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7:45 AM

Nothing like morning link cleanup, eh?

check my inbox respond to changes check all new questions and new updates to old questions tidy up some shit offer some bounties check the rankings oops guilty (-:

Martin Tapankov

same here.. I scanned briefly the new questions, checked for new stuff, wrote a comment, and now I can get back to wave propagation in blood vessels

hippietrail

is that what drinking coffee does to you?

Martin Tapankov

no, it's the other way around

and not only coffee, but also non-cafeinated beverages distilled from fermented fruit

as evidenced by my profound knowledge on the topic of drinking

wasn't there a SE site for moonshining?

hippietrail

homebrewing might exist

Roflcoptr

8:06 AM

i <3 coke

hippietrail

@Roflcoptr: you are less than three coke?

Roflcoptr

I dont understand

ah

now i understand

hippietrail

d-;

Roflcoptr

yes i am

only 1

hippietrail

i <=1 apple && > 1 coffee

Martin Tapankov

8:19 AM

Syntax error: cannot compute

(are nerdy jokes on-topic?)

hippietrail

nerdy jokes are specifically on topic in chat

but if you go too far i reserve the right to point at you and call out "NERD"

Martin Tapankov

still better than "DORK"

hippietrail

only a "GEEK" would even worry about such things

Where do YOU want to go today?

Roflcoptr

i should go to my office

its already a little bit late :D

Martin Tapankov

I'm already at work, pretending not to mess around SE sites

hippietrail

8:31 AM

somebody say something travel related. my brain isn't ticking over properly

i should be showering and redoing my pack and figuring out which way out of town to walk to head to Sarandë

Martin Tapankov

what's next after Albania?

Roflcoptr

Greece? ;)

hippietrail

a little peece of griece

but i'm supposed to be in tbilisi in around ten days ...ish

Roflcoptr

Then I would go to Thessalonikis, then take a night train or bus to Istanbul and from there its not far to Tiblis

hippietrail

hmm storm in corfu this weekend

no buses no trains

besides there are no international trains into or out of greece at the moment

where will be good to stop on the way from albania to thessaloniki?

Martin Tapankov

8:43 AM

Skopje?

hippietrail

ioannina has a hostel for ten euro

Martin Tapankov

or Ohrid -- have you seen the lake?

hippietrail

i was in skopje for almost a week already (-:

i was in ohrid for a day between skopje and ulcinj

Roflcoptr

in greece i only know thessalonikis and athens ;)

i would have to ask my room mate

he is greek

Martin Tapankov

Bitola?

hippietrail

8:45 AM

litohoro has one place for 15 euro

i'm definitely going to thessaloniki, loved it last year

hmm i can't see this bitola place of which you speak

Martin Tapankov

Bitola

Bitola ( , formerly Monastir or Manastır; known also by several alternative names) is a city in the southwestern part of the Republic of Macedonia. The city is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba and Nidže mountains, 14 km north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing with Greece. It is an important junction connecting the south of the Adriatic Sea with the Aegean Sea and Central Europe. It has been known since the Ottoman period as "the city of the consuls", si...

kind of on your way to Thessaloniki

hippietrail

bah ioannina i would need to find other people to share a private room, it's not a hostel after all

ah no macedonia would be too much like backtracking at this point not to mention wasting valuable passport real estate d-;

Roflcoptr

those private rooms are really trendy atm

hippietrail

grr silly hostelbookers maps puts the litohoro pin in the wrong place along my route instead of on the coast: hostelbookers.com/hostels/greece

they work out ok if i bump into a travel buddy

maybe i can buy a tent again when i get to greece. what big chains do they have in greece? carrefour etc?

Roflcoptr

Spar, Aldi, Ikea, DIY

hippietrail

8:59 AM

ooh thanks!

are those the big ones? even aldi might sell cheap tents in greece?

ausfoodnews.com.au/2010/07/19/…

Roflcoptr

i think that aldi might sell tents

hippietrail

10:17 AM

man my sunscreen leaked and my missing deodorant just fell out of some hidden place and cracked on the floor

Feeds

11:08 AM

hippietrail has been automatically appointed as owner of this room. (What does this mean?)

Roflcoptr

you're the owner now?

congratulations

Mark Mayo

12:11 PM

what on earth does that mean? Oh look there's a link

Oooooh, he can change the room name. We know what this means - time for that Meta question to be put into action!

Roflcoptr

and naked girls?

Feeds

Mark Mayo has added an event to this room's schedule.

Mark Mayo

naked urls

ok, I just tried making an event. An answer-a-thon, where we can boost all the numbers of answers, tweet the questions we improve, and clear out the unanswered questions, and add bounties on the ones that need it. Scheduled for Halloween, when the zombie questions will finally get attention! ;)

Roflcoptr

nice idea but i can't open the link ;)

ah now

Mark Mayo

room topic changed to Travel: Friendly discussion for travel.stackexchange.com [travel]

hmm, never noticed those features

I'll have to raise some of these in meta tomorrow

for now it's sleepy time

5.20am, oops

Roflcoptr

12:21 PM

lol :D

b8

n8

cya tomorrow

Roflcoptr

5:34 PM

hi

hippietrail

5:58 PM

yo!

we have a topic?

i thought i was appointed owner the other day already, i guess that was for linguistics (-:

yes i was going to say do the final room name vote thing when we come out of beta, but any other key point will do i suppose (-:

Roflcoptr

6:12 PM

yes

are you now in greece?

Martin Tapankov

"friendly discussion"? I came for the mud-slinging, and now you give me this

Roflcoptr

btw i have a new question that im not sure if it is ontopic

but i asked it in meta

1

Q: Are identify-this questions on topic?

I just asked a new question: How is this hotel in Poland called? But I'm not really sure if this kind of questions are/should be allowed here. What do you think? I personally think it is okay. For example gaming.SE has also an identify-this-game tag.

discussion

Martin Tapankov

re your point about gaming-SE: I'm not quite active there, but from what I remember, they tend to frown on questions like this

Roflcoptr

hmm i think they are really common there

moment

Martin Tapankov

although I do agree that such questions have specific answers, which weighs in their favour

Roflcoptr

6:15 PM

gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/identify-this-game

431 questions

Martin Tapankov

oh dear. must have been a while since I last checked.

if it's good enough for them, then it's good enough for us

Roflcoptr

yes ;)

but i think idenepdent of that

it is ontopic because as you said it is objectively one correct answer

hippietrail

i have one question on gaming.SE

Martin Tapankov

yes, but we need to make sure that they are reasonably easy to answer -- not just post a random picture of a house and ask people what's this

Roflcoptr

ok i 9

little bit more active

but when diablo3 starts

hippietrail

6:17 PM

i've also posted food identification questions on cooking.SE

Roflcoptr

it will be a lot more :D

hippietrail

but we have to make sure we're identifying travels and not buildings, we already tried that out here a month or two ago

Martin Tapankov

travels? what do you mean by that?

Roflcoptr

locations?

Martin Tapankov

BTW I weighed in on the country-citizen tagging on meta. feel free to comment

0

A: country-citizen tags - convention needed

Why not using the ISO two-letter country codes, aka country code top level domain designations? Advantages: Unique. ISO may be a bunch of wrapped in red tape bureaucrats, but at least they got this right -- every country that issues passports has one, including some lesser dependent territorie...

short version: tagging is a mess currently

Roflcoptr

6:20 PM

yes

top level domains would be cool

but can't upvote anymore :(

ok i can on meta :D

btw is meta working like cw? no rep but all the other stuff?

hippietrail

mainly because only us geeks know country codes, plus the european union isn't a country

we already decided airport codes good airline codes bad

Martin Tapankov

yeah, but the question is specifically about citizenship

hippietrail

but hey you can do a lot with synonyms

oh really which question was that then? must be new

Martin Tapankov

yeah, but still there's a need for a convention to link to

I mean, Mark was asking about a convention for e.g. usa-citizens when the problem concerns only holders of said passports

hippietrail

ok somebody needs to explain albania please. what the ...

Roflcoptr

6:26 PM

whats the problem?

hippietrail

i asked in chat what to call the tags but usa-passports just sounds wrong. not many people were around so i just started the ball rolling. we can always add synonyms for it too. more of the questions seemed to use the citizen wording than the passport wording

@Roflcoptr: which problem? the tag problem or the albania problem?

Roflcoptr

albania ;)

hippietrail

why is there a scarecrow hanging from a half complete building? and why are there dolls and stuffed toys hanging in windows in buildings all over the place?

Roflcoptr

i think theres a simple explanation

a horror film was made there

hippietrail

a horror film for small children?

Martin Tapankov

6:34 PM

your point being..?

Roflcoptr

a horror film with small childern ;)

Martin Tapankov

they need horror films too

and they do.. for example, teletubbies

Roflcoptr

hippitrail i think its a custom or something like that

but ask a question about this ;)

hippietrail

that's just to scare children away from people who don't take drugs

no i have to ask it as a sample question on the culture proposal

Martin Tapankov

I'm thinking of a title that will be interesting and not offensive to Albanians at the same time.. so far nothing

but "Hanging out with Albanians" seems okay-ish

Roflcoptr

6:39 PM

how about

do albanias hang small children?

Martin Tapankov

very uncool..

Mark Mayo

lol

what have I wandered into??

hippietrail

no i have to ask it as a sample question on the culture proposal

Martin Tapankov

people from Balkans are known for their temper..

hippietrail

my puns just can't compete with the high standards you set d-;

Martin Tapankov

6:40 PM

you forgot the <sarcasm> tag

Roflcoptr

yes i read in my lonely planet that there is still vendetta in albania

I wonder if it is true

Mark Mayo

"Is it safe to bring up the war as a conversation starter in Albania?"

hippietrail

but the blood feud is generally in the north and between male humans rather than stuffed toys in the south

Martin Tapankov

I think it's safe to assume not, in any country recently involved in wars

people get very.. defensive about those things

hippietrail

which war? they are numbered from 1 to 1000

Roflcoptr

6:41 PM

hmm

i tried it today

Mark Mayo

We had an awesome taxi driver in Tajikistan for a couple of days

Roflcoptr

and it was a positive experience

Mark Mayo

he'd been in the Soviet army in East Berlin back in the day

hippietrail

until the christian era when they began naming them

it's generally safe to bring up the "revolution" or whatever it may be called when communism ended in each country

check out where i wound up with a room tonight: members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/18fdd2

Mark Mayo

So not 'who was worse, Stalin or Hitler?' ;)

Roflcoptr

6:43 PM

looks not so sexy hippitrail

Mark Mayo

mmm, fleas

better than bedbugs

two hostels in Victoria

one completely sold out

hippietrail

tsk tsk it says looks like fleas but no

Mark Mayo

the other one is completely vacant

hippietrail

in nicaragua people love to tell you about living under far left and far right

Mark Mayo

so no choice but to take the second, I wonder what's wrong with it

hippietrail

6:46 PM

the bedbugs there have fleas?

Martin Tapankov

Godwin, so early?

Mark Mayo

(shudders)

there is a 3rd option but it's a HI hostel

and hasn't had a review since mid-2010....

lol @ Martin

Roflcoptr

but hi hostel aren't bad?

Mark Mayo

They often just feel too commercial

hippietrail

i like to invoke godwin right at the start to shake things up too

Mark Mayo

6:51 PM

haha

hippietrail

somebody stole my bedsheets in that hostel!

Roflcoptr

omg

Mark Mayo

when booking a hostel, what's your top criteria? location? atmosphere? cleanliness? staff?

hippietrail

it's the lack of advertising it over the last twelve months that makes it feel commercial

Martin Tapankov

:-)

hippietrail

6:52 PM

price and then balanced by rating, but that's for a cheaparse trip like this one

Mark Mayo

LOL @hippietrail re bedsheets, at least they're free

Martin Tapankov

they are so popular, they don't need steenking advertising

hippietrail

oh and location

Mark Mayo

yeah I used to go just on price, but found in South America that gets you some ... special places

so now I sort on atmosphere and cast my eye down the list until I see a price that suits

Martin Tapankov

speaking of, anybody been to Brazill.. Got a question 'bout Bahia

Mark Mayo

6:53 PM

and then regularly forget to check location and end up walking miles ;)

I've been to Brazil for an hour past Iguazu falls? ;)

Martin Tapankov

uhh, doesn't really count :)

unless I misunderstood you

Mark Mayo

and an hour on the way back (I snuck into Paraguay for the day)

hippietrail

today i went on "i hope somebody come up to me in the street and asks if i'm looking for somewhere to stay"

Mark Mayo

ooh that's a fun way

hippietrail

often i rock up in town and hunt for a wifi hotspot then see where google map puts me then see which hostels are near then check their prices and ratings and reviews

Mark Mayo

6:56 PM

I accidentally stole a guy's seat on a train in Kazakhstan, but by the time we'd reached Uzbekistan he offered me a place to stay at his house

yeah, you start developing an eye for the wifi sign eh ;)

hippietrail

there's no hostels and no cheap hotels here... at least not ones you'd know about. fortunately an old guy asked me if i was looking for somewhere to stay (-:

wifi sign?

Mark Mayo

the universal wifi logo indicating free wifi available

hippietrail

you've obviously been in the developed countries d-;

Mark Mayo

manchesterairport.co.uk/manweb.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/wifi.jpg$FILE/‌wifi.jpg that one

nah I saw it in Tajikstan even

hippietrail

100% pure war walking is the only way to do it in albania (-:

Roflcoptr

6:58 PM

i choose it based on the rtatings

location is important

prices not very important

because it is always a lot cheaper than in switzerland

Mark Mayo

no hostels in the stans either, couldn't rely on hostelbookers etc. Fortunately there's almost always some person willing to help, even if you can't understand them :D

Roflcoptr

and i don't like these party hostels

some fun is important

Mark Mayo

lol @ Roflcoptr, so true

hippietrail

in shkodër there was only one place with a sign and i hunted everywhere but then it turns out there were open hotspots all over the place if you look and since there are bar kafes all over the place too there's always somewhere to sit with 50 cent espressos when you catch a signal (-:

Roflcoptr

but not this party hostels

Mark Mayo

6:59 PM

oh yeah, you have to be in the right mood for a party hostel, and that's fairly rare

nice hippie

hippietrail

in my next stop there are two hostels and one is a party hostel so i'm going to the other one. i think they're both the same price both central and both get good ratings. also the party hostel in up in an apartment building

i prefer the unexpected parties in the non party hostels. the ones that always have a party are a bit meh

Roflcoptr

yes

Mark Mayo

good way of putting it

when the staff get involved and bring out that surprise bottle of absinthe ;)

hippietrail

insider tip: when you have no sense of direction and get a room offered by a tout rather than on some neat hostel map, take a photo of the place or the street sign so you can find it again, with a local's help if need be (-:

my favourite absinthe!

Roflcoptr

hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Tallinn-Backpackers/Tallinn/…

this one is a real party hostel

yes thats a good idea ;)

hippietrail

7:03 PM

something for those of you running winblows: photosynth.net/d3d/…

Mark Mayo

@Roflcoptr I stayed at Monk's Bunk and another one there, didn't do that

hippietrail

the funny part is even though my hotel has no sign and i was found by a tout and google maps can find my hotspot current location, i know where the hotel is on google maps but not where i am!

Mark Mayo

Monk's Bunk was a party hostel until 11pm, then if you wanted to continue you had to go into town. I liked that approach, let those tired still sleep if they want to.

hippietrail

man photosynth is amazing

is it just me or is area51 broken since they changed it? on the front page it always things i'm not logged in even though it does think i am on other pages. and now it won't let me propose a question on culture exchange after i logged in though it said i could before i logged in

Martin Tapankov

if you ask on MSO, the first thing they'll tell you is to clean your cookies and restart your browser

kinda like windows

hippietrail

7:12 PM

area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/17087/culture-exchange/…

got it but it was almost to the point of restarting \-:

Martin Tapankov

hey, this one looks interesting

"Would it be rude to decline when drinking with Georgians I'm asked to make a toast?"
most certainly it would be

oh, just now noticed that you asked it :)

hippietrail