Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with free

Feedback on Draft Campus Policy About Free Speech

andoatnp — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:26:00 -0800

My school is currently working on a new "Respect for Freedom of Expression Policy". A PDF of the latest draft is available here. I would appreciate any feedback about ways to improve it, especially from the perspective of allowing maximum free speech, protest, and dissent, and limiting the ability of the school to crack down on campus activism. I am hoping that people have experience with these kinds of policies from other schools and might be able to share what you have learned. Is there anything in the document that jumps out as a red flag? How might the school use the contents of this policy to limit activism on campus? What changes should we try to have made to the current contents?

Also, is there anything that isn't in this draft that we should try to have included? Because Emory is a private institution, it has some leeway in setting it's own policies. We would like to have this document improved to allow for maximum rights for future campus activists so that we can hold Emory to this standard in the future.

Any comments or insights about these kinds of policies would be appreciated, as well as the specifics of this draft.

How do you decide when something should be thrown away vs. donated?

insectosaurus — Wed, 08 May 2013 08:56:07 -0800

I have some old, seemingly useless clothing. How do I decide what is worth donating and what should just be thrown away? Examples of what I am talking about:
- Crosstraining shoes that look okay, but recently started to hurt my knees when I walk around in them, presumably because they are took worn out to wear
- Very old, worn out clothing with small stains or holes
- Single socks in good condition
- Underwear with stretched out elastic
- Jeans with large holes in the thigh area (these are theoretically repairable, but surprisingly difficult to repair, because the material around that area gets very thin. The holes are too high up to make them in to cutoffs. This happens to all my jeans eventually)

Looking at the list, it seems to me that all of these items should just be thrown away, because no one would want them. But, I'd rather not add to a landfill if it could be helped, and I like to donate things. Ideally the items end up helping someone in some way, but in the end keeping stuff out of the trash is a good enough reason for me to donate.

I have historically donated items to Goodwill (because it's so easy). The next time I donate clothing - which will include many items in good condition that I just no longer wear - I am planning to take it to a women's shelter instead. I am happy to take the very used items to the same place as the good condition items, or to a separate location (or two). I am not willing to list the very used items individually online on craigslist/ freecycle / etc.

I am in Los Angeles.

What are some good free download games for young kids?

The otter lady — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 08:55:08 -0800

I'm gifting my laptop to my far-away sister, and want to pre-load it with some fun, free, friendly games she can use to entertain her live-in grandkids (ages 4 and 2). Any suggestions? I don't think she has reliable internet, and the laptop itself is rather old (running Windows XP), but I know it can handle some older games like Baldur's Gate and Civ 4. It does have Flash and Java installed. I'm thinking educational stuff but also just fun things, which I can download and install before sending it, to save her the time and because I'm not sure about her internet connection.

Preview offers this, but it's a little old (2007).... also I look at those games and I have no idea which ones a kid would like and which ones they would find dull.

I'm hoping some Mefites can tell me "Oh! You have to get (x), my kids love it!" If there's a game that's SO AWESOME, but not free, I might be willing to buy it, but my budget is really really limited.

Thanks for any help!

Looking for free Kindle books

lea724 — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 06:32:35 -0800

Which websites list Kindle-compatible books which are free for a limited time? I recently learned about Bookbub, where you sign up for free and everyday, they send you a list of Amazon books which have been discounted or are free for a limited time. I did some google searching and came across Ereader News Today as well as Pixel of Ink, both of which do the same thing as Bookbub.

What other sites am I missing?

I'm not looking for books which are out of copyright and therefore are free all the time. I'm specifically looking for books which are discounted to free for a limited time.

I've gone to Amazon's website and been able to muddle through to where they list their freebie Kindle books, but most of them are so obscure or on topics I have zero interest in, it wasn't helpful to me. These websites send out the links to books which people might actually have an interest in.

I also want to be able to subscribe via e-mail or (less ideal) through an RSS feed instead of having to check back on the site every day.

Thanks in advance!

Resources for public domain/CC vector art

ignignokt — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 05:03:46 -0800

I'm looking for something akin to Rpg Maker VX Resource Planet, except with vector art. I'd like resources for public domain or CC-licensed vector art assets for use as placeholders in games. I'd prefer SVG format and paths that are as simple and small as possible, but anything convertible to SVG is cool.

Cheap Dates

Anonymous — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:25:43 -0800

What are some free and/or cheap date ideas? We like being social, being alone, art, music, outdoors, sexy stuff, weird stuff, books, etc. We're fairly adventurous, but also happy being mellow and watching a movie. We're queer and in the SF Bay Area if you have specific suggestions for us and for around here, but more general ideas welcome. [asking anon so my girlfriend doesn't search for this and find out what awesome free dates I'm going to take her on!]

I have a 250 gig MacBook Pro with only 40 gigs of free space left...

TwilightKid — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 07:49:25 -0800

I have a 250 gig MacBook Pro, which is about 3 years old. I have approx. 115 gigs of music stored in my Itunes library. All duplicate MP3 files were deleted. That leaves 135 or some odd gigs of space. I keep a large majority of my documents and files in a cloud service. I maybe have 5-10 gigs of random files I keep on my HD. That leaves approx. 125 gigs of space... I know that the computer uses (and I'll guestimate 25 gigs for the OS & random program files I have on my system)... That still leaves about 100 gigs worth of space un-accounted for.... When I open my 'finder', it tells me I have approx 50 gigs of space available. I have downloaded Disk Inventory X which is suppose to give you a break down of where all the space is being used. I have also read about a program called DaisyDisk. Both seem to be reputable and popular. I d/l'ed DIX first cause it was free..It did the analysis.... But....While I have somewhat of an idea of computers, I am not sure what is safe to delete, what should't be touched....What if I delete something that has specs attached to files that shouldn't be deleted...Neither utility really gives me an idea of what is safe to delete and what should not be touched. I know I must have a large cache of files and stuff that could be deleted....Image previews, etc.... I just don't know where to look. What is safe to get rid of.....Not sure what to do..... Thanks!

What do I listen to Next?

wittgenstein — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:25:08 -0800

I just finished all of the lectures for the MIT Open Courseware Differential Equations course, and they were exceptional. What other MIT (or other school) courses really stand out? I am especially interested in Science and Math, but I welcome recommendations in all areas. And note, I am only interested in courses that have online video lectures; audio alone is not enough.

Free reads--Best free books to download?

BlueHorse — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 20:35:27 -0800

I have to travel very light. It's going to be a boring trip. I have an iPhone. I'm looking to read on the cheap. What are the best free books to download to my iPhone? SciFi and fantasy are easy reads while traveling, and I'm not adverse to a good mystery.

I've already read most of the free classics--Sherlock Holmes, etc.

What have you read from free current fiction that you would recommend? If you have an absolutely gangbuster engrossing non-fiction, throw it in the mix.

Trying to donate a TV, or give it away for free. Failing. Help?

tzikeh — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:51:25 -0800

I have a Toshiba 35" TV from the mid-90s that still works perfectly. I still have the manual it came with, and the original remote. The TV stands on a custom TV stand that was built by the manufacturer specifically for it. Unfortunately, I don't want it anymore, the TV weighs 165 lbs., and I cannot carry it myself. Options I've exhausted include: Chicago Freecycle. "Come get it and it's yours. Free. You'll need two strong people to move it." No takers.

The "free" section of Chicago Craigslist. Same announcement; same difference.

Goodwill. Though you might read that they will come pick up TVs as donations, it turns out that they, in fact, won't. I know. I called.

I will not donate anything to the Salvation Army.

If I could just get the thing out into the alleyway, I guarantee that it would disappear before 24 hours were up. But I can't. And, okay, here's the pathetic part, I don't have many local friends to help me. Almost none, really--and those I do have are not known for their upper-body strength.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I can't afford to pay a haul-away service.

Looking for free underground hip-hop

Slinga — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:44:39 -0800

I have an ipod that I want to fill up. I don't do torrents, and I'm not looking for anything illegal, I just want stuff that's being given away. I'm really into The Roots, The Fugees, anything by the Sandpeople Collective, Atmosphere, Nas, Angel Haze, that sort of thing. Not really into Odd Future. I know there are a zillion good underground rappers out there with free downloadable albums. Can you recommend some for me?

Boston on the Cheap

xenization — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 07:45:54 -0800

Know how to have a fun weekend in Boston on a budget? Details within. About a month down the line, a friend and I will spending a weekend in Boston. We've never been to the city, so we're looking forward to exploring.

Caveats: We're both students who don't have a ton of money to throw around, and we're not too fond of the bar scene. She's a musician; I'm a writer. (They fight crime!)

Does anyone have recommendations for things to see/do in Boston that are kind of artsy/offbeat/geeky--or just cool in general--and cheap? Free's good too, of course.

Thanks in advance!

Please point me to free books on Marxism for my Kindle please. Any era, any author, English only.

beshtya — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 19:25:44 -0800

Please point me to free books on Marxism for my Kindle please. Any era, any author, English only. That is all. Thank you.

One person's trash is another person's treasure.

aniola — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:55:09 -0800

One person's trash is another person's treasure. What do certain industries throw out that can be repurposed for free? Example: I walked into a bike shop and asked for a flat bicycle tube because I needed a bungee cord to strap groceries to my bicycle. They gave it to me, because bike shops don't need punctured bicycle tubes.

Like meetup.com, but without the $12/month fees?

scruss — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 13:42:53 -0800

What alternatives are there to meetup.com? I'm looking for the RSVP and calendar functions, but without the $144 annual fees to run a group. I'm a member of a small but active OpenStreetMap group. We get maybe six regulars to the monthly Mappy Hour, and a couple of visitors. The visitors always find us through Meetup.

We don't make heavy use of Meetup's other features, so the fees are a bit steep for a small group. Are their cheaper alternatives to Meetup that people might still be able to use to find us? I'm aware of BigTent, but am unsure about how well known it is.

is something very wrong here ???

hopefulmidlifer — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 09:41:34 -0800

I have an ex who seems to be be depressed and has sent me a few emails telling me that we are all programmed by the "Source" that free will does not exist, that nothing depends on us etc and that the "Source" has decided that he would always be unhappy in love ! And that if the "Source" has decided that he would be unhappy, unaccomplished, alone then he must be happy with that decision. (He's 55, pianist/composer, not well known, gets by with the financial help of his parents., never been able to commit or live with a woman. His father is bi-polar, been hospitalised a few times for that). This is contrary to my world view, which I told him but I'm rather worried about where his mind is going. Any thoughts, help much appreciated

Google-free web experience?

deathpanels — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 18:14:13 -0800

Let's say I want to live a Google-free existence on the web. What are my best (preferably free, open source) alternatives to various Google products, including the search engine itself?

Rave Filter: am I going in with the right expectations?

Sine_Agraphia — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:27:40 -0800

Rave Filter: am I going in with the right expectations? Here's the low-down on my life these days:

Unhappy, but stuck, with a poor living situation. It's bearable.
Unhappy, but stuck, with a crap job situation. It's bearable.
Overworked, run down, fairly isolated--and when I do get to see friends, I find it increasingly difficult to switch gears to perform the rituals of casual conversation after 5 grueling days of 11-12 hour work shifts.

All I want to do is let go, relax, have fun... but, I do not want to do this alone.

The other night, I stayed over an ex-girlfriend's house (she has heat in her apartment and, due to Sandy, I don't). Over the years we've had a colorful, positive history of dating, being friends, fooling around, remaining platonic thereafter, and all around providing intimate, caring companionship for one another. I hadn't seen her for months, and last night sharing the bed with her... it just felt so nice to have some casual human contact, warmth, and to give and receive affection without worrying about conventions or obligations. Platonic or otherwise, we enjoy having this type of chill, respectful and caring experience, and it's great to have her in my life, with no wants or worries.

But, she's not really in my life. She lives rather far and out of the way, and we're both very busy with our own routines, and in general, I'm really not looking for a girlfriend or a friends with benefits situation, though loneliness does creep along... I just want an opportunity to experience positive, care-free, human-to-human, perhaps sexual (but not necessarily or even ideally), interaction. An environment that promotes warmth, respect and just letting yourself go with other people around you, being weird, being active.

As an outsider looking in, this is the conception I've come to form of the typical rave experience. However, I know that there isn't really a typical *anything* experience, and perhaps living in NYC as I do, there is a very, very wide range of potential experiences, from venue to venue, neighborhood to neighborhood, music genre to genre. Yet when I browse pictures online and of my raver friends' escapades, there seems to be an awful lot of touching, happy-go-lucky, making out-y going on, not to mention all the awesome costumes, dancing and smiles. I think I would enjoy it. Chance encounters with strangers, not afraid to be weird, shameless flirting, holding, grinding, making out, letting go, exploring elsewhere--letting off some steam and, ideally, feeling that you've made other people happy as well, in the process.

Is this at all a realistic expectation?

And just a disclaiming aside: I'm very aware of the importance of consent, and am not fishing for invitations or excuses to throw myself upon drugged out girls who have no idea what's going on, or do anything that would generally be considered rude, unsolicited, abusive or otherwise f***ed up.

The thing is, I would be going to a rave with one main desire, which would be to experience this kind of "free love"--non-sexual, or, perhaps, sexual--that I found to be really healthy the other night with my special friend. And in particular, during this dark, cold, post-hurricane period of my life. Please, mefite rave veterans, share with me your experiences, bring some reality check into my reverie, and if it seems a good thing to do, recommend me a venue, an event, or a DJ to steer me in the right direction :)

*apologies for my hopeful excitation, which has resulted in fairly consistence abuse of commas

Are there any free online self-paced courses that will actually help me find work?

fullerenedream — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 21:56:29 -0800

Are there any free online self-paced courses that will actually help me find work? I want to hear about all possibilities. I was thinking of brushing up on my coding skillz, but I read varying reports on whether one can get a programming job without a CS degree. Opinions on this are welcome. Extra snowflake stuff inside. About me, if it helps: I have a BSc in physics (with a few programming courses and a little work experience), an environmental protection technology diploma (with a little work experience), and a couple of years of administrative experience. I'm working as an admin while I'm looking for more enviro jobs.

I'd love to add to my current skills by putting in an hour or two of online coursework in the evenings - but only if it will actually make me more employable. If there isn't anything like that, I'd rather work on learning to sew!

No elbow macaroni please...

AnOrigamiLife — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:13:24 -0800

Seeking your ideas for free or inexpensive crafts for adults that can be completed within 2-3 hours with very little instruction required. Striving for a fun process and a pleasing end product. No worthless, ugly or junky, please. Our small town is gearing up for a winter of cold and darkness and the task of coming up with ideas for a monthly planned evening craft for adults falls to two of us who need help brainstorming.

We have no budget and must rely on free or recycled items (though I'm willing to donate a small amount for the purchase of a few key items -AND- we have some supplies that we can borrow because we craft in a space that sometimes has children's art classes).

What works and what doesn't?

Two crafts last year that were successful: recycled mat board gift tags before the holidays (cutting, gluing, layering of papers, pretty simple and people had a surprising amount of fun) and hand-painted rocks as garden markers in the spring. Both were really inexpensive, used free or recycled materials and required little to no instruction.

A craft that was *awesome* but not quite suited to the evening was decoupaged switchplates (like this). We had the tools and donated materials, but it required way too much guidance and not everyone is adept with an exacto knife or even did well with painting on the glue. Not to mention that they couldn't take their prizes home with them until the next week (after I went back in to re-coat and then spray lacquer all of the pieces). We loved the finished product, but we can't do anything that high maintenance again.

Paper quilling was another fail. Took way too much time and not everyone who came had the skill to make something that looked nice.

We will do gift tags and rocks again. But we need at least three more ideas. Some facts:
-it has to be started and finished within three hours--and portable by the end;
-the evening is free and open to the adult public, who don't necessarily come with any creative skills whatsoever;
-must be simple to understand with very little instruction;
-requires free or very low-cost art supplies (available only at a Walmart or Fred Meyer a couple hours away);
-we have access to crayons, glue guns, scrap paper, limited nice card stock and origami papers, white glue, tables and chairs and a big laundry sink;
-our one thrift store has very little to offer in the way of inspiration or supplies.

Ready GO!

Free HTML hosting site

vidarling — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 09:05:59 -0800

Can someone please direct me to a free HTML hosting site? Webs.com no longer lets you host sites that we have created in HTML using Notepad. The simpler the better and the fact that we are working with 11 and 12 year old students would also be a deciding factor on what one we would/could use.

Accept Credit Card offers with Free CASH$?

dougiedd — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:37:28 -0800

Is there any good reason not to take advantage of free cash back offers from credit card companies as long as I pay my monthlies promptly? FOr that matter, free miles offers? I have been doing so for some years and my credit score seems to stay strong and yet I was always told that there is no such thing as a free lunch/.

What is the best free (open source) Office software for Mac Snow Leopard?

jcdill — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 13:30:48 -0800

I just installed a new hard drive in my older (early 2008, 4 GB ram) macbook pro laptop and installed Snow Leopard. I need an office application, something like Open Office. What's the best current "stable" version of this OSS software for Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard)? OpenOffice has been forked and renamed and improved and abandoned so many times by so many teams, it's hard to keep track of which project is the most current one, most stable one (which is not necessarily the same project, LOL). On my older drive I had NeoOffice, but that was installed 3-4 years ago on 10.5.8, and I don't know how to pick which Office version to install on the new drive.

I NEED BREAD!

keep it tight — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 08:11:32 -0800

My SO has an issue maybe with gluten and maybe with just the processed flours...snowflake details inside... She will swell if she eats anything made from wheat flours here in the US. If she wants any type of bread or pasta, it has to be of the gluten free varieties.

Here's the odd thing...when we travel in Europe, she seems to be able to eat anything...white breads, pastas, etc....

What gives? What is happening to the flours here that they aren't doing in Europe (Germany mainly)....

Seeking Free WIFI In Las Vegas

Mckoan1 — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:33:40 -0800

Hello, My family is traveling to Las Vegas at the end of September. Knowing the hotels charge for WIFI, I am asking if anyone would know of a FREE WIFI spot near Harrahs on the strip? Thanks in advance.