(Part 2) Best products from r/AskUK

Other people have addressed the EU question, so I'll focus more on politics in general. There's some decent BBC media which covers current politics, it can sometimes be a bit tedious, some shows are better than others, and I certainly wouldn't recommend rigorously following all of them, but it's pretty good for familiarising yourself with the current state of affairs. Some TV and radio shows to follow -

Daily Politics - daily show analysing politics, which often gets high profile politicians on.

This Week - weekly show, airing after Question time, with a slightly comedic approach to political analysis.

Andrew Marr Show - weekly show, the one which senior ministers (the prime minister, the chancellor, the home secretary, etc) are most likely to appear on.

Question Time - weekly topical debate program, with questions from the audience directed towards politicians.

Any Questions - radio version of Question Time. Often not quite as annoying as Question time.

Today in Parliament - daily radio show covering news from parliament.

 

Parliament.uk and gov.uk are both great resources for learning how parliament and government functions, and learning about legislation. If you'd prefer a less fragmented read, such as a book, then Exploring British Politics by Garnett and Lynch seems like a good introductory source, though I will add the disclaimer that I've only used it occasionally as a reference book, and it is fairly pricey.

 

It can sometimes be difficult to understand the significance of things in politics without a basic grounding in the historical context, so I will recommend some more books to help with that (although much of the info can be found online). Two of the most important figures in recent British political history are Thatcher, and Blair. Charles Moore's Margaret Thatcher: The Authorized Biography, Volume One is a good book for starting to understand the political context of the Thatcher era, although it is obviously quite biographical too, and being the first volume it only covers roughly the first third of her time in government. The comprehensive tome on Blair and his wide-ranging effect on the functioning of british politics is surely Seldon's Blair's Britain, 1997-2007, although I will warn you that is it most definitely a tome - incredibly thorough and a bit of a slog. The best way to approach this is probably to read the sections on things you are interested in, like the NHS, and leave the rest until you feel you want to learn about them. Sections of Seldon's Cameron at 10 are definitely worth a read if you want some more insight into the first Cameron ministry, and the coalition years.

 

I can't really recommend any comprehensive histories on the political parties (although what I've read of Tim Bale's The Conservatives Since 1945 is pretty good). One I would recommend is Goodwin's Revolt on the Right, which offers a fairly original analysis of the phenomenon that is UKIP. There's a more up-to-date follow-up to that, (UKIP: Inside the Campaign to Redraw the Map of British Politics), which I imagine is also pretty good, but I haven't read it. Familiarising yourself with general political ideologies (to rattle off an incomplete list: one nation conservatism, high toryism, classical liberalism, social liberalism, libertarianism, social democracy, democratic socialism, etc), how these relate to each other, and how they have manifested in the various 3 main parties over time is a must for understanding the parties and the political tensions within them. Wikipedia should suffice in filling in the details there (and in other places), for now.

>Furthermore I just don't know what my purpose is. I don't have anything to work towards, I don't know what I want in life.

Welcome to adult life, the realisation that this is it. You have to make your own entertainment, set your own goals.

There is a massive difference between depression which is an illness and a general disillusionment with life. The first should seek medical help the second is just life, get on with it.

I can't answer to the first but the second, well I have some experience. Get a hobby, preferable both physical and social.

You have three beasts to satisfy.
The intellectual, the social and the physical.

Intellectual is easy, read a book. You were a student reading should come naturally. This time do it for entertainment and enlightenment. (I find that they are often the same thing)

Physical is so very important, we are intelligent animals but we are still animals. We need exercise! it's good for our health and mental wellbeing. Go for a walk!

Social is more tricky, picking up a book is easy, going for a walk is easy. Finding a social group is way harder. Those lucky people that have large social groups just seem to fall into them and don't appreciate their good fortune.

The good news is that it's just a skill and skills can be learnt. You learn them from reading books, see that's the first thing I mentioned.

Welcome to the world of self-help books. There is a lot of dross in this world but there are gems to be harvested from the shitpile.

First on the list is a classic. How to win friends and influence people. LINK if you find it useful, then there are several others from the same author.

TLDR: Read more, talk to people and go for a walk.

Have you been on /r/onebag? Handy sub for this stuff. You can travel with far less than you think you need to. Long but hopefully helpful post ahead!

I did a week in Canada (in the cold so with thicker clothes) with a 30 litre backpack. I'm also fat, so my clothes are bigger than realistically they should be too! I got this list of stuff into this Osprey Momentum. The only thing that didn't go in was obvious stuff like jeans as I only took 1 pair, shoes as I only had 1 pair, a hoodie as I only took the one, my belt then the few toiletries we bought when we got there. The rest went into that bag - it was snug but keep in mind my clothes took up more room than they should've done so if you're a wee rake you'll be fine.


I'd take half the stuff and wash it half way through unless you can get 10 days of clothes in your bag rolled up (see below - there's another bit about packing clothes). If you can't be bothered/don't have time to find a laundrette, boxers and trainer socks can be done in the sink/bath in 10 minutes with travel detergent (you can buy it in travel sized containers so you can take it hand luggage - Dr. Bronners is apparently very good and it's all super eco-vegan-peace-fairtrade rated if that's your thing) and with it being warm they'll dry in a few hours if you hang them on the balcony if you've got one. Get it really soapy, scrub them against each other then put them on a laid out towel and roll it tightly to wring out any excess water then hang them over something.


Another tip for packing your clothes - do not fold them! They take up far too much room like that - what you need to do is "Skivvy Roll" your clothes instead. You end up with a burrito of clothes that is easy to grab and you know there's a t-shirt/underwear/socks in one little package. It does mean you need to spend a bit of extra time learning how to do it and it can be a bit fiddly if you haven't done it before, but it saves loads of room and definitely saves you time when you're getting ready. It's a technique used by armed forces and they've got a premium on space as well, so it's about as small a space you'll take up with your clothes. I've got a disability that affects my fine motor control and I can manage it though, so it's not particularly hard it's just learning how to do it. I've converted a few people with it and they're amazed how small stuff packs with it. Packing cubes are also a lifesaver as well as you can split everything up into categories - clothes, gadgets, toiletries and so on. No rummaging around in your bag for stuff - pull out a packing cube and bang, there's your stuff.



Buy your toiletries when you get there - Boots will mug you something rotten and they're only going to be the little travel ones. If you get them when you land then they'll be proper sized, probably half the price and even if you don't use it all then it's not a huge tragedy to bin what's left at the end of the trip. Also means less weight to lug around as well. I tend to use whatever's left during my last shower of the trip though, so I might spend half an hour in the shower just soaping up with huge amounts of everything if I've got loads left but that's just because I'm a bit odd. :|


Try to take some re-hydration tablets though, it's dead easy to not drink enough and end up quite unwell if you're not careful. Heatstroke and sunstroke shouldn't be arsed around with, it's a lot more serious than people think. Also... IMODIUM. You will need them at some point.

Final point (although again, this is because I travel with medication a lot and I have to be on the ball with it if I don't want to be arrested!) - make sure you've got proof from your doctor if you've got any prescribed medication, and only take as much as you need in the proper box/bottle with your name on it. Any prescription drugs (or at least controlled substances) need to be declared at customs once you pass through immigration - but check if what you're prescribed is legal where you're going. Having a UK script for drugs that are illegal in another country doesn't get you a free pass, they'll nick you for drug trafficking and stick a torch up your arse for good measure.

With modern metallurgy, a cheap stainless steel blade is plenty good enough for kitchen use - provided that you can give it a proper sharpen.

The incremental improvement from a basic, hardened, stainless steel blade (420 or such) to a top of the line stainless (like N690 or S30V) are, in my opinion, not going to be worth the money for general kitchen usage (unless you're a pro-chef and using them practically all the time. And even then I'm not 100% sure on that).

The fancy steels all have better edge retention - i.e. longer time between sharpening. The other features of advanced steel (stronger and/or tougher, so could be lighter etc) really are not relevant; and basic stainless steel is 'stainless enough' - the few cases where the fact steels have higher environmental resistance are not going to be common in the kitchen [0].

The problem with better edge retention - is that it's not perfect, and therefore you still need to be able to sharpen them. Reglular steeling of the blade will stretch the time between sharpening (and improve the edge in use too - well worth getting into that habit) - but not eliminate it.

Even a ceramic knife will need sharpened eventually - although that can be long enough you could just replace it (but if it chips, then you're sunk). Sharpening them is not easy either - needs diamond tools to do so. (And they're not always perfectly sharp from the manufacturer either. I've touched up a fair few 'new out the box' ones in my time).

Perhaps I'm biased; given that I do a fair bit of wood and metal work, and thus sharpening things is second nature to me; but I really think that getting a jig based sharpening set is probably a better use of time and money. Something like https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lansky-Sharpeners-Standard-Sharpening-System/dp/B000B8L6LI/ only take a little practice to use; one doesn't need a lot of experience to get consistent results, and it will transform your existing knives amazingly. (I have a kit like that, and use it as a small 'travelling set' - mostly I use stones freehand, but that takes a fair bit of practice to get good results). My kitchen knives are all 'cheapest full tang from the supermarket', but visitors are often amazed how good they are - just because I keep them sharpened.

Anyway, there might well be other reasons to replace your existing knives; but given that sharpening gear is non-optional (in the long run), then that's where I'd recommend to start. Not quite what you were asking for, but I figured giving you a different way to view the situation might be a helpful insight; whatever you do.

[0] Compared to, say, a dive knife for sea used.

North Wales. Absolutely fab. Brilliant hillwalking, loads of really great castles, food is lovely, fabulous beaches which have soft sand and beautiful scenery. One of my favourite bits of the UK.

Also: Yorkshire's great for scenery and walking. And so is west coast of Scotland. In fact, pick a road in the west coast of Scotland - it'll be stunning. Lots of the islands around Scotland have fantastic wildlife.

And the Lakes, of course, has lovely scenery and also there's a good likelihood of seeing red squirrels in some parts of the lakes if you visit at a quieter time (morning or evening).

If you enjoy wildlife, this book might be worth looking through - it picks out 52 places in the UK with notable wildlife and suggests how to spend a weekend there. https://www.amazon.co.uk/52-Wildlife-Weekends-British-Wildlife-Watching/dp/1841624640

I'm not a birder but seabird colonies are really awesome. In summer there are several in the UK that are home to puffins (which are just adorable) and terns (which divebomb and peck your head if they thing are too close to their nest - hilarious fun). I particularly love the Farne Islands in Northumberland, but there are plenty of others, too, like Skomer Island off of Wales.

Man, there is a WORLD of hot sauces out there, [Sriracha] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Huy-Fong-Sriracha-Chili-Sauce/dp/B000LO40AG/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_325_tr_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PGD7R5R06YCBHSH5TQ16) you can get in most supermarkets and is great for slapping on stuff, it's not vinegary like Econa, has actual flavour and has a good amount of heat. It's in most supermarkets and very easily accessible. Some of the best mild-hot sauces I've had are from [The Devon Chilli Farm] (https://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk) I got given the [six bottle gift set] (https://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/online-shop/chilli-gifts/chilli-sauce-gift-set/) for Christmas and every single sauce was delicious, so full of flavour and has heat levels from mild up to extreme and the blends of the sauces list what they best compliment and they're just packed with great flavour.

For the more extreme heat sauces a personal favourite is the [Mustard Ghost Pepper Sauce from Psycho Juice] (http://www.hotsauceemporium.co.uk/shop/hot-chilli-sauces/233/psycho-juice-mustard-ghost-pepper-x-2-bottles/). I added this to everything, it was soo delicious, also I love Habaneros and they do a 70% habanero sauce that was incredible too. If you want to make something just "hotter" without altering the flavour much (like a large batch of bolognaise ) adding some [Capsaicin extract] (http://www.hotsauceemporium.co.uk/shop/capsaicin-extracts/192/psycho-drops-killer-million-extract/) will do that great, but only like a few drops.

Recently I went to a chilli farm called [Edible Ornamentals] (http://www.chilliranch.co.uk/store/c1/Featured_Products.html) for a tour, which was very good and tried lots of different peppers and sampled a lot of jams and sauces. [Mr Vikkis] (http://www.mrvikkis.co.uk/) had some great jams I want to try more of, and Single Variety London make some jams, a favourite being [Lemon Drop Chilli Jam] (http://www.singlevariety.co.uk/shop/lemon-drop-chilli-jam) which does have a hot, somewhat sweet and citrus taste.

As you may be able to tell I'm quite a fan of hot sauce.

You could do a lot worse than digging out a copy of Delia's cookery course, which you find all over in second-hand book shops or online, and working through some of the recipes to get a good idea of what makes "British food".

But we don't always eat British food; or, more accurately, British food consists of a lot of recipes taken and adapted from around the world. I suspect that the average family might average a pasta meal per week, so knowing how to throw together a spaghetti bolognese (more or less authentic to the original Italian depending on what you like) might be useful. The same is true of curry which can range from an takeaway-style dish prepared in your own kitchen all the way through to just some curry powder made into a sauce and cooked with meat.

The BBC Good Food website is also a mine of useful information on popular recipes.

For "easy" recipes, keep an eye out for student cookbooks.

Just off the top of my head, a small handful of "British" foods you might want to look up and try:

• Roast chicken
  
• Shepherd's pie
  
• Chilli con carne
  
• Spaghetti bolognese ("spag bol")
  
• Chicken/beef casserole
  
• Baked potato with baked beans and grated cheese
  
  Vegetables:
  
  
• Potatoes: Taters. Know how to boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew. Roast potatoes and mashed potatoes in particular are very worth knowing how to make.
  
• Boiling or steaming carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and so on. Choose one or two of these to go with your meal.
  
  Edited to add:
  
  If you post here or elsewhere describing what types of food you've found you like, we might well be able to suggest other things you'll enjoy and give you our favourite recipes.
  
  I was speaking to a chap from China the other day who explained how he's lived in England for six months but absolutely hates all western food; it all takes disgusting, so he exclusively eats in Chinese restaurants. On the other hand, I've known people move to foreign countries and fall in love with the cuisine.
  
  See what you enjoy, be brave, be bold and explore the different foods (and drinks!) that you can find around.
  
  Oh, and have a merry Christmas and, if you fancy it, a happy new year!

I use a Wilkinson Sword Hydro 5, the beard trimmer is crap so I don't use it, but the razor is pretty decent and has the best flexibility and therefore comfort after shaving I've experienced so far.

My parents bought me a straight razor as a bit of a jokey Xmas gift last year and it provides a surprisingly fantastic shaving experience. However, it's so much work to keep it maintained and takes so much longer than regular shaving that I pretty much never use it.

1. London is expensive. Go to rightmove.co.uk for all your house searching needs, including to look up property prices. I'll say it again, London is expensive. Central London is like Manhatten, New York for property prices. Unless your wife is to be staggeringly well paid, you'll need to get a place outside the city for anything even remotely liveable at a price that doesn't make your testicles climb back inside you.
   
   A quick look at Richmond shows studio flats starting at £800-900 per month. One bedroom flats starting at £1,100.
   
   
2. Monster, Indeed and Reed are the best websites. Cold calling can't hurt, although many companies have HR goons that want you to go through a certain process that usually starts with an advert in one of those sites. Nobody's going to freak out at you for ringing them up though.
   
   
3. Our Netflix sucks, you can google ways around the regional block to get US Netflux like everyone else does. We have satellite and cable TV that'll give you most shows popular in the US. Sky is basically Fox's UK division, so you'll get anything Fox has (Simpsons and the like). You'll also get the BBC which means a tonne of great content. You do have to pay for a TV licence here though.
   
   You won't get corn dogs, our chocolate is sweeter, there are specialist shops you can buy US snacks if you're desperate.
   
   
4. Not any huge lifestyle changes. We have smaller houses, smaller cars (the island is quite crowded), no guns (including police, although in London with the terror threats you'll likely see anti terror police armed to the teeth). One thing that's a bit of a culture shock is because there's no guns, there's more petty aggression from youths and the like.
   
   Our portion sizes are much smaller. Food and petrol are more expensive. Pubs are an important part of UK culture, we tend to drink more and more often than Americans (or anywhere except Russia, really). Our beers are great.
   
   
5. your mileage may vary, but most Brits have a kind of double face. We can be ranting about hating Americans, then when we meet one we're thrilled. If you can separate the impersonal views of Americans with the personal like of individual Americans, you'll be fine. Don't be surprised to hear someone slagging off Americans before apologising and explaining the don't mean you of course.
   
   
6. use google to look up the best company to deliver "cable" or internet. Sky does great packages which will give you everything. BT and virgin will gives you a more stripped down cable, but good Internet. We don't have the weird regional monopolies the US has, it's the free market here so look for the cheapest and best deal.
   
   
7. you need an adaptor for our 3 pin sockets. Our plugs are the best in the world, but no other country uses them for reasons we find mystifying.
   
   
8. a lot of us are asking the same question about football. You can always fake it.

I bought some INSIDE3 cube puzzle thing. I've no idea if it'll hit the spot or not but looks interesting anyway. There also seems to be a site where you can trade them in so effectively upgrade your difficulty cheaper than just buying new ones, if she likes it!


As for other ideas... maybe something of a board/card game? Something like exploding kittens which is pretty easy to understand, has cute pictures, and largely seems to go down well with all audiences (read: might make having to suffer time with your family mildly more amusing). I bought this to play with friends and stuff but I showed it to my mum when a couple of people were over before and she still loves to mention how much fun it was. I've played it with colleagues etc. there's also a NSFW version if you have a sibling or someone who might prefer a bit more humour that way!

Definitely interested me with what you're saying. I'm unemployed but had some very basic analysis experience with Excel in my last role.

A few questions. Hope you don't mind answering. Didn't PM you in case others are interested in this.

• What do you consider to be the essential material to study to get a strong understanding of these technologies? I found this. Would you consider that to be the sort of material to study to gain competence in this area? (As well as studying the blogs of Chris, Marco, and Alberto?)
  
  
• What steps would you recommend a novice in data analysis do to quickly get a foot in the door? What positions / roles to look for specifically? What companies are big on hiring people competent in these technologies?
  
  
• Can you accrue a "portfolio" using these skills outside of the workplace to get your foot in the door at a higher level? Or would you need to start at the bottom, provide insane value then jump ship?

Anything that will take Comply Tips will be a good start, I have a set of Shure 215 with comply tips and they're brilliant at isolation. I've just received a set of cheap VSonics VSD1S that i'm going to see if comply tips will fit on as well.

QC20 are amazing - if you can try some, do. There is a small amount of white noise present, but I've yet to try anything better in ear for NC. They've been around for years and STILL punch in reviews.

However, if you don't want actual sound why not try a few different types of proper earplugs first and see if they do the job for you? Significantly cheaper than new IEMs!
I tried a few types, didn't really get on with the foam type and ended up finding Macks Ear seals the most comfortable for me, I use them on the motorbike.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Macks-Seals-Ear-Plugs-Pair/dp/B000KOMHDO/ref=sr_1_22?qid=1555061285&s=gateway&sr=8-22&srs=1651029031

> I do have enough savings for a (small!) second house, though, so I may go that route but haven't quite decided.

Have you considered stocks and bonds? E.g. index funds

Probably comparable returns to property, perhaps better, and you don't have the work of managing it.

EDIT: also, don't you pay stamp duty once you have a second house?

You can stuff £20,000 a year into your ISA and returns are tax free.

Heed Lars Kroijer and read his book or Tim Hale's Smarter Investing.

> Just put whatever money into the FTSE 250 tracker ISA with the lowest fees you can find. A lot of High Street Banks will offer these.

Tracking just the FTSE 250 is a bit risky to be honest. It's way to exposed to the UK which is definitely putting all your eggs in one basket. Particularly if you live here, get paid in pounds, are invested in our property market etc. You want something that's a bit closer to representing the world market. As someone else said Vanguard Lifestrategy 60 or 80 would be good.

My main recommendation would be to read this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smarter-Investing-Simpler-Decisions-Financial/dp/0273785370/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478026876&sr=8-1&keywords=smarter+investing

Try reading https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MYX94BU/

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Yes I know as an American he won't get that reference! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeicexenTmU

>https://www.amazon.co.uk/Macks-Seals-Ear-Plugs-Pair/dp/B000KOMHDO/ref=sr\_1\_22?qid=1555061285&s=gateway&sr=8-22&srs=1651029031

thanks for the response, my concern with these are their price as I tried the foam ones and they did nothing for me.

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Also i think im lost with all these terms haha, I think my issue is people talking and the sound of buses. Can get quite noisy and im not sure i can concentrate even with white sound