I've had an Eee PC 901 for a couple of months. I'm happy with it all in all. Tiny, rock-solid machine easy to always have with me and surprising usable.

At first the biggest pain was the tiny keyboard, but after a couple of weeks of use, not so many typos. (Worse, I think, than the small keys are some odd placements of key caps. I'm always hitting the up arrow when I reach for the right shift key, for instance.)

The tiny screen is surprisingly... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 4:50 PM on September 6, 2008

Also, you should have a look at what people are saying at the eeeuser.com forum.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 4:52 PM on September 6, 2008

A bit further afield in Mendocino County, the Anderson Valley is my wine-tasting area of choice. Dozens of interesting wineries just off of Highway 128 between Boonville and Navarro. My very favorite is Navarro Vineyards in Philo. I've enjoyed every one of their wines, especially the Gewürztraminer.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 7:10 PM on June 14, 2008

Old Honda Civic. Great mileage, cheap to fix, goes forever. Don't go to a dealer, don't go into debt.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 6:08 PM on June 14, 2008

If you are looking at a REALLY old Honda, try to find one that the current owner has had for a long time and has plenty of maintenance records. Hondas CAN go forever, but only if taken care of. It's pretty easy to destroy any car by not paying attention, not changing the oil regularly, not fixing small problems before they turn into big problems. If you do get a very old car, remember that things will break, but if you have the car checked and tuned up regularly it won't leave you stranded and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 6:42 PM on June 14, 2008

I'm an American living in Hong Kong. The banking situation is not too complicated here. I opened a PowerVantage account from HSBC, which allows money to be kept in various currencies in the same account. You'll only get very minorly screwed in converting between currencies, and can keep your money in whatever currency you like. (For example, today's rate is 7.7925 to buy US dollars and 7.818 to sell US dollars – a difference of 0.33% if I did the math right). You can also painlessly transfer... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 8:07 AM on May 29, 2008

The Sigg bottle is fine for water, but if you fill it with any sticky sugary substance, it will be a real bitch to clean. You'd be better off with a Nalgene bottle or something else with a wider neck. As several people said before, gin is very smelly – you'll totally get busted that way. Better to stick with vodka. Tonic will go flat and nasty when it gets warm. I'd start by filling the bottle with as many ice cubes that will fit. Next add vodka, fresh lemon or lime juice (at least three or four)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 5:38 AM on May 27, 2008 marked best answer

Hard to tell from the screen caps, but it looks to me like a Konica Hexar.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 3:55 AM on May 20, 2008

Isinglass is more commonly used in beer production, as discussed previously.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 3:38 AM on May 16, 2008

Don't know about the music quality, but without a doubt the Westminster Records recording has the best cover art.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 8:18 PM on May 15, 2008

I've got a six-month-old daughter and a four-month-old Combi stroller. I also need to go up and down stairs and live in a place without cars so don't need to worry about car-seat compatibility. The Combi is great! It is quite sturdy, although somewhat flexible. The best thing is that it is extremely light (4.7 kg) and folds and unfolds with one hand and a flick, easily, while holding the baby. I've got several friends with similar strollers and they seem to hold up quite well. The differences... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 9:54 PM on May 7, 2008

Shit. Stories like this always remind me that I really shouldn't have thrown out the prototype Atari Game Brain console and cartridges I picked up at an electronics surplus store in San Jose many years ago. Currently, only three consoles are known to exist.
posted to MetaFilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 10:32 PM on May 5, 2008

A Dragon Apparent, by Norman Lewis.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 6:28 PM on April 30, 2008

They can give you a ticket if they want to, but probably won't unless someone complains or the meter maid is in a bad mood. I had a little Honda 70 that I always parked on the sidewalk and never got a ticket. I lent it to a friend for a day, and she immediately got a ticket for parking on the sidewalk. I also have a big BMW that I parked on the sidewalk in front of my home in Rockridge, and was never bothered. I guess it depends on the neighborhood and how conspicuous the bike is.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 8:30 PM on April 27, 2008 marked best answer

Why not just bypass the fuse, keep the coffee maker unplugged when you aren't using it, and keep an eye on it when you are using it so as to make sure you don't burn the house down?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 9:14 PM on April 17, 2008

Hmm, 34/34, and no wild guesses necessary. Too much time around fonts...
posted to MetaFilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 5:35 AM on April 14, 2008

I'm in Hong Kong! Why not? What time you thinking about on Saturday? Anyone else in?
posted to MetaTalk by Etaoin Shrdlu at 5:15 PM on March 14, 2008

At the very least, you can tell me places to go that don't have $50 HKD Coronas.

7-11. Hence the abundance.
posted to MetaTalk by Etaoin Shrdlu at 9:25 AM on March 18, 2008

Traffic manager?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 4:32 AM on March 16, 2008

I found myself in a similar situation ten years ago, overstaying a Vietnamese visa by nearly two weeks. I simply placed a five dollar bill in my passport before going through immigration. The immigration officer opened my passport in full view of everyone, and the five dollar bill came fluttering down onto the counter. He glared at me and pointed at the money. I shrugged and smiled. He continued to glare as he leafed through my passport. "Big problem," he said. And repeated several... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 4:10 AM on March 7, 2008

You've gotta go through immigration to leave most countries in the world. North America and Europe are the exceptions.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 4:29 AM on March 7, 2008

Western Europe, that is...
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 4:31 AM on March 7, 2008

The closest thing to internal passports that still exists is the Hokou system used in China, Vietnam, and North Korea. I believe that in China internal migration is still officially restricted, but this is basically ignored nowadays. In Vietnam, the Hộ khẩu determines residency. When my wife became a resident of the US, her name was stricken from the family book. Our daughter was born in Vietnam at the end of last year and we had a hell of a time getting her a birth certificate since neither... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 5:33 AM on March 7, 2008

I've been to the US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City a bunch of times. The guard at the door asks what your business is before allowing entry. I'm fairly certain that if you were to say that you overstayed your Vietnam visa, he'd say that's not their problem and turn you around. If you somehow talked your way inside and spoke to a consular officer, they would most likely say that it's not their problem and tell you to go to the Vietnam department of immigration.

So,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 3:50 PM on March 7, 2008

After living in Asia for quite a long time, I've also become quite sensitive to creepy crawlies, and was awakened a few months ago by a five-inch long venomous centipede in my bed. Of course, that couldn't possibly happen in London.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 6:33 AM on February 10, 2008

Oh how I loved those dumplings. I always called it the Chinese Fire Department because it was painted red and the O's were missing on the "CHINESE F D" sign.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 4:22 PM on February 9, 2008

Neung Phak
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 5:56 PM on January 10, 2008

It is limited to certain parts of Southeast Asia, but Travelfish.org is one of my favories.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 4:21 AM on January 6, 2008

If anyone was to give me a sample pack of Huy Fung Foods sauces, they'd be my friend for life.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 10:24 PM on December 26, 2007

I find when Thai basil is deep fried first, it takes on that marijuana flavor.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 4:37 PM on December 15, 2007

Pangolin is commonly eaten in China. Perhaps armadillo is a local substitute.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 1:19 AM on December 13, 2007

Miss Poppy has lost her supplier of miniature weapons, out of stock.
posted to MetaFilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 7:52 PM on December 11, 2007

If you do get a voltage converter, check the maximum amperage that the converter can handle. (amps = watts / volts) Most converters made for small electronic appliances and max out at 40 or 50 watts. Your vomiting duck draws 850 watts, and would fry a small converter pretty quick.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 6:18 PM on December 9, 2007

Not enough power from the FireWire to run the drive reliably? This just happened to me with a 2.5" USB drive and MacBook Pro Can you plug a power adaptor into the drive? Try plugging it into a desktop machine and see if it works better.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 7:24 PM on December 3, 2007

I also always fall asleep at takeoff and also landing. Even though I try to stay awake since that's my favorite time of flight. I also fall asleep on boats. I figure it's the vibrations.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 12:20 AM on November 19, 2007

Appealing to base: White letters on blue background – Like Fox News.
posted to MetaFilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 12:08 AM on November 19, 2007

Try entering the number as "+852…" on your phone. I'm in Hong Kong now. If you want to try sending me an SMS to test it out, drop me a message on Metafilter mail.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 12:10 AM on November 1, 2007

I've got Edifer H260 earphones, which are the same as the Sennheiser CX300s zemblamatic mentions above, but Chinese-branded. I like them very much, but there are a few points that are different thatn Lotto is looking for. For one, they are the "plug"-type of earphones that shut out external noise, unlike the Sony's. The cord is alsonon-textured rubber, so bumping or tapping on the cord results in loud noises in the ear.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 6:43 AM on October 23, 2007

Wow, this discussion reminded me of Zygot, a telephone bulletin board service in Berkeley I used to call about 25 years back. After a quick googling, I've discovered that it is still up, and at the same number (510) 644-2424.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 5:52 AM on October 16, 2007

Another good point of reference is the book Tulsa, by Larry Clark.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 10:29 PM on October 13, 2007

Travelfish.org
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 10:27 PM on October 4, 2007

I also had to let my California driver license expire while I was living overseas. What sucks is that the insurance companies regard any lapse in US driver license as the same a suspension, so rates will go up.

I don't know about other states, but California DMV will gladly let you renew your license well before it is about to expire. That won't help you now, but could help in the future.

And yes, an international license is useless without a valid local license.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 5:29 PM on September 13, 2007

Тяньцзинь
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 8:33 PM on September 11, 2007

I have had a regulator go out, making the same noise you describe. I've had some success whacking the regulator with a hammer to stop the noise. Only try this when the gas is off. Don't blow yourself up.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 6:30 PM on September 6, 2007

QueSeraSera and mr_roboto have nailed it. That second link in QueSeraSera's answer is identical to what I ate, which was surprisingly tasty. It did seem much too large to be a fish brain of any sort. I suppose it is really not any more strange to eat fish milt than fish roe.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 12:59 PM on August 22, 2007

Ko Tao for diving and relaxation, then Ko Samui if it starts to feel too provincial.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 6:49 AM on August 15, 2007

I also do a lot of traveling, and have used up many suitcases. My current favorite is the FlightCrew line from TravelPro. It's not beautiful luggage, but it is made to last a long time and be repairable. Almost all the pieces screw on and are replaceable when something breaks. The problem is that this range is officially only sold to airline personnel. I've ordered without any problem from stopoverstore.com, though. They'll even throw in a few CREW tag.

Also nthing the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 11:58 PM on July 25, 2007

I had a Brompton folding bike with a five-speed internal hub, and the thing broke twice. Very complicated mechanically (full of planetary gears and stuff) and very expensive to fix or replace.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 8:44 AM on July 2, 2007

I've sometimes had luck creating this effect in Photoshop by first running a gaussian blur, then posterizing. You'll need to experiment with amount of blur and number of posterization levels, and you may or may end up with something useful, depending on the source image.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 2:14 AM on June 29, 2007

As a very quick example, here is a random Mustang pulled off of GIS, and here is the same picture, after a gaussian blur of 4 pixels and a 3-level posterization.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Etaoin Shrdlu at 2:22 AM on June 29, 2007