Awesome was the post -- skilled was the poster

September 15, 2005 1:23 PM

We're not worthy! Superlative post, y2karl.
posted by loquacious to Bugs at 1:23 PM (36 comments total)

You know, I don't think I've ever heard superlative used as a good thing before now. At least I hope you meant it in the good sense, well, since I at least enjoyed the post.
posted by Pollomacho at 1:27 PM on September 15, 2005

There's a bad sense to 'superlative' as an adjective?
posted by spicynuts at 1:30 PM on September 15, 2005

Of the highest order, quality, or degree; surpassing or superior to all others.
posted by caddis at 1:31 PM on September 15, 2005

[that was from Answers.com ]
posted by caddis at 1:35 PM on September 15, 2005

Agreed.
posted by OmieWise at 1:35 PM on September 15, 2005

posted by Rothko at 1:37 PM on September 15, 2005

I once called someone a pluperfect asshole, but I don't think that applies. It was an awesome post.
posted by Divine_Wino at 1:38 PM on September 15, 2005

When y2karl decides to turn it on, man, does he turn it on. Kudos to a fanfuckintastic post!
posted by ashbury at 1:39 PM on September 15, 2005

Wow, ... or as my father-in-law used to say whenever he was presented with a nice home cooked meal .... "Heck, you know what this would cost out ???"
posted by R. Mutt at 1:42 PM on September 15, 2005

I agree that it is a great post. However, I think you will find that very many of y2karl's post are nearly as well put together, they are just political and that rubs a lot of people the wrong way.
posted by caddis at 2:10 PM on September 15, 2005

nice one, karl
posted by scarabic at 2:29 PM on September 15, 2005

"you're doing a great job, y2karlie!"

And I don't mean that in a George Bush kind of way. As someone who is totally queer for Ry Cooder, even I learned something.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 2:46 PM on September 15, 2005

Guess I'm the only one who thought it was wanky then.
posted by reklaw at 2:53 PM on September 15, 2005

It was an excellent post. One that makes me want to say, "Get your own fucking blog," only in a positive sense.
posted by me3dia at 2:53 PM on September 15, 2005

There have been a lot of great posts in the last week or so. I'm buyin' a round of pancakes for everybody!
posted by Wolfdog at 2:54 PM on September 15, 2005

what caddis said ...
posted by Rumple at 3:21 PM on September 15, 2005

I used to confuse 'superlative' with 'superfluous', so maybe that's what Pollomacho was on about. Oh, and I thought y2karl's post was pretty bad. (Bad, as in TOTALLY AWESOME!)
posted by gigawhat? at 3:43 PM on September 15, 2005

Gah! How did I forget to change the catagory to something other than bugs? To the Matt-phone!
posted by loquacious at 4:07 PM on September 15, 2005

And yeah, Pollomacho's "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means..." post threw me for a minute.

And to be totally honest, I don't consider myself a linguistic Übermensch in the vein of some of the word-nerds around here like languagehat and other notables, as I'm entirely self taught through reading. I can't diagram a sentence to save my life, and I frequently munge and otherwise abuse grammar. Hell, sometimes I have to use a reference to remember the differences between nouns, verbs and adjectives.
posted by loquacious at 4:15 PM on September 15, 2005

I was just about to post that with a funnier headline.
posted by Joeforking at 4:22 PM on September 15, 2005

YES BUT HE STILL THINKS THAT IRAQ ATTAQ WAS A BAD IDEA SO FUQ QARL!!!!!
posted by matteo at 5:19 PM on September 15, 2005

Nope, I'm in reklaw's camp on this one. If this was "MetaFilter - the Monthly Magazine About Interesting Things for Intelligent People", this would be a good - no, a great - feature article, maybe even for one of the double-sized issues that come out over the holidays.

But, it's just a website, you know.
posted by yhbc at 5:49 PM on September 15, 2005

Why can't we have a great feature article sometimes?
posted by monju_bosatsu at 5:57 PM on September 15, 2005

"MetaFilter - the Monthly Magazine About Interesting Things for Intelligent People"

Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
posted by gleuschk at 6:08 PM on September 15, 2005

But, it's just a website, you know.

Heretic! Burn him!
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 8:11 PM on September 15, 2005

I'm with reklaw on this one, but I generally like y2k's Iraq posts.
posted by jessamyn at 8:59 PM on September 15, 2005

Mark me down for the superlative camp - great post.

My only criticism of y2karl's posts is that they are so information and link-rich that following them can interfere with my gainful employment. If I wind up a bag lady, it's on you, y2karl.
posted by madamjujujive at 9:15 PM on September 15, 2005

I'm on the fence. I do have an appreciation for the amount of work y2karl must have put in to that post but when it's all said and done, it's an essay with linked content from other people. But these posts do serve as examples for comparison to the 1-link wonders so in that respect y2karl should be commended. Sometimes we get bogged down in praising the messenger when it's the content that provides the input/entertainment. So, good searching and nice writing y2karl.
posted by peacay at 9:46 PM on September 15, 2005

And yeah, Pollomacho's "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means..." post threw me for a minute.

Which post was that? I said that I have never heard superlative used in a positive way. Me. I am the one who had not heard it used that way (I knew both meanings, just never heard it used as a positive adjective). Please read my post again. Now read it again.

Now, let's read your sentence replacing the word superlative with its various meanings.

Excellent post, y2karl.; or

Excessive post, y2karl.

I know that, while he's got good substance, Karl is not know for his one liners. So we can read your statement a couple of ways. One, that you are complimenting Karl on another fine post or, two that you are complaining that Karl has wrought another excessively verbose post. I was hoping you meant you liked it. I did.

I used to confuse 'superlative' with 'superfluous', so maybe that's what Pollomacho was on about. Oh, and I thought y2karl's post was pretty bad.

I did not confuse the two. Look the words up.
posted by Pollomacho at 6:15 AM on September 16, 2005

You say that like it's a bad thing.

"Excess" or "Being beyond what is required or sufficient." isn't automatically a negative description either. ;)
posted by loquacious at 6:33 AM on September 16, 2005

y2karl is a fabulous, crotchety treasure, and a MeFi icon This is one of the reasons why.
posted by taz at 7:23 AM on September 16, 2005

And Pollamacho: Relax, the Princess Bride reference was supposed to be funny. Just because it's on MetaTalk doesn't mean it has to be a fight. ;) Rereading the start of the thread I can see a bit of confusion on both sides of the superlative fence.

This is probably an example of how using a fifty cent word when a two cent one would do can create confusion in language, but y2karl's post deserved more than a two cent word.
posted by loquacious at 7:34 AM on September 16, 2005

Yes, that was a three cent post if ever there was one.
posted by Wolfdog at 7:41 AM on September 16, 2005

This didn't even start as a callout and it is officially the worst one ever.
posted by darukaru at 8:46 AM on September 16, 2005

I once called someone a pluperfect asshole

Ralph Peer, the impresario who essentially created the racialized marketing of American popular music in the 1920s and 30s (from Mamie Smith to Jimmie Rodgers) famously said, on first hearing Fiddlin' John Carson, that Carson sounded "pluperfect awful." Of course, he then went on to record "Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane" and Polk Brockman went on to sell out the record's first pressing in days from his Atlanta furniture store, and the rest is history. He was simply coming to terms with what would be his legacy: people prefer pluperfect awful.

But for the record, y2Karl rocks. Every time.
posted by realcountrymusic at 9:52 AM on September 16, 2005

Wowsers. Missed this one. I'll have to set aside an evening this week to fully explore the links, but from a quick skim, that's one hell of a post.

Thanks, y2karl.

If this was "MetaFilter - the Monthly Magazine About Interesting Things for Intelligent People", this would be a good - no, a great - feature article, maybe even for one of the double-sized issues that come out over the holidays.

That would make a great sub-site. I can't think of a snappy name for it though. MeatyFilter, maybe?
posted by jack_mo at 12:30 PM on September 22, 2005