Do you have many pictures on the walls?

If you do, you might want to consider taking some down, leaving the hooks up and letting her pick something out to replace them with. But do not under any circumstances question her choice if you do this - I had an ex once tell me that my favourite wall painting - now one of the few items I'm going to put into storage rather get rid of while traveling - was ugly, and couldn't go on the living room wall and that really made it... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 5:01 PM on August 5, 2008

I see nothing wrong about saying you'll be picking up the bill - I'd make a point of putting it pretty clearly, so as to avoid putting people off because of ambiguity.

As for singles and guests, it really depends - Are you willing to pay for random people? Do you like the idea of meeting new random people? Are your single friends likely to have limited people they know and maybe feel out of the loop if they don't bring a friend? Because it's a meal, and you're paying I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 9:59 AM on August 4, 2008

The one thing you haven't mentioned, is Travel.

You ride a bike, so you're in a much better position then many people - You can go some where cool and cover a lot more ground in a more interesting way on a bike, then say, been stuck on a coach. I have a friend who regularly goes on group biking holidays all over the world, many of which let you bike from hotel to hotel, while they ferry all your extra luggage around for you.

Plus, a bike + travel... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 9:20 AM on August 1, 2008

Amazon Associates can build widgets that will load context sensitive content dynamically right their on the build links page - No need for 3rd party tools or anything.

Sign up for an account and have a look at the huge range of options they give you, and then just drop the code they give you into the correct location.

If your theme is widget enabled, just use the text/html widget and put the amazon code in that and you don't even need to hack... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 6:36 AM on July 16, 2008

I've got something similar, but since I figure I'm unlikely to find such a bag with an attachable daybag I'm happy with, I've figure the best option is to make a pouch that can fit inside the day pack to provide extra padding and waterproof protection for my laptop, and some extra pockets for keeping things neat.

Don't know how well that will work out mind you, but it seems a good solution in my head!
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 10:12 AM on June 27, 2008

I find plain and simple that if I don't get enough sleep, my skin gets worse. Though these days my eczema is near enough gone, it does flare up when I give my body a hard time on top of stress with work.

So if you feel like you want more sleep, get it. Then look for other sources to help, but since you've identified you feel you want more sleep yourself, it seems a little short sighted to ignore your own impulses.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 8:41 AM on June 19, 2008

Smart keyboards normally have a config file hidden away somewhere that you can hack to make behave nicely in your application of choice, or at least all the ones I've used in the past have. (Currently I have an MS one which I hack to make the "scroll page" feature work inverse to the default)

Or you could check on the Logitech site for a new version of the software that drives it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 3:39 PM on June 17, 2008

Just do it!

Heck, it might even help you get a job - when someone asks what you've been do in the time you've not been working, you can say you've done some traveling which makes you sound a lot more interesting a person a might make you more memorable then all the other people the person interviewing has to keep track of.

If you don't do it you will without doubt look back and regret it. On the other hand, I don't think this is your last chance... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 6:55 AM on June 17, 2008

I'd echo Ookseer point in 37Signals direction, in fact they wrote an ebook about just this topic http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ - Which I'd really recommend.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 7:46 AM on June 13, 2008

Just in case it wasn't clear, I should add another vote for her been nuts.

I'm English/British and white, and male so don't have to deal with much persecution beyond the occasional jaunt from teens because I have long hair and a beard.

However, in a historical context the British Empire did quiet a good job of taking over half the world in the past, fighting wars, embracing slave labor and so on, so my social group is far from innocent.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 8:57 AM on June 11, 2008

I'd go with an off the shelf platform like Wordpress (Which I use)

In context, I'm a PHP programmer professionally, I've written more CMS and blog(like) platforms then I care to count over the years, and it's just not worth the effort as you'll never get the level of features an open-source product has.

Wordpress and probably others are stupidly easy to add your own code and features to so you won't get boxed into a corner, while Wordpress does... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 3:34 AM on June 5, 2008 marked best answer

You're not fucked up, but I think you do need to be sensitive to the fact if you are regularly getting strange looks from your peers you either need to change how you word things, or change your peers.

I found when I started talking about going traveling that I could get into a good conversation if I go on the lines of "It's something I think I should do while I still can" but the direction of "I want to change me whole lifestyle" just didn't carry as... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 3:20 AM on June 5, 2008

I think tcv is on the money with MOOs, MUDs, MUSHes and MUCKs - But, a huge number of them are blighted with a lot of internal politics, and dwindling numbers - MUDs are probably your best bet as they have more automation and don't take forever to get into and don't rely on playing nice with other people as heavily.

Though I haven't really been involved with such things for a fewmany years now so might have a blurred memory of them.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 8:31 AM on June 3, 2008

My gut reaction is No, get the couch, it's your house after all.

But, you do say friends plural, so I guess it depends on how many vegans and how close they are. And how much you like to hang out at your house, over someone else's who perhaps doesn't have a couch made of cow hide. (Depending on what kind of stuff your social circle gets up to)

Plus you are now in that position of having asked the question, and decided it's okay, rather then never... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 12:37 PM on May 27, 2008

I'm going to be traveling around South East Asia and hopefully India from the end of the year, in my case I'm just booking a one way ticket out to Bangkok (Via short three day stop in Singapore) and then traveling till I run out of Money - with a credit card set aside with enough money to get my ticket home when I need it.

I've done two weeks out in Thailand not long ago visiting friends who were traveling, so had a taste of it, but I have no real plans short of arriving... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 3:14 AM on May 27, 2008

I can't really add much to what has already been said other then to point out the should be obvious, but at the time is easily forgotten fact that while you might be nervous about the situation, and having a drink might help, you need to watch out for that tipping point from confidence building drunk to performance crippling drunk. Not to mention the day after it's good to be able to remember what happened.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 3:12 PM on May 24, 2008

If your not sure, make sure you do a fresh scan with you anti-virus software, and and ad/spy-ware scanner you might have installed - you are using protection right?

That aside, if I were feeling paranoid I'd log in from another computer, change my password from there, and reinstall my suspect machine just to be sure. Generally I go with my gut on such things with my own systems and always play on the safe side.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 3:03 PM on May 24, 2008

I actually just watched Starchaser last week - Yeah, Starwars rip off with robots and sex kinda over sells it a bit, but I figure if your parents were a bit prudish then they might categorize it like this. I think sexist with the odd butt slap and sassy back talk is about as sexy as it gets though unless I really missed something when getting a beer.

If you loved it as a kid you'll love it now, but I suspect 80s cartoons are very much lost on kids today. (Can I word that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 4:23 PM on May 22, 2008

I'm going to add more love for the Canon XTI.

I have no technical knowledge or artistic ability when it comes to photography, so I got mine very much to learn with, and so far it hasn't disapointed me. I went with the Canon XTI after seeing it was the most used camera on Flickr, and several photography degree students including my Sister all praised it as an entry level DSLR.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 8:26 AM on May 21, 2008

I'm in the process of planning an epic trip out to South East Asia right now, though I plan on traveling with a laptop with me, I'll be blogging as I go along so have given things like this a lot of thought. I've only been Thailand in the past however.

Camera wise, I'm getting the Olympus mju 1030 SW - It's water proof, drop proof and dust proof - I haven't one yet, so can't vouch personally for how usable it is. But it's reviewed well. (People point out it's expensive... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 4:18 AM on May 21, 2008

Oh, and for travel blogs I subscribe to the following currently:
Backpackers.com
Brave New Traveler (Very good - One I really look forward to reading)
TravelPUNK (Was someone else's recommendation on an other askmefi question)
Vagabondish

And since you ask, I'll shamelessly plug my own travel blog, Voyage Of The Odd Essay though it's still young and finding it's voice, and not updated nearly as much as it will be when I'm... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 4:33 AM on May 21, 2008

The best backpacks I've found are ones that come with an integrated daybag that attaches to the main pack so that you can easily carry the two on your back, and then quickly detach the daybag when say, getting onto a coach.

Means you keep both hands free at all times without having to leave space inside you main bag for you daybag items and you don't have to fuss about changing the contents of your daybag meaning you don't forget to pack anything as you go along.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 6:59 AM on May 13, 2008

If your staying in hostels one of your best options is to ask other people staying there exactly this question everywhere you go - Not only will you get some random answers you might not find another way, but it's a good way to strike up conversation with people.

On the language front most people will know some English anywhere you go anyway, but try to learn for each country: Hello, Excuse Me, Please, Thank You, Good Bye - and you'll get by fine with that and a smile.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 7:48 AM on May 12, 2008

Find your local independent wine merchant and have a chat with them about what you want to do - be open and honest about what you are trying to do, and they'll be able to point you in the right direction, either with stuff they have in stock, special order, or by pointing you somewhere else that specializes more in what you need.

Also, becoming a regular at a wine shop like that is a good way to make sure when they get stock of a very limited supply, you're the first to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 3:24 AM on May 9, 2008

Khaosan road would be the place to start looking (As it is for most things) both in the bars, and ask around, you never know what might turn up - I ended up watching the Liverpool vs Man Utd match on Easter sitting outside with the friends I was traveling with, and our Thai friends we'd met out on Koh Chang who invited us up to join them specifically to watch the match on a TV the lugged out onto the side of the street so we could all sit around and enjoy it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 7:31 AM on April 17, 2008

Weddings I've been too have always finished really late - like 3 to 4am late, but loads of people always slip away earlier for various reasons, traveling, age and so on. Once all the "stuff" is out the way and it's just eating and drinking left, then it's fair game as to when you leave.

Just make sure you give plenty of advanced warning so people don't get surprised when they have much more important things on their minds.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 7:24 AM on April 17, 2008

I was in Thailand a week ago, and used hardly anything of what I took.

My biggest mistakes were:
Packing a jacket that I only wore getting to and from the airport at home.
Packing shoes I only wore getting to the airport - I kept my sandals on going home even.
Packing a t-shirts I didn't wear because I purchased more interesting clothing while out there.

Useful things I did take:
A Blanket - handy... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 6:48 AM on April 10, 2008

Don't get hung up on the risks of having a bad trip - If your in a good frame of mind, a comfortable location you're familiar with, have a sober friend to watch out for you (And help point you in fun directions if you're bored) then the single biggest factor leading to a bad trip is likely to be yourself worrying about bad trips.

With that in mind though, I would never recommend someone take acid, you either know you want to do it, or you don't. It's a very consuming... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 6:31 AM on April 10, 2008

Re 2) - The best advice I have is don't be obnoxious.

Be patient, polite, and keep smiling no matter what, particularly when you have trouble been understood, I haven't been to Morocco but been friendly pretty much universally goes a long way.

Oh, and unless there is very specific travel advice, I wouldn't worry about it, I've read travel advice for the UK (Where I live) and was scared by that!!!
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 6:30 AM on April 4, 2008

I used to think the multiple desktop thing was a fad when I only had small screens, as I just ran everything full screen anyway, and I always had it down in my head as a virtual way to compensate with a lack of screen real estate but with that mind set, it made no real difference to me.

However, in more recent years where I've had much bigger screens, and can actually position multiple windows around a single screen layout using multiple desktops comes into it's own and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 2:57 AM on March 6, 2008

The SQLite extension provides a Database that's handled completely by the client libraries, in this case by PHP, without the need for any server software. So if you could use that, it could do the trick, the docs are located at:

http://php.net/manual/en/ref.sqlite.php

Sounds like it might be exactly what you need.

Or, you could always pick up a hosting account that offers MySQL where you can have remote access, and just... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 9:10 AM on February 18, 2008 marked best answer

The key to any gig is simply to find a spot where you feel comfortable and if you find yourself near idiots (Which is rare anywhere, but sadly can happen on occasion), just move somewhere else or ignore them and problem solved.

Avoid taking a big bag or anything that might catch on other people as you move though crowded spaces. Use some common sense, if you're in the middle of a bunch of people dancing wildly and getting knocked about at bit, it might make sense to move... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 10:35 AM on February 13, 2008

It's been mentioned a few times but Baraka is without doubt the most profound film I have ever watched, most people who have watched it have said the same.

What the Bleep had an motivational effect on me, though somewhat blurred due to the fact it contains a fair amount of junk science and mumbo-jumbo as well. But just watching people talking so passionately about a subject is inspirational, and I find with such subjects watching things I disagree with can be as though... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 9:35 AM on February 13, 2008

I'm going to echo the vote for Freecycle.

He not only gave it to you, but then when given the chance to have it back insisted you keep it. So it really is yours to get rid of.

There isn't anything rude about getting rid of something you don't need, particularly when you're dealing with a utility item.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 10:18 AM on February 11, 2008

Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal is a classic combination.

Akira and Ghost In The Shell two classic anime films.
Or perhaps
Akira with Spirited Away if you want some strong anime with much more contrasting feels to them.

Nosferatu and Shadow of the Vampire The latter been a fictional account of the making of the former.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 10:18 AM on February 8, 2008

Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure is an amazing show (All his stuff is great) as he tells the story of flying all over the world in search of Googlewhacks. It's insane, a true story, and one of the funniest things I have ever watched.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 3:38 AM on February 7, 2008

My personal system changes weekly because I have the same problem of playing around with new tools and toys, but the core system I have keeps me just about ticking over.

You've tried a huge range of stuff already, so I'm not sure trying another new one is really the approach that would be most helpful. - Out of all the systems you've tried, which was closest to the way you want to work?

I've settled on using Remember The Milk (Sync to PDA),... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 8:52 AM on February 6, 2008

As zeoslap said, decant at home. I do this all the time as I only have one decanter, but often need to air a couple of bottles.

Just pour the wine into a measuring jug slowly, towards the end if any sediment starts to appear, stop, and pour the rest of the wine away - you'll lose a litttle wine, but keep the bulk of it clear. (Of course, the wine might not have sediment in it, depending on the style of wine)

If you have space in the jug, slosh it... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 8:34 AM on January 31, 2008

The user who made those comments has links within his profile - so, making comments with the keywords in should in theory increase the keyword density of linking pages, making the target pages more relevant in the eyes of Google etc.

So the idea been attract search engines to perceive value of the final destination pages, rather then expecting human traffic.

I'm not convinced it actually works though. And, my SEO knowledge is hit and miss.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 10:12 AM on January 30, 2008

Freecycle them? They might not sell for much, but there might be someone out there who can use them, and it never hurts to boost your Freecycle karma.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 8:39 AM on January 25, 2008

There's a couple I can think of that I don't think I've seen mentioned yet:

Hounds of Love - The Futureheads
Gay Bar - Electric Six
Teenage Kicks - Undertones
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 4:06 AM on January 24, 2008

I'd guess it's emitting sound at a pitch you can't hear, but the dog can. Which might not have happened at first, but though general wear the mechanics could have adjusted over time to get to the point where it's noticeable and upsetting to the dog.

If practical, I'd be tempted to remove the fan and give it an oil/grease and see if that makes any difference.

Though, this is a total guess not based on any past experience beyond knowing past pets... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 5:48 AM on January 23, 2008

It's already been mentioned once, but I find 43Things an amazing tool - It's great been able to track openly what you're working towards, and get inspiration from other people both in how they approach goals they share with you, and by looking around to see what other people are working towards.

People use it for everything from tracking the little things in life to scoping out their life changing master plans.

Since you're obviously comfortably... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 5:43 AM on January 23, 2008

I'm going to echo emd3737 here, if you like been alone when your smoking, the best thing to do is smoke alone. Problem solved.

Beyond that though, it totally depends on your social situation - What one person sees as a friend going to get some much needed head space another person sees as some guy mooching off his weed and leaving.

The best solution among friends would be to hang out for a good while, and around the time your leaving ask if it's... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 6:14 AM on January 22, 2008

I just got my Eee PC and love it - I got the 2GSSD/512RAM version with an 8GB SD that I haven't even made use of yet - I can write for extended periods on it no problem now I'm used to the right shift key's location, and a couple of other minor layout oddities. Nothing more then with any other laptop keyboard though.

Yes, the touch pad isn't great but in a way that's been useful as I've spent time learning all the keyboard shortcuts for the web apps I use a lot, which... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 2:40 AM on January 22, 2008

Baraka sounds like exactly what you are looking for - it's an amazing film that contains only a montage of expertly shot scenes from around the world woven together with a stunning sound track. It contains no script, no voice overs just a glimpse into contrasting environments across the earth. It's non-vocal aspect means that the driving force of the emotion behind each scene comes directly from the music.

You have to be in the right mood to watch it, but it remains one... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 7:14 AM on January 15, 2008

You might be able to ask a bookstore or newsagents to order it for you if as grouse says it is available, it might not be popular enough to carry stock of it, but you can normally get things like that by request.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 3:53 AM on January 14, 2008

I was in a similar situation a couple of years back (Though in my case my crazy GF had driven all my friends away) and I spent a lot of time rebuilding friendships, and figuring out what the best way to build friendships is.

For the most part you need to take into account people are probably happy with the friends they have, and so probably won't actively seek to make a friendship with you. This is not at all the same as not wanting to be friends, but it means you have... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 9:03 AM on January 9, 2008

Tipping with cash just sounds crazy - To the point I'd expect it makes you look like you're a customer who can be taken advantage of.

But, as Pollomacho said, rolling one there and then and offering second smoke would be the correct thank you (Roller gets first smoke), or a beer or something if everyone is already drinking so they aren't left out - in other words, treat them as a guest but don't over treat them. Also as a bonus if your dealer knows you're going to roll... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 8:47 AM on January 9, 2008

When you're having a party with 20-40 people coming along, I'd expect a certain amount of randoms to turn up, be they people who turn up with people you've personally invited, people who get invited by accident, and people who no one is really sure how they even know about the party just turn up some how. In fact, I'm disappointed if there aren't random people at a large party! Sure some times random people turn out to be jerks, or crazy, or dull, but given a chance even jerks could just be... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulfreeman at 8:34 AM on January 9, 2008