Chicago. Cheap, very walkable.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 3:59 PM on July 22, 2008

For longer backpacking trips, I always pack for 5 days no matter how long and do laundry on the road.

My bag is usually filled with:

5 shirts (3 t-shirts and 2 collared)
2 pants (one pair jeans, one pair of those ultra touristy ones that zip off into shorts. sue me!)
5 pairs of socks
5 pairs of boxers

The freedom a backpack allows will greatly overpower the "luxury" of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 9:27 AM on July 22, 2008

Little late to the party, but try The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 5:28 PM on July 21, 2008

Outdoor blinds.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 10:21 AM on July 21, 2008

Here are some bamboo ones.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 10:22 AM on July 21, 2008

I always thought it was so they don't misspell it when they title it in post production. And they just left it in for fun.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 6:59 AM on July 18, 2008

Questions that are some version of "What is the deal with X?"or "X sucks, am I right?" tend to not go well on Ask MetaFilter. Please do not rant on AskMe and pretend it is a question.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 2:56 PM on July 10, 2008

Singapore would work well. Also check prices from Kuala Lumpur. Keep in mind: you could take a train from either of those destinations into Thailand. This will most likely be cheaper and quite a bit more interesting.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 3:30 PM on July 9, 2008

Actually, KL might be better if you plan on definitely flying. AirAsia flies direct to Bangkok from there, but not Singapore. Looks like it'll cost about $33 one-way -- quite a bit cheaper than the train (~$70USD). Surprising.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 3:41 PM on July 9, 2008

Surefire.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 8:50 AM on July 9, 2008

It's a quick train ride between Munich and Salzburg. Get a Bayern ticket, which is about EUR30 and covers up to 5 people.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 1:52 PM on July 8, 2008 marked best answer

Since no one else responded to the other questions, I did a bit of research for you.

After using a Bayern ticket to get to Salzburg, it's another quick (<2>Bischofshofen, but that's no big deal. Trains run a few times a day and it'll cost about EUR20 per person. Talk to a station agent to see if there are any group prices, or if your children need a ticket. You might be able to get them cheaper if you buy in advance, so head back to the station in Salzburg a day or... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 6:08 PM on July 8, 2008 marked best answer

Hmm the first and second sentences in the second paragraph got garbled. It should read:

"After using a Bayern ticket to get to Salzburg, it's another quick (less than 2 hours) train ride from Salzburg to Zell Am See. It looks like you'll have to make a connection in Bischofshofen, but that's no big deal."
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 6:10 PM on July 8, 2008

Be wary of Wombat's. While it's a great, great place for the backpacking 20-something... they both have bars in them that fill up with countless drunken travelers. It might not be the best place for a family. It will most definitely be cheaper (they run really clean properties as well), and you can segregate yourself from the drunkards, but the place will still, no doubt, be loud and obnoxious throughout the night.

Sorry, don't know much about the luggage situation --... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 6:40 AM on July 9, 2008 marked best answer

(Feel free to MefiMail me if you have any other questions!)
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 6:42 AM on July 9, 2008

Contact the Illinois Tenant Union.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 5:09 PM on July 8, 2008

Sub; Midwest.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 7:42 AM on July 8, 2008

Yelp is great for grocery store reviews.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 9:52 AM on July 7, 2008

An old professor of mine worked at Yellowstone as a bilingual tour guide, so learning a foreign language could be an option.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 9:36 AM on July 7, 2008

Unbelievably, this doesn't happen in Point Break.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 8:02 AM on July 6, 2008

Fill up a Chicago Card with how much ever you want to spend, or maybe get him a Zip Car/Igo membership.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 10:32 AM on July 5, 2008

No roadtrip across the U.S. is complete without the Rand McNally Trucker's Atlas. Spiral bound, laminated pages (for spill/rip protection, plus you can get some erasable markers and go to town, literally), and truck-specific routes that you can use to avoid the long hauler highways.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 7:40 AM on July 4, 2008 marked best answer

Here's another good book that covers this (and much more): Watching Baseball Smarter: A Professional Fan's Guide for Beginners, Semi-experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 1:44 PM on July 3, 2008

Yes.

The first step in solving this problem is to talk to them. Don't go running out there wielding an axe, but flag them down and talk to them about their machines. Be interested. Be nice. Establish a relationship. "Hey, seen you guys around here lately...."

Then, next time they come around, flag them down again and ask if they would mind not doing whatever they're doing so close to your property. Since you're already... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 9:52 AM on July 1, 2008 marked best answer

The Mythbusters tackled the windows down vs. A/C issue. Here are some details.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 10:41 AM on June 30, 2008

It's possible to get out of the airport, sure, but keep in mind if he leaves a secured area, he'll have to go back through security. This means that if lines are long, he'll need to set aside enough time to pass back through security.

So with 6 hours, you'd probably want to be back in the secured area waiting to board no later than one hour before takeoff. Assuming it'll take him roughly an hour to get back through security, that only leaves him with 4 hours to spend... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 3:22 PM on June 29, 2008

Is there any reason why you think this is an unapproachable subject? Do you think your cousin will be mad/offended?

I think a simple, "you know, I really would like to name my child X," would be sufficient for any reasonable person. Is your cousin unreasonable?
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 9:09 AM on June 29, 2008

For #1, Use the / key instead of control-f -- that opens up Quick Find which will disappear automatically. Unfortunately, there are no NEXT/PREVIOUS buttons, but there is apparently a fix (untested).
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 7:36 AM on June 29, 2008 marked best answer

You can view current gas prices on a map at Gas Buddy, though I don't think you can punch in a route. Still, you should be able to manually do this with very little work.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 10:41 AM on June 26, 2008

L4WY3R
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 5:51 AM on June 26, 2008

"It used to be that manufacturers of flavored cigars would inject artificial flavor (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, rum, cognac, etc.) into the body of a very cheap cigar with a syringe. While this is still a very common technique used to make flavored smokes, some cigar companies are using a different, more natural approach." Source.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 7:30 AM on June 24, 2008

Boil up some hot water in a tea kettle and use that (after it has cooled, of course).
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 10:49 AM on June 23, 2008

More fried threads: 1, 2
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 7:07 AM on June 23, 2008

I'd recommend going for a Chimay or other Trappist. Why? Because it's strong, light, and mmmm-mmm de-lish.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 5:11 PM on June 22, 2008

Try the Missouri Brown at Trailhead Brewing Company in St. Charles.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 5:42 PM on June 22, 2008

Leonard Cohen
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 11:40 AM on June 22, 2008

From the TSA,

"Medications must be labeled so they are identifiable."
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 11:03 AM on June 22, 2008

Not to be that snarky asshole, but have you browsed through the DSLR tag?
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 9:58 AM on June 22, 2008

Definitely check out Old City -- the old part of the city in the center. It's surrounded by a beautiful walking path and is perfect for people watching.

Further, there are plenty of bars and restaurants and cafes in Old Town, many of which have outdoor seating.

Not sure what your accommodation budget is, but I stayed at Hostel Yellow when I was there. Don't let the word "hostel" scare you though -- this is a quirky, clean, fun... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 3:58 PM on June 21, 2008 marked best answer

A home-based phone job would make sense in this situation -- customer service, technical support. The latter, however, may be an issue because it requires technical training in most instances.

While I have no immediate experience, I know that companies hire virtual customer service reps who work from home. This cuts down on costs associated with physical call centers.

There is a ton of information on Google, which could actually be a bad thing.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 8:01 AM on June 20, 2008

What kind of laptop do you have?
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 6:26 AM on June 20, 2008

I've had a Cashio G-Shock for a long, long time. I can't imagine the watch portion ever breaking -- it's the band you have to worry about. And, as expected, when the band breaks, it costs nearly as much as your original purchase.

I switched from the plastic band to a fabric/Velcro one and it's going on almost two years of daily wear (I never take it off) without succumbing to the elements. The plastic version lasted a couple of months.

Try... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 5:44 PM on June 19, 2008 marked best answer

Er, CASIO, of course. Not "Cashio." Heh. Plus, from the Wiki:

G-Shock is very popular by rescue workers, police, astronauts, firemen and military. According to Mark Bowden's book Blackhawk Down, the DELTA Operators wore G-Shock watches during the combat events of Oct 3rd and 4th. Since then, G-Shocks watches have become very popular with Special Forces groups in both American and other NATO nation units, due to their being "battle tested".
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 5:46 PM on June 19, 2008

You may have better luck with this: Reach Verizon Internet Executive Customer Service.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 8:23 AM on June 19, 2008

There are a ton of good places to camp and float (on a canoe) down a river.

For floats, check out MissouriCanoe.org. They cover pretty much all of them.

For camping, splurge on this book: The Best in Tent Camping: Missouri and the Ozarks: A Guide for Campers Who Hate RVs, Concrete Slabs, and Loud Portable Stereos.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 1:26 PM on June 17, 2008 marked best answer

NYC_Airports_to_Manhattan_Transportation_FAQ
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 11:37 AM on June 17, 2008

It could be Jimson weed (datura stramonium).
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 11:08 AM on June 17, 2008 marked best answer

Seconding Bombay -- there's really no place like it. It's horrible and great at the same time.

Other places in India I really liked, that stood out, were -- in order -- Mount Abu, Jaipur, and Puttaparthi.

But the most amazing places weren't really formal places at all, but the small, roadside stands or primitive villages in between cities. Make it a point to get out of the cities from time to time and see how a majority of Indians live.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 1:58 PM on June 15, 2008

Chatfilter.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 12:11 PM on June 10, 2008

Tynan lived in an RV. Here's a post about his first 10 days.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nitsuj at 1:40 PM on June 9, 2008