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Blogs for bike commuters

Brittanie — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:45:16 -0800

Recommend some bike commuter blogs I live in Houston. I have recently resolved to start commuting by bike about 3x a week (more if it's feasible). I live on one of the busiest streets in the city, but I have an almost direct route, a really good bikeways map and alternate route, and all the gear I think I need so far.

What I'm looking for now is tips, in the form of blogs which I can subscribe to, on commuting by bike. I don't have time right now to read through 5 different websites or books. I would like my tips in easily-digestible nuggets.

I've read these posts and found them very helpful. More along the lines of those hints, product reviews, news, etc., please! Bonus points if the blogs relate to Houston or Texas.

Right now I ride a hybrid bike (you should see our potholes!) and I'd like to wear street clothes/work clothes as much as possible. Tips on making this work in the Houston heat are especially helpful.

Books on Hitler - Nazi Germany

snap_dragon — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:05:05 -0800

I just finished reading Hunting Eichmann and am wondering if any MeFites could recommend any other popular nonfiction books on Nazi Germany, Hitler, war criminals, etc. I don't do huge tomes well (400 pages or less!). The only other books I have read are MAUS and Explaining Hitler. Thanks for your input. So much out there...don't know where to begin. Probably the more well known the better as they may be available at my library.

Synch me up

kestrel251 — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:54:07 -0800

How to best keep my Mac laptop & desktop synched? So I have a Mac laptop (MacbookPro running 10.4.11) & desktop (um, not sure; I'm on the laptop now). I go back and forth between them. In some periods I'm mostly using the laptop, and in others mostly the desktop. I try to keep them mostly synched up -- every now and then I start up the laptop in "target disk mode" via firwire, and drag and drop.

But that's tedious, requires work on my part (feh!), and is totally fallible. E-mail isn't a problem. But word docs, .pdfs of articles, pictures, and music? Big problem. The two computers are definitely not totally in synch. They don't even have all the same folders. Is there a way to fix this, other than a horrible marathon manual transfer session? What software is available?

Ideally, the software would
a) recognize when two files with the same name are not the same (think older/newer versions of a document)
b) recognize when two files with different names are in fact the same (think .pdfs that got saved with different names)

I apologize if this is a dumb question... I searched older questions, and googled, but everything I came across was several years out of date. This makes me suspect that there is some obvious new solution. I don't have an Apple Time Machine -- I suspect that might be a good idea after I sort this out, right?

Thanks!

Putting all my eggs in a basket.

bradly — Wed, 20 May 2009 10:40:23 -0800

I'm going to be away from a computer for a couple years and am tangled in every corner of the internet. What should I do to insure it's all here when I get back? I have a website which will obviously have to have domain renewal, etc., but I'm paranoid about certain accounts being deactivated after a period of not being used. Here's a list:

Askmefi
Gmail
Myspace Music
Facebook
Twitter
Stumbleupon
Flickr
Blogger
Tumblr
Soundclick
Mediafire
Youtube

Are there any other steps I should take on the internet before I leave?

thanks in advance.

a place to stay with my dogs

Palmerpoodles — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:42:49 -0800

I will be driving west on I 80 from PA to Colorado. I would like to stay with families,farms or dog friendly inns or B&Bs rather than the chains. My dog friendly travel guides list the common chains so Im hoping for some folks to invite us in. (we're very nice,well behaved and would pay for the privelge)

a shitty question

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:46:03 -0800

Poop question about normalcy and bowel movements [possibly disgusting] First, I realize this is sensitive issue, but any feedback would be appreciated (although that might be difficult since responses can't be anonymous).

First, some background. I lived the first 27 years of my life assuming that pooping would take 20-30 minutes and afterwards my butt would be dirty. We're talking really dirty. It would take maybe 1-3 minutes of wiping to clean things up. This might not sound terrible, but the point was that I could _always_ wipe more. There was no point at which the toilet paper would be completely clean. I hated this situation, but I assumed everyone lived like this and I was too embarrassed to mention it to anyone. However, I was more open with my second girlfriend .The subject was broached when I asked her eating habits after noticing (what I thought were) incredibly short bathroom trips. This led to me watching my diet more carefully and finally realizing that I was lactose intolerant. I also discovered the wonders of psyllium husk. Since then pooping has gone from something I dreaded to something I look forward to and actually enjoy. I feel "empty" when I'm done. And I usually wipe completely cleanly (I mean I wipe once to make sure, but most of the time it's completely clean). I'm also usually in the bathroom for less than five minutes, as opposed to a half hour. Occasionally things won't work this well, but that's an abberation.

Now there seem to be two possibilities. One is that this story is unique and most people are not walking around with mudbutt, assuming they don't shower immediately after a dirty poop. I hope this is the case. The other is that many people are living how I used to live. I realize there are obviously personal variations, but I wonder what you experience personally or what you believe is normal or common.

To clarify: When I say a poop is "complete", I mean I feel "empty" and done afterwards and I rarely have to wipe more than once or twice.
When I say a poop is "incomplete", I mean I could keep wiping forever and the toilet paper would still be dirty (from the anus, not the cheeks). Wiping at this point is mainly to get poop off your ass while acknowledging that nothing can really be done about the poop that keeps coming out. I suppose showering would be one solution to this.

I've noticed a few things that have led me to believe a large amount of people are walking around with mudbutt.

1) The prevalence of bathroom reading materials. In movies and on TV people are always reading in the bathroom. I can't imagine having the time to read anything these days, although before my poop habits changed I could probably have read a novel in a sitting. Assuming length of time sitting corresponds with dirty/"incomplete" poops (does it?), this seems to suggest that people who find reading in the bathroom normal are more likely to have dirty butts.

2) Sheryl Crow recently said that one or two squares of toilet paper should be sufficient. This led to a wave of ridicule (ie, Jay Leno: "Remind me not to shake her hand!"). But ridiculing her seems to suggest that people use way more than one or two squares, which should not be the case if their poops are "complete".

3) I've spoken to women (obviously I don't think all women are the same) who have talked about being mortified about farting in public bathrooms. Men's bathrooms seem to smell much more and women seem to not take as long when pooping. These are gross generalizations, but I wonder if length of time in the bathroom and smell correspond with "incomplete" shits and on average, men have mudbutt more often than women.

4) I recently mentioned an "invisible shit" I had to a friend since it was such a rare occurance. By "invisible shit" I meant that I had taken a poop, but it has disappeared into the bowl and when I looked down, I could see nothing in the toilet. He thought I was talking about not having to wipe, where an "invisible shit" meant that nothing was on the toilet paper after pooping. Since he found this to be an extremely rare occurance, that suggests that he often has "incomplete" poops.

I'd be interested if complete/incomplete was actually something other people experienced or just something I made up, and what other people's normal habits are.

Where can I find Pearl Cornioley's autobiography Pauline?

stewiethegreat — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:30:58 -0800

I saw the question in the blue a few days ago about Pearl Cornioley. Wikipedia mentions a book she wrote. Can you help me find it? The autobiography is called Pauline, written with the help of journalist Hervé Larroque in 1996, isbn ISBN 978-2-9513746-0-7. I suspect that this is a french book because amazon doesn't know what the ISBN is, and I found this. Any chance anyone has heard of the book, or found an english translation? I know there are accounts of Cornioley's wartime experiences in other books, I'm just intrigued to hear it in her own words.

How would you assign numbers to the different types of human effluvia?

Mapes — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:51:32 -0800

How would you assign numbers to the different types of human effluvia? We all know what "number one" and "number two" stand for. There is some precedent for referring to semen as "number three." What are some smart, memorable ways of numbering our other discharges: tears, sweat, earwax, saliva, breast milk, etc.?

Assume that the numbers might be used as a shorthand or code for privacy or obfuscation ("Cleanup number five on aisle seven").

The best answers will be suitable as mnemonics and be clever enough to seem obvious in retrospect. Example: #8 = vomit, because it's what you "ate." Creativity and memorability win here.

Much historical value to an old Guam WW2 Navy flight logbook?

Quarter Pincher — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 06:59:00 -0800

My grandfather recently showed us an old handwritten flight logbook from when he served in Guam in WW2 with the Navy. Would scanning this serve any interest to someone? Might it be considered classified info? It's a frailish, brown, pencil-written log books of flights, I presume in and out of Guam, in the WW2 time period. I thought scanning it might preserve the records made in it (no matter how scribbly).. is there someone who might benefit from its information?

Single Computer, Two Player Games

bleucube — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 09:53:41 -0800

Looking for two player computer games using the same computer. I recently put together a high end HTPC. I would love to play video games with the wife on it. I know I should get some sort of game console, but that's way down the road. A long time a go we used to play "You Don't Know Jack" which was pretty fun.

Looking for other game suggestions AND/OR other ways of playing LAN games using the same computer.

Thanks!!

I need service pack to connect to the internet, but can't connect to the internet without serivce pack..

slipperywhenwet — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 10:53:11 -0800

I need a direct link to service pack 2. I found one last night, but for the life of me can't find it again now. it was a direct link to an .exe living somewhere on download.microsoft.com -- I need it to patch a new machine before connecting to the internet.

Wildlife Porn

goalyeehah — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 19:52:15 -0800

Is there a species (mammal, reptile, amphibian, etc.) that has two functioning sexual organs? Some one here at the party insists that there is a species in which both male and female has two of each (specifically two penis' for the male and two vaginas for the male. I personally would like to settle this topic before the presents are opened and before too much champagne is imbibed. It could get ugly here. Googling this isn't working.

Did Steve Irwin expore WW2 sites?

Jesco — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 08:32:22 -0800

Did Steve Irwin do a series of shows exporing World War 2 battle sites? I may be crazy, but I thought I remembered this from a few years ago. I remember him climbing around old bunkers and digging around the ruins of old tanks and planes. I think he even may have found some human remains, too.

It was a very interesting show, but I find nothing on Google or IMDB.

Is there a way I can work both these jobs without killing myself?

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 06:32:02 -0800

Is there a way I can work both these jobs without killing myself? So, my 9-5 job is working from home as a legal transcriber. The work is boring, tedius and highly concentration-intensive. By the end of the day, all I want to do is crash and watch anime until bedtime. Accuracy is paramount in my work and a constant worry, because yanno, legal reprecussions. I also feel I don't get paid near enough [I'm on min wage, yet I listen to murder cases, child abuse & neglect cases, etc.] I'd ask for a raise, however it's been made clear that "raises" are the "quality bonus'" based on, duh, the final quality of a job. Which, let me tell you, that world view sucks major ass.

ANYWAY - the only reason I'm working this job is so I can afford to live and support my "I want to be a novelist" dream. You can stop rolling your eyes now, I realize that everybody and their mother wants to write a book, but I'm actually planning on doing this for a living, i.e. more than one book, and I plan on doing this for the rest of my life. To ask me to stop writing would be like asking me not to breathe. I've worked as a freelance magazine writer before and was also the finalist in a prestigious [well, in my particular genre] competition. I know I can string two words together - that isn't the problem.

I need a way to be able to work these two jobs side by side. Come the end of the day of listening to peopel who know they're being taped yet talk away like they're inverted monkeys - I can't stand to look at another piece of text. Not helpful when you're trying to write.

I loathe saying this, but all "creativity" is gone. I just want to crash and do nothing after a day in front of the comptuer. Weekends are the same - I neither want to work or write. I might take a walk or play a computer game, but that's it. When left to my own devices - a week off, or a stint in hospital - I'll write for hours at a time until my fingers are sore, feeling I've actually accomplished something. I also keep an open A4 pad on my desk while working, to jott down any random ideas that come into my head. However the road to actually finishing a novel while I'm working this other job seems longer than ever, without an end. I always seem to be "writing a novel", but never "finishing a novel" and that really, really pisses me off.

I need a way to work both these jobs in tandem other - something I can do at the end of the workday that'll make me want to look at & edit even more text. I do enjoy the *idea* of working at home - I'd be working like that anyway if I made it as a novelist. But the two jobs seem to be in conflict with each other: the legal one eats my soul, the part where I don't write has the same effect.

Any suggestions? Or could anybody be in a similar predicament? Anyone with the glorious vision of hindsight? [FYI *Please* don't recommend "airy fairy" stuff - Julia Cameron's book "The Right To Write" made me hurl and any BS waffling about "capturing my muse" or "plumeting the depths of my noble creativity to find my blahblahblah" will result in a sound earcuffing].

And this is anonymous because that last paragraph will offend countless people. Sorry, but I just don't buy that "ZOMG I'm a writer, watch me Emo" BS.

maybe this is a good thing

randomstriker — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 22:13:43 -0800

Haven't done a #2 in a few days now. No pain or discomfort whatsoever...anything to worry about? For most of my life I've been pretty regular. The only issues I've had with bowel movements have been when I've been obviously ill.

In the last couple months however I haven't been so regular, and in the last week I've almost stopped shitting altogether. I don't feel any bloating, pain or discomfort at all, just the occasional smelly fart. Certainly I could have some more fibre in my diet but I wouldn't say it's especially unhealthy as of late. I phoned my doctor and he said doesn't sound like anything worth going to see him for.

Should I worry?

Two empty weeks in July - what to do?

philsi — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 06:57:22 -0800

Okay, I have two weeks at the end of July when I have nothing planned, and want to do something a bit different that is going to be something to write home about as such. I'm 18 and off to University at end of September and have lined up plans for the rest of my holidays, just not anything for these two weeks. So from Sunday 16th of July to Thursday 27th July I have no plans (I'm meant to work the Friday 21st / Saturday 22nd but can take that off if required).

I'm not adverse to travelling (I'm in the UK at the moment) - I have always wanted to go to America / Canada and explore more of these countries. I've already lined up some work experience with a company in London and a lot of overtime to earn some cash for Uni.

Money is a bit of an issue - I have no more than £500 to use really. I'd ideally like something that is different, not like anything else - not just another holiday, something truly memorable. I'm open to any and all suggestions!

So any ideas from you guys? What would you do if you had two weeks spare?

Postcard Archives

BrodieShadeTree — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 12:55:32 -0800

How could a person go about finding photographs of a certain Route 66 tourist attraction from its long past glory days? I would be looking to find postcards, tourist snap shots etc. Is there a library of congress link, or a message board. Or even better , a place to find actual pre-computer archives of such a thing? I have looked and beyond the obvious few google hits I am coming up short. After a visit there this past weekend, I am very curious to see what Two Guns looked like ni the 20/30's.

There are __ types of people

NickDouglas — Sun, 19 Jun 2005 21:25:16 -0800

What movies or books have lines that begin, "There are __ types of people in this world..." I'm a fan of template jokes: lightbulbs, two cows, guys with no arms or legs. But I want to find more "two types of people" lines. I know the binary one, the "can't count" one...but I especially want ones with known contexts.

Shining example: in The Manchurian Candidate, Raymond's wife walks into the kitchen and turns on the TV. Raymond says, "There are two kinds of people in this world: Those that enter a room and turn the television set on, and those that enter a room and turn the television set off."

It's not just clever ones I'm after; I want every quote possible. Incidentally, the above quote may derive from this quote.

2-person board games

selfnoise — Fri, 03 Dec 2004 10:36:44 -0800

FollowUpFilter: This question about board games elicited some great answers. I really need a good game for two players, however. My wife is a big backgammon and scrabble fan, and I'm looking for something else that we can play together. Any ideas are welcome.