Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with addressing

Street Numbers in Japan

Jeff Howard — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:40:38 -0800

Are street numbers for houses in Japan assigned chronologically (older to newer), or spatially (as in the US)? In the Hidden Dimension by Edward T. Hall, he mentions that houses in Japan used to be assigned numbers depending on when the house was constructed, regardless of its location on the block, so that primacy was built into the addressing system (sort of like Metafilter's user id).

Was this ever the case? Is it still the case? And what other cultural patterns exist for designating unique identification for residences?

Rejected email with plus addressing

that girl — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:50:41 -0800

Why do very few websites accept plus-addressing in emails for signups? Say I wanted to sign up for SketchyWebsite.com's mailing list. I use gmail, which pleasantly supports plus-addressing. I type in (myemail)+sketchy@gmail.com, so I can filter it out or figure out if they sell my email to every other sketchy website out there.

But it doesn't accept that this is a valid email address. Even though it is.

So why do so many website registrations reject emails with plus addressing information? Is it harder to filter for valid emails if we allow this, or is there a simpler (or more complicated) explanation?

How do you refer to a divorced couple attending a formal function together?

TTNoelle — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:05:54 -0800

What is the formal etiquette on how to address an invitation to a divorced couple who are attending a wedding together? A close relative of mine is getting married, and I'm bringing my ex-husband to the wedding. My family got into a discussion on how Emily Post would address the invitation and place setting, and it got us to wondering.

While I am single, it just doesn't seem right that it would be "Jane Smith & Guest" since I was married to this man for 8 years and have a child together. Yet, of course we wouldn't be "Mr. & Mrs." I can't imagine this is a unique situation and somewhere there has to be an etiquette guideline, but I certainly can't find it.

(If it's important, we were married for 8 years and have been apart for 4 years. He has been in a serious relationship for over 2 years. Obviously, we have managed to maintain a close relationship.)