This is a good point, but it also touches at the crucial difference: if the only solution they put forward is that women need to negotiate more, this will do nothing to help the majority of women who cannot afford to negotiate.

To really negotiate effectively, you have to be able to walk away—if Jennifer Lawrence or…

Maybe, if we’re really lucky, it might inspire men (and women, because women internalize this and do it, too) to start offering women the same pay as men to begin with?

(And also maybe I will win the lottery without even having to buy a ticket.)

THIS. Men are offered a higher salary than women to start with, before any negotiating happens at all. Women who do negotiate tend to be penalized for being “pushy” or “bossy” and so on.

“The solution is that women need to negotiate better” is the troublesome part of this narrative. I don’t blame these actresses for…

Mid-range hotels cater to a much more competitive segment of the market. Basically, someone got the bright idea of offering slightly more amenities, and now it’s a sort of mid-range hotel-amenities arms race.

Nobody can afford to offer less (or cost more) than the competition, because their target customers will absolu…

If you like classics (read: anything that is now in public domain), you can get a ton of stuff from LibriVox for free. The readers are volunteers, but they’re competent. And there’s basically a never-ending supply. https://librivox.org/

Whether or not your library is a good source for you depends a lot on the size of…

I’m not sure what counts as a “business” hotel, but I’ve always found that the amenities are better and cheaper if you go to a mid-range hotel as opposed to an upscale one.

Your average, say, Best Western (not even the “Plus” kind) has free WiFi, free parking, free breakfast, free coffee on all the time (it might not…

In order for the question to even make sense, you have to assume the availability of streaming, everywhere and always. Which means (a) unlimited data for everyone and (b) a data network that works everywhere.

That’s a very big assumption. Unlimited data is expensive unless you’re grandfathered in, and I can barely…

There are a few things that I am afraid to do alone for reasons of safety. (Mountain climbing. Scuba diving. Attending a Trump rally.) Of course this is variable depending on the person and the circumstances.

There are a few things that logistically you cannot do alone. Ballroom dancing, for instance.

Otherwise, doing…

Permethrin was recommended to a friend of mine by a specialist in tick bite fever, which is seriously bad news. The stuff works. Plus, for added fun, you can watch mosquitoes land on your clothes and then die.

If you’re really serious about this, the best trick is to get a big container of permethrin from an…

Permethrin was recommended to a friend of mine by a specialist in tick bite fever, which is seriously bad news. The…

For mosquitoes, it’s deet, deet, and more deet. For ticks, the gold standard is permethrin. This is what is recommended by doctors who specialize in, say, African Tick Bite Fever (which is carried by, you guessed it, ticks). You pre-apply it to your clothing and other fabrics (not your skin), and it lasts through…

For mosquitoes, it’s deet, deet, and more deet. For ticks, the gold standard is permethrin. This is what is…

I went to camp as a kid when the Skin-So-Soft repellants came out. So many people used them that within two years the mosquitoes completely ignored it! Presumably they’ve changed the formulation, and/or that was a local effect.

I went to camp as a kid when the Skin-So-Soft repellants came out. So many people used them that within two years…

Higher concentrations aren’t more effective, but they last longer. This can be a factor if you’re forgetful and/or lazy.

Higher concentrations aren’t more effective, but they last longer. This can be a factor if you’re forgetful and/or…

Yup. I’ve traveled in places with Malaria. It’s 100% deet all the way for mosquitories. The higher the percentage, the longer it lasts. How often do you want to have to remember to reapply it? How likely are you to forget to reapply it?

Yup. I’ve traveled in places with Malaria. It’s 100% deet all the way for mosquitories. The higher the percentage,…

I never understand this headline. If the problem is not remembering, then how is this device going to help? Actually, if you never remember to floss, then buying a device that you will likely also not remember to use is a waste of money.

It would make more sense if it just said “You’ll Never Want to Floss, But...”or…

I never understand this headline. If the problem is not remembering, then how is this device going to help?…

We really need to work on this cultural thing where just because it’s your wedding you’re allowed/expected to be a huge jerk.

I’ve worked with plenty of brides who were not at all obnoxious. It’s not that difficult. Weddings are not uniquely stressful. Lots of things are stressful. If you are old enough to be getting…

One really easy way to do this, if you want a dress that isn’t too elaborate, is to look at dresses sold as “bridesmaids’ dresses” and then order one in ivory or white. Often you can get the same quality at a lower price.

We were advised as freshmen that it was not unheard of for sophomores to drunkenly wander into their old room, so we should lock our doors already. The fact that they felt obliged to tell us this tells you something about the culture.

They talked about adding the card locks to the outside of the buildings forever, but…

When I was there it was pretty routine for students to leave their dorm rooms unlocked (or leave the doors standing open!), even though the dorms themselves did not have locks on the outside doors. The feeling of being in a small, close-knit community makes it feel “safe”, especially if you’ve grown up in a small-town…

Also, we’re talking about a town with a population of approximately 2,000 and a school with approximately 1,500 students. The school basically runs the show.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure we were “sensitive to” sexual misconduct when I was there over a decade ago.