Ask Me Anything

Welcome to Ask Me Anything, a community for asking, and answering, some of life's less Googleable questions.

If you're new, please check out the community profile. As with an empty swimming pool, there's just a few things we'd like you to be aware of before diving in head first.

Feel free to join us on our IRC channel - the chat channel details are in the profile page above. Mibbit and browser add-ins like ChatZilla are easy ways to get into it even for the non-tech-savvy!

22/05/12 Current Community Events and Info:

AMA PostSecret Big Reveal: here
Have you seen AMA's new (and entirely not original) regular feature? Check out Free For All Friday

Why were all those people watching a roadway?

alternate question: Do you always wear your seat belt?

would you be so kind as to list your available supermarkets in order of how far up the social ladder you see them? starting with the most "aspirational"

Where you are on the planet might help too.

( for example )

Is anyone else really pissed off right now about this PostSecret postcard? I know they're supposed to evoke emotion but I don't think one has ever made me this angry.

I'm breaking out like a motherfucker on the side of my face probably from stress last wee on my cycle. I'm not touching them I swear but damn do they itch. What can I do to cure this and break the inflamation down? thanks

I am going to a peaceful protest against this guy tomorrow morning.
Have you ever been to a protest? What was it like?
This will be my first one and I really don't know what to expect.

Since you all have your cameras out already:

Will you take a picture of the most cluttered area (or at least a spot with a lot of random items) and post it in the comments? Bonus points if you list/explain the things we see in the photo(s). SHOW US YOUR STUFF!

EDIT: Show us the most cluttered area in the room you are in. Sorry about that.

I really want to make some green bean casserole, but we don't have a casserole/cooking pan. I've got a cookie sheet, a bunch of skillets, and a lot of other stove tops, but no casserole pan. Is there anyway to make it without the pan?

Does partying with sober/clean/straightedge people make you uncomfortable?
Why?

If you are alive, what stereotypes have been assumed about you most often?

A crawfish, a crayfish, or a crawdad? Where are you from?
If you generally refer to it as something else (say, mudbug) please tell me what most people where you live call them.

Will you share some of your hair disaster stories with me?

What are your favorite under-appreciated songs and groups from the 70s, 80s and 90s?

Watchadoin?

My credit card has a rewards program of 1% on all purchases and 5% on certain quarterly purchases.

If I pay my balance in full every month, is it possible to MAKE money off of my credit card?

I've looked at my statements for the past 6 months and I don't see any fees or interest being charged. However, I've earned enough points to credit my account $300.

Any Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 3 addicts in here?

What are your favorite weapons out of each class? ( http://www.themodernwarfare3.com/mw3/weapons-list/)
Which matches do you like playing best?

AR - ACR 6.8,
Sub - PP90M (w/ thermal)
Shotgun - Striker
Sniper - Barrett .50cal

Lately been loving the Kill confirmed matches.

Hey AMA'ers with gorgeous hair.. I'm hopeless with my hair. The only way I am happy that it looks tidy is when I've straightened it to within an inch of its life. However, I'd really like hair like this -

... so not dead straight. My hair is wavy leaning towards curly. If I scrunch it out of the shower, it's quite curly. If I touch it with a hairbrush once it's dry, it's wavy and sticks out like a straw broom. Brushing my hair sends them mental. It's long, soft and shiny, but just.. I don't even know what it's called.. frizzy maybe?  I use serum after a shower and I wash it with very good quality shampoo and conditioner.

What tools can I use to make my hair like hers? How can I keep my soft, wavy curls but still look tidy?  What are your favorite tools and products for beautiful hair?

I'm looking for a video clip of a man being bound with tires. Kind of like in an old cartoon where the tires get tossed around their head and they are hobbled.

I know I've seen that in some comedy movies (one of the Love Bug movies, IIRC) but I'm looking for pictures or video clips online and I can't think of what to search.

Help me AMA!

My roommate and I are on disability, and i'm trying to set a budget. I worked out after all our bills, i'll have around 200$, she'll have 150$ for food, gas, ect. Any tips on saving money? I thought about buying in bulk (my parents did this a lot) but there's only the two of us...

https://www.facebook.com/livejournal featured a post from AMA today for a short time.

Do you think attention from facebook and from the lj promo page is good for the community in general?

My sister is trying to make a DVD with videos from her birthday party. The format is .mov and we're trying to get it to like an .avi or mp4 or something windows movie maker supports. I'm about ready to rip my hair out. Anyone have a suggestion for what converter program that is free and ligit?

Which is your favorite unseen tv character?
(Feel free to include Wollowitz's mom from The Big Bang Theory...)
My answer in the comments.

How do I write a longish (3 pages or so) letter that is actually good?

I can seem to produce something which reads like a lab report or something that just rambles a lot in the middle. I need to be halfway between these two things. 

It's a sort of semi-formal letter if that helps.

I'm trying to shed a few lbs and I drink smoothies for breakfast and snacks. However I have a feeling the fruit juice isn't helping me out... I use orange juice and grape juice. I tried just water and it tasted like ass. (the fruit doesn't blend without liquid)

are there any better alternatives?

note: I'm on a dairy free diet

Two house-related questions.

1) If you have transitioned from living in an apartment to a house (renting, in my case), what are some costs I need to get used to? What sorts of householdy things did you need in the house that you didn't need in the apartment?

2) ( Design/layout question )

Thanks in advance!

For those of you who do jobs like web development and software engineering, could you describe to me what your job is like?

What kind of training did go through for your job?

While I am working on "making it" in my dream profession, I've been thinking about learning about and possibly going into the fields I've mentioned. I was really interested in that sort of thing in high school, and used to play around with stuff for fun. There seems to be a market for both in the area, so I'm thinking it might be time to turn a latent hobby into a short-term career. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

For women who have given birth:

What surprised you the most about labor?
Dads can definitely chime in too.

Have you ever been to a food festival/competition? What food was celebrated?

Does Hentai count as porn, in your opinion? If you find porn objectionable, do you have a problem with Hentai too?

I'm trying to decide how pissed I am that my SO, who swears up and down he doesn't watch porn, is torrenting ridiculous amounts of Hentai. So much so, that I got a Cox "stop downloading illegal shit" email today.

There's a show I have been seeing ads for called "The Choice." The basic concept, look, style, and even title sound very similar to the singing competition show "The Voice."



AMA, flexing your creative muscles a little bit, what kind of shows can you come up with that sound similar to preexisting shows?


A couple of the ones I came up with:

Horse, M.D.- Now that House, M.D. has ended, this will be the show to watch. Coming this fall is Horse, M.D. A prominent doctor must solve strange equestrian illnesses within the span of 45 minutes while dealing with a limp and disgrunted attitude he received after an accident during a horse race. SPOILER ALERT: Most episodes end with the doctor telling the family "Sorry, but that leg just doesn't look good. We're going to have to put him down."

American Idle This spring the rating will all be going to FOX's new reality competition show American Idle! Join host Ryan Oceancrest on the search for America's laziest person. Who will be the next American Idle? Tune in to find out!

Robert Pattinson for Finnick Odair - thumbs up or thumbs down?

Bonus question: Was The Triwizard Tournament adequate training for The Hunger Games?

ETA: Post inspired by this article (in the most reliable news source ever, NME!)

ETA2: Who would your most ideal casting choice be? Mine's in the comments so as not to unduly influence...

AMA where do or did you go to college? how old were you when you started and graduated? what did you major in and what do you do now?

Do you think you're a good person?

Stupid tattoo? Great tattoo?

AMA, tonight I'm going to a fundraiser/dance/event for some local jazz bands in the area. Problem is, I don't know what to wear! I was originally going to wear a form fitting black pleather dress (about mid-thigh length), but the problem is it isn't very good for swing dancing because of its fit. My other option is a bright pink sundress (same length). Problem is, I wore this dress to the same event last year, and it doesn't look as good on me as the black dress. However it is more "springy" and better for swing dancing in. It also might get wrinkled when my band plays because of how I hold my instrument, which won't happen with the black dress.

Help me AMA!

Poll #1842557 What do I wear tonight AMA?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 27

Which dress?

What color do you wear the most?

What is your opinion on the (fairly) new chic-ness of pit bulls? Do you think it's reasonable to be dismissive of the original purpose of the breed when choosing a pet (i.e., not taking note of the fact that dachshunds are natural hunters, German shepherds are (duh!) naturally good at herding farm animals, or that pit bulls were bred for fighting)?

Do you think fashionability or trendiness in general, as it relates to pets, is good or bad?

I'm sorry to turn to you guys over this, but Google isn't really helping.

So it seems my internet is really slow. I'm on a MacBook Pro with Snow Leopard (10.6.8).
I've tested my internet with both speedtest.net and my ISP's QoS website. Both give me pretty god results (Near 10Mb/s) but lately I can't even load a youtube video and pages take too long to load (sometimes they'll even show in plain html).

I use both Firefox and Chrome and the results are similar. I also have a couple of extensions but I tried disabling them and it didn't make much of a difference.

Any idea?

I've been thrifting a lot of books lately. I've found some really great ones and I'm hoping to get some more. The thing is that I skim them all for titles or authors I'm familiar with. I'd be there all day if I were to look at every single book on the shelf. So, is there anything I should keep my eyes out for? Genre doesn't matter and bonus points if you include why it's good.

What are the age differences between you and your siblings?

My only sibling is 7.5 years older than me.

Is it possible, after years of being fine, for someone to start getting car sick?

AMAers with uteruses - do you have a gynecologist, separate from your general practitioner? Any particular reason for that?

At what time of the day do you put on your PJs?

I basically put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt as soon as I get home. I love comfortable clothes. I change my underwear and socks before going to bed, but otherwise I'm in my PJs from 5pm. Slob for life. ^_^

If I were to go to Vancouver, BC for a weekend trip, what are some recommended must-do things there? I'm open to anything, I've never been there. But if you really wanna know my preferences, I love nature stuff (will definitely go to the Aquarium), outdoorsy stuff, silly things, eating (but not upscale fancy-schmancy food), learning stuff (again, like the Aquarium, and cool museums), and experiencing the flavor of wherever I'm traveling. Thanks!

I feel like I'm about to have a breakdown. I don't know what I want to do with my life. There is nothing I'm passionate about. I'm not the type of person who will realistically stick with something long enough to justify the cost of a proper degree. My ADHD makes it extremely difficult to function in a work setting. I can't just go out and find a normal crappy job because I have no work experience and jobs here are sparse. I feel like I am suffocating living where I am but I cannot afford to live on my own.

What would you suggest I do, AMA?

Will you list three things that you're grateful for?

Can I see your favourite youtube videos at the moment?

I don't care if it's interesting, funny, moving, etc. Show it to me!

you find yourself in possession of a functional miniature death star. About the size of a baseball and its destructive abilities are on about the same scale.

What do you do with it?

I need a change and I've been thinking of cutting my hair short again. I've spent the last 5 years growing it out and I'm just ready for something different.

I'd like to donate what I have cut off, assuming I have enough, which I think I do. Have you ever donated your hair or do you know anyone who has? Any recommendations on where to donate it? The only option I am aware of is Locks of Love but if I remember correctly, I think I've heard some negative things about them. Any advice otherwise?