Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with free

Cheap Windows 7?

tucsongal — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:37:16 -0800

What is the absolute cheapest way to get Windows 7? I would like to get a copy of Windows 7 and I'd like to pay the minimal amount (of money) possible. However, I am willing to whore anything else out (like my personal info to Microsoft) or things along those lines to get the price as close to zero as possible.

I am the director of IT for a software consulting shop and I personally have a small consulting company on the side.

What kind of deals from MSFT do I qualify for?

Baltimore shuttles

bluelight — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:37:52 -0800

Baltimore filter: What do you know about the free shuttles in Baltimore? I'm temporarily staying in Harbor East for a while and there's a bike co-op up near Penn Station that I'd mainly like to get to from time to time.

So I know about the JHU shuttle, but I'm temporarily staying at Harbor East for the time and unfortunately, that shuttle doesn't reach downtown. The collegetown shuttle that does go downtown seems to have stopped running (end of the semester).

I also know that the Charm City Circulator is on...uh, hiatus, however, I do recall something about a Harbor East shuttle that runs in the early AM and during afternoon rush hour. I'm having trouble finding information on it online however. Does anyone know where I can get more information on this? Or any other shuttles?

Thanks in advance.

Sources for good cheap learning literature?

jwells — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:19:40 -0800

What sources exist for good cheap learning literature? I'm thinking of things like AMSOIL's oil case studies and the Chelsea Milling/Jiffy Mix recipe book. Preferably non-digital, and any language is okay. I'm basically looking for the stuff that bypasses "marketing material" and ends up being a good resource. I remember being able to write away for stuff like this in the back of comic books as a kid but don't see much like that anymore, though I'm not reading comic books anymore either.

Free Online Classes?

MrningLight — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:25:29 -0800

Hi. I'm looking to take some free online classes during my free time. Are there websites that have teachers, forums and others taking classes as well? I'm completely new to this and am just asking out loud. I'm unemployed and am trying to find a way to "get ahead" by taking free classes during the evening. I've looked at some sites that have class materials but there's no "community" involved. I recently checked out Free-ed.net and SecondLife. Does anyone know anything about that?

I look forward to any advice you have about this.

Thanks!

Dawn

Bleacher Bum Looking for Fun

gilgamix — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:18:51 -0800

Where can I find old bleachers in Los Angeles? Not to buy (unless their really cheap). I just want to take some photos of old, heavily used bleachers. Anyone? This is the weirdest thing I ever asked you for, I think...

Subvert the dominant, oh geez, I can't even type it

mwhybark — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:25:31 -0800

Any experience / suggestions / pearls of wisdom / recommendations for free Subversion hosting? TIA, no more inside.

Free/Open Source Scan-to-PDF Software?

cowbellemoo — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:20:19 -0800

What's the best free or open source software (for Windows XP) which will scan multiple pages in a row and output a PDF with zero fuss? I don't really like the software that came with the scanner and I don't want to pay for Acrobat Pro. Currently I'm using OpenOffice Draw, which works fine except for having a few too many mouse clicks between importing each page as a scanned picture -- which are annoying when I'm trying to concentrate on something else while I scan a bunch of things in.

Ideally I'd like to just place a new page, close the lid, click a button, scan, rinse, repeat. That's basically how Acrobat Pro does it, but is there a free/OS alternative that behaves the same way?

Free WiFi in Tokyo and the rest of Japan?

teem — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:39:56 -0800

How widespread is free, open WiFi in Japan (Tokyo especially)? I've had good success using free WiFi in malls and such with my iPod Touch when I'm in unfamiliar major cities. It's great for accessing Google maps, looking up addresses, etc.

Will I be able to do this when I'm in Tokyo next year? What about when I'm in smaller rural cities? Are there any potential technologic or legal worries I need to consider or things I should prepare before going?

casein & lactose levels in "caseine & lactose free" foods

Mimidae — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:25:46 -0800

Can someone tell me the minimum safe level of casein and lactose found in "casein free" &/ or "lactose free" foods that would not trigger an allergic reaction. (In ppm.) i.e. the lowest safe level allowed if you were trying to produce such a food product. (It will be for ghee, which has the milk solids removed, but residual trace amounts could potentially remain.) In striving to get it as low as possible, what would be an acceptable level to not trigger allergic response? We want to safely label the ghee as "caseine & lactose free". From my research, the FDA doesn't currently have any law defining this or offer any guidelines, but we would like to know if their are acceptable levels which would be safe for people who are allergic to these substances.

TIA

Great Free Newsletters

aburd — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:13:48 -0800

What are some great newsletters? I really like John Maudlin's "Thoughts from the Frontline" and the Stratfor free weekly intelligence email. I tend to read them on my phone during downtime and I really like the format. What are some other great free weekly email newsletters that you all enjoy? All topics welcome.

It's a small world

woodway — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:36:26 -0800

Automatic language translators: which is the best, for now? What efforts are underway to improve them? How much progress have we seen, on what sort of time scale? My interest pertains to Latin script languages, but I'm curious about the matter generally.

How can I download a free US-only iPhone app from the UK

skylar — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:32:54 -0800

I'm in the UK and want to download a free app that is only available through the US iTunes/App Store. I have memberships of both the UK and US iTunes stores, but unfortunately the credit card on my US account has expired. When it comes to the point at which I download the app (on either the computer or the phone) it asks for an updated credit card. If I could convince someone to "lend" me their iTunes login details for a short while, even if there was no money on their card, would this work? Anyone tried this or willing to help?

Minneapolis restaurant recommendation

Juicylicious — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:15:24 -0800

Restaurant recommendation for Minneapolis. Must have easy access for someone driving from downtown St. Paul and a menu friendly to a gluten-free, high protein diet. I'm thinking something on Washington Ave? Steakhouse?

Em-Pee-Three

sycophant — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:29:30 -0800

A new version of MP3.com? I was answering this question and was reminded of how MP3.com used to be a few years ago. It was a site where musicians could upload MP3s and it was well indexed and stuff.

Is there an alternative to that these days?

Free Music for Commercial Use

lemonfridge — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:23:08 -0800

Where can I source good quality music (not cheesy synth) for free that I can use commercially? Is there such a thing? I'm under pressure at work to add soundtracks to some videos we recently put together.

The videos demonstrate how one of our product works, and what comes with it.

I guess that makes it a commercial video, or an advert. They are mainly for our YouTube channel, but will also be embedded on our own website, and possibly a rather well known online shop.

As is always the way; I'm not being given any budget for the soundtracks, and they have to be of high quality.

I've attempted to make something myself using some audio editing software but it is something completely out of my knowledge.

Do I have any hope of finding, good, free music?

Need a free online newspaper clipping service

punkfloyd — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:26:50 -0800

I need a free online newspaper article clipping service that will let me view images of actual print articles, front page headline stories. Sort of a free Burrell's. Newseum sort of helps, but I need to search for articles throughout 2009. Can anybody point me in the right direction? Didn't Google used to have something like this?

Automatic screenshots on a Mac

ben5757 — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:03:55 -0800

Can someone point me in the direction of a free Mac program that will run in the background, automatically taking screenshots at a set interval?

Recommendation for free file transfer sites?

ZenMasterThis — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:08:53 -0800

Need one-time transfer of some large video files (50 - 300 MB) from China to the US. Recommendation for free file transfer sites?

Is there an easy recipe for wheat free pizza crust?

firemonkey — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:41:12 -0800

Is there such thing as an easy, wheat-free pizza crust recipe? My husband is allergic to wheat, not just gluten, wheat. Does there exist a pizza crust recipe that is a)easy to make and b) entirely wheat/gluten free? Thanks!

Is there a way to see a psychiatrist for free (in the U.S.)?

Anonymous — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:48:57 -0800

Is there a way to see a psychiatrist for free (in the U.S.)? No health insurance, very little money, and nobody to borrow any from. What to do?

Free use music

white_devil — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:37:39 -0800

I’m trying to find some creative commons or free use music for my GF to use on the video she did for Facebook as a fund raising tool for her Susan G Komen 3 day walks in October. She originally wanted Lady Antebellum’s “I was Here” but couldn’t because of license issues. I’m trying to find something in that same vein. Any suggestions of online resources or magic Google-fu would be appreciated. I read this previous question but had little luck and I have tried using the CC search engine but with crappy results.

Free Audio Hosting? Does it Exist?

spacelux — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:16:01 -0800

I'm trying to find a way to stream some Mp3s of songs (about 60) on a website (completely self created) from a host/website but I am unable to find anything similar to Flickr or Youtube or ad infinitum for music. Is there something similar for audio? My husband is a musician, and the mp3 hosting he had previously changed avenues and dropped his files. Now the website doesn't work, and unfortunately there isn't enough server space on the domain to host the Mp3s ourselves or we would.

I was wondering if there's any such thing as free mp3 hosting, I've searched, and haven't been able to find anything. I find it hard to believe that photos and videos have tons of places but not music? Thanks in advance for any hints. :)

(I know, it's a tough arena due to RIAA, but I'm talking about honest user created content)

Walk from Moscow to Istanbul?

sandraregina — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:52:15 -0800

I am trying to remember the name of a board game I played as a child. I got it free in the mail, and it was a travel/geography game. It was a game I got for free, probably from a government agency of some kind. I got the address from a book in the library, where you could write to different agencies and get things for free/very cheap.
It was a travel game that taught geography. The board was foam backed puzzle pieces, that you put together to form a map of the world. You then went from city to city, placing your pins as you went, and linking it with string (like embroidery floss). You travelled by walking, by car, a plane, or a train, depending on a dice roll or some similar randomization. There was also a little plastic ruler, for measuring out distances. There were cards that depicted different roles, and the cities you travelled to in the game were dependant on the role you picked (like international jewel theif, or diplomat, or archaeologist). You had to get to all your cities in the shortest distance possible. It came in a rather plain white box, and it took up a bit of room on the bookshelf at the foam puzzle map stacked up quite thick.
It was well made, at least for a free game, with a fun premise, decent rules, and pieces that stood up to some use. I can't for the life of me remember what it was called though. Does anyone else remember this game? Are there similar games out now?

Determined to be as Paper-Free as possible.

margaretlam — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:57:22 -0800

How does a graduate student manage in a paper-free environment? I'm a part-time graduate student at a Faculty which happily has many readings available digitally. While I am a big fan of taking notes in a book and reading on my commute, the idea of not having to print out all the articles I'm reading or having to painstakingly keep up with my hand written notes in order for the readings to be useful is rather appealing. (Currently, I tag the PDFs directly with comments which are searchable.)

The problem? Having multiple folders for courses, and multiple files for notes, when everything is inter-related to my thesis and academic pursuits in general makes file management a bit of a nightmare. The plethora of online citation tools and portals/publishers for accessing the materials makes me question whether I'm missing out on useful tools out there. It was easier when I was just carrying around a big notebook with my favourite inky pen, but alas, classes are so much easier to follow when I can pull up any of the readings digitally. I also see the advantage of having basically a mobile office on my laptop.

So in your experience, what has been good strategies for you to balance the digital and physical "work space" when they are clear advantages to both? Or put it another way, how can I maximize the benefits of both without it being overwhelming?

Suggestions for alternative device-use welcomed.

WiFi Filter

bad grammar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:33:40 -0800

Is there a scammy catch or otherwise bad deal to Starbucks' free WiFi through the Starbucks card and AT&T? Don't whale away at Starbucks and their corporate fascism and terrible coffee, please; I am taking an online class at my regular university and have to get online through the day. I registered by Starbucks card for 2 hours of free WiFi access at Washington, D.C. area Starbucks locations. As for why not the public library, the National Mall, etc. it is 90+ hot and I am carrying a laptop, which I used to access (not a smartphone) and books.

I realize that I've let myself in for a deluge of promotional e-mail from both companies, but have I let myself in for anything worse? Will AT&T send me bills?

I logged on at the Starbucks at 1502 Dupont Circle and then the AT&T link dropped out and I was unable to log out. I logged back on but the AT&T sign-in screen did not come back up. Will I be penalized for not logging out? I was able to log on and log out properly at another location. There were very many competing wireless links at the Dupont Circle location.