Slam the Boards

I'm taking a break from Slam the Boards while I finish up my last term in grad school, but I plan to answer many more questions once the new year begins!

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 09:22:33 -0400

I am now a Level 2 Yahoo! Answers fiend with a 58% Best Answers...

Thu, 03 May 2012 11:11:00 -0400

I am now a Level 2 Yahoo! Answers fiend with a 58% Best Answers rating. Booyah.

Three more best answers for “Scrapbook suppliers in...

Thu, 03 May 2012 11:07:37 -0400

Three more best answers for “Scrapbook suppliers in Plymouth, UK?” “How do I make a bibliography with websites?” and “How do I get rid of the smell of old, rotten food?”

Best answer on “Where can I do some community service...

Tue, 01 May 2012 16:42:56 -0400

Best answer on “Where can I do some community service other than the library?”

I’m not sure how this one happened, but apparently one of...

Tue, 01 May 2012 16:08:05 -0400

I’m not sure how this one happened, but apparently one of my answers has been deleted on a still open question. Again, there was nothing offensive or illegal in either the question or answer - this one was “Public holidays in May 2012?” and I answered with Australian and international holidays (because the user is from Australia). Can someone tell me why my answer was deleted?? This is all very bizarre. Anyways, I was able to save this one before something went wrong. So you can compare the version with my answer to the link in this post if you’d like. The other two answers, which each list one holiday, are still there. Hm.

Well, as confused as I am about my three deleted answers, I just...

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:53:00 -0400

Well, as confused as I am about my three deleted answers, I just got a nice boost with three more best answers. “Parents, babysitting flyer advice?” “Where can I do some community service other than the library?” and “Does anyone know this song?” I guess you win some, you lose some!

Amazed and confused

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:40:32 -0400

So I’m a little curious about recent activity on some of the questions I answered. Two more have been deleted: “How would I flip this picture in Photoshop?” and “How to tag posts on tumblr?” I’m not really sure why this has happened - neither violated any kind of Yahoo! Answers rules. Do users make a habit of deleting questions instead of picking a best answer? It irritates me a bit, because I put time and effort into answering each of the three questions that have been deleted. None of them have had really inflammatory responses either, as they were all pretty basic questions. Anyways, I must persevere!

Best answer for my first question - “What is the...

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:30:02 -0400

Best answer for my first question - “What is the scientific method?”

How to do 3 simple embroidery stitches?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:06:07 -0400

How to do 3 simple embroidery stitches?:

I’m a big embroidery nerd, so I was excited to answer this question. I know how important it is to have good written instructions paired with clear, bright images in a tutorial. I have a few of these sites bookmarked on my browser for (personal) ready reference, so I picked out a few that show very basic stitches, and a few more that show some really fun and interesting work.

How to get rid of smell of old, rotten food?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:31:57 -0400

How to get rid of smell of old, rotten food?:

This question was pretty gross, I have to say. Definitely unpleasant images. I’m not sure how this user is going to get the smell off of his shelf - especially if it’s wood. In terms of the carpet, I was a little better off. I worked for a family as a cleaning lady and babysitter for the better part of my senior year in undergrad, and because of that I am a convert to the Church of Baking Soda and Vinegar. I checked online to make sure these supplies would work well on carpet, and indeed they do. Hopefully they will for this user as well!

Parents, babysitting flyer advice?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:58:45 -0400

Parents, babysitting flyer advice?:

While I’m not a parent, I have lots of babysitting experience. Fliers and business cards are really great ways to get the word out, especially if they come with a personal reference from a current client. This user had a pretty good idea of the content, so I just made a few suggestions about references and design. I found the idea about making a website in one of my sources, and I think that it is a great idea. Not only could you save paper and give parents a place to go if they lost your flier, you can also update the site as often as needed (instead of printing out more fliers). You can add quotes from happy clients, photos of crafts or activities (without children in the photos, of course), and change qualifications, rates, etc. I wish I had thought of making a website when I was babysitting!

What is the myth of Heimdall?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:22:50 -0400

What is the myth of Heimdall?:

I wasn’t sure if this question was for a homework assignment or just out of curiosity, so I decided to strike a balance between the two in my answer. I gave the user basic information that they could find online or in an encyclopedia of Norse gods, and recommended that they do further research if they needed more information. I supplied them with several sources, and encouraged them to go to their library for more.

Program for going abroad?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:04:27 -0400

Program for going abroad?:

This user wants to plan a summer trip abroad for her birthday. She’s only 16, and she wants to travel in a group of teens (not necessarily friends or relations). I was a little wary about suggesting sites for her to plan her trip, but I figured I could at least find legitimate websites using the evaluation factors we talked about in class. I choose the three best sites I found, and made a strong recommendation that she look at the sites with her parents. As her parents would be paying for the trip, that gives me some hope that they will be very involved in the planning and approval process. I also recommended visiting the local library to learn more about the place she wants to visit.

How to tag posts on tumblr?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:06:00 -0400

How to tag posts on tumblr?:

This user wanted to know how to get more views on their tumblr blog. I suggested tagging or linking their posts, as those methods can help make posts more visible. I explained how to tag and link as best as I could, and made sure to link to the tumblr help section for more clarification. Personally, between my two tumblrs, I have found that tagging really increases visibility. I always make sure to link back to my sources as well, much like I would in a paper. I know the frustration of finding a cool image or article on tumblr and not being able to find the original post all too well.

Best answer for “How do you know you’re a...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:30:45 -0400

Best answer for “How do you know you’re a mermaid?” Am now going to play the soundtrack while dancing around the office.

Another best answer! And a thank you note! This one is for the...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:26:28 -0400

Another best answer! And a thank you note! This one is for the Olympics dates question.

Asker’s Rating:Asker’s Comment: Even though you had few other sources to go on, I want to express how thankful I am for your assistance. This is all very good and helps me greatly. Thanks.

What days during the 1988, 1992, and 1994 Winter Olympics were the Ladies' Singles in Figure Skating held?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:06:00 -0400

What days during the 1988, 1992, and 1994 Winter Olympics were the Ladies' Singles in Figure Skating held?:

This was a pretty tough question to answer without access to historical newspaper databases or other materials that would have such schedules. I searched on Google, and was able to find a schedule for the 1988 Winter Olympics from The Harvard Crimson. I think this ended up being my best source, although I could never verify any of my sources. I found some dates on the 1992 Winter Olympics Figure Skating Wikipedia page, but those might have been dates that medal ceremonies were held. The 1994 Winter Olympics were equally challenging. I eventually ended up searching for individual athlete’s records on olympic.org. There were photos and videos from the 1994 competition that spanned four days, so those were the dates I used.

Because my sources weren’t especially authoritative, I made sure to inform the user that this information could be incorrect. I suggested searching historical newspapers, although I’m not sure what purpose this information will serve. Hopefully the dates I was able to find help narrow down his search.

UPDATE:

I just found a site that could help! According to Sports Reference (http://www.sports-reference.com) the dates are as follows:

1988: Feb 24-27
1992: Feb 19-21
1994: Feb 23-25

These basically confirm (and in some cases expand) the range I gave the user.

Service activity for youth?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:09:48 -0400

Service activity for youth?:

This question was very similar to the question about local volunteer opportunities I answered this past Saturday. I thought I’d answer it as well, as you can never have too many volunteers out there! I re-used most of the service sites I found the first time around, as well as adding DoSomething.org and Habitat for Humanity, as those are often popular volunteer programs for teens. While on DoSomething.org I found out about Epic Book Drive, a program that gives donated books to low-income families in your community. I’ll have to keep them in mind the next time I want to pass on some books!

Public holidays in May 2012?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:48:34 -0400

Public holidays in May 2012?:

This was another fairly routine question to answer. First I checked where the question was coming from - in this case the user was from Australia. Then I did a Google search for Australian public holidays. As there were only two, I decided to find some holidays from around the world. I thought the “bizarre and unusual” holidays site was pretty fun. Needless to say, I will be celebrating both Save the Rhino Day and Lumpy Rug Day.

How do you know you're a mermaid?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:24:44 -0400

How do you know you're a mermaid?:

Well, first you check to see if you have a tail. Then you sing a round or two of “Part of Your World” and see if any sailors (or handsome princes) come running. Of course, sources online are often conflicted and difficult to verify, but several college projects provided a definition, some common mermaid features, and a collection of images across time and cultures. If this user had been a student at my university, I would have been able to give her several database articles on the subject. Either way, I hope she finds out!