Super General Advice (the thread for advice without making a thread)

The second computer strikes me as suspicious, especially because they don't show the inside of the case, even though it's clear glass, and the case is only shown from far away, and at an angle.
The laptop might be decent, but, for about 450+tax you could get this one:
https://www.microcenter.com/product...56-gaming-laptop-computer-refurbished---black
It's refurbished, but that shouldn't matter too much, and the specs are better than the laptop you're looking at, notably it has a dedicated graphics card which will help with all games you might play on it, though it is on the more expensive side.

If I was going to buy one, i'd probably go for the laptop. It should do minecraft and such fine for a while. All of the posts are a bit inflated imo, but that's not super surprising given that it's craigslist.
Examples: The hard drive on the laptop really isn't anything special, the computer that needs a hard drive doesn't meet the minimum requirements for beatsaber.

 

thank you, that's really helpful! I know craigslist isn't exactly a great place to buy used computers, but I'm not sure where is a good place either :/ that laptop you linked is out of my current price range, but it looks amazing...

 

you could see about heading to your local pc shop, microcenter or whichever one is near you, and asking them about what they have. They sometimes have open box/returned pc's available for a deal.

This one looks decent, though i'm not sure how well the intel 5500 graphics does, it looks like it'll run minecraft all right. When you're looking the two things that'll matter the most right now is the cpu speed (2.2 ghz on this one) and the graphics. At the price range you're looking at, most graphics will be integrated, or in other words the cpu is also the graphics card. Also look for the amount of ram, you want at least 8gb.
https://www.microcenter.com/product...d-t450-14-laptop-computer-refurbished---black

 

I’ll see if I can find such a store in my area! and I knew about the need for ram, but not the cpu speed, so thank you :)

I don’t need too much from the graphics - I’ve never had a decent computer, so anything better than 20fps will be a pleasant change lol

 

Hey, anyone know any Pro Gamer Strats for determining if a potential new therapist is autist-friendly or generally decent? I'm in the market for a therapist right now, but I've totally forgotten what questions it is I'm supposed to ask one to tell if they'd be a good fit for me or not. Like, the only question I can think of to ask right now is "have you worked with autistic adults before?" and that's just like...a yes-or-no question. I have no idea what to follow it up with.

 

How about, “Can you tell me a little about how you might modify your approach when you’re working with an autistic adult patient?”

 

I feel like we had a gardening thread somewhere but I can't find it with a cursory look, so: there's two sad little plants (I think dracaenas?) in the office I work in that desperately need to be repotted because the soil doesn't hold water anymore, but a) nobody in town seems to carry flower pots in January and b) I'm not sure if I should be looking for, like, a particular kind of potting soil or something. They're resilient little critters, but I'd like to give them the best chance I can of survival and if anyone has any advice I'd welcome it.

 

As a general rule most plants in pots that are not succulents tolerate well draining potting soil (just generic potting soil) with a layer of pebbles or something at the bottom to help draining. Mixing used coffee grounds or tea leaves into the top inch or so is useful when your plants need a little extra help, and so are one or two crushed eggshells.

As for flower pots have you asked your local plant nursery? I always got mine from the hardware store, even in this time of year, but I live in a subtropical climate. I also hear ikea carries flower pots, but I can't speak to the veracity of that.

 

If you absolutely can’t find anything in stores, I believe the first part of the indoor seed planting calendar should start around the last week in February.

 

No advice but here is the gardening thread

 

Um as a fat cis lady how can i tell if im having a heart attack? I am feeling a sort of rolling pain in my esophagus/chest area, like a clenching and unclenching sort of, and i feel vaguely nauseous and my mouth keeps filling w saliva and all i taste is the 1/2 baby carrot i ate earier

 

In cis women the most likely symptoms are nausea for a few days before, stomach pain, and shortness of breath. Fatigue and sweating are common, and chest pain and arm pain aren't unheard of but they're less common than in cis men. Generally if you are having a serious heart problem, a key sign is feeling like you can't get enough breath, because your heart can't circulate oxygen. Obviously I am not your doctor and if you're seriously worried please seek treatment! But from what you've said it sounds more like severe heartburn or acid reflux.

 

Thank you...it is like 99 percent gone now so ye i was just being mad overdramatic;;;

 

That doesn't sound overdramatic at all to me. I hope no one told you it was. If you have weird new symptoms and you're concerned, that's exactly the kind of information that's relevant to a medical professional.

 

i have a question for more computery people

looking into getting a vpn for reasons, what recommendations do people have for one that seems to work for them without bs or terrible expense?

 

So, we've finally been able to chase up my housing people about the ferret thing. They say it's generally a no, but if we can persuade the landlady that it's a "reasonable adjustment" for an autistic person, with medical evidence, they'll reconsider. I have a doctor's note, we're going to talk to a local council member, and my parents brought up that they think they need to find an official autism advocate for me, because the social workers who visit me each week are representatives of the landlady and not experts in my mental health, and my parents won't be able to run interference between me and the rest of the world forever and I can't do it myself. Has anyone else in the UK had experiences looking for someone like that? I vaguely know someone else in the area who has, but not closely and I don't see her often, and I'd like to get more than one person's opinion. Also, are we missing any obvious routes of possible persuasion? I can write a long letter myself about the benefits and how to mitigate the potential problems. Maybe I should ask a vet for a note too, like "they don't smell that bad, trust me, I'm a vet"?

 

@swirlingflight I use Private Internet Access. I can't say how it compares to other vpns but I've never had any problems with it.

 

i use trustzone - i think the site can be a little hard to navigate and actually setting up complicated (or maybe i'm just really bad at following instructions) but like.... i get international netflix, so it serves it's purpose? i like the ease of setting it up on my phone, to be sure

 

@ChelG Maybe try advonet ? They’re based in Leeds and do offer autism advocacy services although they are more LD focused.

 

How aesthetically displeasing are refrigerators? I am helping Boyfriend's parents plan for their kitchen remodel, and one of their goals is that the fridge should not be visible when looking into the kitchen and should have something covering its sides. Apparently they consider a visible fridge ugly? or something?? I am not going to argue with them -- it's their kitchen -- but I am curious how widespread this view is. It seems totally alien to me.