Mockingbird

I'm driving an automatic 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage.

About two weeks ago while driving, my car shut off on me. Electrical was fine (battery was replaced less than a year ago), and the engine would crank but not turn over.

After assuming it was a faulty fuel pump or relay, we eventually realized that I had a blown fuse in the engine fuse box (it was a 20A/32V fuse marked with an Engine symbol), and after replacing the fuse the engine started right up.

The only problem is that it's running extremely rough. I haven't taken it out for a test drive, nor do I want to. There's a tapping noise coming from the engine, and after letting it run for about a minute, I noticed a burning smell and a very small amount of smoke coming from the bottom front of the engine. Prior to the car dying on me, it was running just fine with no strange noises or otherwise any reason to think the engine might be in bad shape.

My oil is a bit low and dark (about a third of the way up between the low and high fill lines), and although I intend to change the oil completely this afternoon, I'm just confused here.

What could have happened during/after the car dying that would suddenly cause it to run rough?

I just moved into a new house in a typical suburban neighborhood (in Tampa, FL, if that affects anything from a legal standpoint). I'm concerned about a (potential) parking issue with my neighbors, but I feel it's necessary to describe the scenario first.

Directly across the street are two businesses: one is a small car dealership. The other is a currently-empty mechanic's shop that appears as if it'll soon have tenants. Because these are two businesses that deal primarily with cars, I'm concerned about potential issues.

This street does not have curbs or sidewalks; my front yard extends right to the edge of the street. However, 3-4 feet in from the street, there is a chain-link fence. The space on the opposite side of the fence (on the street side), I use both for my trash pickup, and as overflow parking in case I have guests. For the record, visitors parked here jut out into the street slightly, but it does not affect or block street traffic in any way.

My question is this: I'm aware that street parking in front of someone's home is legal, but if a customer or employee from one of these businesses were to park in front of my house (essentially, half in the street and half in my yard), are they legally parked or can I ask them to move?

And I should note - I'm not prematurely looking to start trouble, but I was raised to be respectful and courteous about other peoples' property. As a result, I tend to be sensitive when the same courtesy isn't extended to me.

I'm trying to connect an older CRT television to a laptop, for the purposes of watching Netflix and other stuff without having to crowd around the computer screen.

The computer has HDMI, USB, and VGA (in).

The television has coaxial cable input and RCA input.

I'm on the healthcare.gov website, and am in the process of choosing a health insurance plan.

I just need help understanding deductibles. The plan I want to choose has a $6,300 deductible - does that mean I have to pay SIX GRAND before they'll cover even one visit to a primary physician?

Approximately three weeks ago I booked a flight for American Airlines using Expedia (the flight is this upcoming Tuesday).

Today, on a whim, I decided to see whether or not I'd be able to select my seat. Both websites - Expedia and American Airlines - list my seating as 'Unassigned', and both say that all seating is full for the flight.

Should I be concerned about this?

Hey all,

I'm having trouble with Pro Tools SE (version 8). The software came bundled with an M-Audio MIDI keyboard. It also came with a little connector thing (USB on one end, audio auxiliary on the other).

The problem is this: Pro Tools won't start up without the little dongle being connected, and external audio speakers connected to that.

This is a particular pain, because I'm working on a laptop with PERFECTLY FINE onboard speakers. What this means is, every time I want to boot up Pro Tools, I have to disconnect my external speakers from my desktop PC, connect them through the dongle, and then find a flat surface on which to place everything. This is all enough trouble as it is, but to make matters worse, the resulting audio volume is HORRIBLE.

So. I need to use Pro Tools WITHOUT the need for external speakers. Any help?

I'm driving a 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage, automatic transmission.

Recently I started hearing an occasional grinding/buzzing noise coming from my car, only at highway speeds of 50+ mph (sounds like the front end). Today, this seemed to happen more often than in the past few weeks, leading me to believe the problem may be getting worse.

Any ideas what I might be dealing with?

Thanks all.

I've got an HP Pavilion g7, in good working condition.

The issue I'm having is this: occasionally while working in Firefox, all of my keyboard keys will switch to what I believe are alternate functions. For example, pressing one of the letter keys will bring down a menu, or a Windows Explorer 'Save File' box, or something like that.

(I don't know whether this is a Firefox-specific issue, but this is the only situation in which I've encountered it)

I believe that the most likely scenario is that, while typing, I've been unintentionally pressing a combination of keys that switches to a different 'mode' .... I'm just not sure what mode that might be.

Anybody got any ideas?

Thanks, all.

I've got a family member who was approved for food stamps while homeless and unemployed several months ago. In the intervening time, she has found a job and a home, and is actually doing quite well for herself. Her benefits expired in November (they require renewal, which she has chosen not to pursue because she says she makes enough money now), but during the period between June and November she continued to receive benefits without alerting the government to her changed financial circumstances. I don't think she did it intentionally, but I'm still worried she might somehow get in trouble for not telling them she found a job.

I know there are people out there who trade food stamps for drugs or sell them for money - but in her situation (considering her account is closed and she has no intention of renewing), what are the chances she'll get caught/in trouble for not alerting them? And if she is caught, what sort of trouble is she facing?

Thanks.

For the record: when I say I have low credit, basically what I mean is that I never really built credit, and then started out with a few small (less than $100) debts. For those of you who think you're clever, please don't bother responding with "Just pay off your debts!".

Anyway, I don't really have a few hundred bucks to throw down on a secured credit card at the moment. And I know I'm only gonna qualify for a card with a fairly high APR, and probably an annual fee.

But the bottom line is, I'm not gonna be using this card for big purchases: it's basically gonna be used to fill up on gas, pay bills, buy groceries, etc...purchases that I intend to pay back in full, as soon as I get my monthly statements. So, for example, I'm not gonna buy $50 worth of gas and then take months paying it off. I'll buy the gas on credit, and then when I get my paycheck, immediately turn around and pay it in full.

My purpose with this card is twofold: Number one, to build some credit, and number two, to essentially 'borrow' money from myself that will be repaid on payday...what I'm saying is, the purchases I make will never exceed my monthly income.

Given these reasons, and the fact that I intend to pay off my card in full every month, should I even bother worrying about a high APR?

I have a 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage. A few weeks ago I started feeling a weird bumping coming from my front end - it sort of feels like there's a giant piece of gum stuck on one of my wheels (it gets more frequent with acceleration). I originally thought it might be a balance problem because it got worse last week when I bumped a curb kind of hard.

After taking it to a garage, I was told that it was because my tie rods were worn out and needed replacement (I wasn't told whether it was inner or outer). The problem is, I don't have the $250 or the know-how to replace them myself.

As far as the current severity, I still have plenty of control over the car, it doesn't wander or pull to the side whatsoever. My steering wheel wiggles a little but not horribly.

I know it'll affect alignment and wheel tread if not fixed, but I can deal with that for the time being. My question is, at the current level, can tie rods snap suddenly, or is it something that happens gradually (meaning I have some time before it becomes a safety issue)?

Thanks in advance.

I'm moving to a new town. I have a job there, but I was only hired today and haven't started yet. I quit my most recent job in another city halfway across the state (on good terms) a few weeks ago to accommodate the search for a new house and job - it just wasn't feasible to make the long drive in between both towns, so I'm staying in my hometown in the meantime, which is halfway between both cities.

ANYWAY, I'm filling out a rental application and I'm not sure what to put for 'current employer'. Using my last employer seems pointless, and I'm afraid that my actual current employer won't give the impression that I'm financially stable enough, and I don't want to be turned down.

What is standard procedure in situations like this?

Thanks in advance!!!

I have a Dell Inspiron 8600. I've had a few issues with the AC adapter in the past (it had a stripped wire, so it would only work occasionally, and when it did, the battery would sometimes not hold a charge, or only charge when the computer was turned off) and today I got a replacement charger. When I got everything all plugged in, the battery charged up just fine. And when I unplugged the charger, just to check and see if everything worked properly, the battery kept a charge and said that I had about 2 hours of charge left. Less than five minutes later, I tried to watch a YouTube video, and my 'Low Battery' warning came on almost instantly, and then the computer died.

I'm smart enough to assume that it's internet/processor usage that killed the battery, and not the video itself.

But still....what the hell is going on?

I'm e-filing my taxes and forgot my AGI and PIN from last year. I called the IRS and got an automated system that would give me my PIN but not AGI. I filed my taxes using the PIN provided and it was rejected by the IRS.

I've been looking over the PDF file of form 1040EZ (on my 2010 return) and noticed that my AGI (line 4) is the same as boxes 1, 3, and 5 on my W-2, just rounded up to the next dollar.

I don't have any special circumstances to complicate things, tax-wise. Doing my taxes consists of punching in what's on my W-2 and essentially skipping everything else. Last year was the same.

Can I just take my wages from last year's W2 and round them up, and come up with my AGI? Or, if not, does anyone know how to get an AGi by calling? Or even a real person? The 800 number for the IRS only provides your PIN...and like I said, the one it gave me was wrong, and I don't have time to go through the process of resetting it.

Thanks!

I'm about to file my taxes. Like the question said, I'm a white 22 year old male. I'm not in college, I'm single, have no children, do not live with my parents, am not in school, have no debt, and have not served in any branch of the military, don't own a car or a house or a business or anything like that. Essentially what I'm saying is, there's no special circumstances that would really affect my income taxes. And I make less than $15,000 a year.

I know the answer is probably 'No', but I'm just wondering if anyone is aware of any special programs or tax breaks or anything to squeeze a few extra bucks out of my tax return...beyond just punching in what's on my W-2 and pressing 'Send'.

I'm 22, and I've been without health insurance since I was 18. I just heard about the health care plan that allows anyone under 26 to remain on their parents' insurance.

All of the articles I've read mention that the plan will cost "$3380 per year per dependent" (or something like that). But they also mention that parents will only face a 0.7% increase in their premiums.

How much extra will my mom actually be paying? 0.7% more than she does now? Or is it actually going to be almost $300 per month?

Which is it?

The question is simple: from your life experience, if you could sum up the meaning of life, what would it be?

Really think about this...don't just give the first generic answer that pops into your head.

Thank you!

The ISP wants to charge us $150 to switch to wi-fi, and neither of our PCs are even wi-fi compatible.

So which would work best? Putting a splitter on the cable and getting a second modem, or getting a modem with more than one cat5 plug? Would either of these options even work at all? I'm still sort of hazy on IP addresses...can 2 PCs share one? I just really don't want to spend $50 on a new modem just to find out it doesn't work.

Thanks everyone!

I recently moved in with a friend who has Bright House cable internet. He's using an ethernet cable and a modem (it's a Motorola SURFboard), but the modem only has a plug for one ethernet cable.

We called Bright House and they said the only option was to switch to a wifi connection for $150.

Is there any other option besides paying them this outrageous price just to have internet on two PCs instead of one?

I have a 150cc, 4 stroke scooter. Not sure of the make or model.

I was using it regularly for a while, and it worked fine, but then I was pulled over for not having a motorcycle license (go figure) and told not to drive it until I got one.

So it's been sitting in my driveway for a month...I've done my best to protect it from the elements, and every few days I've been starting it up and letting it idle for a few minutes.

Today I took it out for a quick ride around the neighborhood just to make sure it was running ok, and it ran fine, but now it makes a noise it didn't make before.

A few details: The noise is hard to put my finger on...it's best described as being somewhere between a rattle and a vibration. It's almost like the engine is wheezing. And I can sort of feel it in the seat, too...it comes from the engine. And this ONLY happens AFTER I get it up to a decent speed (20-30+) and THEN let off on the throttle. The sound dies once I've stopped.

Like I said, the thing still runs fine, I just want to fix this problem before it becomes serious...and I also don't want to spend $225 on motorcycle courses just for the scooter to crap out a week later.

Any ideas?

I should also mention I don't know much about engines in general, so any answers should be in layman's terms, please.