Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with registry

Canadian e-mail hosting and domain registration

sardonyx — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:16:28 -0800

Which Canadian company (or companies) would you recommend as a reliable and affordable organization to host my e-mail? To start with I have seen this question and this one.

The background (in case anybody cares) is that I need to dump my ISP due to network connectivity and service issues. I should have done it ages ago, but I've been reluctant to quit and abandon my e-mail address, which is tied to the ISP. I've had this address since the mid 1990s and hate the thought of losing it.

To make sure I don't have to deal with this problem again, I want to control my own e-mail address through my own domain. I'm not interested in having an actual public webpage.

So what I need to do is
a) register a domain
b) pick a company to host the e-mail from that domain.

It would be great if I could do a) and b) with the same company, but I'm willing to consider separate services.

If it matters, I'll be downloading the POP e-mail onto my own Windows 7 64-bit computer running Thunderbird as my e-mail client.

Ideally I'd be able to get a package that permits a few/a handful of separate addresses (four or five would be great).

I know I can use one of the free, cloud-based e-mail services, and while I do have other accounts like that, I don't want my primary account (which is used for both personal and professional correspondence) to be one of those.

So my questions are the following:

1) Which companies do you recommend to do a) and b)?
2) What questions do I need to ask when talking to these companies and their customer service representatives?
3) What do I need to know from a technical standpoint to make this work? (I don't intend to abandon my ISP until I've run with the new e-mail system for a few weeks. That will give me time to see if it's going to meet my needs, to work out any issues, to switch all my subscriptions and notify all my contacts.)
4) Anything else you think I'm missing/haven't considered.

P.S. If anybody cares to throw in a recommendation for a good ISP with unlimited (or ridiculously huge allotments of) downloads and great customer service, I'd be happy to read those answers as well. I've been considering TekSavvy, I've heard good things about Acanac, I am (reluctantly) considering Bell (but really have no desire to deal with Rogers).

I need a crash course in living with a baby.

Saminal — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:33:50 -0800

We just took in an 11 month old foster baby. People want to give us things but we have no idea what we really need. What do you (and your one year old) love to use and consider essential? His mom sent: formula, bottles, pacifiers, diapers, clothes, a car seat.

We have a pack 'n play that he's currently sleeping in and a few toys I've borrowed from the preschool where I work. Everyone in our network wants to help out, buy things, etc. but we have no idea what we even need. Also, because our age range is 0 - 14 years we haven't been reading books and doing research about babies so we feel like we lack basic knowledge.

He is right on track developmentally, he points, babbles, walks very well, is eating table food (and bottles still) and sleeps pretty well.

Here are the main problems we probably need material solutions for:

Baths - the first night I put on a swimsuit (foster care weirdness!) and get in the tub with him. He was kind of okay with it but it was uncomfortable. The next night we tried the sink and he was not having it. What does one wash a baby in?

Outings - stroller? wearing him? my husband and I are both probably fit enough to wear him even though he's fairly heavy. He loves to walk but in the store this is not feasible.

Entertainment - I'm pretty anti noise making (electronic noise making), light up toys but if you think they're great can you recommend some? What other amusements did/does your baby enjoy? So far his favorite things to play with are the broom and our basset hound (not usually at the same time).

Night time - bed time is hard. I'm fairly certain this is mostly due to the fact that his whole life has been upended and everything is wrong. However, once he gives up and sleeps (around 7:30) he sleeps until about 4 am, wakes up and we change diaper and give him a bottle and he sleeps until we have to wake him at 6:30. Any recommendations about nighttime routines, items to ease bedtime would be helpful. He also needs a crib and mattress and the variety in price and features of crib mattresses is stunning.

Possible complicating factors:
- budget (since we're going to have to buy most of this all at once.).
- space. We like to be wise about how easy things will be to store since our next placement may or may not be a baby.
- speed. We'd like to buy most of the stuff this weekend so brick and mortar might be easiest for expediency's sake.

I know that's a lot but we are panicking about baby!

Don't want to register for my baby...am I making a mistake?

juliagulia — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 16:06:17 -0800

I don't want to register for the upcoming birth of my child. Nothing against people who do it, but (1) I am a minimalist; (2) I enjoyed the wedding gifts I got that didn't come from my registry (heartfelt, unique, awesome); and (3) what I do need is on the more expensive side (so I can either load up the registry with crap I don't want or come off looking greedy). Am I making a big mistake? Look, I get it. I would love for others to buy everything for this kid, but in reality I know people love giving cutesy items at a shower or for the baby's birth and most people I know will be looking at the $30-50 price point (not the $75-200 price point of the few items that I feel I really need). Those who want to spend more, like close family, I would hope would ask me what I need, and then if they insist I could name a specific, pricier item (though I still don't like the idea of Granny buying me a breast pump, for instance).

But I reaaallllllly don't want to register for this baby. I just don't like the idea of it, for all of the reasons mentioned above. And perhaps most of all, I just can't get over the notion that this is a baby, and what do babies need? Not much. And what they do need, I feel I should be responsible for buying. The fact that I'm having a shower is already a gift grab, and so I like that without a registry, people have the freedom to bring what they want. (Although, of course, I understand that a registry is convenient for gift-givers.)

If I could get over the way I feel about this, and if I could look at the practical picture, I would still get hung up by the logistics. I think it would look really weird and bad to have only about 8 items on my registry that are all between $75 and $200 (most closer to $200). And I just don't think that's in people's price points, not to mention the fact that what I feel I need are the kinds of things that people probably wouldn't feel right buying me, either, because they're things like car seats and breast pumps and video monitors. In other words, I don't expect that registering will somehow get me the things that I need anyway. (Some of you might say here "go ahead and register even if they won't buy it!" But I don't like the concept of baby registries so much that I don't think the utility of registering for those few items will outweigh how I feel about it.)

So in my mind I'm okay with this, I think, but I am getting crap from shower guests who don't have a "guide" and I need reassurance that this is okay or voices of reason telling me to go ahead and register (even with my short, expensive registry wish-list).

SimCity 4 Mac language change?

DoctorFedora — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:39:30 -0800

So I have a copy of Simcity 4 for Mac OS, and the patch to run it on Intel. I'm looking to switch the language from US to UK English (I want left-side traffic) but all of the instructions I've found online to do such a thing are for the Windows version, and involve modifying the Registry, which by definition ain't gonna happen for the Mac OS version. What can I do? How do I change the game's language settings on Mac OS?

Have baby, will travel... to the next room.

mittenbex — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 14:04:22 -0800

Small baby that grows, small apartment that doesn't? Hooray, we just found out we're expecting a baby mitten! YAY.

We're in a small apartment and not planning to leave any time soon. Wahh.

Our parents are super generous and we have lots of friends who have hand me downs waiting for us -- but we don't want to take anything or buy anything we don't need or won't have room for.

I know this has been asked before but I think it's always great to have fresh answers.

So please share:

Things you ABSOLUTELY needed.
Things that you ABSOLUTELY didn't need and just took up space.

Maybe some swaps or things you used that doubled for more than one purpose.

Any other 'two new first-time parents in small one bedroom apartment -- how do we maintain our routine of not killing one another' etc. advice, tips, tricks of any kind are totally graciously accepted.

gettin our kicks on route 66...

animalrainbow — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 14:58:48 -0800

Ideas for gifts for a road-tripping couple? For our honeymoon, we'll be travelling the USA by car for a little over 2 months. We'll be camping some as well as staying in hotels. What gadgets/memberships/things have you found indispensable for longer road trips? Things we've already added:

AAA membership

Gas cards

Road atlas

Audible.com subscription

Two-person tent

Camping stove

Recommendations for a specific model welcome on the last 3, too.

Note: this is emphatically not a question about whether honeymoon registries are tacky. Thank you!

What was on your baby registry that you use and what was on it that you don't use?

davebug — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 11:32:13 -0800

I'm building a baby registry. a) What was your absolute most-used, wouldn't-survive-without-it thing you had on your baby registry? b) And what were you absolutely certain you'd use all the time that just gathered dust? I've heard most people say "changing table," for b, so feel free to give me your second one if that was #1.

Gift Registry 360?

Mrs. Rattery — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:22:34 -0800

Have you used Gift Registry 360? Can you share your experience? The soon-to-be Mr. Rattery and I are thinking about registering on Gift Registry 360 because we like the idea of selection and we like that we could shop around to register at better price points. I wonder, though, if the service works as well as it claims to and would love for some anecdata. Some considerations:
1. we're in Canada, so how well does it work for outside US? is it a nightmare?
2. how did the not-so-tech savvy guests fare at using it? is it too alienating for older people not comfortable with the web?
3. I like the feature that allows you to say "I purchased this item somewhere else", but I wonder how many people would bother to do this step?
4. how did you tell people where you were registered? how much explaining did you do? (I know you're not supposed to include this info with the invitation, but -- aside from telepathy -- how do you get the message out? [and no, I do not have and will never have a wedding website])
5. any other rave reviews/grave concerns?

Thanks!

Apologies to Emily Post and Mrs Beeton

Diagonalize — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:52:47 -0800

As a "grown up", which dinnerware (plates, bowls, etc.) do you actually use? Or have, but never use? My fiance and I have been using a mismatched set of chipped hand-me-downs and castoff dishes for years, but now we're putting together a wedding registry and have realized we're finally ready to get some matching dishes. We found a dinnerware pattern we both like (Apilco Tradition), but we're not actually sure which pieces we should get.

Because we don't want to deal with a separate set of fine china, we plan on using these dishes for everyday and more formal occasions. All the registry "guides" recommend registering for 8 to 12 place settings, but we have the option of registering for individual dishes in sets of 4 instead of in a place setting with a dinner plate, salad plate, soup plate, and cup and saucer, which seems like it might be more practical. Are we going to honestly need/want that many soup plates and cups and saucers? Dinner and salad plates are a given, but the two of us generally use mugs and cereal bowls more often, so we're planning on getting those separately, but will we want the other stuff for company? What about bread and butter plates? Does it make more sense to get extra salad plates to use for serving dessert instead? Will people freak out if we register for a set of 4 salad plates instead of a full place setting?

I do cook a lot and like to entertain, but rarely in a super formal capacity, and I'll likely be moving in the not so distant future and don't know exactly how much room I'll have for dish storage. I just hate the idea of getting a bunch of beautiful dishes and then having them languish in a box for 40 years.

Great, cheap or free wedding registry site?

SampleSize — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:13:07 -0800

Is there a very good, full-featured wedding gift registry site (allows you to add items from any website, allows people to buy a portion of a gift, allows cash gifts, etc.) that's free? No? How about cheap? Thanks!

First World Problems

kidsleepy — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:03:29 -0800

Help me find the Ultimate Special Snowflake Online Gift Registry Website. I'm getting married. I already live with my partner and we already have a lot of stuff in our not-very-big apartment and honestly we don't need much of anything you typically find on a "wedding registry."

What I would really like is to have guests be able to partially contribute to experiences or pricey gifts (new bed!), as you can on SimpleRegistry.com.

AND I would like to satisfy those don't "get" SimpleRegisty and want to put their hands on an actual physical gift that they can wrap themselves, like when you register at a brick and mortar store (Macy's or Target or the like).

AND I would like the all-inclusiveness of Amazon's wishlists, which allow you to add a product from any website (we'd love to get some really cool art from Etsy).

AND I would like this to all be in one place with accountability for gifts bought so that we don't end up with double (though of course there are worse problems to have).

Does my dream registry exist? How do I satisfy everyone (including my partner and myself)?

What should we ask for from Target?

ohsnapdragon — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:42:38 -0800

What have you bought and loved from Target? I'm trying to put together a small wedding registry at Target. We have pretty much nothing of quality, but I don't want to ask our friends/family to spend a lot on us either. So Target it is! I'm interested in recommendations of specific items/brands from Target that you've had good luck with, though I'm open to general registry suggestions if you have those too.

Thanks!

Whatchamacallit?

finders keepers — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:18:18 -0800

What should we name our non-awkward cash registry website? My friends and I are making a cash registry website where guests can make financial contributions in lieu of gifts for special events. It may operate quite similarly to Rainfall of Envelopes, but with a bit of a kiwi bent.

We'd like it to embody a simple, positive and grateful vibe, and as far as possible, avoid the awkwardness or rudeness that can come with asking for money.

Availability under a .co.nz domain would be a bonus!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Any current info on snagging expiring domains?

Lovable Hooligan — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 10:16:48 -0800

Does anybody have any current information about snagging an expiring domain name? I have read some articles but the information is a few years old. Specifics inside. [my surname].com is expiring in the next couple of days. The domain currently belongs to a construction company that has changed its name in the last year. There used to be a legitimate website at that domain but now just forwards traffic to the new company website. It is likely they will not renew. I would like to get it for personal use, mostly email.

I know it will be a month or two before the domain is released and to add a little extra complication I will be without phone service and have spotty internet connection during these months. Is it still advisable to use a domain snapping service or are the backorder services of one of the big domain registry companies more reliable these days.

The name is common in a few places but not likely to be extremely commercial. I would really like to avoid a bidding situation due to my isolation in the upcoming months. I have used a backorder service before from a major registry service, and all it did was send me an email a few days after someone else bought the domain telling me it had transferred. The company the domain is currently registered at has a backorder service. Would that be the safest bet?

Windows 7 - "Windows Classic" theme is the only one that doesn't hang, what gives?

thankyoumuchly — Tue, 17 May 2011 17:09:36 -0800

I'm on a company provided Windows 7 laptop. Here's what I know: When using the "Windows Classic" Theme (right click on desktop>personalize>select "Windows Classic" theme), Windows Explorer does NOT hang/hourglass for ~30 seconds when accessing files/navigating folders. All clicks to save files, navigate through local and distributed files (our MyDocs folder is stored on the Company's distributed file system), etc., are immediately responsive. When using ANY other theme, clicking on navigation of files (local and DFS, even when not connected to the company network) hangs for 10-30 seconds. What gives? Do all of the themes (minus the "Classic" theme) have some sort of "network call" that look through My Docs (which is technically on the DFS/my company's servers, that has a 30 timeout if the network doesn't respond?) Any ideas how to fix this (change a registry setting, ask the company IT team to make a change to a group policy setting, etc.)? What's so special about the "Windows Classic" theme? It's ugly, but it saves me 30 seconds every time I touch a file, open windows explorer, etc. Thanks in advance!

Place to find adm/admx files for Group Policy?

John Kenneth Fisher — Mon, 16 May 2011 06:18:31 -0800

I feel there should be out there, a site where people share their adm/admx files that they use to import custom controls for Group Policy, to avoid everyone constantly reinventing the wheel. Does such a wonderland exist? (I'll also take links people have to specific ones they find useful, but a big site of them to peruse for my importing pleasure would really be perfect.)

I have an idea, but have no idea how to execute it

semacd — Thu, 12 May 2011 18:20:17 -0800

I have an idea for a gift registry. What are the nuts and bolts of bringing it to fruition? I have an idea for a gift registry in a niche I don't think is filled, but I have no idea how to execute it. Lets say that honeyfund is a pretty good model, but it's not for weddings. I'm being vague because I'm paranoid about someone who actually knows how to do these things taking the idea and running with it before I can figure it out, but I could elaborate somewhat as necessary.

- I know I need a site, and I know that website has to have a mechanism for safely/securely handling money. Honeyfund is free, but I would love it if I could charge a small fee or a earn a small percentage from each transaction. How do I find someone capable and trustworthy to create such a site for me? The style would be sort of girly and honeyfund-esque.
- Marketing. How do I find someone capable and trustworthy to take on the marketing of this site.
- Managing the site after its up. How do I find someone capable and trustworthy to manage the site.
- Copyright? The idea is a gift registry in what I think is an untapped arena. Should I try anything to protect this idea so that - if it's a good idea at all?
- Anything else I'm not thinking of?

Memail me if you have a specific recommendation for someone who can do these things.

Where to register a .rs domain?

eduke — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 12:34:24 -0800

Where should I register my .rs domain, so I don't get ripped off? I'm an American citizen with looking to register a domain in the Republic of Serbia.

I have no contacts in the country, and I'm not doing business there: I just want the domain for naming purposes. For instance, one might (I am not) register the domain metafilte.rs.

Has anyone ever registered a .rs? I have found a few international registrars, but I don't know if any of them are reputable, and I don't want to lose my money or have the domain hijacked.

To register or not to register?

Hwaet — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 11:25:53 -0800

We're getting married! We're young and sort of poor, but so are most of our friends. Do we still get registered? What are the pros and cons? Married peoples, did you regret having a registry or not having one? What are the alternatives to traditional registries? My boyfriend (fiancé, I guess) and I got in a Discussion last night about setting up a registry for our wedding. The boy says we can just get that stuff ourselves, which is probably true; we're not destitute, after all. He argues that our friends and family are showing up to have fun, not to buy us stuff, that our life is perfect the way it is and we shouldn't ask for more clutter.

I agree with all of this, and I also sympathize with the aversion to the wedding industrial complex that dictates coupes to register for stand mixers and towel sets even if they don't need them. We live in NYC, so we don't have lots of room for appliances anyways. However, I'm aiming to attend graduate school full time for the next two years starting this September (wedding is in October), and I worry about our finances. It would be nice to to have some basics to get married life started, but certainly not essential.

We've already decided to ask anyone flying in from out of town to not get us gifts, since we know the trip will be expensive. I'm also aware of registries that put donations in our name. I'm mainly interested in knowing how other couples have dealt with the pressure to register, whether it was worth it in the end or if it was a pain. Any explanations as to why you did or didn't register would be helpful as well.

What should I give a friend and her husband as a very late wedding gift?

socialdrinker — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:48:10 -0800

What should I give a friend and her husband as a very late wedding gift? Someone I've been friends with since high school (we are now in our early 30s) got married in July 2009. At the time, I had been unemployed for almost a year and wasn't able to give a gift. While I was able to help logistically with the bachlorette party, shower, and other various weddingy things, I was not able to afford a wedding gift. I tried not to make a Big Deal about the fact that I couldn't give a wedding gift at the time but I obviously did mention it. My friend was very understanding and gracious about the whole thing, and hasn't mentioned or alluded to it since.

In the past year and a half, I've nailed down steady employment, and I'm now finally in the position to be able to give them something. If they were getting married tomorrow, I probably would get them something off their registry or cash (in addition to helping out where needed), but 1.5 years after the fact, it seems a bit like I'm paying a debt or getting caught up on old bills, which I know is not the case at all.

So...how should I handle this? I've thought about buying them a nice meal at a restaurant...or they travel a lot, maybe something they can enjoy on their next trip? Aside from the actual "what" to give them, how should I handle the unspoken awkward about "hey, this is a year and a half late!"?

Cookware in pieces

Allenthar — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 17:09:41 -0800

We're getting married, and we're registering at Bed, Bath and Beyond for the usual housewares, but we need advice about cookware. We originally registered for a set, but we're thinking that we'd like fewer big-ticket items on our registry and more mid-level items. Breaking up the set seemed like a no-brainer. However, we can't register for individual items in the cookware we chose; it only comes as a set.

Does anyone have a great love for their cookware that is available at Bed, Bath and Beyond in individual pieces? Keep in mind that we're pretty entry-level at cooking, with some interest in adventures in the kitchen--but not too adventurous.

wedding gift to Canada

mileena — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:20:12 -0800

Help me send my friend a gift -- he lives in Canada and I live in the US. I live in California. My friend from Toronto is getting married in August and I just recieved the invitation. I had considered going, but as it turns out, it is the same day as another wedding (family) that I have to attend.

I'd like to send a gift, but am having a hard time figuring out how to do this. They don't seem to be registered anywhere (which I find refreshing.. is that not the norm in Canada like it is here? And it just makes me want to give them a gift that much more). I've checked williams-sonoma.ca, crateandbarrel.ca, hbc.ca and amazon.ca.

* Are there other places/sites they might be registered at that I am not thinking of?

* If I have to come up with something without registry help, what do you suggest that is easy to have shipped to them? I don't know the fiancee at all, but my friend likes cooking, grilling, fixing up their new house, his dog and wine (the logistics of sending wine to Canada might make this idea more trouble than it's worth).

(Apologies if I missed something obvious when I searched. Didn't see anything that exactly matched. Also hoping someone who has already navigated this will have some smart tips).

Where to find/how to build a great online artist registry/directory?

AnOrigamiLife — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:16:10 -0800

We want an online searchable artist registry for our small-town art council. Wave our magic wand and we'd have something just like this or this. But we have to be realistic. Bottom line, we have $1k. What do you suggest? It must allow users to search by name, discipline or keyword.

In our wildest dreams we imagine ours would be a directory of perhaps up to 300 artists (visual, performing and literary) that gives all pertinent data (e.g., artist statement, a sampling of their work, affiliations, exhibitions, pricing information, contact details).

This will be a resource for all art lovers:
1) The artist. One central (free?) place for all artists to have a web presence, to share their work and to gain visibility.
2) The art-loving public. One central place to search for, if you will, a local painter to do up a moose to hang above the mantle, or a writer to spruce up your memoir.
3) Us. To support artists and our mission as an arts council. To create a comprehensive online community of artists. To give us a place to find artists who respond positively in a section about how they want to interface with their community (e.g. mentor young artists, teach workshops, collaborate on shows, judge contests).

In our search for the right resource, we've been directed to this "membership website builder," which powers this site among many others. Does anyone have experience with it or anything else like it? If we go that route, is it reasonable to think we can do much of the work to set it up before handing it to our web guy, or does it require real development skills? According to them, "If you can use Microsoft Word, you can do it." Should we believe it?

Also, is it better for a nonprofit to buy something (but what?) outright while they have the funding, or to go with something that costs $50+/month in perpetuity?

Make the most of free presents.

mittenbex — Wed, 19 May 2010 05:54:19 -0800

Help us fill our registry! I've posted this before. Yes, but hoping to hit some new people or people who might not have answered before.

We are still trying to fill our registry.

We are intending to be living somewhat on the cheap for the first year after getting married. We intend to be getting rid of cable (not only for the money saving aspect but because we think it will force us to get creative in spending quality time together).

If you have something in your home/office/apartment/whathaveyou that you feel is absolutely incredible and every person must own one - tell me about it.

If you feel there is something we can register for that will provide us with activities ... yay for that too.

We have registered for basic cooking stuff, but I'm open to hearing about products that are absolutely incredible that maybe I should get a particular brand/variety of.

We also registered for some board games/card games but I'd like to hear about anything in this category maybe good for the two of us - or that we could host a game night with.

We do have a Wii. Don't have a lot of games - so if there's any that would be good for us to play together. Let's hear about 'em!

Open to all suggestions.

Thanks Mefites!

Expat wedding gift registry - Alternatives?

meantime — Sun, 02 May 2010 06:59:22 -0800

The wedding is in Europe. Most of the guests are coming from the US. What to do about a registry? Alternative registry ideas? Some friends are American expats in Prague. They are getting married in Prague and most of the guests are friends and family from the US. People have asked them about a registry and they aren't sure what to do.

They haven't found any 'good' wedding registries locally and dont want to have to ship items from a US based registry. Additionally, they are already set up and dont really want traditional gifts like china or towels anyway.

But, since they dont want to ask for cash, and some of their guests have asked for registry information, they are looking for some alternative ideas.

I figured the hive would have some good ideas.