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I need to refer to the physical writings of Ancient Greeks (eg, Plato) - I can't just use the term "writings". But I haven't been able to find out what form they used to record their literature - does anyone know whether they had an early form of books? Or did they use scrolls? Or something else altogether? Thanks!

It's been weeks since I've been able to receive emails through Outlook, have tried everything that professionals advised, the repair tool won't work as for some reason the file name comes up as invalid :( I'm pretty tired of having to log in to my ISP Webmail and thought I'd install Outlook Express instead - but I see that it's not compatible with recent versions of Windows.

So, now I'm wondering whether Windows Live Mail is any good? Does it have a similar interface to Outlook or Outlook Express and can I use my original ISP email address through it?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hi folks, I want to include a metaphor in an essay I'm writing and it refers to someone turning up at a performance of a heavy (metal or rock) band. It has to be a well-known band too, nothing too alternative or no-one who reads it will know what I'm on about and that would defeat the purpose altogther. I don't know much about this genre at all and if anyone could please help me out with a suggestion of a band name that would fit, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

We've inherited a lap-top which the last owner says they spilled a glass of Coke on. It works fine, but the keys are pretty sticky and the back of the screen (the top when it's closed) is revoltingly sticky. I'm nervous about getting the thing any kind of wet, so what would be the best way to clean it?

There's a job in the local paper for which I'm keen to apply. Applications are to be submitted by email. The ad doesn't give a name or job title for the person receiving the submissions, only an email address (which when I checked online could apply to any of their three offices).

Two things I'd like to check before applying:

1) Does the cover letter go in the body of the email or should I send it as an attached Word document?

2) Would "To Whom it may concern" be the correct form of address to use?

Thanks!

...which includes the words cauliflower, mangle, guitar and smile (in any order)?

I can't find this detail anywhere! Pudding is in large covered saucepan, sitting on an egg ring, with water half way up side of container - oh and it's a citrus pudding, not one that has to sit for months to age and taste good - should the water be boiling for the four hours it takes to cook, or just simmering away enough to create steam? Thanks heaps if you can advise.

Why would I want to? Mother-in-law. Don't need her to know everything I do. Suspicious enough of her to want to keep an eye on what she posts though *sigh*. Couldn't very well refuse her friend request when it came though. I've added her name to "Acquaintances" and now post to "Friends excluding Acquaintances" - in my friends settings I've selected "show all updates" but just want to check that this won't override her Acquaintance status? Thanks!

Tonight when I turned on the kitchen light at the wall switch, the switch itself (or something inside/behind it) buzzed for several seconds, and the ceiling light I was switching on flickered dully for the same amount of time - it also affected the television which was on at the time, as if momentarily cutting the power to it - before eventually coming on "properly". What is likely to be causing this, and should we be concerned? Thanks!

Could someone please help me with whether or not to add a second "s" after the possessive apostrophe in the case of names such as Charles - if referring to something which Charles owns, should I write Charles' or Charles's? The first looks right to me, but after a discussion with friends regarding this I'm no longer certain. Thank you!

I was out late with my daughters recently and they both fell asleep - one on my lap, and her sister on a nearby chair. A very sweet-faced woman, with whom I'd exchanged pleasantries a couple of times earlier in the night, came over with a blanket which she tucked around my daughter asleep on the chair. Of course I thanked her, and she said that she would like us to keep the blanket, she said she took it everywhere with her but didn't need it any more. I protested but she insisted, so I thanked her and thought no more about it.

Until . . . .as the woman and her husband were about to leave, they came and sat at my table briefly, and she said "my first husband killed himself in that blanket, I've taken it everywhere, but it's time for me to let it go now and I know you'll look after it".

Yikes!! I told my husband about it later that night and he shuddered and said throw the thing away. But what's bothering me is that the woman who gave it to us thought that we would look after it, it was obviously very precious to her (oh and it's clean, not covered in blood or anything like that). I feel a burden of duty to keep it carefully, but I'd also kind of like to be rid of it and give it away to charity or something. What would you do?

Earlier on a user kindly answered my question about looping gif animations so now I know what I am looking for is a Cinemagraph - but is this just an app for iphones? I don't even have a mobile phone at all, or an i-anything - just a PC. Can I still use cinemagraph somehow or is there a Windows alternative? Thanks!

Hi, I have a few questions about those very short (usually just a few seconds) film clips that crop up a lot on tumblr. They're like stop-motion kind of things rather than truncated film clips really - usually seem to be just a few frames. If you know them then you'll know what I mean. Otherwise I can't explain it any better, sorry.

Question 1 - what's the name for these little things?

Question 2 - how do I make one? (I'm thinking particularly of a few seconds of a film clip I love.)

Question 3 - what tab do I post them under? Video?

Thanks heaps

I have my email notification settings on Pinterest set to receive messages when someone leaves a comment or starts following any of my boards, but I've noticed pins with new comments, and a couple of new followers yesterday, but not a single message from Pinterest. Checked my settings, and they haven't changed. Anyone know what's going on?

And before you think I'm a tragic (lol) I like to reply to comments, and to check out the boards of any one who chooses to follow me - because quite likely we'll have similar tastes, and I'll want to follow them right back :)

I know that there's a little timeline on the left of Pinterest, but often it lags behind by up to several hours, and it only shows the last few activities - so if lots of things happen overnight my time as they often do, they fall off the bottom of that and I rely on the emails to find out about them.

I was brought up pronouncing the name of the letter H as "aitch", so was my husband, and we have taught our two young daughters the same. But now they are at school and EVERY teacher says "haitch". Obviously I don't want to clash with the teachers but I believe that they are wrong, and I don't want my children being taught this pronunciation. What do you think?

I was always told you can't trust people who don't show teeth when they smile.

We would like to ring in the New Year on an antique bell we have here, which came from a naval ship. I believe there's a special way of doing it, with the "dongs" in groups of two. So should it be six groups of two? Thanks!

I live many miles from anywhere that you can buy a pudding steamer or pudding bowl, and I've found out that the only recipe my husband thinks he might like is at least 1/3 less quantity than the size of our pudding steamer (and I don't have any smaller bowls suitable to wrap up and steam it in). It's a non-stick metal one with a lid. Will this be okay, having all that extra space in there? I've never made a steamed pudding before and don't want any disasters. Thanks!

I've been enjoying my small & communicative circle of old schoolfriends on facebook, then the other day a male workmate of my husband's, who I sort of know socially, sent me a friend request. I didn't really want to accept it, but thought it rude not to, so I added him. I have my settings so that only friends can see what I post to other friends walls, however I'm not really comfortable with this guy being notified of my interactions with the others - I'm sure I saw somewhere that you can sort of "rank" friends but I can't find it now. Will this allow me to choose to only have posts show to a certain ranked group? (I wouldn't call them 'best' friends, but certainly good friends.) Also if I can separate this guy from my "real" friends so he can't see most of my posts, will he be aware of it? I feel kind of sorry for him and don't want to hurt his feelings.

Thanks so much in advance for any advice!