There is always Australia.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 4:56 PM on June 15, 2008

If you take the tone you do in your post, I'd guess it will provide much hilarity for the letters editor and anyone he/she passes your missive on to. It is unlikely to be published.

Don't let that discourage you! Newsrooms are quite grim and stressful sometimes and any injection of levity is welcome.

Seriously though, while it's not a flattering piece, it doesn't seem particularly biased to me.

A journalist writing... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 2:45 AM on June 9, 2008

I thought I'd been pretty clear, but to reiterate - I am *not* looking for advice about a bank account to put money into, or for how to transfer money into a separate account. I am looking for harder to access *alternatives* to bank accounts.

A mutual fund or a service operated by a stockbroker sounds more like what I was thinking of.

Any suggestions about what I might ask for / look for along those lines?
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 6:03 AM on June 3, 2008

What is a CD? Is it like a term deposit? I've just had a look at the Aus ING site, and it offers term deposits, but nothing called a CD.

I think the alternative to Roth-IRA here is superannuation - I already have that through my employer's compulsory contributions. Once the money goes in there, it doesn't come out 'til you retire for good, which is a bit *too* long term. Although, in the new financial year, I am going to ramp up my voluntary contributions to that also.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 6:18 AM on June 3, 2008

Yeah... I really am looking for alternatives to bank accounts that would, ideally, take a *substantial* amount of hassle and time to get my hot spendy hands into. Much, much harder than ING and/or a separate bank account. That's what I have now. And it does not work for me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 6:32 AM on June 3, 2008

Oh dear... the ING term deposits looked really good - ''avoid temptation'' indeed! - but the monthly thing would be a problem. I'd never hold onto the cash for a month. Whatever I do, it's got to be weekly.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 7:14 AM on June 3, 2008

Oh, ew. I have had this problem in the past. It's so foul and no-one ever seems to understand that, uh, yeah, you're really throwing up every morning.

My doctor explained it to me as snot dripping onto the soft palette triggering the gag reflex. He said it's worse in the morning because you've been lying flat on your back with the snot dripping down your throat all night. Lovely. Although, I you said you sleep on your side, so perhaps that's not so much of an issue for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 6:39 AM on May 12, 2008

Re $300 worse off / $200 pay rise: I definitely didn't take the job *just* for the money and I'm prepared to suck up some extra expense for the experience the job offers. But not to the point of sobbing on pay day each week as I have to choose between food and petrol, or waking up at night having panic attacks about the rent, which is where things are at now.

Re the statement: I think it's for his boss. And he didn't promise - he just said he agreed that I was right... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 1:53 AM on May 5, 2008

Oh dear... I've lived with someone a bit like this.

My crying housemate was more the manipulative-psycho-crier though.

I dealt with the crying by preparing what I'd say before talking with her and by being warm and sympathetic when I spoke to her.

Then, no matter how much she tear up, I'd just stick to whatever it was I wanted to say. And walk away afterwards.

In general I tried to steer clear of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 2:45 AM on April 16, 2008

If you're in a major city you can just walk into Officeworks and get them. They're usually on the far back wall, with the archive boxes and big plastic containers.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 3:18 AM on April 15, 2008 marked best answer

Even if that specific example was impossible backlighting and super bright sunshine are problems that I face pretty much every day. It's all sun, all day*, in my neck of the woods, and I frequently have no choice about when or where I'm shooting. I just have to be there when whatever it is is going on.

Hence, the request for tips and advice about exposure and metering other than trying another angle or a different shot! Which, believe me, I do already.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 7:21 PM on April 10, 2008

One more thing. I'm often shooting more - scenes? - than portraits. So parades, queues of cars and so on, where I can't get close to a single subject, but have to show a group of people or things that might stretch for some distance. Like... the cars. I do try and get as close as possible, but sometimes whatever it is is just too big. The other day, it was a barge at anchor - with the light behind it. Unless I actually swam out into the river, I wasn't getting another angle on it. And there were... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 7:36 PM on April 10, 2008

I should have said...Photoshop not an option, sadly.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 11:47 PM on April 10, 2008

Thank you everyone for the metering tips - those were exactly what I was looking for.

Bonaldi, of course I don't have to get every single shot facing directly into the sun. And when it looks like I'll have to, I already try all sorts to get around it with different angles.

Sometimes though, all my efforts fail and I just can't avoid the light in front of me. And that's what I was asking for help with. I don't think it's unreasonable to try and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 4:13 AM on April 13, 2008

In Australia you can get a dorm room in a hostel for $25- sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less.

Buying supermarket food and cooking in the hostel kitchen you could get by on $10-$15 a day for food easily.

Public transport costs vary from city to city, but usually you can get some sort of day or weekly pass that will let you have unlimited trips during a set time period for a one-off fee. Sydney transport info here says for $35 you can... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 5:03 AM on April 7, 2008

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to go (yet another) mag subscription and a short, heartfelt but not mushy letter.

I would love to treat him to something like redballoondays, but just don't think he would be able to do it.

In fact, although in my head, he's always riding his bike, a recent escalation of his health problems means he likely can't do that any more either.

GPS, Tivo, cable, CDs, podcasts and the like... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 12:53 AM on March 18, 2008

I third the nunnery. When I lived in Melbourne I had friends and family stay there and they loved it.

The museum and Carlton are at your front door as is the tram to the city and St Kilda.

Fitzroy and Collingwood (Pubs! Music! Foods! Shops!) are at your back door.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 10:15 PM on March 9, 2008

Do you mean the best journalism primer - a how-to about gathering information from sources and records, and writing the story of the investigation? Or a homicide / police work primer?

If it's the former, I have a sort of a sideways answer.

I can't recommend a particular text, because, to be honest, all the ones I've read haven't been very helpful. Just lots of ''use google'' or ''keep all your sources in a database'' and ''be methodical'' kind... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 12:44 AM on February 20, 2008

It's hot. The further north you go, the hotter it is. So... Cooktown, Port Douglas, Cairns are tropical. Like, 38-40 degrees and 98 per cent humidity, with a wet season that lasts from (roughly) December to March, give or take a month either end.

What people do to adapt to the weather? Live in aircon for the most part. My office is icy-cold enough that it can be 40 degrees on the street and I'll have to wear a cardigan inside or risk hypothermia. Most houses have aircon,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 9:16 PM on February 11, 2008

Oh! Re crocs - yes, there are some at the beaches and indeed in the drains. Which sounds like it would be a terrifying threat, but... isn't. Wildlife control officers relocate them, people stay out of their way and beaches are closed if they show up.

Mosquitoes, however, are a real problem. Dengue fever outbreaks happen semi-regularly. So bring your bug spray.

And Townsville? Not in Far North Queensland. I never new this til I lived up here, but... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 9:25 PM on February 11, 2008

Actually, I probably was hyping it up a bit. It just *feels* that hot!

There are some 38C-plus days but the Bureau of Meteorology website says here mean days over 35C are actually quite low. About 141 days a year are over 30C.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 5:00 AM on February 12, 2008

Oh Lord... I am from Brisbane originally, and I say go to Amsterdam!

But really, what other people said: there's great beaches nearby if that's what you're into, but beware, it's pretty hot there in summer.

Also, it's not a bad place to hop off from, to see the rest of Australia - or the East Coast at any rate.

You can hop on a plane to Sydney and Melbourne pretty cheaply - or do a road trip for a week (Sydney) or two... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 3:49 PM on February 11, 2008

There's no exact equivalent to the Guardian's media jobs section that I know of in Australia.

But the Aus does publish a weekly Media section each Thursday and there are print/broadcasting jobs advertised in that. Section profile here and advertising contacts here.

You might also try internet sites like careerone.com.au (affiliated with News Limited) or mycareer.com.au (the Fairfax version).... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 7:16 PM on January 25, 2008 marked best answer

Like everybody else says, it depends where in South East Asia he wants to stay and how much he wants to travel and do.

I spent three months in Vietnam a couple of years ago and more than got by with $2500 Australian dollars, outside of the plane tickets.

But: the bulk of my time was spent living at a university campus on the outskirts of Hanoi and working an (unpaid) internship at a business magazine. While my daily routine was work/exploring the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 3:08 PM on January 14, 2008

These are great tips!

I have organised to pick up the camera tomorrow, all the better to get some practice. And have started begging the photographers for tips and some training time.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 3:48 PM on January 13, 2008

Someone once defined worry and anxiety for me as the massive, catastrophic overestimation of a negative outcome and the underestimation of your ability to deal with it.

Uncertainty and lack of control over a particular issue can also a big part of worrying I think. You have all these possible, awful outcomes swirling around in your head and you just don't really know what's going to happen and that is mighty, mighty stressful.

I think I've posted... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 4:55 AM on January 13, 2008

Can I suggest something in addition to the excellent suggestions to seek out regular contact with other human beings so you aren't over dependent on particular people?

It could be helpful to face your fear of being alone.


Next time you are alone, and it's not by choice, give yourself a set time to just be alone with your fear. And I mean, like, five minutes not five hours.

Sit still and try to listen to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 4:40 AM on January 13, 2008

If you're looking for something cheap and toy-like, I second a Zen Stone.

I've got a Zen Stone Plus and it was, indeed (a) cheap but not no-name-brand crappy and (b) toy-like in a pleasing ''ooh it's so teeny and round and... uh... stone-like!'' kind of way.

It's pretty sturdy too, I'm sure it would withstand school/move/pocket/bag/dropping.

And she could use it on any computer. Creative does have software you can... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 5:01 PM on December 1, 2007

And because it's late and my eyes are on stalks from trying to get this to work, I forgot to say - I'm on WinXP.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 4:47 AM on November 19, 2007

I've checked VLC's message window but it's just blank.

The KM Player gave me an error 80040218 (forums are mostly in Korean, I think, so not much joy there).

GOM says I don't have the codec (for both the .avi and .mkv files). When I click the search online for codec button it says it can't find the codec or the files are damaged.

Maybe I just *have* been unlucky three times over. Video Inspector says ''No'' in its Movie Valid field.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 5:27 AM on November 19, 2007

Yes, all the players play known good files.

I think I'm going to give it up as a bad job.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 5:51 AM on November 19, 2007

TomMelee - GSpot didn't recognise the codec either. I tried it first.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 6:15 AM on November 19, 2007

About the ''how to meet people to share the experience with'' bit of your question. If you're staying in a hostel you'll be beating off travel buddies with a stick, in my experience.

Whenever I've stayed in a hostel I've found myself besieged by people (guys/girls/groups) asking me out to dinner, sightseeing or to come on tours to make up numbers... and I'm by no means chatty or outgoing. Quite the opposite. I've mostly said yes and mostly had a great time with the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 5:12 PM on November 18, 2007

It helps me to write down a list of everything that's stressing me then mark the things I can and can't control or influence.

Everything I can't alter, or that are beyond my control, I try and work out what the worst possible outcome would be and how I'll deal with it personally.

The things I *can* alter, I make another list of what I'm going to do, babystep by babystep about them.

Once it's all down on paper and I know... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 3:42 PM on October 13, 2007

Wow, I remember the Cane Toad Times!

You could try asking at Bent Books in West End or The Archives in Elizabeth St- they might be interested, or if not, have some contacts.

Perhaps someone at UQ, maybe in the Fryer Library, or at the State Library, might be able to give you an idea of their worth?

Also, there was an exhibition at the Museum of Brisbane about that very era just last year. Maybe give them a call and ask for a word with the curator.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 2:40 AM on September 26, 2007 marked best answer

Online you could check out News U. They have lots of interactive tutorials. Maybe have a hunt around Media Bistro - they offer online classes that, I think, will give you individual feedback from a tutor.

For books, can you order from Amazon? Donald M Murray's Writing to a Deadline is a great introduction. (Sorry, no link, slow dialup connection just now.) Or if your local college has a library that you can access, just go there and plug 'news... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 2:29 AM on September 26, 2007

Can I be in it too, can I, can I please?!
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 5:45 PM on June 29, 2007

Meh, I used to live just off Victoria St and Thy Thy was well past it's useby date a couple of years ago.

So... unless it's had a renaissance, I'd give it a swerve. What about Circa at the Prince? Altho, again, it's been a few years, it was effing brilliant. Quiet, cool... and with a vodka bar downstairs.

And I've always had a soft spot for de los santos on Brunswick St. (Can get a bit noisy on Friday and weekends tho.)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 5:06 AM on June 29, 2007

I write for a real newspaper (altho' I'm in Australia, so we don't use AP style) and I've written for a travel mag and written and subbed at a glossy lifestyle magazine.

I'd use her first name - that's fine for a light feature / profile, especially if it's in the interests of clarity.

And start your own style book! Seriously - it'll be such a help to you if you outline, A - Z, points where you differ from AP.

So, under N... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 4:54 AM on June 29, 2007

I know what you mean, I think... these?
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 1:00 AM on June 16, 2007 marked best answer

Oh.. and here.

I've always known them as coffee bags. In Australia you can just buy them at the supermarket.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 1:05 AM on June 16, 2007

He should be aware that it'll be cold when he starts off in Sydney and hot and humid by the time he gets to Townsville. Then it will be even hotter and more humid in Cairns.

Leathers would be fine on the road, but be prepared for shorts-and-tshirts weather the further north you get, basically.

When he does get up north, it's a beautiful time to visit the reef and the islands. No stingers!

The RACQ's website has a route... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 3:30 AM on May 2, 2007

Wow. These are all great ideas... but -- and this is my fault, I really didn't make it clear -- by 'a bit of time and effort' I meant 'in the office' not 'as a full scale registered charity'. There will be no soliciting strangers for money.

So: to rephrase... What would be the best way for me to go about raising some cash for the landmine victim... at work?

ps not that she doesn't deserve more, but I know my limits. And a massive charity assault... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 3:44 AM on April 20, 2007

Although... now that I re-read... I reckon I could be able to get returned stuff to raffle. That could be a winner!
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 3:45 AM on April 20, 2007

Thanks, paulsc, yep, will obviously have to clear it. But folk are always putting up notices around the place for fundraising stuff / joining charity runs / having raffles, so I reckon it should be OK as long as I keep it fairly low key and don't spend any actual work time on it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 4:59 AM on April 20, 2007

Thank you everyone. Unfortunately, I missed most of the thread as my internet connection went down and then, after dragging myself to hospital, I spent the day passed out from the antihistamine prescribed.

To those who suggested I didn't need to see a doctor:no. Really. I did. The welts joined together and are now covered in a blotchy red rash. Most of the back of my legs, my arse, and half my back is covered by the redness. And then my face puffed up. It's. Not. Good.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 11:58 PM on March 12, 2007

Thanks biscotti... New isn't brand spanking...had them for about four months with no problems.

My other prime suspect is midges - too teeny to always spot, plentiful in the area and horrid bitey.

I think the hives might be an allergic reaction to the bites, if that makes sense?

Sigh. I've chemical bombed the room so with a bit of luck that'll kill whatever the evil beasties are.

And a return trip... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 6:32 AM on March 13, 2007

Thanks medea42. Yes, it is prednisone. And thank GOD it seems to be working. Thanks for the tip about it compromising your immune system - I'll be careful and the script is for three days worth only.

No spankbot, I will not be posting a photo.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 6:26 PM on March 13, 2007

Thanks everyone. Dry biscuits, tinned fruit and spreads are looking good.

And no, I'm not in Brisbane freaking out about cylones.

Have been lured far, far north.

And I quite like that my co-ordinates point to a secret island hideaway.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 3:28 PM on February 7, 2007

Wow! Work kept me from checking for a few days...

The person with the bottle of bourbon is looking for someone to put them out of their misery with a half-remembered word that's just... on the tip of their tongue.

And that word, they are adamant, is not wreckers, wrackers or any variant thereof.

They've also called off the bet in frustration.
posted to Ask Metafilter by t0astie at 1:27 AM on January 29, 2007