How to teach kid to read a map?

haptic_avenger — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 17:01:54 GMT

I need to teach my dyspraxic 13 year old how to get around! The city we live in has a basic street grid with numbers and letters but he has no intuitive sense of how to navigate. So I think I need to teach him with a map so he can better understand how the streets are oriented. He is not dyslexic in any way, just spacey with a poor sense of proprioception. Any ideas?

Great/classic repudiations of "they're all the same" polical talk

Shepherd — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:52:43 GMT

I run into "oh X is terrible but all politicians are terrible, so who cares" silliness fairly frequently. I'd love both (a) strong, thoughtful deep arguments as to why that's a dumb premise, and (b) the most pithy, cut-and-pasteable response, readymade to drop into a Reddit thread or Instagram post.

My model response in these scenarios would be "I understand how you feel that way, A, but I think B said it better than I could -- 'PITHY QUOTE'. I used to share that pessimistic feeling that nothing really mattered in politics, but Y and Z really got me thinking about it; if you're interested, check out LINK.

Some may feel this is a fool's errand, but I do think I run into people who are tired as opposed to, like, aggressively misinformed, and a cheerful, not-finger-pointy reply can't hurt.

Cat-centered genre novels - older ones preferred!

Frowner — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:44:44 GMT

A friend has recently been reading Diane Duane's Book of Night With Moon and is looking for other cat-centered (or even animal-centered generally) genre novels, older/more obscure ones preferred.

Important: these should be fun! We are not looking for The Plague Dogs or even Watership Down here. My friend is familiar with the Warrior Cats series already.

The thing about Book of Night With Moon is that the cats are the main characters with complex "magical cat" interiority but they are also still cats.

Fun, light, ideally SFF books with animal viewpoint characters in general would be acceptable.

Do not want: lots of gore and death, too much realism, too much sadness.

Basic carpentry and woodworking

Paragon — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 02:03:21 GMT

Now that I own a home, I need to get the tools and skills to look after it. Where do I start?

In order to do oddjobs around the house, I need to get some basic tools and learn how to use them. I'm not planning on trying anything complex: things like replacing a broken board on the deck or the fence, building wood edging for the garden, maybe in the future making planter boxes or bookshelves.

So, what do I need? Handsaw, circular saw, table saw, orbital sander, electric drill, nailgun, workbench, sawhorses, safety equipment? What's essential and what is overkill? How do I learn how to use them safely? (any good websites or YouTube guides appreciated)

Please assume I know very little but am eager to learn. I'm not in the States, so ideally I'm after things I can get at the local Bunnings or Mitre 10.

Is this a phobia?

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:37:30 GMT

Why do I avoid looking at maps, satellite images and the Mona Lisa?

About five years ago while flipping through an art history book I had a strong reaction of dread/fear come over me while looking at a print of the Mona Lisa--to such a degree that I couldn't look at that page anymore. I experienced a sinking feeling, sweaty palms, repulsion and had to kind of talk myself down afterward. I had never had a reaction like that to any image before. That's how the whole thing started. This led slowly to becoming afraid of other unlikely things, namely maps and satellite images/photos taken from space. My current reaction to such feels akin to a fear of falling, but, just as with the Mona Lisa, I wasn't afraid of maps or satellite images until relatively recently. I realized now how routinely I avoid clicking on links or allowing myself to be caught off guard in any way by visuals. It's not ruining my life (yet) but I can see how something like this could continue to expand, as it already has, into a real problem (especially since I work in the design industry). Therapy is the best answer, but I can't afford therapy right now. Please tell me anything you can about the symptoms I've described. Is this a phobia? Have you ever had any similar experiences? If so, was it brought on by anything in particular? Thank you!

Parlez vous éducation?

Blazecock Pileon — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 01:53:09 GMT

I am in Seattle. I'd like to learn French, to the point where I could (in 6 months, say) carry on a rough conversation with someone in Québec or France. I have knowledge of a few words but would essentially be starting from scratch. With which group/center/school should I take classes, but most importantly: why? (In other words, what would make that class better than those offered through alternatives?)

Non-fiction books about world history that are readable

A Terrible Llama — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:02:00 GMT

I'm looking for *very readable* non-fiction books about human history, let's say 'history being at minimum more than 600 years ago back to the point where humans were painting on cave walls.' Unfortunately, I am persnickety about writing and also need to be deeply absorbed in another world because it's that or hide under the bed for a few years.

Interested in but not restricted to:

-the history of ancient Rome, through Europe and beyond: the wars, the conquests, the viaducts, the engineering, the collapse.
-pre-history communities (pre-history sounds stupid, but I am talking about 'people who did cave paintings in Lascaux' and elsewhere. 20000 years ago.
-When I say 'not limited to': I just want to understand, in detail, the people, their constraints, and the values and aspirations of those who lived long before us. I'm kind of up for anything if it is compelling. 'Western-centric' isn't necessary, despite those two examples.

Bonus points if it is a modern enough work that it acknowledges the lived lives of women and people on the margins. I don't want someone's thinly disguised racism, homophobia, sexism, white-people world view, jingoism etc. etc. I know that's not only a scourge of the 1920's but I feel it's safe to say there was more of it then and there's still plenty of it and I'm not in the market.

Writing I am looking for:
Distinct voice and perspective and straightforward, incisive prose.

As an example, I loved William Langewiesche*. He could write about stuff that I would never have guessed I'd want to read that I could not put down. Here is a quote about him: "One of Atlantic's editors, Cullen Murphy, remembered Langewiesche's writing as 'a blend of natural history, travelogue, black humour and adventure story, rendered in deceptively simple prose.'"

I also liked The Ohlone Way by Malcolm Margolin, about the indigenous people who lived around the San Francisco Pennisula prior to the arrival of the missionaries.

I want writing that surprises me now and then with opinion or insight, but I'm not looking for pop history or conjecture when it could be avoided. I do want detailed and scholarly. But readable. I want to learn, but I want it to be fun. I'm not getting paid and I'm not looking for a slog.

I apologize for this level of abstract detail. It's always tricky trying to get that right: too precise or not precise enough? Pick your poison.

*I didn't know he had died last year and I'm bummed I'll never read anything new from him again.

Montreal

azalea_chant — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 22:17:06 GMT

My mom and I are going to Montreal for a weekend. What are the best neighborhoods to stay in? We like museums, parks, maybe some shops. We don't plan on having a car. Feel free to recommend either neighborhoods or specific hotels/places to stay. I'm in my 30s, she's in her 60s.

Bonus if you have suggestions of things to do! I like weird and funky, art, books, etc.

eh, canada?

koroshiya — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:45:59 GMT

my mom has never been to canada, and would like to go. i have been to vancouver for a long weekend. vancouver again or somewhere else?

my mother is hitting a milestone birthday this year. we have already been to italy for her last one, and now she is interested in canada. we both live on the west coast, and while i have been to vancouver for a long weekend, she has never been. should we stay localish and hit vancouver again or should we go further abroad?

my mom is a little difficult to read - she is okay with museums, and food, and books, but she has issues doing fancy stuff sometimes as she grew up poorish and has a lot of baggage surrounding it. i would like to take her to a fancy dinner for her birthday and do whatever she wants, but she is also a very "i'm okay with doing whatever everyone else is doing/whatever someone plans", so she is not big on offering suggestions on what she would like to do or where she wants to go. as such, i do get tired of being the planner. i like museums, and shopping, and wandering around and i like fancy drinks/scotch (my mom does not drink, but does not care if i do).

if you're a canadian that lives in a biggish city, what do you like about it? what touristy stuff is there to do? sell me on your place.

Losing Nouns. Is there a neurological reason?

Zumbador — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:52:41 GMT

As I get older (and lose estrogen) brain fog is my new reality. It seems to me that I struggle particularly with nouns, especially proper nouns. Is that just a perception, or is that an actual thing? Is there a neurological explanation for this? Does my brain store and retrieve nouns and names in a way that's more vulnerable to collapse and distortion than other words? Or is it just that I notice more when I lose nouns as opposed to other words?

Any un-enshittified floss?

BlahLaLa — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:48:32 GMT

I have used Glide Pro-Health Advanced Floss Picks *forever* because the Glide slides easily between my tight teeth & the shape of the pick is somehow more helpful for me than the way other flossers are shaped. But enshitiffication came for my floss picks and now they break at the slightest tension. Tell me what to use instead.

My teeth are tight against one another, and Glide has been the only floss I can wedge in there. The different shape of these picks makes that easier, and I've never had any luck at all using pickless floss. But I need something else -- I've tried a few different bags of these picks over the past year and now must admit I didn't just get a bad batch, they've been ruined by some manufacturing change.

Recommend me a flosser, please, for your hard-to-reach and very tight teeth? I know about water picks and similar; I am specifically asking about floss.

"I would have written a shorter report, but I did not have the time".

vanilla.extract — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:59:41 GMT

I'm often hired to write feedback reports, which I really enjoy. But I tend to over-explain, and write very long reports. Omitting ideas feels bad, and the process of editing, or trying to be more concise, gets tiring. Any tips to help me keep it brief with less effort?

Perhaps it will help if I over-explain the reasons why I over-explain?

Educating - My expertise is usually new territory for the client, so we don't share a short-hand. Explaining things clearly necessitates either more words or more carefully-selected words, as well as adding more examples.

Stream-of-Consciousness - It's fairly painless for me to just type exactly what I think, which tends to be clear and helpful, but quite long. Unfortunately, when I slow down to generate more concise phrasing, or double back to edit, I find it frustrating and start to feel burnt out.

Stimulants - I sometimes use Vyvanse to help me power through procrastination, but omg Vyvanse definitely makes me over-write.

Pre-empting Pushback - I got a lot of gendered gaslighting in my formative years and was socialized to do extra emotional labour by delicately cushioning critical feedback. Happily, at this point in my career, I rarely get pushback! But I've kept the habit of over-writing to say it perfectly.

Guilt - In person, I can hold back easily, because I don't want to disrupt hierarchy or cause overwhelm. But since written reports are private and asynchronous, I want them to be useful in the long term, so I actually feel guilty if I hold back an idea that could help.

Praise - My long reports are warmly praised! Clients often spontaneously pay double, and always recommend me to colleagues. I enjoy the gold stars but it does feel like I always have to over-deliver.

I'm feeling a bit burnt out (mostly by editing!), so I'd like to become more efficient. I'd love to just blurt out 3 pages ; instead, I blurt 6 pages and then spend 2 joyless hours trying to whittle it back to 4 pages.

Any strategies or mindset adjustments that could help?

Best Reunion Ever

Isingthebodyelectric — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:24:22 GMT

I'm planning a Friends Reunion, and have booked a house for 22 adults and 7 kids. What would really knock this out of the park?

This is our fourth reunion, but first since the pandemic. We're a playful, creative group and the kids are between 3 and 13 years old, mainly elementary age. The adults are mainly in our early 40s.

We plan to swim at a nearby lake beach, hang out, and maybe visit a theme park and see some fireworks (it's over the Fourth of July in the US). We have three full days and four nights.

I am thinking about a G-rated dance party, make your own sundaes, and having a jigsaw puzzle on the go at a quiet table.

What else can I plan to make this extra special experience for all?

Please tell me your FAVORITE things about past family reunions, friends reunions, group retreats, etc. Particularly looking for game suggestions which result in hilarity for all ages. The last time some of us got together we spent ages on keepy uppies with balloons. I'll also take suggestions for helping the kids mingle, keeping things spacious and not over scheduled, and any other practical tips. But really: what can I have in my back pocket for FUN and MEMORIES???

Is my laptop too heavy or is my arm too weak?

craniac — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:16:22 GMT

I've got this 4.7 lb. macbook Pro m3, a loaner at work. I've had lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) in my right arm, but it feels pretty good right now. However, when I haul around this laptop, even when I try to use my left arm and a backpack, my right arm ends up hurting. Is this a probem I solve by using a 2.7 lb laptop (Neo or Air), do I just need to strengthen my arms, which at age sixty resemble those of a tyrannosaurus rex, or perhaps even forego a laptop?

Maybe I should just commit to the 12.9 iPad pro I never use because it's annoying in every way. I realize this post reeks of privilege and snowflake-edness.

How can I store dry cat food without it going stale?

ridogi — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:30:28 GMT

I store cat dry food in the bag it comes in, and the bag is in turn in a large plastic airtight container—mainly to keep the cats from breaking into the bag. No matter how careful I am I can't help but break the ziplock on the bag before the bag is done where it separates from one side of the bag instead of opening normally. At that point I roll up the bag and use binder clips to keep it closed which doesn't work as well at keeping out air.

I know putting the food directly in a plastic container is bad because it will absorb plastic or chemicals into the food. So my possible solutions:

1. A replacement bag like cat food bags with the foil looking liner that I can purchase empty, if it exists?
2. A metal container like this. I'm concerned how well this would seal, and if having the air in the container would make it go stale anyway? (With the bags I get the air out before closing them each time.)
3. Vacuum sealed containers like these. This would require sealing them six times a day (3 meals times 2 different foods) which seems excessive and noisey.

Any other suggestions or thoughts on the above?

I have two cats with different dry foods and they also eat wet so it takes a while for them to go through a bag.

How to fix bass guitar wiring?

otolith — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:48:59 GMT

The music program at my kid's school has an Epiphone EB-0 bass guitar that is isn't working and I volunteered to see if I could fix it. Here's what it looks like inside the wiring panel. I play bass, but I have no experience repairing guitars or performing electrical wiring. I do have access to a soldering iron and I've checked out wiring diagrams and advice on a few forums, but I'm wondering if anyone here has specific experience to help guide me.

The output jack is very loose and it appears that the ground wire separated from it. The wire itself was not present when I opened the panel, it's possible someone else opened it up already, found a disconnected wire, and just tossed it. It's hard to tell exactly where the ground wire ran to, but it appears that it may have been soldered to the right side of the volume pot (bottom pot in the picture), where there is a big blob of solder that also holds the black ground wire coming from the bridge. There is not an obvious point where a ground wire might have been connected to the tone pot (pot just below the output jack in the picture).

All of the rest of the wiring looks attached and I don't see any other obvious problems (again, not experienced with this, please let me know if you see any other issues). Should I just try soldering a ground wire from the right side of the output jack to the exterior of the tone pot and then to the exterior of the volume pot? If so, specifically what kind of wire/solder should I use? Thank you!

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