Consider that we are dealing not so much with the acts themselves but the fantasy of the acts and it becomes possible to discern a line between them. While, in real life, we are unlikely to condone theft and murder, understanding the reality of them, when it comes to imaginative recreation, whether in films, novels or RPGs, our reactions are more nuanced. The fantasy of these acts can come from a straight forward wish to be the perpetrator of them, or it can occurs as a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 8:58 AM on October 10, 2008

As norabarnacl3 points out you don't need to drink that much water. My partner, who has had recurrent kidney stones, had been drinking a similar amount recently after her latest kidney stone. She had an appointment with the Urologist two days ago and was told to reduce the amount to half that (1 litre) as the quantity she was drinking was over working her kidneys (and this is someone who needs to drink more water than normal).

I can not speak as to what the consequences... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 4:07 AM on October 10, 2008

I spent 12+ years living with other people's kids in just these sort of situations and I think Amelioration is bang on the money. I lived with six different kids during this time (all the way from 18 months to 16 years) and the only real problems I ever had was when living with someone who had previously lived with other people as lodgers in her house and kind of had the expectation that this was the way it was going to be. The kids picked up on this and one of them did try to pull the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 1:16 PM on October 7, 2008

DarlingBri's answer reminded me of the Decision Matrix which I came across in the context of Particpatory Rural Analyis — a set of techniques used to encourage participation in development processes in the under developed world. Though it comes out of a specific place many of its exercises and techniques will be applicable elsewhere. I was and art student at the time and we were using it to analyse a set of problems in creating artworks, for example.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 6:13 AM on October 7, 2008

I just eat them for my tea. They were delicious. The spreading them on hot toast method worked great. Thanks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 11:09 AM on October 6, 2008

You should read Procopius' Secret History: all the celebrity obsessed gossip and scandal you should ever want — from the days of the Byzantine Empire (around 550 CE).
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 7:47 AM on October 6, 2008

Poplar?
it's the new Pimlico. Given how the past votes have gone, I think Obama is a safe call.
posted to MetaTalk by tallus at 7:44 AM on October 3, 2008

Don't we already have location information in the form of tags? Why not make http://travel.metafilter.com/go/us/ma/boston bring up the same results as http://ask.metafilter.com/tags/boston but with the added extra location goodness?

Trip reports could be added to the travel.metafilter.com frontpage as posts and incorporated into the mix.

Also can I have a pony? Is it possible to support using the Geo microformat in answers? It could be used for... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by tallus at 1:21 PM on September 30, 2008

Is there any cultural differences between US and UK dating and sleeping together?

My British and German friends say it's different over there, no one really confirms you're in a "committed" relation.. you just hang out.

The internet is changing all this, but I think it's fair to say there is a definite transatlantic gap in understanding, as well as in practice.

I'm a 40 year old British male... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 5:20 PM on September 27, 2008

I'm British and I do rinse dishes, though its not the way it was ever done growing up.

I used to work as a field caterer (outside events)and in order to pass an environmental health inspection (food safety) when you are catering you have to rinse the dishes.

However we didn't have ready access to large quantities of hot water so we washed in cold water, and there was never a problem with this. I'm not so convinced rinsing, in this case at... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 11:13 AM on September 27, 2008

I'm surprised no ones mentioned this yet, at least directly, but in some jurisdictions there are laws against allowing your house to be used for marijuna use.

For instance according to the Oregon State Bar "knowingly maintaining, visiting or even staying at a place where people are using, storing or selling marijuana is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $6,250 fine."

NORML has a state... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 10:38 AM on September 27, 2008

I've seen rulers with multiple sets of scales e.g. inches, centimetres, ems, picas, or miles/km at common map scales.

Given the size of space you could make something that looks like lots of different ruler scales but acts as a conversion chart, with the scales representing, °C /°F, km/miles etc. It would only give you estimates, but you could include a fair amount of info with out having lots of numbers: if you know what they stand for you just count off the marks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 9:36 AM on September 25, 2008

Stasiland: True Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall by Anna Funder. Based on a series of interviews, it describes life under the Stasi form the view point of those who worked for them, and those who opposed them. It's not the lightest of subject matters but its a very readable and absorbing book.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 5:57 AM on September 23, 2008 marked best answer

Libra by Don DeLillo, opens with an extended description of a young Lee Harvey Oswald riding the subway trains.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 7:33 AM on September 22, 2008

It's a long time since I've dealt with any of this but isn't this Gaston Bachelard's territory? (See for instance).
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 8:30 AM on September 18, 2008 marked best answer

You heard the phrase "its only takes one rotten apple to spoil the barrel", right? Well it's literally true, and it would be foolish to risk spoilage mix in windfalls in with picked apples if they are not going to be used right away for this reason.

It's also the case that the ease with which an apple comes away form the tree is a sign of ripeness so an apple that has just fallen on the ground is likely to be ripe -- unsurprising if we consider the evolution... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 11:50 AM on September 17, 2008 marked best answer

Rn - Rosey Nosey
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 12:22 AM on September 17, 2008

Cheese and Pineapple -- the ultimate British party food!
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 3:00 PM on September 16, 2008

how about In Search of a Midnight Kiss? which came out recently. Some of the other mumblecore stuff might fit as well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 3:54 AM on September 16, 2008

The LCC has a list of Second Hand Bikeshops. At your height you should be looking for a 25" frame (63cm) which aren't so common (particularly outside of road bikes) and the largest size generally in production.

Your money is probably going to be well spent going to a reputable local bike shop to get fitted properly. I'm guessing in your case it's probably Brixton Cycles.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 9:58 AM on September 12, 2008

Unfortunately I think we are about to find out.
posted to MetaTalk by tallus at 7:25 AM on September 8, 2008

Excuse me?
posted to MetaTalk by tallus at 6:34 AM on September 9, 2008

Must not upset the locals.
posted to MetaTalk by tallus at 9:51 AM on September 9, 2008

Looks like dyslexia strikes once again, whoops!
posted to MetaTalk by tallus at 9:53 AM on September 9, 2008

Quick! Call Quincy!
posted to MetaTalk by tallus at 8:04 AM on September 10, 2008

Whatever turns you on.
posted to MetaTalk by tallus at 1:29 PM on September 10, 2008

Quiet at the back there, I'm trying to think.
posted to MetaTalk by tallus at 1:37 AM on September 11, 2008

Pity me, please.
posted to MetaTalk by tallus at 3:34 AM on September 11, 2008

7 Tips for Climbing to the Top, this is a training regime aimed at racing cyclists but it has something useful takeaway lessons that you can use. Specifically cadence (the speed the pedals turn at). Beginners often make the mistake of using too low a cadence -- grinding a big gear around at too slow a pedal revolution. Its better for you, and better exercise, to go for a high cadence, pedalling as fast as you can comfortably sustain, For training you can go for short runs where you pedal... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 8:23 AM on September 8, 2008

Actually flypostering I've never known anyone use anything other than wallpaper paste. It works ok , but fly posters aren't necessarily meant to last. They normally do ok in the rain, but not if it's raining when you put them up. The big limit is surface, the flatter and cleaner the better -- neither of which really describes brick/render/concrete/stone so I suspect this might be an obstacle. Since the surfaces are going to be obscured is there anyway you could get a carpenter to cover them in... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 7:55 AM on September 8, 2008

If you are in right part of London you might find the Hackney Cyclists bike maintenance workshop a handy resource.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 5:50 AM on September 8, 2008

It's certainly possible, a couple of years ago I was feeding two people on an equivalent budget. It did take smart shopping -- lots of price comparisons, being prepared to split the shopping between shops to get a cheaper price on an item I would have paid more for if I had done all the shopping in one place/a supermarket.

One side effect was that I did a lot of local and seasonal shopping by necessity. I was living in an isolated area of the country and anything that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 3:43 AM on September 8, 2008

If your around central London in the evening check out Gordon's Wine Bar (Map): its a a candle lit, underground, Victorian wine bar (the oldest in London). It can get a little crowded, but it has a fantastic atmosphere, is inexpensive and will make you fell like you have got a slice of insider's London.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 5:47 AM on September 5, 2008

Cranks? 22 Chapel St, Brighton, BN2 1RQ.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 2:11 AM on September 5, 2008

A basic coconut + peanut butter base:

fry onions,garlic and ginger with chilli or red curry paste, add peanut butter, lemon/lime juice and coconut (cream) , then add cilantro before you serve. For a soup add water to thin or add veg and optionally fish or meat for a sauce to serve with rice or noodles. Other variants add asian fish sauce or leave out the peanut butter and/or chilli/curry (you only need 1 of the three but you can combine them).
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 1:42 PM on September 3, 2008 marked best answer

Mirrors, lots of them. I lived in small room with at least 7 mirrors, of all shapes and sizes. The thing is only one was placed where you might conventionally find it. But stuck in a dark corner, half hidden by furniture or at the back of a shelf they all bounced light and the room and opened up unexpected spaces and views. I never had to pay for them, they seem to be something you can always find on the side of the street.

(and seconding that lime green colour, I've used it too).
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 4:27 AM on September 3, 2008

powells.com too? They give 7.5% too. (says the man who uses Amazon as a gigantic ISBN lookup db and goes down a real bookshop).
posted to MetaTalk by tallus at 9:11 AM on September 2, 2008

It's going to be difficult eliminating all the things Gnome drags in, going with a lightweight desktop manager is going to be easier, as well as producing better results. I use Fluxbox for all my desktop installs (for aesthetic and efficiency/productivity reasons as well as its relatively light system load). Its easy enough to set that up as a default for just one user.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 6:47 AM on September 2, 2008

The London Review Bookshop is open on Sunday (12-6) has an excellent cafe/cakeshop inside, as well as being one of the best bookshops in London. No Sofa's I think, though comfortable, but otherwise it fits your bill perfectly.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 11:08 AM on September 1, 2008 marked best answer

Fairly new, I think its been there a little under a year.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 2:56 PM on September 1, 2008

I'm the opposite of iamkimian so it really does vary. I found fleshy areas much more doable than bony areas, the inch or so at the base of the sternum was particularly excruciating, elsewhere was fine if there was some padding -- relatively speaking, as I'm very skinny. Like a lot of people I mostly just concentrate on breathing properly.

One thing you might not be prepared for is the after effects. I normally get hit by a big surge of adrenalin/endorphins immediately... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 9:29 AM on August 28, 2008

Kedgeree is an old fashioned British breakfast, as are jugged kippers. Both are great. And seconding curry or dahl and rice.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 6:14 AM on August 28, 2008

Kathryn beat me to it with foodpairing.be. similar information and an explanation cn be found at khymos.org. The basic idea is paring foods that share flavour molecules together. This is why I am able to combine salmon and cilantro here (it's actually two flavour pairings: strawberry/cilantro and salmon/strawberry).

The Khymos blog is also worth looking at, particularly the TGRWT (That Goes Really Well Together) series, linked in the right hand panel, where food... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 2:36 PM on August 27, 2008

When I worked in an old peoples homes we always used Neutradol to get rid of the lingering incontinent old person smell. It looks like it might be UK only, with Ozium being a US equivalent. Both work to get rid of the smell rather than trying to cover it up.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 3:31 PM on August 26, 2008

The following pages from Shelter should give you some useful advice Repairs and Bad Conditions
Housing Health and Safety Rating System
Disruption and Poor Work

The law does allow you to take court action to force a landlord to carry out repairs, and to claim compensation if, for instance, part of the house is unusable. This is called rent abatement and is calculated on a percentage basis, so if half your house was unusable you could claim a 50%... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 4:40 PM on August 25, 2008

Tannin, probably: You see this (a metallic looking film or spots) on stewed tea, which is high is high in tannin. I drink tea black and I notice this with Indian tea if its brewed for any length of time, much less often with black China teas which are lower in tanin. Since Indian tea is usually drunk with milk which binds to the phenolic compounds (of which tannin is one) this is not normally so noticeable.

As an alternative explanation Howard McGee notes in... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 9:52 AM on August 22, 2008

I noticed on a couple of occasions on start up when the long boing thread was round. Mind you I'm kind of surprised the street lights didn't dip when that thread was loading.
posted to MetaTalk by tallus at 10:03 AM on August 21, 2008

I would suggest looking out for Fentiman's drinks. They have Dandelion and Burdoch, Ginger Beer and Victorian Lemonade, among others and are available in bars and cafes. They are 'botanically brewed' using an old fashioned technique and natural ingredients and this shows through in the flavour as well as making them less sweet than typical.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 3:19 AM on August 16, 2008

london-flat-rental.co.uk (a.k.a.moveflat.com) -- is awesome. It was started by a guy who was pissed off by bad flat adverts and he rejects a lot of adverts that he doesn't think are informative enough. We moved recently and ended up only using this site as the quality was much higher even if the selection was smaller. All the places we looked at were good, and we were dealing with landlords directly.

You can also try nestoria which aggregates search results from across... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 7:17 AM on August 15, 2008

It goes wider than just denial, as mitzyjalapeno points out, and covers more than just the (ex-)partners of abusers, who might be seen to have a strong interest in this.

I was abused by a friend of my fathers, something that he (my father) learnt of only years later, when the police contacted him, in order to get hold of me, as part of a wider investigation. I was an adult by this time, and happy to help, and had no great interest in making any accusations. No doubt he... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tallus at 9:44 AM on August 13, 2008 marked best answer