Definitely Capilene. I've found regular polypro gets trashed and fuzzed out pretty quickly whereas Capilene stays the same forever.
And you really don't need much in the way of weight or thickness, just light or medium weight will do. Always been fine for me, through Quebec & Alberta winters.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 6:03 PM on July 23, 2008

Thanks, Dick Paris, that's incredible, and very helpful.
(Almost as strange as the fact of you owning one is that that sole reference on Google is to an estate sale in Eastbourne, E. Sussex, where I once lived a long time ago.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 4:42 AM on July 14, 2008

I bought a T61p based largely on the recommendation of people on Metafilter, and don't regret it at all - it's a great, extremely solid machine that has run flawlessly... so far (1 month or so). There wasn't much in the way of bloatware to remove (I've left on various 'ThinkVantage' bits and bobs while I figure out if they're actually useful) and while I had trepidations, based on a lot of alarmist talk out there, I've found Vista runs really well too (I did though fine-tune it based on the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 1:08 PM on July 12, 2008

It's not just the U.S. In my experience, they're the same all over Canada, England, Spain, Italy, South Africa (I once whiled away hours in a huge, deserted Chinese restaurant in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State, waiting for a midnight train) - menu, decor, prices. It seems to be a formula which has been passed around as people moved from place to place.
The places that are different have actually been in the Chinatowns of places like Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary...
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 1:11 PM on July 11, 2008

When I read the question the first thing I thought of was actually this Vietnamese restaurant on Kingsland Road, though now for a change I will definitely try the place Jofus recomends.
For us one dish there always stands out: No.14 'barbecue beef wrapped in betel leaves'. (of course the pho is amazing too).
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 3:26 AM on July 10, 2008 marked best answer

Remind us who 'Theory of a Deadman' were again... was that a Nickelback/Chad Kroeger side project?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 5:11 PM on June 26, 2008

Jonathan Richman's Roadrunner is pretty punk, and it feels like summer.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 3:01 PM on June 5, 2008

If you can stretch your definition of punk to include the Meat Puppets (country-punk, and they were on SST!), then 'Swimming Hole' from 'Up On The Sun' is a great summer song.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 3:26 PM on June 5, 2008

It's gotta be a bovine, like the Cape Buffalo or something equally large.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 4:14 PM on June 4, 2008

I don't think that's the Royal York Hotel - it's in the wrong place. I think that's the Canada Life Insurance building on University Ave.
Also, I believe the tall silver building behind it is the First Canadian Place/Bank of Montreal building - I think this photo must predate the TD Bank buildings, which are shorter and darker (incidentally, you could look on my website for a close-up photo of the sublime TD towers).
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 3:32 PM on June 2, 2008

Good heavens. I was indeed mistaken. In which case that may be, if the angle of the sunlight is setting the dark glass ablaze, one of the TD towers. I'll just shut up now.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 1:38 PM on June 3, 2008

Capri pants - sure, plus a sleeveless top or something with skinny straps. For shoes you might as well go with sneakers with those mini tennis socks. These are the sorts of things my Italian girlfriend wears in the summer in Italy. You couldn't go wrong either with some nice light dresses.
Avoid: Tilley hat; T-shirts; Maple Leaf flags and/or Roots apparel; kahki pants, especially the kind with the legs that zip off; baseball caps; money belt; backpack with all sorts of straps and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 5:48 PM on May 27, 2008

Did you try Boswell's, at the corner of Cornmarket & Broad Street? That's a pretty eclectic chemist.
Or, if you head north from there towards Jericho along Woodstock Road, there's another chemists just past the old Radcliffe infirmary, which is also independent.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 2:03 PM on May 14, 2008

In South Africa it's common practice to turn on your hazards to say "thanks" after somebody has done you a favour - say pulled onto the shoulder to let you pass.
A flash of the headlights there, and in Canada, usually is a courtesy sign to mean go ahead (unless you're flashing oncoming traffic to warn them of a speed trap ahead).
And In Italy people use their hazard lights all the time - more than any other place I've seen - when they slow down on the highway,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 5:55 AM on May 13, 2008

You might want to consider the Asus M51Sn, which has a great graphics card and a good price, plus good build quality, features (e.g bluetooth) and design. It might be a bit big for a lot of travelling though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 6:00 PM on April 26, 2008

It's a cold cold world. Here's what Gawker has to say about it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 12:14 PM on April 12, 2008

You should look into some of the islands north of Naples too - Ischia, Ponza, Ventotana (sp?). My girlfriend (who's from Naples) and I spent a long weekend on Ponza right around when you'd be there, and it was amazing. A tiny island, with one road and a regular bus service, a couple of nice beaches and other nice ledgy places where you could sunbathe and swim (it was a good time to be there, not at all crowded but the water just getting warm enough). One day we rented a motorboat and went over... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 1:26 PM on April 11, 2008

Hmm, can't find it (& GF is away, she would have the details for sure) but here is a good selection of places on Ponza. I have a hunch it might actually have been the Vittoria that we stayed at. Here some more. Ponza.com....Observer article...
Anyway, this early in the season I doubt you'll have any trouble finding a nice place to stay.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 1:45 PM on April 11, 2008

Muleslayer

Auberge du Frisbee Noir

Manx Skanx

Jack Webb's Dark Legacy

Fothergill
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 11:51 AM on April 3, 2008

Civil Servant
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 11:55 AM on April 3, 2008

Hammer Time
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 12:50 PM on April 3, 2008

Don't forget too that you'll need a deposit for your flat - which is usually 6 weeks rent (but my landlord is pretty cool and he just asked for a thousand pounds).
My stats - 1050 pounds/month for nice 1 bed flat (half a victorian house) in zone 1. I can *barely* afford it, but with the garden, and being able to ride to work, or anywhere in central London in 10 minutes, makes it worth it.
Council tax is 94 pounds a month, utilities and phones probably another 60, and I'd... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 12:42 PM on April 3, 2008 marked best answer

Ok, I just saw this linked in the comments of FAILblog (which, more and more, seems to consist of pictures that are already cool/weird in their own right without some loser wrting 'Fail' on them), and, for the record and just to spread the laughter, it's funny: anythingBlack
I think it's Atrios's side project.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 4:34 PM on March 31, 2008

Also Italy
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 4:14 PM on March 19, 2008

I took a couple this morning, too. I'm not susceptible to anxiety/panic disorders, but this question reminds me that, when I last had a cold, cycling home was weird.
The lights on all the cars were just a bit overwhelming, having to process all of that information at once.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 7:15 AM on March 14, 2008

What about Havre, Montana?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 2:33 PM on March 10, 2008

Sanka I thought I was the only person in the world who did that.
Except it's for a thumb hold - always just the thumb.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 4:02 PM on March 6, 2008

Ever since I moved to London I've been curious about the damage from the Blitz - what areas were bombed and how much was razed, the quality of the neighbourhoods that were lost compared with the quality of the develoment that replaced them. For instance, I live smack dab in the centre of a loop in the Thames; roads lead concentrically to Tower Bridge in the east, Waterloo, London etc Bridges directly north, and Vauxhall Bridge in the west. And between here and the river is a vast swathe of city... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 4:20 PM on February 21, 2008 marked best answer

Destroyer - Streethawk: A Seduction
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 3:56 PM on February 17, 2008

also, Fiery Furnaces - Gallowsbird's Bark
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 4:01 PM on February 17, 2008

Again with the Jan 08 Harper's Index:

Minimum number of U.S. deaths from food allergies each year, according to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network: 150
Number recorded by the CDC: 12
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 2:20 PM on January 18, 2008

I've had pretty good results with Neat Image, but to be honest I don't bother using it that often, only when there's a very noisy 'field' in a picture
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 12:35 PM on December 15, 2007

When I've been stuck in ice, snow, sand etc.. I've found deflating your tires works better than any amount of pushing, rocking, wedging stuff under - all measures of brute force and aggravation. Then drive really gingerly to the nearest gas station or other means of reinflation.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 10:08 AM on December 7, 2007

No quicksand either
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 3:21 PM on November 16, 2007

Well *I* think's he's just saying that if he tries to use his left hand he'll screw up and waste the dose.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 11:32 AM on November 16, 2007

I bought a Philips Skype phone a while ago and had the same problem - it knocked out my speakers, but if you picked up the cordless handset you'd hear the sound coming through there. The solution for me was indeed along the lines of what fake suggests - both Audio and Voice should show your regular sound card as a selection, and there's a checkmark on both tabs for 'use only default devices'.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 4:12 PM on November 10, 2007

Scotch is the liquor I'll order in bars and pubs, but Jagermeister is what I buy in bottled form - because it's so tasty and also very cheap in European duty free shops.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 2:40 PM on November 7, 2007

Well, there's a liquer called 'Amarula', kind of like Bailey's and widely available, which while it is technically South African is made from the fruit of the Amarula tree which grows in abuyndance in Namibia. Apparently the elephants of the Kalahari like to get drunk and crazy on this fruit when it ferments, so that's sort of a rugby tie-in right there.
Or, maybe you could on a technicality exploit Namibia's history as a German colony, which could offer a cornucopia of culinary... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 2:40 AM on October 17, 2007 marked best answer

This is how a character kills himself in Infinite Jest, after having meticulously custom-built a door that would seal around his neck. It might just have been D Foster Wallace's flight of fancy, but his death came instantaneously from either explosion or implosion (can't recall which) rather than from brain-cooking.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 3:02 AM on October 11, 2007

John Fogerty - Rock & Roll Girls
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 1:47 PM on October 10, 2007

The Lars Von Trier film 'Breaking the Waves' spends quite a lot of time on board an oil rig - the scenes look prettty realistic and quease-inducing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 1:51 AM on September 29, 2007

Mr Big
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 4:58 PM on September 22, 2007

I've been using Skype on my computer to send text messages, and this gives you the option of sending to multiple recipients, as if it was an e-mail. You have to buy Skype credit, it costs about 11 cents per text, and this would probably be multiplied by the number of people you're sending to.
I'm sure your thousands of friends will be very grateful for the warning.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 4:02 PM on September 18, 2007

Thirding Primark - it is ridiculously cheap, though this is on the back of questionable Indian labour practices.
Plus I'm not sure you'll actually find proper rain gear there, it's mostly casual-type stuff.
Millets and Snow+Rock do sell proper rainwear, at normal retail prices, but you might find something reasonable on a sale rack.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 2:05 PM on September 16, 2007

Did he bruise the cucumber first?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 4:48 PM on September 14, 2007

After a similar search I bought one of these, and I recommend it very highly; it doesn't have padding but I've been careful, sometimes putting a sweater or toque in there first to help pad it out. Otherwise there are some others in the same range that have padding, but aren't quite so minimal in appearance.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 3:48 PM on September 12, 2007

For long distance calls, if broadband and Skype isn't an option, use a long distance phone card. Once you have a pay as you go cell phone (which is very easy, mobile phone places are everywhere, shop around for what you want and once you've decided you'll have a phone and phone number immediately).... go into a convenience store and buy a long distance phone card - they're advertised on posters in the window and called things like 'Mad for Minutes' and sold in denominations of 5, 10, 20 pounds.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 4:02 PM on September 9, 2007

But opening a bank account is very hard. I was turned away by all the major banks until I went to HSBC, who gave me a 'basic bank account' for the first 6 months or so, until I had a steady track record of pay cheques.
So I'd suggest you try them first - it is much better to have an account here than to try and juggle finances from the States.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 4:06 PM on September 9, 2007

Except, ClanvidHorse, The Charlatans had a pretty big following in the US and Canada back in the shoegaze/Madchester days of the early 90s. To avoid a conflict with some San Francisco band from the 60s, they had to trade under the name 'Charalatans UK'.
I'm sure few of their fans from then, even in the UK, would be aware they're still together though - I wasn't.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 6:09 AM on September 8, 2007

uh, that's 'Charlatans UK', although I guess a typo would've done the job for them too
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flashman at 6:10 AM on September 8, 2007