Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with guide

A wholly remarkable Kindle cover.

joshrholloway — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:19:39 -0800

Is there anywhere in/near Nashville, TN that I can buy a Kindle case similar to the M-Edge GO? I just got a Kindle for Christmas (yay!) and I want to pick up a case for it. I'll order it online if I have to, but I've got some extra cash and if there's somewhere I can buy one in store I'd love to do that.

I really like the M-Edge GO! case, but anything similar will do.

Secondarily, once I have the case, what would be the best way to modify it so it says "DON'T PANIC" in large, friendly letters? I've seen leather stamps mentioned, as well as custom embossing. The M-Edge says it is "genuine leather." I have no experience with this kind of thing.

Help!

Denver in a Day

disillusioned — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:41:52 -0800

Boulder? Denver? Help me day-trip to Colorado *THIS* Saturday! So I snatched up an interesting offer: Frontier Airlines had PHX->DEN same-day roundtrip for $59, inclusive. (No add'tl taxes or fees, available ONLY for this Saturday, and only for an hour, at that!)

We arrive in DEN at 9:24am and we depart at 9:20pm.

We *may* have a ride from the airport, but what's the cheapest way to downtown Denver (or Boulder) if not? Where's best to land if we want to get around the city relatively easily once we do, assuming no car?

What's there to see and do for fun eating on a Saturday? Which would you recommend to make the best use of our time? We probably need to be back at the airport by 8:15 at the latest, so take that into account. (No checked bags, clearly.)

I like photography, museums, good food, fun art, cool people, markets, fairs, weird off-the-beaten path stuff, and anything else going. I'll have my brother in tow, who's also down for pretty much anything.

Help plan my one-day itinerary, and understand that very little is a bust for us; it was a $60 thing, so why not, right?

Thanks!

best book for a new kitten

amtho — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:51:01 -0800

Looking for the perfect book to give people who adopt our foster kittens. Hoping for one which will lead to a fabulous relationship and rich life for both the people and the kittens. We have three awesome foster kittens. I'm finding that I care a whole lot about how they will be treated after they are adopted into a permanent home. Please help me find the perfect book to send home with them!

One in particular is very sensitive and wouldn't do well if someone tried to discipline him the way my family would have when I was growing up -- spanking, yelling "no" at him, that kind of thing -- although he's very observant and seems to care more about pleasing people than the other two. Though he's a little shy, he's intelligent and finally starting to blossom, but the slightest expression of displeasure has him hiding and ducking his head.

Of course I'll be careful to try to match kitten personality with adopter personality, but there's only so much one can do. I've had some basic behaviorism/psychology education, but is there a nice readable book that will do this for a new kitten owner?

I remember a book called "No Bad Dogs" from way back in the 1970s (more about "problem" dogs than training puppies). Even though the basic ideas of listening to the animal, looking at the world from its point of view are now pretty widespread, I've not heard any really good things about kitten guides.

Can anyone recommend a book that would help a new kitten owner really tune into and bond with, and prevent problems with, an adopted kitten (probably 12 weeks or older)? Bonus if it includes how to work with them on training (fetch, other commands), since that kind of activity can really increase closeness and cat-happiness in many cats.

Information about things like kitten-proofing a house and selecting food would be nice, also, but I'm mainly interested in behavioral information.

A quick look around Google and Amazon showed some titles that were related to one area or another, but not "Here, read this and you'll be on your way to being a superb friend to your new kitten".

Please help me read The Master and Margarita.

cranberrymonger — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:26:00 -0800

Please help me read The Master and Margarita. I started The Master and Margarita a couple months ago and really enjoyed the writing but struggled with the names, the plot and the biblical references (everything, basically.) I put it down for a while and now I can't remember what happened. I don't want to start over again (I'm on chapter 18) so I need to find a decent summary to remind me what's happened so far.

Unfortunately all the plot summaries I find are overly (for my purposes) concerned with the context and the important bits of Russian history, the allusions or they contain spoilers because they summarize each of the three stories as a whole.

My ideal format would be chapter-by-chapter, explaining what important happened in each. It would be great if it's an online guide but I would like to hear about hard copy guides too.

Another thing is that I'm completely unfamiliar with the Bible. I would love a link to an online summary (not original text) of the sections that would help me understand The Master and Margarita. I'm sorry I can't be any more specific as I don't know what parts those are.

(I realize that the beauty of both books is probably in the nuances and I don't mean to discount how important that is but my priority is comprehension.)

"Oooh, look, an exotic native woman!" "Buzz off."

divabat — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:55:09 -0800

What are some good travel guide websites that aren't so Western-centric and don't treat other countries like exotic sights to gawk at? I just rediscovered Matador after randomly signing up for it years ago, and while it looks really promising, it does have a really strong colonial "we are American tourists off to see the exotic isles and be really awesome Americans saving the world" vibe around it. It's something I've noticed with travel companies in Australia too - I was at STA Travel's promo for gap years and to me it felt like the rest of the world was there for their entertainment, or that they were humble foreigners trying to civilize the savages with their volunteer jobs, or something.

Being Malaysian, and being used to being made exotic, that sort of vibe never really sat right with me. I've been travelling since I was a baby, I _love_ to travel, and I love volunteering wherever I can (I was on a world tour that was part performance part community work - best time ever). But I don't click with the party-hard, white-kid-saving-the-world-by-teaching-English, befriend-other-backpackers type lifestyle that groups like Matador and STA Travel tend to espouse.

Are there any other good websites and resources for travel that have a different view on things? I'm after more how-to sort of stuff, like the best organisations doing X or the most interesting things about Y in Z country, or how to pack for a trip (as opposed to personal stories of travel). I'm 23, so something geared for youth is great, but again I'm not much of a club-hopper type. Anything that can take account of currencies that don't really translate well overseas (Europe for Really Cheap!) would be great.

Thanks!

An online guide to reading Nietzsche's 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'?

FuckingAwesome — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:53:20 -0800

Hi, I am currently attempting Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra with some difficulty. What I'm really looking for is a chapter-by-chapter explanation of the book; the meanings, metaphors, and significance of the characters and events. Thanks in advance.

Web design guides for the novice.

By The Grace of God — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 10:42:51 -0800

Looking for the best useful basic guides for web design, aimed at novice volunteers. I'm tasked with writing a guide for small volunteer groupings to do web design on a voluntary basis. Imagine someone who is able at using their computer, operating the Microsoft Office suite and able to get online, and able to do basic HTML. What are good guides to deal with stuff like accessibility, good design, promoting your website, blogs, and copyright issues?

I don't want to get into the scripting and more web development sort of stuff. I imagine that the most people would do is install a basic web template for a static page, maybe plus a self hosted blog for easy updating.

Creative Commons and other free guides strongly preferred. The guide doesn't need to be complete - if it goes into a few or just one of these issues, it's welcome.

How do i download new browser if Safari wont load?

sydney54 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:45:44 -0800

How do i download new browser if Safari wont load? I dont really do Macs For reasons unknown safari wont load on houseguest's powerbook. How do I download new browser (firefox?) if safari wont load? I have next to no experience with macs so probably missing something obvious. OR, is there something I could try to get Safari to load. When launch Safari it appears for a microsecond then dissappears.

Good Guide to Harlem?

ocherdraco — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:53:51 -0800

NYC filter: Is there a good guide to Harlem for neighborhood residents? I'm moving to Harlem from Astoria, and while I know a fair amount of Harlem's history, I don't know much about the neighborhood now. The Not for Tourists guide seems pretty skimpy here (just like it was in Astoria), and I'm looking for a more thorough guide to local shops, services, culture, etc. Community messageboards would be helpful, too.

The shortbook on macroeconomics

dead_ — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:23:17 -0800

What is the best primer on macroeconomics? I would like to buy a short (non-textbook) book on macroeconomics. I am comfortable with economics as a discipline but will be taking a macro placement test this fall and would like something to read as a refresher during the next month or so.

Guides/tricks for my new DSLR?

meerkatty — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 10:55:24 -0800

Please help me use my new DSLR camera. Are there guides/tricks for specific cameras online? I took a course today on how to use my new Canon Rebel xti, which came with a handy password protected guide online. (The guide was far superior to the camera manual - with explanations of when and why you would use a certain function, complete with photo examples.) The course was a little basic for my needs but I can't take the more advanced part of the course for a few months. Are there guides along these lines available online?

Big bonus points for anyone who has the password for Henry's School of Imaging Canon xti Part 2 guide.

How can I optimize my study given a time constraint of 'x' in a quasilinear scenario? (or: Help!)

cgomez — Sun, 11 May 2008 23:50:28 -0800

Looking for resources to help me understand material from an intermediate microeconomics course. Notes, practice problems, simplified explanations, anything would help. I'm currently in enrolled in the first course of a series on 'intermediate microeconomics'. The professor's teaching style isn't working too well for me as he never really delves into the math outside of mere basic equations which aren't what I'm being tested on.

Are there any particularly good sites online that would help make this course easier? With each week, it seems as though I'm just falling further behind. The topics that were covered recently are...

Preference and utility functions, finding optimal consumption bundles (optimal choice), perfect compliments/substitutes, demand curves, the Slutsky equation/substitution effect, endowment, etc.

Or if anyone has advice on learning the material. I have a little over a week and a half before the next midterm to get my act together; anything helps.

Best and cheapest storage in the San Fernando Valley?

quarantine — Wed, 07 May 2008 07:49:24 -0800

Downsizing -- wife left me -- and moving to Woodland Hills, California (CA). I need storage. Help? I'm moving into a two-bedroom apartment with my old college roommate, whose marriage fell apart just as mine did.

I'm looking for inexpensive storage in Woodland Hills. I've Googled, but an insider would know better.

I'm a bookseller, and my inventory is not going to fit in the new apartment. I'm looking for, essentially, warehouse space.

One of those drive-up carport types would probably be best. A room in a big building would be second-best. One of the "palletized" ones where they bring your stuff down for you to look at is a no-go, as I'll want to retrieve items several times per week.

I'm looking for at least a 10'x10' area, and I'd like to spend less than $170/mo for it.

For bonus points, one within walking (or biking) distance from Topanga Canyon and Vanowen (or just southeast of that) would be wonderful!

Where can I find info about See's chocolates?

poulet — Mon, 05 May 2008 21:33:18 -0800

Where on the Web can I find a specific guide to chocolates from See's Candies? Is there an online resource that provides a specific guide to chocolates from See's Candies? Unfortunately, the company Web site just isn't that helpful -- it's more of a catalog, less informational. I'm envisioning photos of each type of chocolate, along with a description and maybe ingredients.

What's the best guide to Queens?

ocherdraco — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 09:38:18 -0800

What's the best guide to Queens for someone who lives there? I've tried Not for Tourists, and though I found their Brooklyn guide to be great when I lived in Brooklyn, the Queens guide seems strangely off the mark (like, well, neglecting to include my subway stop on my neighborhood map. If they can't get that right, what else are they missing?).

Anybody else live in Queens and have a guide they like? I'm in Astoria, near the intersection of Broadway and Steinway, so I'd like one that's particularly helpful here, but I'm also looking to expand my knowledge of the rest of the borough.

Help me create digital music.

flatluigi — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:52:08 -0800

I'd like to find some tutorials or general guides for editing and creating music on the computer. I'm very interested in mashups and making music out of other music, but I honestly don't know what I'm doing. I got a copy of Ableton Live from a very generous musician friend of mine for my birthday a while back and I've been using that to put stuff together. I can put together some basic A+B vocal over instrumental deals, but that's about it.

I can't do anything fancy and I'm sure I'm missing things due to my relative lack of experience with audio effects and methods. For example, just last week I discovered how to consolidate a cut-up track and make it loop without having to deal with all the pieces, which seems really obvious in hindsight.

What I'd love to find is a guide that takes me through the creation of a track, showing off what X effect does, how to do Y cleanly, ending a track successfully through Z -- that sort of thing. Otherwise, I'd like to find some general tips and methods.

What does the creator of a curated travel experience charge?

Scram — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:04:09 -0800

What is a reasonable fee for organizing and hosting an Elderhostel/ Road Scholar program? My husband and I have been approached by the local branch of Road Scholar about curating a four day program for travelers based on original research (bus tours, writing and lectures) that we've developed. We've been asked to submit a bid for this service, and while we have some idea of what we'd like to get for ourselves and our staff, we don't have any sense of what industry standard is for what we'd be providing.

Comparable 4-day programs cost $1100-1400 per person (double occupancy, +$300 for singles) including meals and lodging. Our maximum number of travelers would be 50, but conceivably the program could run with half that many people.

In addition to creating the overarching theme of the program we would be on call daily and into the evening for bus tours and lectures, develop hand outs, provide marketing copy and imagery, arrange itineraries and special visits, and select guest lecturers, films and musicians.

If anyone reading this has any insight into what an appropriate fee would be for such a program, and if it ought to begin with a base rate and slide up should it reach capacity, please advise. It would be nice to know if we're even in the ballpark before we start swinging, y'know?

Guidebook to Japan?

sdis — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:57:54 -0800

Which Japan travel guide should I get? I'm going to Japan in September for 4-5 weeks in a touring opera company. I know very little about the details except that all accommodations are taken care of, that food's done at a set per diem rate, our days are fairly structured, and I can guess that we'll be going all around Japan.

So! I'm looking to:
1) Save as much of my per diem as possible (so good, cheap food recommendations in many cities are a big plus)
2) In the (perhaps limited) free time I have, get some guidance in terms of sight-seeing and things to do.
3) Have some maps that show me where said sight-seeing and food options are.

Bonus points for historical background, double bonus points for a more local, less touristy sort of viewpoint.

If Rick Steves wrote a Japan guide, I'd get it, but alas, no dice.

Quick and Dirty guide to the Literary Canon

Phire — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:29:19 -0800

I'm looking for a concise and readable overview/guide of what could be considered "classic literature" for a mature ESL student. Ideally, after reading this guide, said student would be able to pick up on allusions to the more common mythologies/deities (Greek, Roman, Norse, etc.), as well as passing references to commonly studied works held in high academic regard. Think Dickens, Tolstoy, Orwell, and the like. A quick overview of the 'big' names in the Bible would be helpful, too.

Essentially I'm hoping for a quick and dirty guide to all/many of the pieces of literature that someone would've studied in the Elementary to High School English curriculum. The guide doesn't need to be very detailed - a plot synopsis and two lines about each of the main characters would do.

Not that this guide would be a substitute to actually reading the works, but it would at least provide a starting point for furthering a literary education for someone who works full-time and is feeling the effects of not being 'in' on all the jokes.

Is Lonely Planet my best bet?

kyleg — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:45:30 -0800

What is the best UK travel guide to give to an American student spending the semester there in the spring? She'll be in Gloucestershire, with short trips to London and around the Continent depending on time and budget.

can i hasz webdesignz guidlinez?

Brandon Blatcher — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 19:18:42 -0800

Can you point me to any documents or websites that give a generally agreed upon guideline on how to build webpages? What I'm talking about is a a kinda of step by step general guide on how to lay the foundations for building webpages, based on current browsers.

For instance, I've noticed a lot of css documents start with defining basic elements, such as giving zero padding and margin to the body and then adding it to later elements as needed. Is there a webpage or site out there that lists these things so as I'm building a site I can know to avoid x 'cause it creates huge headaches in IE or to define your basic text size like this or your elements like that?

I realize there's a lot of ways to build webpages, and that those ways may differ based on the project, but I'm looking for a general guideline on how to go about this.

I'm NOT looking for guidelines on how to build webpages, but rather guides on how build good, semantic pages by doing x and y and avoiding z, except when there's w etc, etc.

Where can I find old guides on how to talk to your kids about sex?

bflora — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:17:57 -0800

Where can I find 1950s and 1960s guides on how to talk to your kids about sex? I know they're out there, but library searches and amazon searches are only turning up newer books.

What is the travel book series that boasts off-the-beaten-path sights and locations?

KathyK — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 08:39:51 -0800

What is the travel book series that boasts off-the-beaten-path sights and locations? I remember reading/hearing about a travel book for Hawaii that told you some of the local hide-aways and access points. Something like, "Drive to the end of the road, hop the fence near the ditch, turn left at the big rock, walk past the shed and see the most beautiful view or sun bathe on the ultra-secluded beach".

I'm headed to Nova Scotia next week and will be camping. It's a long shot, however, I was hoping there would be a similar book for that area.

Thanks!

Buying a new bike

Aanidaani — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:21:22 -0800

I'm going to be at U Colorado in Boulder for the summer and I'm interested in buying a bike. I'm willing to spend about $200 on a new one (which I'll take back to my school after the summer) and I'd preferably like a city bike that I can also occasionally take off-road. Since I got my last bike when I was in middle school (I'm 20 now), I wanted to see if anyone could offer advice or a guide on buying a new one. I know that there are a lot of great bike paths around Boulder and I'd like to check them out. I'm by no means a hardcore biker (as should already be evident), but I want to ride some trails and at the same time drive around CU's campus comfortably. Can anyone suggest a good place to buy a bike? Also, what types should I be looking for and is there anything I should be aware of? Thanks!

what are the travel websites worth knowing?

krautland — Wed, 23 May 2007 19:06:20 -0800

what are the travel websites worth knowing? I'm writing this while on a roadtrip. having crossed at random through multiple states already, I visited oxford, ms last night and by complete accident found faulkner's house. that experience made me wish I had more travel websites to check when I'm in a certain area. I am using wikipedia, wikitravel, yelp and metafilter already to check random places I see on roadsigns but I wished there was another large recommendation site that worked much like the printed travel books. ("if you are in this area, consider heading 10 miles west to see that")

travel books are okay, too ... if they cover at least ms, la and ak. I can't schlepp around 15 of them...

I am mostly interested in historical villages, local food joints and that kind of stuff and that's tough to find. tons of my roadtrip photography involves old mansions, run-down buildings and faded old murals.

also: I am now in natches, ms after having been to vicksburg earlier today. anyone wanna recommend places further south, in Louisiana or Arkansas?