisions. I have a sense of what I want, but I don't know enough to feel like I'm making an informed choice. What factual resources can help me better understand the medical care options? (I'm just asking for resources on the medical care questions, please no advice on any other part of the Advance Healthcare Directive form or process.)
posted by rhiannonstone to Health & Fitness at 10:24 PM - 7 answers

After two years of taking community college classes as a high school student, I’m deciding between attending a small, private university in the US and a large, public university in Canada. I could use some help. [more inside]
posted by SockboroughFair to Education at 9:31 PM - 19 answers

Weeks ago, I did Kid Blah's taxes via TurboTax, and he ended up owing $2.00 to the state of CA. We filed the taxes and did the payment electronically via his bank account, both of which I re-confirmed today…when he got a hard copy check in the mail for $2.00 from the state of CA, marked "state income tax refund" and labeled "tax year 2024." Um, why? [more inside]
posted by BlahLaLa to Work & Money at 3:14 PM - 11 answers

I am looking for software that can help create schedules that meet specific constraints around availability and types of presentations for a conference. I am certain there must be tools that will do this, but trying to find them among the endless sea of event planning tools and personal calendar management tools that show up when Google searching is impossible and I don't think I know the right keywords. [more inside]
posted by jacquilynne to Technology at 1:55 PM - 4 answers

I got some matzo ball soup delivered yesterday in a quart deli container (the transparent plastic cylinders with the snap-on tops) which was wrapped in plastic wrap. It was delivered hot. I forgot it after unpacking the delivery and it sat on the counter overnight. Can I eat it? [more inside]
posted by tzikeh to Food & Drink at 1:32 PM - 5 answers

I’m at my wit’s end. My five year old is a chameleon. When she is friends with a well behaved and engaged kid, she is the same at school. When her friends are the mischievous troublemakers, she’ll happily follow them even if it means getting sent to the principal. [more inside]
posted by redlines to Human Relations at 1:12 PM - 21 answers

I'm not going to Paris this time and have already been to Nice [more inside]
posted by winterportage to Travel & Transportation at 11:34 AM - 13 answers

I'm a heavy Word (for Mac) user and I'm having a fun, brand-new problem. If you're really great at Word, please can you help? Please pass on this question if you have any kind of answer that starts with switching to a different program. [more inside]
posted by BlahLaLa to Technology at 10:45 AM - 22 answers

My Airpods suddenly lowered the volume of my Android phone after months of working fine. Phone calls only. [more inside]
posted by shaarog to Technology at 10:38 AM - 8 answers

A recent MeFi answerer said: I used to have my paper checks (remember those?) sent to my local [bank] branch. I'm not on the same page as this flippant MeFi answer. Of course I use fewer checks every year, but how can anyone suggest no longer having or even remembering paper checks? [more inside]
posted by JimN2TAW to Work & Money at 10:28 AM - 90 answers

My political organizing group is rightly examining our lack of racial inclusivity. What should we be reading and doing and not doing? [more inside]
posted by theora55 to Society & Culture at 10:19 AM - 8 answers

I have to write a bunch of short passages for kids (grades four to six) on topics they'll find engaging. What do kids this age like and find interesting? I'd prefer to avoid pop culture (mostly), since what's big today might be out tomorrow. I have to write a LOT of these, so all ideas welcome!
posted by swheatie to Grab Bag at 9:53 AM - 13 answers

How can I stop the Messages application from creating pop-ups on my macos Monterey version 12.3 Macbook Pro? I will be watching a TV show in Firefox, with the Messages app not even OPEN, and yet if someone sends a text message to my phone, I get multiple popups interrupting my TV show.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries to Computers & Internet at 6:14 AM - 3 answers

I'm looking for a comic where a secret agent is being tortured by having his adolescent views read back to him. I thought it was xkcd, but apparently not. Help?
posted by Tell Me No Lies to Media & Arts at 5:51 AM - 2 answers

Can you recommend an accessible introduction to the study of African-American Vernacular English? Preferably something written for a popular audience.
posted by Lemkin to Education at 6:51 PM - 8 answers

I need to get a new used Mac laptop to replace my beloved 2012 Air workhorse, which has been sending out "I'm dying" messages to me for a while now. When I bought this used many years ago, I got it from a shop that dealt with used Apple stuff, but they're no longer around here. There are some things about doing it on a site like Swappa that I need advice with. [more inside]
posted by kitten kaboodle to Computers & Internet at 4:46 PM - 13 answers

I have Windows 11. Is there a way I can absolutely prevent Windows Update from restarting my PC? Several times, I've had large downloads running in the background and checked on them to discover that Windows Update had restarted my PC automatically and it's becoming frustrating. [more inside]
posted by NoneOfTheAbove to Computers & Internet at 4:43 PM - 6 answers

Earlier this week, my periodontist told me I need a whole mouthful of gum surgery, at a cost of over $10,000. A friend in Mexico is encouraging me to come have the work done there. As a disabled person who uses a mobility scooter, I am concerned about accessibility. [more inside]
posted by Well I never to Travel & Transportation at 4:41 PM - 16 answers

I love this video of Feist singing 1,2,3,4 on Sesame Street that y2karl just posted, and Elizabeth Mitchell's "Little Bird, Little Bird" that ran at the end of a Futurama episode. Please give me more modern folk-pop artists singing children's songs. [more inside]
posted by soelo to Media & Arts at 1:52 PM - 31 answers

I’m a relatively new first-time homeowner (closed in 2021), and the assessed value of my home went up significantly in 2024. However, last spring was a busy and distressed time and I just never got for the assessor’s office to investigate and deal with this. Is it too late? [more inside]
posted by Ollie to Law & Government at 1:14 PM - 5 answers

What are thrash bands that constitute the "Big Four" of a given country, region, or other geography? Asking here for both recognized groupings and your own opinions, but only about thrash metal, or closely related metal genres. [more inside]
posted by kensington314 to Media & Arts at 1:14 PM - 4 answers

What is the best, actually waterproof rain gear? I have a rain jacket from REI that soaks through as soon as you pass the light drizzle phase. [more inside]
posted by latkes to Shopping at 1:10 PM - 15 answers

A friend who may have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is planning to go to the Mind-Eye Institute in Chicago later this year. She has read that some sort of visual aid offered there has helped people with her symptoms. Her partner is concerned that this place may not be entirely on the up-and-up, but he can find nothing about it. Nothing good, nothing bad. Just the institute's own webpages. Does anyone here know anything about M-EI that I can tell my friends?
posted by bryon to Health & Fitness at 1:06 PM - 7 answers

For spam texts in general, I swipe to 'Delete and Report Junk.' For unwanted texts from otherwise good political orgs, I text STOP (or whatever their opt-out word is). But what about texts that are purportedly from good political orgs that I've never contacted? Are these generally legit or imposters? [more inside]
posted by daisyace to Grab Bag at 10:39 AM - 8 answers

I have a backpacking tent (REI brand, circa 2011) that's starting to shed and flake it's lining. I also have an Osprey backpack of the same vintage that's doing the same thing--there's little plasticky rubbery flakes coming off of the lining and getting stuck to whatever's in the bag. Is this just pure PFAS? If so, I should chuck these things, right? [more inside]
posted by stillmoving to Science & Nature at 9:47 AM - 11 answers

If you are skilled with a full-featured design software like InDesign, give me suggestions on achieving this effect: marginal line numbers for a work of poetry. [more inside]
posted by Well I never to Computers & Internet at 7:42 AM - 8 answers

I remember Andy Warhol saying something like, "What's cool now will be cool forever." Any ideas where this quote might derive from?
posted by matkline to Society & Culture at 12:58 AM - 1 answer

I need a water retainer and thickener that works a lot like cornflour/cornstarch - it doesn't need to be edible but does need to survive an extremely basic environment. What is cheap and readily available? [more inside]
posted by deadwax to Science & Nature at 10:12 PM - 11 answers

I've browsed the name of the company (Credence Resource Management) and am aware of their reviews and of reddit mentions where people have had similar encounters. But there are a couple of details about a call I received today that are giving me anxiety. [more inside]
posted by mediterranean spurge to Grab Bag at 9:13 PM - 9 answers

So I've noticed that in US films/TV shows set in the current day (2020-2025) people call strangers sir/ma'am a lot. Is this a thing that really happens in real life in the US, or is it just a Hollywoodism? [more inside]
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries to Society & Culture at 7:52 PM - 86 answers

Is there any way, either system or software, to change the Windows keyboard shortcuts CNTRL+X/C/V to CMD+X/C/V? [more inside]
posted by flod to Computers & Internet at 7:14 PM - 3 answers

I hate that we have to think like this, but here we are… I’m leaving the United States for a week on vacation in Mexico. When I fly back, it’s easy enough for me to wipe my phone and restore from a backup, but my laptop, not so much. For the purposes of CBP I’m a white cis male citizen (by birth) with a extremely white name. Bring the laptop or leave it home?
posted by anonymous to Law & Government at 5:05 PM - 8 answers

I know this is crazy, but these are crazy times. Ok, so if Harvard loses access to all federal funding AND they lose their tax exempt status. What's in it for them to stay in the U.S.? I realize there are many things that would make this difficult to the point of being almost-surely-not-the-answer, but is it legally possible for Harvard as a legal entity to move it legal entity-ness to another country? [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... to Law & Government at 4:19 PM - 17 answers

My wife is a LCSW. Part of maintaining her license is taking some number of class hours each year as continuing education. One can't be a fully qualified social worker while having learned nothing professional in the last 20 years. Can one be a fully qualified high school language teacher while having learned nothing professional in the last 20 years?
posted by Lemkin to Education at 4:12 PM - 13 answers

Like Tomorrowful, I am looking for the perfect haggadah for my family’s seder. But my parameters are a little different! [more inside]
posted by capricorn to Religion & Philosophy at 12:18 PM - 2 answers

I'd like to start donating to groups providing mail-order abortion pills to women in states with abortion restrictions. The only group I'm aware of that does this is in Massachusetts, and its website doesn't have any contact information or info about how to donate. Are any of you aware of similar groups in other states/countries that i might be able to donate to? Thanks
posted by BadgerDoctor to Society & Culture at 11:30 AM - 4 answers

What are some options for a savoury sauce to serve with ham for Easter? Something rich and creamy, not something sweet. [more inside]
posted by kitcat to Food & Drink at 11:19 AM - 15 answers

I'm looking for a specific kind of film theory/analysis/symbolism book; more under the fold... [more inside]
posted by Molasses808 to Media & Arts at 11:00 AM - 7 answers

One of my PDLC sheets has stopped working. I know that power is reaching it, but it looks like the area around the plates has thinned out to the point of no longer working. [more inside]
posted by Tell Me No Lies to Technology at 10:02 AM - 2 answers

There is a piano piece during the opening credits of Amélie. No, it is not the famous one. Links to listening samples and more after the jump. [more inside]
posted by TinWhistle to Media & Arts at 9:11 AM - 3 answers

Has anyone here grown up in an autocracy? How do you think it affected you and other kids? [more inside]
posted by anonymous to Law & Government at 7:17 AM - 5 answers

The RSS service I picked out lo, 12 years ago, is now following in the footsteps of Google Reader into the grave. What's the currently recommended online RSS reading service (not an app)? [more inside]
posted by I claim sanctuary to Computers & Internet at 7:06 AM - 28 answers

I have arrived at the point in my language learning that I am able to express myself fairly clearly in most circumstances, but I don't use some more complicated tenses -- the subjunctive, the conditional -- to do it. I know the rules for using them, but they don't come immediately to mind, so I don't. How can I? [more inside]
posted by jacquilynne to Writing & Language at 6:38 AM - 8 answers

I remember many years ago seeing an essay about a kind of declinable noun, which went "Fashion:class:style". The point was to provide an example of each, and the examples as I remember them were "Fashion = Farrah Fawcett; Class = Marilyn Monroe; Style = Katherine Hepburn". I'd like to find more of these "declinable nouns", or some up to date examples for the one I've just given. Better still a source. As you can imagine, this isn't easy to google. [more inside]
posted by Logophiliac to Grab Bag at 12:12 AM - 7 answers

Ive been driving past this image for a while, what is it?
posted by kittensofthenight to Media & Arts at 7:55 PM - 12 answers

I've just noticed that Kanopy via my public library has a ton of The Great Courses available to watch. Which ones are the best? [more inside]
posted by VirginiaPlain to Media & Arts at 6:59 PM - 12 answers

All of the instructions I can find online for adding a shortcut to the Action Button say to go into Settings on the Watch, then hit Actions, and then choose Shortcuts. There is no Shorcuts option on that menu for me. Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by dobbs to Technology at 6:27 PM - 4 answers

I imagine that a successful real estate agent in a large city would need to make themselves available for clients and showings on many weekends and evenings. How would the agent carve out time for themselves?
posted by Lemkin to Work & Money at 3:46 PM - 2 answers