Displaying comments 1 to 50 of 306
Ask post:
It's not okay. I mind. Worry about it.
You need to be more pushy. Do your best to force them into a concrete answer.
You: "Can you get to it this week?"
Them: "Umm, I don't think so, blah blah blah..."
You: "Next week?"
Them: "Umm, maybe..."
You: "I'd like to make specific arrangements, can you check your calendar and get back to me by the end of the day?"
Them: "Uhhh, ok, I'll... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 4:42 PM on August 24, 2008
Ask post:
building a life
You need to get leverage on yourself. That means that you need to create a means of rewarding yourself for doing the right thing, or punishing yourself for doing the wrong thing. The tricky part is that you need to make sure that the reward or punishment are beyond your control (e.g., giving someone a large amount of money on the condition that they give it back to you if and only if you do the right thing).
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 7:39 AM on August 22, 2008
Ask post:
"Don't be a jerk"?
Thanks tybeet, but it turns out that there are a lot of quotes about wise men and fools, and my googling didn't yield the one I'm looking for.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 9:00 AM on August 20, 2008
Ask post:
What is therapy like?
Therapy is pretty simple. Just say what's on your mind. It's the therapist's job to guide the conversation.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 4:33 PM on August 19, 2008
Ask post:
I'm so sick of being fat
I'm not gonna say that it would be easy for you to lose weight--I don't know your situation. But it's a pretty solid biological fact that if you use more calories than you consume, you'll lose weight. I'd guess that you'd probably have to go a few hundred calories lower to start seeing real results (without exercise, that is). But you absolutely can lose weight simply by eating less.
Of course, I am not your doctor, and this is not medical advice.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 7:10 PM on August 17, 2008
Ask post:
Is self-deprecating humor a sign of weakness?
If you're confident, self-deprecating humor makes you appear more humble, which is good. If you're not confident, self-deprecating humor makes you look more insecure, which is not good.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 11:45 AM on August 17, 2008
Ask post:
Converting to Judaism, but secular / atheist?
If you think religion is BS, then pretending to believe in a particular one just to "join the tribe" isn't much an ethical dilemma. So fake it, if it's that important to you. God knows dozens of US politicians have.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 3:59 AM on July 25, 2008
Ask post:
PhilosophyFilter: The burden of choice- When did choice come into play?
ashaw: How would you (or Daniel) know we're not trapped in a more complex, yet endless and futile, behavioral loop?
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 1:34 AM on July 22, 2008
We have the luxury of choice- which is the whole point of my question.
No, that's just your assumption. Of course, you can't help yourself. It's just part of your genetic programming. ;)
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 3:04 AM on July 22, 2008
Ask post:
How to cut my bank fees?
Do you all think it would be better to just go the straight apology route, or to also point out how I feel about the fee being usurious? What burns me up the most about this is that if I had overdrawn on one transaction by $1000, I'd have gotten a $36 fee, but overdrawing by $200 with four transactions gets me $136. If I'd have gotten a pack of gum for $0.99, I would have gotten hit with another $36. That's just straight up ridiculous.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 9:44 AM on July 18, 2008
Ask post:
How to "Find Yourself" or get comfortable in your own skin?
Your questions (this and previous ones) follow a pattern that I recognize. I think you know what you want, know what would make you happy, but are afraid to go after it. Think about that. Why can't you go get what you want? Why can't you just take it? Being comfortable means being happy, and having or going after what you want.
PM me if this makes no sense.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 9:45 AM on July 16, 2008
Ask post:
I'm stuck in beta
The answer depends on what your goals are. Basically, what did you do today that contributes in any concrete way towards achieving one of your goals?
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 5:07 PM on July 14, 2008
Ask post:
How much is too much?
If the subjective value of having something for X months is greater than the interest paid for X months, then using a credit card is a good decision.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 3:46 PM on July 13, 2008
Ask post:
It's a man's IT world?
You will be a rock star. IT departments are like all-boys high schools. It definitely will not be "no nonsense, head down, get to work." There will be lots of goofing off. And many references to The Family Guy, The Simpsons, and Slashdot. But if you're not good at your job--or exceptionally good-looking--they'll turn on you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 8:06 AM on July 13, 2008
Ask post:
What to do with an old iPhone?
Supposedly, the sound quality is much improved. Not just the speakers on the phone, but the actual quality of calls made over 3G networks (see David Pogue's review):
The third improvement is audio quality, which has taken a gigantic step forward. You sound crystal clear to your callers, and they sound crystal clear to you. In fact, few cellphones sound this good.
I'm probably gonna pick one up this weekend.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 12:06 AM on July 12, 2008
Ask post:
Mysterious network errors
For the purposes of this question, assume it is very difficult to reproduce in a debug environment.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 8:05 AM on June 26, 2008
And the file shares are on very sophisticated hardware.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 8:06 AM on June 26, 2008
Ask post:
Drop and give me 100!
Go with #3. It's the only fair way, and, besides, why would your friends cheat you?
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 9:54 AM on June 23, 2008
Ask post:
I did just read Accelerando. Why do you ask?
I agree with rokusan. I think a better goal would be "intelligence", for which there exists a simple test.
This paper might be helpful.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 8:09 AM on June 11, 2008
What about something more simple: building a physical model of human egg and sperm, or a zygote, plus the surrounding environment and then growing the simulated embryo to maturity?
That's definitely more complicated than simulating human intelligence/consciousness because we know much less about how a zygote becomes a fully-functioning human than about how the brain works.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 8:13 AM on June 11, 2008
Ask post:
How to help a friend get over insecurities?
Without addressing whether it's a good idea for you to try to help him out, I'd say (as someone who's dealt with similar issues) to just call him out on his BS, but also be reassuring about your friendship and respect for him (in non-obsequious ways).
posted to Ask Metafilter by mpls2
at 5:08 AM on June 11, 2008
marked best answer
