Comments on: Elephant Day

Elephant Day

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:40:00 -0800

Ok, you freaks. WTF is up with the e l e p h a nts?

By: revgeorge

revgeorge — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:41:28 -0800

You didn't get the memo? October 8 is Elephant Day. Don't tell me you forgot to buy a card!

By: Kickstart70

Kickstart70 — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:42:27 -0800

loquacious doesn't like pachyderm people.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:46:58 -0800

No, I like... wait, what? Are you saying you have elephantitus?

By: cal71

cal71 — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:48:20 -0800

The original discussions seem to have been lost to talking about elephant day. Alas, I fear for the future of our pachyderm brethren mefites are distracted by (albeit wonderful) amusing links.

By: reklaw

reklaw — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:49:35 -0800

Confirmation bias.

By: nevercalm

nevercalm — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:50:03 -0800

Actually, I think it's kind of cool. And I should mention that I, for one, welcome our pachydermal overlords.

Pachydermite? Elephantine?

The nytimes mag article is incredibly sad and moving. I hope all the joking and conviviality doesn't somehow obscure it.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:51:05 -0800

You weirdos do realize that this meta MeTa thread was going to be posted sooner or later, right?

Anyway, I figured it should be me. This isn't a callout. I'm just uttering a bemused "WTFF!?" (not a typo) and giving you and your elephant gang a safe place to explain shenanigans if you so desire.

Oh, and a safe harbor for pissing elephant pics.

By: Dipsomaniac

Dipsomaniac — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:52:01 -0800

I feel left out. Nobody sent me a memo.

Ironically, I bet it's because y'all forgot, right?

By: brownpau

brownpau — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:52:34 -0800

By: The Deej

The Deej — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:52:34 -0800

I'm just hoping this elephant thing does not turn into a repeat of another site's HA HA Guy "Grey Wave." (Link goes to Wikipedia.)

By: The Deej

The Deej — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:53:21 -0800

Oh and just to get it out of the way:

I, for one welcome our new elephant overlords.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:57:11 -0800

Well played, brownpau, well played indeed.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:59:56 -0800

By: solid-one-love

solid-one-love — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:01:58 -0800

From one of the threads:

Oh! However did this happen? Weird. [...] This is getting wierd.[sic]

Don't be cute. "Oh! I never thought that such a coincidence could ever occur! Mercy me!" Please.

I'd like to see Matt delete all these posts. The ones that actually are the best of the web could be reposted at another time. As it is: this trick's been done before. It wasn't funny then, and Matt trimmed the fat then, too.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:07:01 -0800

Oh, shush you. solid-one-grumptioushumphater is more like it.

By: ?!

?! — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:13:06 -0800

I don't know about the rest, but I didn't get a memo. I saw the links and figured it was a conspiracy. I had a site I was saving for the Hot Stove Season and altered it to empasize the theme of the day.

We have Fun Friday. What's wrong with the occasional Theme Day? The links today are certainly better than another "Your Politicians Sucks" newsfilter link.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:14:41 -0800

I agree. I'm not saying this is a bad thing. I was confused/curious.

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:14:52 -0800

AskMe.

Counting down to a betusked sock puppet in 3... 2...

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:15:56 -0800

*sigh* Can we skip this and just go re-read the Rabbit Day callout? It'll be the same, promise.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:16:36 -0800

sometimes things just happen

By: disclaimer

disclaimer — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:17:27 -0800

Fucking elephant cabal.

By: LarryC

LarryC — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:17:32 -0800

Damn, I have a great elephant FPP that I can't post for a few more hours. Don't anybody jinx it before then!

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:18:30 -0800

solid-one-love : "I'd like to see Matt delete all these posts. The ones that actually are the best of the web could be reposted at another time. As it is: this trick's been done before."

I understand deleting bad posts, but you'd like Matt do delete posts that are the best of the web because this type of posting has been done before?

Why?

By: taz

taz — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:19:18 -0800

Heh. I love it.

By: horsewithnoname

horsewithnoname — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:19:21 -0800

Great. Another fustian elephant post.

By: solid-one-love

solid-one-love — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:24:32 -0800

Why?

Because as a group, this stunt is nothing more than an inside joke. Individually, some of those posts may be interesting and the best of the web, Collectively, it's a clusterfuck. Kill 'em all. The good posts will come back.

By: armoured-ant

armoured-ant — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:25:48 -0800

8/10 - Never Forget.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:26:20 -0800

Because as a group, this stunt is nothing more than an inside joke.

your repeated attempts to annoy people on this site may become an inside joke, too

grumpy

By: Ryvar

Ryvar — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:27:44 -0800

I cannot tell a lie: it was I who peed in solid-one-love's Cheerios.

AND I'D DO IT AGAIN

By: ninjew

ninjew — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:27:59 -0800

By: cortex

cortex — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:28:18 -0800

Because as a group, this stunt is nothing more than an inside joke.

It's not even an inside joke. There was no memo. It's a community at play. I respectfully disagree with your postion.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:28:21 -0800

Collectively, I'm going to pull a wild guess right out of my ass and say that most of us don't mind the clusterfuck.

I only hope that Matt lets any flagging talk rather than simply deleting things just because.

By: solid-one-love

solid-one-love — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:30:15 -0800

Again, it's like you live in Bizarro World. The idea that I am trying to annoy anyone is, frankly, laughable.

Unlike you, I can tell someone I'm done with them and adhere to that policy. Buh-bye. May your herniated brain not get any worse.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:30:26 -0800

"Oh! I never thought that such a coincidence could ever occur! Mercy me!"

Well, the thing seems to have been posted by a near-simultaneous double post of the NYT mag piece, so unless you're saying that was part of the conspiracy, all you have left is reklaw jumping on the bandwagon with a search for elephant news, pyramid termite Googling up random elephant links, and cortex going to YouTube. Not quite a conspiracy.

pyramid termite: sometimes things just happen

Yeah, but that doesn't mean further links couldn't show up just as well in one of the existing threads.

By: Elmore

Elmore — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:30:33 -0800

I think it's elephantastic.

By: Kickstart70

Kickstart70 — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:31:32 -0800

I don't mind the clusterfuck.

Who's with me?

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:31:50 -0800

"the thing seems to have been started"

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:32:17 -0800

s-o-l: it is not necessary to be an insider to enjoy an inside joke. Laugh a little and appreciate the months of excruciating toil and the exquisite split second timing that such a "stunt" requires.

By: cortex

cortex — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:34:21 -0800

And, irrespective of anything else, I'm please that an inquistive poke of the "elephant" tag reminded me of this old gem.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:35:06 -0800

Unlike you, I can tell someone I'm done with them and adhere to that policy. Buh-bye. May your herniated brain not get any worse.

Jesus, dude. Unclench. I'd hate to see what it was like when you were trying to annoy someone.

Seriously, take a walk and leave the terminal behind for a bit. Smell some flowers or something. Pet a cat.

By: scody

scody — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:35:56 -0800

Solid-one-love at a party: "Your whimsical conversation is nothing more than an inside joke. Individually, some of your bon mots may be interesting and the best of the party, Collectively, it's a clusterfuck. Shut up! The good conversation will come back."

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:38:28 -0800

The idea that I am trying to annoy anyone is, frankly, laughable.

if you had a sense of humor, that is

May your herniated brain not get any worse.

of course, we know that no one ever posts a cheap shot to annoy someone

keep trying ... you might actually do it someday

By: Elmore

Elmore — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:41:49 -0800

I think it is clusterfucktastic.

By: maryh

maryh — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:48:05 -0800

I thought had something to do with this. But then, I'm pretty partisan.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:50:23 -0800

BWA HA HA HA HA!! ... maryh, is that for real? ... oh, man ... it is!

By: jfuller

jfuller — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:50:42 -0800

> Well played, brownpau, well played indeed.

bp keeps climbing right up the "seriously clever" charts. Noticed and remarked upon.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:52:19 -0800

related?

By: amberglow

amberglow — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:52:49 -0800

oops--sorry, mary : >

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:53:31 -0800

I thought had something to do with this.

That... That's unspeakably fantastic. It's even better than their goatse cover.

By: routergirl

routergirl — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:54:33 -0800

Oooh. What about baby elephant pics, are those okay? Or do they have to be pissing?

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:55:43 -0800

Ha! I love this. In fact, I think it should be done more often. Lighten up, s-o-l.

However, now that this stunt is well played out I think the perpretators must reveal themselves and their plan. :)

Also, it reminds me of a similar stunt where three (I think) posts in a row used the same little-used word. Does anyone still have that link?

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:56:27 -0800

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 12:57:54 -0800

solid-one-love : "Because as a group, this stunt is nothing more than an inside joke. Individually, some of those posts may be interesting and the best of the web, Collectively, it's a clusterfuck."

As a group, it's an inside joke, and a collection of FPPs, some good and some bad. Being an inside joke doesn't make any of the individual links better or worse, and it sure as hell doesn't make them cease to still be FPPs. Collectively, it's not a clusterfuck, it's an inside joke, containing some good and some bad links. I see no reason to intentionally throw out the baby with the bathwater.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:03:16 -0800

Oooh. What about baby elephant pics, are those okay? Or do they have to be pissing?

All elephant pics are welcome. Especially baby elephant pics. Though you'd undoubtably score some kind of bonus points if you could drum up a pic of a baby elephant pissing.

By: The Deej

The Deej — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:04:27 -0800

mwhybark, good job! :)

By: matteo

matteo — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:13:39 -0800

thanks everybody

By: naxosaxur

naxosaxur — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:19:31 -0800

Oh, and remember, next Friday is Hawaiian shirt day. So, y'know, if you want to, go ahead and, uh, wear a Hawaiian shirt and jeans.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:20:03 -0800

Right now I'm imagining s-o-l deleting link after link to pachyderm-related content from his browser, choking back angry sobs as he rightclicks and banishes hoarded - nay, carefully harvested and lovingly saved - bookmarks, hot tears running down burning cheeks, occasionally catching a pain-blurred glimpse at the calendar hanging on the wall by his computer, October, 2006(The month's picture, like the other 11, depicts a happy elephant family enjoying a happy elephant activity), the MONDAY 9 square circled, with NEXT FPP!!! GONNA BE GREAT!!! scrawled joyfully in the center. He trumpets in rage, and returns to the links...

By: Rhomboid

Rhomboid — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:27:18 -0800

What the hell happened on August 10?

By: fluffy battle kitten

fluffy battle kitten — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:32:15 -0800

I love mefi elephant day. It's funphantastic.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:35:50 -0800

What the hell happened on August 10?

Hellifiknow.

By: greycap

greycap — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:37:45 -0800

Two nations divided by different dating systems, as George Bernard Shaw didn't say.

By: QIbHom

QIbHom — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:39:49 -0800

I think it is stupid, but I'm not overly fond of elephants. So, I'll just do what I do with other FPPs that don't interest me - ignore them.

Now, if it were bat day, I'd feel totally differently. Unless some idiot posted an FPP on Bay Boy. That shit's just wrong...

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:40:58 -0800

solid-one-harrumph

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:42:27 -0800

As a group, it's an inside joke, and a collection of FPPs, some good and some bad. Being an inside joke doesn't make any of the individual links better or worse, and it sure as hell doesn't make them cease to still be FPPs.

And the one AskMe post. The problem lies with the "some bad" posts (and I haven't looked, they weren't flagged, I'm assuming they're mostly fine). If you delete an elephant FPP or AskMe on "elephant day" people are more likely to get all up in your tusks because you don't get the joke, are humorless, whatever. It's just a hypothetical and this seems to have gone okay today, but theme days are always going to have some folks who love 'em and some who hate 'em and a group of people who are confused either happily or irritatedly.

By: matthewr

matthewr — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:43:24 -0800

There's always someone who ruins it.

By: dw

dw — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:46:37 -0800

I was about to comment on that, matthewr.

I don't have a problem with Elephant Day, but I wish people would try harder.

By: Mayor Curley

Mayor Curley — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:49:03 -0800

The only flash mob I ever saw, I fished a dried booger out of my nose and wiped it on the closest participant to me (they numbered almost 30 and were twirling with umbrellas and were too absorbed in their attempt to blow my mind to notice my booger). I would sorely like to wipe a booger on one of the people who made an elephant post.

By: sveskemus

sveskemus — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:51:00 -0800

I thought it was cute. Not all of the fpp's were the best of teh web but then again not all fpp's can be (apparently).

By: cortex

cortex — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:53:01 -0800

If you delete an elephant FPP or AskMe on "elephant day" people are more likely to get all up in your tusks because you don't get the joke, are humorless, whatever.

Yeah, but those people shouldn't get on your tusks, and they're out of line if they do—the silliness should be done with enough self-awareness that a deletion won't hurt any feelings. But I hear what you're saying: right or wrong, you might well get complaints from deletee merryattempters.

He says, as the person with (barring that weak-ass Wikipedia shit) arguably the weakest post in the set.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:54:58 -0800

The only post so far that I personally have a problem with so far is the one-link to Wikipedia that matthewr just linked to.

The rest of them are all amazingly diverse and good.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:56:27 -0800

*tackles Mayor Curley, pins him down, and starts scootin' his butt all over him like a dog with a wormy dog butt*

By: taz

taz — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:59:11 -0800

By: Rhomboid

Rhomboid — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:00:34 -0800

MetaTalk: getting all up in your tusks because you don't get the joke

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:01:02 -0800

solid-one-love : "Best of the bunch because it points out how stupid this exercise is."

So good FPPs about elephants are bad if there are many of them, but within a set of FPPs on elephants, the best FPPs are the ones which are single links to wikipedia, because they show that the good FPPs are stupid for clustering with others?

So, if, hypothetically, we were to delete some, but not all, of the FPPs, we'd keep the one that's a single link to wikipedia, because it's the best of all of them?

Up is truly down today.

By: Mayor Curley

Mayor Curley — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:02:08 -0800

I forgot to mention that making a metatalk post about it gives the Cool Nerds verification that they like totally blew a square's mind, man! So you shouldn't do it. If you see an obvious attempt at spectacle, your best option if you can't damage it is to ignore it.

By: monju_bosatsu

monju_bosatsu — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:06:30 -0800

It was cute at first, but the last several elephant posts have been contrived and not at all interesting. Stop trying so hard.

By: solid-one-love

solid-one-love — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:09:56 -0800

Bugbread, since a mod has shown up it has become apparent that Elephant Day is going to be tolerated, if not encouraged. So your logic doesn't follow.

I'll be over here in the Grumpus seating with the Mayor.

By: dhammond

dhammond — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:11:04 -0800

Deep down, the internet is about elephants.

By: horsewithnoname

horsewithnoname — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:11:28 -0800

Stop trying so hard.

There goes my Joseph Merrick/Ganesha/Timothy Olyphant post.

By: Marnie

Marnie — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:15:43 -0800

Someone make a post about lemmings. Not me, I'm too lazy.

By: ericb

ericb — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:16:34 -0800

The Elephant Gate at the Carlsberg Brewery (Copenhagen).

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:17:55 -0800

solid-one-love : "Bugbread, since a mod has shown up it has become apparent that Elephant Day is going to be tolerated, if not encouraged. So your logic doesn't follow."

If a nuclear bomb exploded in my living room in 5 seconds, I'd die.

1...2...3...4...5...6...

A nuclear bomb has not exploded in my living room. Does that mean that the logic "If it had happened, I would have been killed" does not follow?

By: i_am_joe's_spleen

i_am_joe's_spleen — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:20:25 -0800

Re the AskMe post - it wasn't a theme question per se. It was because I grew terribly sad reading about the state of elephant populations, and wondered what a person should do. Thus it is not a jokey elephant post, but a serious question about elephants. Perhaps I should have left it until next week.

By: solid-one-love

solid-one-love — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:21:40 -0800

Get back to me when you're making a lick of sense. I'm not talking hypotheticals. I would like to see all the elephant posts deleted. They are not going to be. I think that, since they are not going to be deleted, that one post is the best of them because it shows how dumb the game is. I have made no suggestion whatsoever about deleting some posts but not all posts, so that hypothetical is a strawman.

This is a consistent viewpoint. I don't get what your boggle is.

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:22:01 -0800

since a mod has shown up it has become apparent that Elephant Day is going to be tolerated, if not encouraged.

No, all I said was that just because it's some freaking nerd holiday it doesn't mean that all posts by said nerds will be obliterated. The single link Wikipedia post was removed because it was a bad post. The rest seem to me, on cursory inspection, to be okay posts. If MeFi gets themey too often, we can talk about putting the kibosh on this sort of thing, but I'm strongly in "where's the harm?" camp at this point

By: solid-one-love

solid-one-love — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:23:48 -0800

Well, at least we can agree that they're nerds.

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:25:06 -0800

If my mum had had wheels, she just might have been a tram.

Mayor! Lighten up. Do it now.

ericb, where's that photo taken?

By: Fuzzy Monster

Fuzzy Monster — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:28:38 -0800

"get all up in your tusks"-- Elephant Day was worth it for this phrase alone.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:29:03 -0800

In the past few hours I have:

Learned a bunch of stuff I didn't know about elephants.
Learned further things about elephants that I knew bits about already.
Took a few trips down memory lane.
Learned about Carlsburg beer.
Learned about pheremones and sex in both elephants and humans.
And much more from various tangents I wouldn't have ordinarily travelled, with even more to go...

I've also been thoroughly squicked out by macro shots of giant spiders.

At this point I'm out of the confused/bemused camp and I'm strongly in the [This is good] camp.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:33:27 -0800

Well, at least we can agree that they're nerds.

Dude. You're on MetaFilter. You're talking about a demographic that pees their pants when Steve Wozniak shows up. You're talking about a demographic that doesn't think anything is odd about knitting sweaters for their computers, or trees.

This place has more freakin' nerds than Space Camp, and it's why I'm here. If I have to start hiding my nerdliness here I'm gonna have to go Columbine or some shit.

By: ericb

ericb — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:34:19 -0800

ericb, where's that photo taken?

Thatr's the famous elephant gate at the Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen. [BTW -- The company stopped using the swastika on the elephant in the 1930s because of the Nazi's appropriation of the symbol].

By: dgaicun

dgaicun — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:35:08 -0800

Happy Elephantines Day!

By: chrisamiller

chrisamiller — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:39:29 -0800

Sorry, you guys are over two weeks late:
Elephant Appreciation Day was September 22.

By: Osmanthus

Osmanthus — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:43:55 -0800

These types of shenanigans are a huge turnoff for me. There are a lot of sites on the web where I can watch cabals of monkeys screw up the site; I'd hope that metafilters operators have the sense to grab the reigns here.

I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks.

By: nevercalm

nevercalm — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:44:46 -0800

I would like to apologize for posting about Mr Snuffleupagus who, I have since learned is not actually an elephant but more like a mammoth and definitely a snuffleupagus. I am thoroughly chastened.

At least it wasn't about elephants getting picked off behind the front lines...

By: nevercalm

nevercalm — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:45:36 -0800

On preview....maybe its time for ElePhilter?

Nah.

By: Justinian

Justinian — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:46:56 -0800

Osmanthus, a proper flameout requires more cursing and foaming at the mouth. Please practice.

By: cortex

cortex — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:46:58 -0800

“Myrtle,” she says. “Lookit here at this dog with this bone in ’s mouth.”

I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks.

Between this and s-o-l's killfile anouncement in the deleted Wikipedia thread, I am feeling the drama.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:47:09 -0800

I basically agree with solid_one_love, though I wouldn't go so far as to call for mass deletion. Obviously mileages vary, but as I scrolled up the page and saw one elephant post after another, I thought "oh, it's some cutesy concerted effort" and lost all interest in the individual posts. If it had been on its own, I'd have been all over the baseball post, linking to the earliest version of the A's and sharing some 19th-century baseball lore. But since I knew it was just there because people were busily digging up everything elephant-related they could find, I didn't feel the need. And it's not just me, because a cursory glance through the threads shows that most of the chatter is about the "coincidence." Hardly anybody wants to talk about the alleged topics of the threads. Which is the problem with this kind of conceptual posting, and why I think it goes against the spirit of MeFi. But that's just me.

*shuffles off to the Grump Corner*

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:50:09 -0800

"I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks."

Oh, fuck, please God, no!

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:51:52 -0800

Oh yeah, thanks EB, that reminds me—

*pokes Osmanthus with a sharp stick in hopes of a flameout*

By: geekhorde

geekhorde — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:53:55 -0800

Solid-one-love, why do you hate elephants?

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:55:03 -0800

Awesome. I've been greasemonkey'd.

By: geekhorde

geekhorde — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:56:55 -0800

And normally I'm pretty 'get off my damn lawn you damn kids' kind of grumpy, but I didn't mind any of this. It's funny and harmless. And if not really really funny, then at least kind of goofy. And there's nothing wrong with that.

I think everybody needs to get their collective panties out of a wad.

By: scody

scody — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:59:14 -0800

I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks.

No! Not after all your fantastic front page contributions and thoughtful answers in AskMe!

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 14:59:19 -0800

As I reckon it, you have four choices when you see a page full of elephant-themed FPPs. You get angry and call for them to be deleted. You don't read them. You read some, or all. Or you try to write the best damn elephant-themed FPP you can.

I chose what I considered the most fun of the above options.

By: absalom

absalom — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:05:28 -0800

I hope you enjoyed Elephant Day, because your grandkids won't know what that even meant.

By: lalochezia

lalochezia — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:06:36 -0800

my ears are bleeeding. i have a headache. make the pachyderms go away.

stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it

GYOF(E)B

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:09:46 -0800

I hope you enjoyed Elephant Day, because your grandkids won't know what that even meant.

If I'm reading the undertones correctly, that's kind of depressing.

I probably won't ever find out what elephant tastes like, will I?

By: grouse

grouse — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:10:12 -0800

I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks.

Hey, join the club. I don't even have MetaFilter in my bookmarks now. I used to type in www.metafilter.com but then I learned I could just type metafilter and Ctrl+Enter.

By: grouse

grouse — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:12:09 -0800

Oooh oooh can I be in your killfile too, s-o-l? Please please please?

By: Rhomboid

Rhomboid — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:13:24 -0800

This place has more freakin' nerds than Space Camp, and it's why I'm here.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:13:54 -0800

One day they will grow clones elephant meat, so we certainly will know what it tastes like, even if we don't know what it once looked like.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:21:26 -0800

If it had been on its own, I'd have been all over the baseball post...[B]ut since I knew it was just there because people were busily digging up everything elephant-related they could find

Except that the baseball post was the one post that *wasn't* "just there because people were busily digging up everything elephant-related they could find." ?! already explained:

I had a site I was saving for the Hot Stove Season and altered it to empasize the theme of the day.

I'm still mostly with languagehat and solid-one-love, though, and think altering the baseball post to fit the theme probably hurt the post more than helped. And, speaking from experience, doing a quick search after suddenly deciding on a topic almost always results in a lame post.

I also think a single awesome elephant-related thread, with tons of elephant-related links, would have been almost as fun (and easier to find later). Kind of like a metachat-style THIS IS AN ELEPHANT THREAD post, if either reklaw, pyramid termite, cortex or gwint had thought to start that instead of posting a questionable set of links to the front page.

By: Stunt

Stunt — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:21:42 -0800

Please, please remove metafilter from your bookmarks. If you are that put off and "well I NEVER!" over people having some mostly harmless fun for one day then I really don't want you around either.

I had no clue what was going on here and thought it was mildly amusing, yet not all that interesting (since I am not too terribly interested in elephants, unless they learn to jump. that shit would be terrifying). Some people don't like it at all. That's fine. But near giving up on coming to the site and reading it anymore more because of it? Jesus christ.

I can appreciate that you don't care for the shenanigans, but please leave out the histrionics.

By: Kickstart70

Kickstart70 — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:21:48 -0800

I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks.

I hate friggin' drama queens. Leave if you are going to leave. OTBIM (On The Board I Moderate), anyone who drama queens gets a permanent disabling so they don't change their mind.

By: Osmanthus

Osmanthus — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:24:50 -0800

When I say I may stop coming to metafilter I am not trying to be dramatic. I'm not a big poster here and have no emotional investment here. Also I am not talking to the members of mefi, but rather to the editors.
There is a lot of competition for my attention on the web. When metafilter's noise level goes up my desire to come back goes down.
In particular, Digg is one of the competitors Metafilter has to contend with; Digg is a fire hose of information and I've seen nearly every article linked to on mefi ealier on digg. It is only the higher quality of comments and moderation on mefi that makes it more attractive. When those go away, I've got no reason to come here.

By: dirtynumbangelboy

dirtynumbangelboy — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:26:32 -0800

loquacious writes "I probably won't ever find out what elephant tastes like, will I?"

Tastes like chicken.

By: SteveTheRed

SteveTheRed — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:27:31 -0800

How about this:

Elephanophiles (lh: is that a word?): Please lay off the elephant posts. They were cute, but MeFi is supposed to be more eclectic.

Grumpy Folk: It was a cute joke. That's all. If we are not here to have fun then why the Hell are we here?

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:27:39 -0800

Digg is a fire hose of information

Okay.

and I've seen nearly every article linked to on mefi ealier on digg.

I don't believe that. Please elaborate.

By: dirtynumbangelboy

dirtynumbangelboy — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:27:46 -0800

Osmanthus, the door is thatway. Don't let it hit you in the ass on the way out.

By: Rhomboid

Rhomboid — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:27:50 -0800

Drama queening? Ooh, you better believe that's a paddling.

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:29:25 -0800

solid-one-love : "that hypothetical is a strawman"

Is that even possible?

Osmanthus : "I'd hope that metafilters operators have the sense to grab the reigns here."

Every one of those links were posted by a metafilter operator.

Osmanthus : "I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks."

MeFi might just not be for you. It happens.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:30:18 -0800

Oh, God, please flame out before you go, Osmanthus. It's been so long since a really good flame out.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:32:25 -0800

It is only the higher quality of comments and moderation on mefi that makes it more attractive. When those go away, I've got no reason to come here.

When those go away, I'll be the first to join you. This is not the end of those comments. The sky is not falling. It's just some elephants.

The digg firehose is an awesome thing to behold, but not something one can easily sip from. (That particular link is actually on my linkbar, alongside the various MeFi links, Popurls, Monkeyfilter and more.)

By: b1tr0t

b1tr0t — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:34:00 -0800

Hey, join the club. I don't even have MetaFilter in my bookmarks now. I used to type in www.metafilter.com but then I learned I could just type metafilter and Ctrl+Enter.

m [down-arrow] [enter] takes me right here.

By: Stunt

Stunt — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:34:37 -0800

Osmanthus, I can understand your reasoning there, but like I said: this is a single day of timfoolery (it appears to be anyway). Not really evidence of a long-term decline (I'm sure others would point to youtube posts or Iraqfilter as markers of that trend).

I have similar issues with noise levels on many sites and so I avoid them. Things like this seemingly increase the SNR in some people's perceptions, but it will pass quickly and if it gets too out of hand or results in vastly sub-par quality on the front page then matt and jess will surely do something about it.

For me the community and interactions are just as interesting (if not more so) than the links tossed up, so I enjoy seeing little things like this from time to time. If it was a 24-7 joyride then I'd likely have issues as well.

Summary: if mefi eventually ends up not being for you, that sucks but it happens. This really isn't a the-sky-is-falling situation though, so for now just relax.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:38:15 -0800

Well, I for one promise to post no further FPPs on elephants today.

By: ninjew

ninjew — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:38:52 -0800

If you leave now, the elephants have won.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:39:07 -0800

I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks.

Can I have your user number?

By: scody

scody — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:39:36 -0800

*glances sideways at languagehat; holds breath*

By: 31d1

31d1 — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:43:52 -0800

I'm down to "m [enter]"

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:44:21 -0800

I find myself more in the Languagehat camp, and that's a reason that I don't often frequent MeCha anymore. I get too diabetic about it.

Still, to solid-one-love: Lighten up, Frances.

By: scarabic

scarabic — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:44:21 -0800

When I say I may stop coming to metafilter I am not trying to be dramatic. I'm not a big poster here

First comment to MeTa ever: a threat to leave the site. I think that is a new record and an instant legend. Tack the boy up in the Wiki archives, someone!

By: Greg Nog

Greg Nog — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:44:28 -0800

cortex's comment seemed the most on-the-money to me:

It's not even an inside joke. There was no memo. It's a community at play.

As far as I know, this didn't really stem from any people winking and nudging to each other about How Awesome Elephant Day Would Be; a coupla people just posted about elephants, and other people were just like, "Oh yeah, elephants! Elephants are neat!" The fpps just seem a little bit more like a big conversation today, is all. I can think of worse things.

By: Stunt

Stunt — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:48:01 -0800

Oh, and as an observation on the elephant thing itself: elephants! That's a hell of a lot better than spiders, at least. While everyone else was making pachyderm-related FPPs, jonson decided to be a rebel and post something about spiders.

SPIDERS.

This sort of deviating from the hive mind is unacceptable. Now, I'm not going to call for a pitckfork-style weeinie roast, but I'd just like to make my displeasure known. Perhaps there's a petition somewhere I can sign.

Although I suppose I should be thankful that you weren't the lead hooligan behind a spider day posting spree. For now forgiveness shall be granted and I'll be lenient in light of all of your excellent posts, BUT I'M ON TO YOU. Don't think that you can sell our race out so easily and hope that none of us will notice. I'm watching you, jonson.

do not believe their lies. they may promise you tasty bugs and luxurious high rise webbing, but they will turn on you and eat your innards the second your back is turned.

By: grouse

grouse — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:49:17 -0800

There is a lot of competition for my attention on the web.

You must have us confused with people who care. I'm not saying you should go, but remember that MetaFilter is desperate to keep your eyeballs, and if you have to go, such is the way of things.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:51:51 -0800

*throws peanuts at thread*

By: Stauf

Stauf — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:55:22 -0800

Don't agitate the elephants jon...

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:56:38 -0800

There is a lot of competition for my attention on the web.

Oh god, now I'm allowing myself to hope (just like with the damn Mets). Sir or madam, you are talking like the prize booby of all prize boobies. You have great potential, and I say this as someone with (though I say it who shouldn't) quite an eye for these things. If you will just stick around long enough to get really, personally insulted and start firing insults in all directions... Look, just sit over there for a minute, will you?

*runs off to get whip, stake, lighter, marshmallows*

By: Mayor Curley

Mayor Curley — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 15:59:08 -0800

I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks.

The overt nerds run this place. If you leave, they win.

Remember, they hate us for our freedom. Our freedom, and our success with women who have never seen a dungeon map.

By: Kickstart70

Kickstart70 — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:00:26 -0800

digg is a competitor to MetaFilter? If you want to compare sheer numbers in the people who visit, sure. If you want to compare cohesiveness of the community, not a frigging chance.

That being said, Mr. O isn't apparently a community guy so no doubt he doesn't 'get it'. In which case it's even more likely that MetaFilter is not for him.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:02:54 -0800

By: taz

taz — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:02:55 -0800

It was funny and quirky because it was spontaneous. Two people posted the NYT elephant story at almost exactly the same time, and a few users ran with that... then more. Just a bit of goofy, but nothing nefarious.

When groups of people get together offsite and agree that they will post X or Z to mefi, it isn't usually very amusing, and it feels like an exclusionary joke, but this was just in-the-moment, playful and impulsive riffing.

(or, what Greg Nog said while I wasn't looking, but now that I've typed it all up, damn it, I'm posting it!)

By: graymouser

graymouser — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:02:58 -0800

Is it too much to ask for a picture of an elephant shitting the American flag?

By: Kickstart70

Kickstart70 — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:07:10 -0800

Osmanthus, don't fuck with the elephants.

By: ericb

ericb — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:09:48 -0800

Is it too much to ask for a picture of an elephant shitting the American flag?

Close enough.

By: grouse

grouse — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:11:35 -0800

loquacious: Since when would languagehat discard Webster's? Come on.

By: taz

taz — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:11:53 -0800

Aw! Can somebody bring in a bunch of blind guys to feel that thing Kickstart70 posted and figure out what it is?

By: bob sarabia

bob sarabia — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:15:56 -0800

Osmanthus: walk away, come back tomorrow. It'll be over again. The thing about this is that it happened completely by accident. The last time it happened was 4 years ago. Don't worry about it.

By: of strange foe

of strange foe — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:16:46 -0800

It's nice when a circus comes to town.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:18:31 -0800

Can somebody bring in a bunch of blind guys to feel that thing Kickstart70 posted and figure out what it is?

*stabs out eyes*

*volunteers*

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:19:01 -0800

150+ comments and no elephant goatse?! WTF?!

By: sgt.serenity

sgt.serenity — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:22:19 -0800

I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks.
posted by Osmanthus at 10:43 PM GMT on October 8 [+] [!]

It's the cuban missile crisis all over again.

By: peacay

peacay — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:23:19 -0800

Shh! You'll wake the baby.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:24:43 -0800

I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks.

you will be missed.

*scratches ass*

By: bardic

bardic — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:27:40 -0800

Meh.

It really wasn't that clever. Two of the FPP's were decent, the rest were filler. I'm all for shenanigans, but make them, like, funny or something next time.

By: bardic

bardic — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:31:15 -0800

Oops, changed my mind.

Nuke all pachyderm posts from orbit please tia.

By: anthill

anthill — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:31:47 -0800

*sniffs jonmc's finger*

Seriously though, where's Elephantitis Day? That would have to be more interesting...

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:32:47 -0800

Hey, loq! That's my summon card! It's reserved for the situations where I agree with him! This one might just be our major falling out. Please take it back. You heard me, take it back.

*threatens severing hand*

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:36:17 -0800

Our freedom, and our success with women who have never seen a dungeon map.

Ah, yes, the old tried-and-true ad hominem attack on one's virility and sexuality. Well used even in Plato's day.

You didn't get the memo, Curley? Nerds are the hottest thing going on the dating market now. All the girls want one. Geeks make better lovers. All those hours of video game playing make them masters of manipulating feedback-response loops and figuring out puzzles. Oh, yes, they will find your G-spot, and you'll remember it fondly, always. They self-entertain, they're often well paid, and you can take 'em home to mother - and even if they're secretly nastier than an entire barful of bikers she'll never know.

They'll moisten your panties with mere words alone. They're intense, loyal, and intensely loyal. They often have strong ethics, if not morals. They have a firm grasp of microbiology and human diseases social and otherwise, and how to avoid getting them. They have a thousand fantastic ways to titallate your mind and your senses, and most of them are illegal, if not outright dangerous.

Besides, when was the last time you've seen someone tie a bowline or a slide hitch in a cherry stem?

I've never had a problem with getting laid. Heck, I've even picked up an extremely cute (and dangerously adventurous) girl with the line "Nice disks. Wanna fsck?" Spoken aloud, in public, in mixed company no less. How do you like them apples?

Sorry, but we're already in yr bars pickin' up yr women.

Of course, you can't ever get a nerd to shut the fuck up, but that's a relative small price to pay for a life of unspeakable sexual bliss and an endless stream of crazy new shit.

By: bardic

bardic — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:36:30 -0800

King Crimson doing Elepant Talk (youtube).

You fucking phillistines.

By: exlotuseater

exlotuseater — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:40:00 -0800

I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks.

Contacts: This user doesn't link to any other MetaFilter members. No other MetaFilter members link to this user.

member since: November 18, 2004

Posting History:
MetaFilter: no posts and 83 comments
MetaTalk: no posts and 2 comments
Ask MeFi: no questions and no answers
MeFi Music: no songs and no comments and no playlists
MeFi Projects: no posts

Favorites: none saved and contributions from Osmanthus saved by others 1 times

I'm not a big poster here and have no emotional investment here. Yes. We see that. As do the Editors. So why even bother mentioning it?

Thr rest of the internet is competing for you! Where oh where will you deign to settle the glorious attention of your web-browser? Digg? Or... something else?

*holds breath*

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:42:31 -0800

*sniffs jonmc's finger*

buy me a drink first.

By: brassafrax

brassafrax — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:42:58 -0800

This would be funny and clever if these posts remotely belonged on mefi.

Best of the web? No.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:43:54 -0800

*hands brassafrax a laxative*

By: bardic

bardic — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:46:41 -0800

I've posted lots of FPPs and comments here. So by your logic exlotuseater, what I say carries a lot of weight compared to some n00b. Nice to know. (Although I disagree myself.)

So verily, I thus decree: The posts tended to suck and most of them should be pulled.

(See, I made a little elephant joke there.)

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:48:56 -0800

Elephant Day sneerers (like me, sorta) shouldn't miss LarryC's post about Peale's Mastodon and its role as "the first unofficial totem of United States culture." Good stuff.

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:49:42 -0800

By: ericb

ericb — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:00:52 -0800

The Sultan's Elephant

Courtesy: Royal de Luxe.

By: cal71

cal71 — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:01:35 -0800

Having written one of the original posts that seems to have started all this business, I can assure you that there was no conpsiracy. I was just fascinated by the whole thing.

I also am a little sad that in all the posting of links about elephants(which was kind of funny to see), an actual discussion about the content of the various posts never really occured. I guess I'm just naive. I did love the "I want an Elephant" song that homunculus posted.

By: Kickstart70

Kickstart70 — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:02:33 -0800

Anyway, I don't think the posts should be deleted. But I do think no more should be posted.

By: StrasbourgSecaucus

StrasbourgSecaucus — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:03:10 -0800

I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks.

GOODBYE TO ALL MY INTERNET FRIENDS FOREVER

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:05:12 -0800

an actual discussion about the content of the various posts never really occured

Yep, that's the problem with these theme day things.

By: brassafrax

brassafrax — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:05:42 -0800

I thought my comment was fair, jonmc.

But your response fits right in with the general level of discourse today.

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:11:59 -0800

This would be funny and clever if these posts remotely belonged on mefi.

Best of the web? No.

I think it's the best of the web when a random assortment of people take inspiration off other people in their community to have a bit of spontaneous fun.

People are damn right this shit would never happen on Digg. That's why Digg is a messy array of random links I don't even bother with, and Metafilter is a Community Weblog. I concur with jonmc. Pull your withered thumb out of your arsehole and lighten the fuck up.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:12:40 -0800

well, it'd just break my fat old heart if you dispproved.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:13:07 -0800

that was for brassafrax, not jimbob.

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:13:50 -0800

No offense taken jonmc.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:15:35 -0800

Also, me and pips are watching Emeril Live! He's got Jimmy Buffett as a special guest. I bet it'd be really fun to sit on the porch getting loaded with those two.

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:15:57 -0800

True that.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:17:59 -0800

I can assure you that there was no conpsiracy.

that's correct ... i decided to make that post on my own and haven't encouraged anyone else to make theirs

i doubt that something like that's going to happen for awhile

I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks.

i'm *this close* to starting to drink beer

it's a suspense filled day here on metafilter, i tell you

By: bardic

bardic — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:19:56 -0800

Jimbob, it's precious how you remind us all of the values of community and finish with this: "Pull your withered thumb out of your arsehole and lighten the fuck up."

Umm, notice the cognitive dissonance there, Einstein?

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:21:55 -0800

Community ain't all lollypops and roses, bardic.

By: bardic

bardic — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:23:55 -0800

Ah, so you're not just an asshole, but a hypocrite as well.

Just checking.

By: bardic

bardic — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:24:25 -0800

My community brother.

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:27:58 -0800

Heh, see I love Metafilter because I can come here and be called an arsehole and a hypocrit. Wouldn't happen on Digg. Someone would give your comment some thumbs-down, and I'd be none the wiser!

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:30:58 -0800

By: dersins

dersins — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:33:06 -0800

...Emeril Live! He's got Jimmy Buffett as a special guest. I bet it'd be really fun to sit on the porch getting loaded with those two.

No offense, but I'd be hard pressed to think of a more annoying pair to get drunk with. One of them won't shut the fuck up about "BAM!" and the other one won't shut the fuck up about cheeseburgers in paradise. I think I'd rather spend an evening dropping cinderblocks on my feet.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:34:51 -0800

*nakedly rides drunken elephant through thread or drunkenly rides naked elepahnt through thread. or something.*

(seriously, to everyone getting upset, relax. in the grand scheme of things, a little harmless silliness is really not worth getting into a froth over)

By: Stunt

Stunt — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:35:35 -0800

All this bickering and strife is distracting everyone from the true threat to this community. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT.

They hate us for our freedoms. Also, our lack of eight legs, spinnerets, urticating hairs, and baby bald eagle eating.

I don't want to hear any spider symphathizing bullshit, either. If you aren't with us, you're with the spiders. You know who else liked spiders?

That's right.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:35:42 -0800

the other one won't shut the fuck up about cheeseburgers in paradise.

why don't you get drunk and screw, already? ;>

By: Jimbob

Jimbob — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:41:14 -0800

The sad, sad thing is, if there were 12 posts about Iraq and Terrorism and US politics in a row, no-one would blink an eye...

By: bardic

bardic — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:51:54 -0800

Jimbob, I think by "community" you mean "dysfunctional family." Which I would agree is an apt metaphor for this place.

But since I have one of those IRL, let's not say our farts smell like pathchouli oil. This place can be pretty damn nasty, and flameouts are encouraged -- encouraged -- in this very thread by some of our crusty, "loveable" personalities.

So let's not diminish the value of a concept as important as community by applying it to this place. It ain't. The word gets thrown around a lot, but merely as a rhetorical club.

(And yes, I am drinking.)

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:56:38 -0800

You know who else liked spiders?

That's right.

walt disney?

wait ... this changes everything ...

no, it doesn't

that was close

By: Stunt

Stunt — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:56:40 -0800

Oh son of a bitch, way to ruin a joke, clandestine redirects that are hidden for me due to caching.

My link was to this image, but amusingly enough redirects to disney's page for most people it seems

By: ericb

ericb — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:00:26 -0800

(And yes, I am drinking.)

Me, too.

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:03:38 -0800

Deep down, the internet is about elephants.

There might be something to this. That 'elephant-headed-god' upthread is in all likelyhood some variation on Ganesha ^, a patron of good fortune. Linkless, alas, I have vague memories associating him with travelers and exchange. If you squint, that could make him a patron of networking, and what be this hyar intarweb than a series of interconnected, um, tubes?

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:04:18 -0800

By: bardic

bardic — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:07:36 -0800

Lolocaust!

By: liam

liam — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:10:19 -0800

the other one won't shut the fuck up about cheeseburgers in paradise.

why don't you get drunk and screw, already? ;>

Forget the food and the booze (and the cheesy paradise). Let's all get happy in St Tropez.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:11:46 -0800

(And yes, I am drinking.)

That's like the middle-class version of "I'm just keepin' it real," isn't it? I'm just guessing because hearing it makes me gag the same way.

Anyhoo, it sounds to me like bardic needs a community hug!!!
*Wraps trunk around bardic, makes him spill his Bartles & Jaymes*

By: liam

liam — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:11:47 -0800

Let's all get happy in St. Tropez.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:11:57 -0800

let's not say our farts smell like pathchouli oil.

well, there's a grim thought.

By: Rhomboid

Rhomboid — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:12:57 -0800

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:15:06 -0800

Today there were two weather elephants over the central USA and an elephant over Quebec (reference top photo). One very bold elephant was over the north central USA, and another was over Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley. An elephant represents a demon Commander, such as Baal.

wtf? ... this site is seriously wacked

By: stenseng

stenseng — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:15:43 -0800

THIS WHOLE THING IS A MAMMOTH CLUSTERFUCK

By: bardic

bardic — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:17:03 -0800

No, it means I'm drinking some wine. And enjoying it. When you turn 21, you should try it.

Until then, douchebag!

By: 31d1

31d1 — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:17:37 -0800

OK, I've had it. I've seen "elephantitus" mentioned at least three times today, and GODDAMIT, it's "elephantiasis". GOOGLE IT.

/me passes out

By: stet

stet — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:17:39 -0800

See, you've gotta go and post the elephant schlong and now we'll be all het up about circumcision, to say nothing of jonmc's feelings about the lack of man muff.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:19:42 -0800

to say nothing of jonmc's feelings about the lack of man muff.

it's my understanding that patchouli oil can help with razor burn

By: bardic

bardic — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:26:24 -0800

But girls who wear pathcouli oil never shave.

Ponder the mystery, bitches.

By: evilcolonel

evilcolonel — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:29:59 -0800

Grampa: Hey, they're playing the Elephant song!
Jasper: I love that. Reminds me of elephants!

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:34:40 -0800

Weird, that's the fourth time today a tipsy irate dude's called me a 'douchebag' and disparaged my level of maturity without a hint of self-awareness.

I think it's 'cause I'm wearing new pants.

By: zennie

zennie — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:34:58 -0800

Enjoy Metafilter's occasional exuberant quirks. They are a sign of vitality.

While I understand the desire to maintain standards of quality, I feel very old when I think of how many group efforts I have seen die from loss of spirit. Rather than rebuke enthusiasm, direct the energy to more favorable ends. And let the FPPs each stand on their own merit.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:37:12 -0800

Since when would languagehat discard Webster's? Come on.

Damn straight. I make my living off Webster's. You'll pry my Webster's out of my cold, dead hands. Speaking of which, where's my flameout? You get back here, Osmanthus! I want to see some foaming at the mouth right now!

By: LarryC

LarryC — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:43:17 -0800

I adore this place, but God we take it way too seriously sometimes.

(Hence Elephant Day.)

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:50:35 -0800

p/t, there's a could-formed image of the head of an elephant in the center of the pic. As to the biblenews site, who knows? Might make a fine FPP!

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:51:03 -0800

er, cloud. Aargh.

By: schroedinger

schroedinger — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:51:26 -0800

There's all this talk about clusterfucks, but I don't actually see any cluster of elephants fucking.

I demand a pachydermial orgy of gargantuan proportions, post haste.

By: dersins

dersins — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:51:37 -0800

let's not say our farts smell like pathchouli oil.

This is especially funny because patchouli actually smells kinda like farts.

Unwashed vegan hippie farts, but farts nonetheless.

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:58:20 -0800

woops, just realized p/t musta seen the pachyderm in the pic above. sri!

By: cortex

cortex — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:58:40 -0800

You get back here, Osmanthus!

languagehat, I—look. Sit down. Really, you need to.

Christ. I don't know how to—I don't do this sort of thing. I have no words. I'll just be straight, here:

I think Osmanthus may have taken Mefi off his bookmarks.

By: tsarfan

tsarfan — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 18:59:56 -0800

INT'L CAPS LOCK DAY IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER BITCHES!!!!!111!

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:02:12 -0800

to say nothing of jonmc's feelings about the lack of man muff.

I'm trying to grow. Besides, tush is the money muff.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:04:06 -0800

I don't actually see any cluster of elephants fucking.

we're having some trouble with that

By: dg

dg — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:05:16 -0800

peaking of which, where's my flameout?
yeah, it's sure been a long time between drinks, hasn't it?

I think we need to make a concerted effort to search out some poor sap whom we can goad into a massive, flaming wreck. It needs to be someone sensitive enough to react to suitable bait, yet tenacious enough to stick at it while we feed the flame into a bonfire. At least minor paranoia and/or schitzophrenia would be an added bonus, but not absolutely required.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:06:00 -0800

elephants are overrated. I prefer FERAL SWINE!

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:09:11 -0800

"what do you mean you want to watch us masturbate?"

By: weretable and the undead chairs

weretable and the undead chairs — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:09:16 -0800

I WILL KILL THE ELEPHANTS AND I WILL MAKE GENUINE IVORY KEYS FOR THE PIANO ON WHICH I WILL PLAY ANYTHING BUT AMAZING GRACE WHILE I EAT ELEPHANT STEW, YOU ELEPHANT-LOVING PUSSIES.

By: weretable and the undead chairs

weretable and the undead chairs — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:11:08 -0800

Also.

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:13:07 -0800

I'm a wild bore, and I'm offended by jonmc's last picture.

By: Iron Rat

Iron Rat — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:13:48 -0800

It's a flash mob thing, "hey, lets all blow loquacious's mind..."

By: quonsar

quonsar — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:25:31 -0800

previous pachydermal posting

i want an elephant

the elephant page

art by elephants.com

elephant polo

take between one and four feet of a tender young elephant and place them to stand in luke-warm water for at least four hours. Remove the skin and bones and cut them in four lengthwise and then slice these bits again in two

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:26:55 -0800

Since when would languagehat discard Webster's? Come on.

Jesus fucking Judas in the ass with a hand-carved ivory strapon! How the fuck am I supposed to run this ICE Middle Earth campaign against Mordor if you Mountain Dew-addled twits can't even bother to read the supplemental rule sheet and tables? PUT DOWN THE CHEETOS, PUT DOWN THE LIGHT SABER AND SHUT UP. YOUR GM IS SPEAKING.

*takes a deep, wheezing breath from his inhaler*

OK. Look. I played the "Summon Languagehat" card. I "Summoned Languagehat", see? Now, why did I summon languagehat? To use him to attack someone! Very good!

Now, on the card labled "Summon Languagehat", in the little box on the bottom it reads:

Use this card to summon languagehat and end Prescriptivism for the duration of this thread. Requires Rampant Pedantry

Discard Webster's and Armchair Linguistics. Weakens Sapir-Worf Hypothesis

Did you read that? That's what it does to targets of attack.

Let's say I used this card on, say, you. You would discard any copy of Webster's you had available as well as Armchair Linguistics. Any attempt to use the Sapir-Worf Hypothesis as counterattack or defense would be much less effective.

Why the fuck would languagehat even need Webster's? It's only 300,000-odd entries. He already has it memorized. That book in his hands on the card? That's a magical copy of the Unabridged Oxford English Dictionary. What else would it fucking be? OK, it's a wireless-enabled PDA in a hollowed out old cookbook BUT FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS GAME IT'S MAGICAL, OK?

By: librarina

librarina — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:29:26 -0800

tush is the money muff

I don't know what you mean, but I'm definitely not googling it.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:32:25 -0800

It's a flash mob thing, "hey, lets all blow loquacious's mind..."

No offense, but you must be new here. I blew out my own mind ages and ages ago, well before joining this sweltering three-ring circus of drama clowns, freaks, nerds and weirdos.

I remain as yet nonplussed.

By: jason's_planet

jason's_planet — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:42:27 -0800

I like elephants.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:43:58 -0800

we need to take up a collection for loquacious ... it's about time he got plussed

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:46:04 -0800

I'm divided...

By: kindall

kindall — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:49:14 -0800

Okay, this seems like a great thread to ask this: a long time ago (like pre-Internet) I ran across a gag picture of a bunch of elephants milling around a gigantic telephone. Anyone know what this is or where I could get a copy of it?

By: i_am_joe's_spleen

i_am_joe's_spleen — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:50:38 -0800

Generally, it's more fun to multiply. Not so much if you go fourth, though.

By: hortense

hortense — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:04:00 -0800

There used to be an large pink elephant wearing spectacles and holding a martini glass in Seattle Center.

By: ?!

?! — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:04:33 -0800

If I made my posts here hoping for 125 comment discussions I'd post only controversial topics.

While I wish everyone loved baseball, I know they don't. I keep my posts few and far between because I realize only a few will appreciate sites such as the Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society. I did empasize the A's mascot element for the post today, but with only a little filler. Including my own dig against a too common posting convention.

Would I again post in the middle of a theme run? No, but primarily because the next time it would feel forced.

I don't post for the love or to create a furor. I do it because I think the subject was cool.

I really don't understand the uproar today. We're not limited to how many posts can be made. We won't fill up this MetaBucket. It's not as if it takes long to decide a FPP is worth the time to check out. I can scan the front page in a few seconds.

Is it really a concern about how some FPPs won't get many comments? Do others really consider a post a failure if it doesn't garner many comments?

As for my post...it'll be open for 30 days. Stop in and tell me what you thought about Black Saturday. Or not.

By: hortense

hortense — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:14:20 -0800

kinda like this one

By: trip and a half

trip and a half — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:17:06 -0800

So do these elephants vibrate or not?

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:19:04 -0800

The money muff?

How the fuck do I get this swallow of beer out of my sinuses?

By: The Deej

The Deej — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:22:42 -0800

Hey, Florence this thread should provide some poetry fodder, no?

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:22:59 -0800

Only if you electrocute them. :(

By: keswick

keswick — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:24:29 -0800

has anyone posted this yet? because if not, man, i win.

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:24:52 -0800

I saw elephants walking by the Capitol last year. That was cool.

By: horsewithnoname

horsewithnoname — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:27:28 -0800

A man (presumably a zoo keeper) is cleaning elephants on a normal day...and then things go horribly, horribly wrong.

Yes. Yes, indeed.

By: spaltavian

spaltavian — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:28:09 -0800

LarryC: I adore this place, but God we take it way too seriously sometimes.

(Hence Elephant Day.)

I would think Elephant Day is proof that, every once in a while, some of us don't take Metafilter too seriously.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:37:36 -0800

How the fuck do I get this swallow of beer out of my sinuses?

BLOW HARDER!

By: dg

dg — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 21:02:03 -0800

Or, hold your nose, shut your mouth tightly and blow really hard - beer should come out your ears. Turn your video camera on first, though.

By: oxford blue

oxford blue — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 21:09:39 -0800

I'm *this close* to removing metafilter from my bookmarks.

Because the url is just impossible to remember?

By: spacelux

spacelux — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 21:11:33 -0800

Where's the Effervescing Elephant or Nellie The Elephant?

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 21:11:43 -0800

Actually, that zoo keeper in the YouTube link also had beer in his sinuses, the elephant was just helping him by equalizing the pressure in his head. You know how sensationalistic the MSM is though, hence the ominous music and scary editing.

So, you know, just stick your head up inside the largest mammal you can find, and everything should be hunky dory.

And take pics.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 21:26:41 -0800

spacelux: I was going to use Nellie in a post, but I ~~couldn't think of anything to hang it on~~got distracted in here.

Besides, I still can't post for another 3 hours.

By: davy

davy — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 21:45:03 -0800

When y'all decide to have a SEND DAVY MONEY DAY let me know.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 21:54:44 -0800

By: scarabic

scarabic — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 22:05:17 -0800

digg is a competitor to MetaFilter? If you want to compare sheer numbers in the people who visit, sure. If you want to compare cohesiveness of the community, not a frigging chance.

That's like saying, "not only does Fark beat MetaFilter for sheer number of visitors, if you want to compare the pith of the headlines, Fark destroys MeFi!!!"

That is to say, number of visitors is a universally applicable metric. "Cohesiveness of community" if you're defining MeFi as the gold standard, is not. Diggsters are pretty into Digg, if you notice.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 22:21:10 -0800

That's the spirit! Hump the Bell curve!

If you do any such thing I will hunt you down and fill you with spider eggs.

By: oxford blue

oxford blue — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 22:32:45 -0800

I'd like to see you try.

By: I Am Not a Lobster

I Am Not a Lobster — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 22:43:15 -0800

im in ur community weblog postin ur pachyderms

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 22:45:12 -0800

yeah, who the hell needs wheaties for breakfast?... eat a bowl of spider eggs first thing in the morning and you can go through the rest of your day knowing that's the worst thing that'll happen to you all day

By: oxford blue

oxford blue — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 22:46:01 -0800

Slooks slike scaviar.

By: spacelux

spacelux — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 22:48:06 -0800

loquacious: I'm glad to hear that someone thought about the Toy Dolls in the midst of the elephant party.

By: Paragon

Paragon — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 23:02:13 -0800

Can I just say thank you everyone elephantine? Today was an awesome day, here on Metafilter.

By: Kickstart70

Kickstart70 — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 23:08:50 -0800

"if you're defining MeFi as the gold standard..."

Oh, I'm not. I'm much too enthralled with UserFriendly, since I was the one who really built up the community there.</selffellatio>

By: evilcolonel

evilcolonel — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 23:14:41 -0800

I can stand the sight of worms
And look at microscopic germs
But Technicolor pachyderms
Are really too much for me

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 23:27:41 -0800

By: spacelux

spacelux — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 23:33:30 -0800

I am not the type to faint
When things are odd
Or things are quaint
But seeing things you know that ain't
Can certainly give you an awful fright
What a sight!

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 23:40:55 -0800

By: freshwater_pr0n

freshwater_pr0n — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 00:09:37 -0800

A few of these posts were truly the best of the web. Yes, elephants are funny because they're big and they make big poops, but elephants make for some exciting ethology.

The Cartesian model of animal behavior has been accepted for centuries, and it's killing not just animals, but people.

Can Gorilla day be next??? Please???

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 00:19:10 -0800

brassafrax writes "This would be funny and clever if these posts remotely belonged on mefi.

"Best of the web? No."

I'm not saying the elephant storm was the best series of links ever; however, you might like to wait until you've been here more than a _week_ and maybe have made a few dozen comments or even a FPP before you start cutting down the contributions of others.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 00:35:35 -0800

Because, naturally, the value of your opinion is proportional to the time you have spent here, not including lurk time before signing up.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 00:48:46 -0800

I'm down with gorillas, but wait at least a couple-few months or something. Surprise us.

(dons extremely silly looking art major beret*)

I was thinking about the graffiti-like aspects of phenomenon like this, and how it arises and expresses itself in lots of situations online and off in, nearly every available medium from trees, rocks or the earth itself to the etched silicon of microchips, in all sorts of flavors from outright griefing to mundane in-jokes and onward poignant cries for help.

In a way it's a hallmark indicator of a given media maturing - boredom and stagnation with the media leading to spontaneous new uses, no matter how apparently pointless or redeeming.

Since nearly all media - intended, found, or invented - is primarily concerned with some form of communication we might even extend the grafitti metaphor to communities, especially ones centered around a given media. I would also argue that grafitti is often a form of play, and very often rooted in mischeviousness either destructive or creative or both.

However - as the old horse lies - the family that plays together, stays together. Primates and other higher functioning communal animals often play together, accidentally (or perhaps purposefully) inventing new games which get picked up and implemented by others in the group rapidly. In the instance of humans it is apparent that wide scale adoption of a given mode of play is often spontaneous, occurring without verbal or symbolic language.

Sometimes the play has a purpose, say, the instruction of a new technique. Sometimes the only end result is people just letting off steam and having fun.

But sometimes the graffiti-like play gives rise to new associations and connections, new ways of using a media or entirely new methodologies and philosophies. (Something that the Surrealists, Da Daists, Situationists and dozens of other more respectable flavors of philosophy are interested in, large and small. The birthplaces of new ideas and ways, where the mysterious, unexplainable spark of invention lives.)

But sometimes it's a just whole lot of gibberish, nonsense, and noise. It seems to depend almost entirely on the perspective of the individual.

(*Beret does not actually bestow wearer with art degree.)

By: antifuse

antifuse — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 01:36:37 -0800

I'm in ur MeFi posting ur elephantz!

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 01:48:30 -0800

Man. Looks like someone spat in s-o-l's socks. Also:

"OK, I've had it. I've seen 'elephantitus' mentioned at least three times today, and GODDAMIT, it's 'elephantiasis'. GOOGLE IT."

Thank you, 31d1. I've told people that on several occasions, and they never believe me.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 04:09:57 -0800

Man. Looks like someone spat in s-o-l's socks.

that's not spit.

By: grouse

grouse — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 04:17:01 -0800

"The Cartesian model of animal behavior"???

By: quonsar

quonsar — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 04:17:16 -0800

The idea that I am trying to annoy anyone is, frankly, laughable.

on the other hand, acknowledging the annoyance of your trying ideation would be laughably frank.

By: sveskemus

sveskemus — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 06:05:57 -0800

By: grouse

grouse — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 06:13:21 -0800

It's disappinting that that elephant doesn't go to Elephant and Castle.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 06:14:09 -0800

What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephants coming over the hill?

"Here come the elephants over the hill."

What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephants coming over the hill wearing dark glasses?

Nothing, he didn't recognize them.

Why do elephants wear pink tennis shoes?

Because white ones get dirty too fast.

Why do elephants float down the river on their backs?

So they won't get their tennis shoes wet.

Why do elephants have wrinkled ankles?

Because their tennis shoes are too tight.

Why do elephants have wrinkled knees?

From playing marbles.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 06:38:17 -0800

Ha!

I've seen 'elephantitus' mentioned at least three times today, and GODDAMIT, it's 'elephantiasis'.

Pure misunderstand. They're actually trying to write "hella fan Titus"—but, as should be tragically obvious to normal folks, no fan of that FOX filler can be expected to spell well, and that goes doubly for hella fans.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 06:38:37 -0800

PURE MISUNDERSTAND!

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 06:44:27 -0800

"Speaking of which, where's my flameout?"

Watch out, LH, Bardic may call you a hypocrite.

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 07:02:18 -0800

Languagehat, when's your birthday? I like you, I might just flameout as a birthday present.

You know I have the tenacity and thorough grasp of tortured logic. I'd be a great flameout.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 07:08:57 -0800

Q: Why does the elephant paint it's toenails different colors?

A: So it can hide in the gumball machine.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 07:41:13 -0800

To be fair, Stacy Keach rocked on that show.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 07:54:32 -0800

Editors? Competition? Digg?!

Must be a clever ruse to coax out the swine for some good old fashioned public immolation.

I now declare myself chief of reactionary affairs. I'm hiring for my mob over ↑ *there*

By: soyjoy

soyjoy — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 07:56:54 -0800

Why does the elephant paint it's toenails different colors?

It doesn't, that sentence was only there to get on LH's nerves due to the obvious misspelling - which, with its increasing use, he knows he will soon have to bless based as a descriptivist victory.

Seriously, I have little opinion on whether Elephant Day should've happened. I only know that it was the spur for my first FPP in nearly a year, and one which I think was actually warranted. I just didn't even think of posting it until I saw the other elephant posts.

One point, though: When I saw multiple elephant posts, what was the first thing I did? Go into the handiest one and start bitching and asking WTF is going on? No, I went to MeTa to see if someone had posted a MeTa thread about it, and lo and behold, they had. Is this so much to ask? I'm not holding myself up as a paragon of How To Behave on Mefi, but Jesus, I'd hope this would at least be the baseline, common-sense thing to do.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 08:10:34 -0800

Whereas I hold myself up as, not a paragon of How To Behave on Mefi, but Jesus.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 08:13:26 -0800

i used to hold myself up all the time, but i kept dropping the gun when i reached for the sky

By: horsewithnoname

horsewithnoname — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 08:21:34 -0800

What's brown and found between elephants' toes?

Slow natives.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 08:40:16 -0800

UbuRoivas writes "Because, naturally, the value of your opinion is proportional to the time you have spent here, not including lurk time before signing up"

No, but when one comes across as a n00b whose posting history is 80% dismissive of others I think a little restraint on the negativity is in order.

By: Skygazer

Skygazer — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 08:43:58 -0800

The Elephant Vanishes.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 08:50:38 -0800

What does an elephant use as a tampon?

Sheep.

What does an elephant use as a vibrator?

Epileptics.

By: soyjoy

soyjoy — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 09:11:19 -0800

I don't need to hold myself up as Jesus, because Jesus holds me up.

Especially when we're walking on the beach. (Man, I hate that hot sand! Thank you, Jesus.)

By: edgeways

edgeways — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 09:25:23 -0800

personally i think it's funny the MeTa has more comments than the entirity of the elephant posts.
Guess I was a few weeks early

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 09:26:13 -0800

"What does an elephant use as a tampon?

Sheep."

Why do elephants have trunks?

Sheep don't have strings.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 09:58:04 -0800

"my sweater came from what? ... EWWWWWW!!"

By: clevershark

clevershark — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 10:37:30 -0800

Why did the elephant laugh when he saw Tarzan?

He couldn't believe Tarzan used that little thing to breathe.

Oddly enough I was on the road last weekend and I only took on White Stripes album with me. Guess which one.

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 10:38:40 -0800

How many elephants can you fit in a VW Bug?

Four. Two in the front, two in the back.

How can you tell if there's an elephant in your fridge?

Footprints in the butter.

How can you tell if there are two elephants in your fridge?

You can hear them talking.

How can you tell if there are three elephants in your fridge?

You can't close the door.

How can you tell if there are four elephants in your fridge?

There's a VW Bug parked next to it.

By: reklaw

reklaw — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 10:51:35 -0800

Now that no-one's really reading this any more, I might as well confess for posterity's that this was mostly my fault. That NY Times Magazine article got double-posted entirely by coincidence, it tickled me, and then thought I'd make a post about elephants myself to add to the effect... and then my old friend Mr. pyramid termite jumped on the bandwagon, and we were off.

I LOVED IT ALL AND I'D DO IT AGAIN. So there. It was incredibly interesting to read so much about elephants -- give Mefites a theme, and they come up with some really cool stuff about it. Especially when the theme is something as great as elephants.

That is all.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 11:01:46 -0800

it was all worth it just to annoy ~~shit-outta-luck~~solid-one-love.

By: solid-one-love

solid-one-love — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 11:03:58 -0800

Wasn't annoyed. Thought it was dumb and said so.

You couldn't annoy me by poking me with a stick, quonsie.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 11:06:24 -0800

I love solid-one-love's "I've added you to my killfile!" tantrums. Hopefully soon, we'll all be in his killfile, and we'll never again have a reason to speak to him.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 11:11:20 -0800

You couldn't annoy me by poking me with a stick, quonsie.

oh, yes he could

By: jonmc

jonmc — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 11:45:22 -0800

I love solid-one-love's "I've added you to my killfile!" tantrums. Hopefully soon, we'll all be in his killfile, and we'll never again have a reason to speak to him.

I figured by now we'd all been added to his killfile and he was talking to himself.

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 12:19:20 -0800

solid-one-love : "You couldn't annoy me by poking me with a stick, quonsie."

Nah, you'd need to post an elephant FPP for that.

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 13:18:38 -0800

Memo to MeFi mahouts:
This thread now shows 314 comments. Shall the howdah join the longboat as a contender for longest thread? Shall someone mark an elcetronic aclendar so that Elephant Day will not be forgotten 10-8-07?

Personally, I think elephants are ok in their place, but I would not want to vote for one.

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 13:20:38 -0800

Of course, you mentally corrected elcetronic to electronic, and aclendar to calendar.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 14:26:21 -0800

i did, cranberry ... but how do i mrak something?

By: jonmc

jonmc — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 15:56:24 -0800

just licck your oumse.

By: oxford blue

oxford blue — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 16:41:27 -0800

WHEREAS metafilter is recogniſed as a leader in its field

ACKNOWLEDGING its implicit right to proclaim all matters pachydermal, expreſſio unis est excluſio alterius, &c. &c.

THENCEFORTH October 8 shall be hence and ergo propter post hoc non ſequiter et cetra, Elephant day, Excepting, Ignorantia juris non excuſat.

ſO DECLARE WE, THE PEOPLE.

By: snsranch

snsranch — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 16:41:57 -0800

318 comments. Is that a record? Oh wait, I forgot 9/11.

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 18:04:23 -0800

just licck your oumse.

COCKIER JOY SLUT MU US.

By: Wolof

Wolof — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 18:29:05 -0800

Q: How do you know when you have an elephant in your bed?

A: He has a big "E" on his pyjamas.

By: Meep! Eek!

Meep! Eek! — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 18:38:55 -0800

loquacious: Awesome. I've been greasemonkey'd..

Where? I want to see this script. What does it do?

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 18:48:46 -0800

                         

                  ___.-~"~-._   __....__

                .'    `    \ ~"~        ``-.

               /` _      )  `\              `\

              /`  a)    /     |               `\

             :`        /      |                 \

        < `-._|` .-. ( / . `;\\br>
         `-. `--'_.'-.;\___/'   .      .       | \\

      _     /:--`     |        /     /        .'  \\

     ("\   /`/        |       '     '         /    :`;

     `\'\_/`/         .\     /`~`=-.:        /     ``

       `._.'          /`\    |      `\      /(

                     /  /\   |        `Y   /  \

               jgs  J  /  Y  |         |  /`\  \

                   /  |   |  |         |  |  |  |

                  "---"  /___|        /___|  /__|

                         '"""         '"""  '"""

from here.

10/8 NEVAR FORGETS

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 18:49:38 -0800

ah, phooey.

shoulda known.

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 18:52:00 -0800

Oh for pete's sake. We've been beaten to it, even if I prefer our stuff.

By: oxford blue

oxford blue — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 19:02:38 -0800

*sticks fingers in ears*

I CAN'T SEE YOU!

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 20:21:40 -0800

snsranch writes "318 comments. Is that a record? Oh wait, I forgot 9/11"

Not even close. mr_crash_davis withdrawing from the scholarship generated 372. The Suicide girls image ad garnered 649 comments and it still had legs, Matt closed early. Which of course just spawned another 137 comments later.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 20:43:51 -0800

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 21:24:48 -0800

That scholarship one is a boatload of funny, I can't believe I never read it before.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 22:28:54 -0800

Not even close. mr_crash_davis withdrawing from the scholarship generated 372. The Suicide girls image ad garnered 649 comments and it still had legs, Matt closed early. Which of course just spawned another 137 comments later.

How could any of you forget the sheer, overwhelming massiveness of 9622v2? I damn near wore the keycaps off two keyboards on that one.

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 00:20:00 -0800

2686 comments on 9622v2. Those were the days and nights and days and nights and days and nights...

By: puddinghead

puddinghead — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 01:35:04 -0800

Just wanted in. Thanks!

By: If I Had An Anus

If I Had An Anus — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 05:51:22 -0800

What's going on here?

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 06:00:44 -0800

Ain't nothin' Goin' On But The Rent.

By: Rhomboid

Rhomboid — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 06:42:21 -0800

By: loquacious

loquacious — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 06:53:33 -0800

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH IT'S GOING TO FALL THROUGH AND CRUSH ME AND MY JUNK

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 06:56:28 -0800

Thatr's the famous elephant gate at the Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen.

Better Nate than lever: thanks, ericb.

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 07:30:48 -0800

The creepy thing about ceiling elephant is that he only watches you masturbate once, and then he never forgets it.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 07:34:35 -0800

Well, I should hope not. My masturbation rituals startle even Alistair Crowley.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 08:11:09 -0800

after mating, the elephant climbs the surrounding trees to test them for sturdiness and roominess

once the tree is selected, she begins work on the nest ... the male never helps with this task, due to weight restrictions

when all is ready, one egg is laid and is brooded over by the lady elephant, who will sit in the tree for 32 days until her offspring is hatched ... her mate will feed her by handing off peanuts with his trunk

By: dios

dios — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 08:18:25 -0800

I'm just catching up on my Mefi reading for the past few days, and I got to say that I'm with the side which says that behavior was lame and is a net negative for the site.

If I had been reading the site then, I probably would have thrown together a post about lemmings or the psychological need to be a part of a group manifesting itself in conformity and increasing insularity or maybe a post about how quickly jokes die.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 08:35:31 -0800

how quickly jokes die.

so help me, I originally read this as 'how quickly Quincy Jones died," and had a moment of panic.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 08:38:39 -0800

he didn't die, he just faded into the landscape

By: If I Had An Anus

If I Had An Anus — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 08:52:29 -0800

I probably would have thrown together a post about...

Reactionary posts suck.

By: dios

dios — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 08:55:44 -0800

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 09:18:58 -0800

I would have made the Best. Post. Evar! The others would have been ashamed of their collective tomfoolery, and realized how detrimental it is to the spirit of COMMUNITY when people spontaneously play together once in a while. They would have stopped immediately and got back to linking, and spidering, and cataloguing the best of the web, in completely random order. I would have been a God.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 09:31:18 -0800

Well, unlike most of the elephant posts, any post I would have made would have had independent worth and fit the Metafilter criteria. That it would have reflected on the other posts would only go to its timeliness and relevancy.

Please just shut up about how awesome your post would be and just post something - cause you do make good posts.

No sense in just talking about it, though.

By: Rhomboid

Rhomboid — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 09:32:03 -0800

I always catalogue before spidering. And linking is reserved for the end of the day, when I relax in my smoking jacket with a glass of brandy.

Except on tuesdays, wherein spidering always comes first.

By: soyjoy

soyjoy — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 10:22:41 -0800

I probably would have thrown together a post about lemmings

Copycat.

By: orthogonality

orthogonality — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 10:25:01 -0800

loquacious writes "I've never had a problem with getting laid. Heck, I've even picked up an extremely cute (and dangerously adventurous) girl with the line 'Nice disks. Wanna fsck?'"

A Catmaiden? (I keed, I keed!)

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 10:45:12 -0800

I probably would have thrown together a post about lemmings

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 13:17:32 -0800

No, no Jumbo! Don't do it. You have so much to live for. Consider your magnificent trunk and ears; don't just dwell on your stunted left tusk.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 14:53:16 -0800

why is it that sad-looking animals are always perceived to be smarter? (that multiple above is heart-breaking)

By: It's Raining Florence Henderson

It's Raining Florence Henderson — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 14:56:10 -0800

Depression is hawt.

By: dersins

dersins — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 15:29:15 -0800

Depression is hawt.

It's how I get all the ladies.

Oh, wait.

By: oxford blue

oxford blue — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 16:55:25 -0800

Those photos confuse!

By: taosbat

taosbat — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 17:57:35 -0800

Doctor Touts Vasectomies for Elephants

By: oxford blue

oxford blue — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 18:31:01 -0800

I don't think this Dr Touts-Vasectomies-for-Elephants is as reputable as you think, dear taosbat.

By: taosbat

taosbat — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 18:45:03 -0800

reputable?

By: oxford blue

oxford blue — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 18:56:51 -0800

Well in answering your question I'd like to mention this comment by our dear friend Samuel Johnson "Nothing odd will do long". It really makes you think.

By: If I Had An Anus

If I Had An Anus — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:17:19 -0800

Actually, the great thing about being elephant is they can never make you think.

By: taosbat

taosbat — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:25:01 -0800

Oh, cucumbers!

By: oxford blue

oxford blue — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:39:24 -0800

Elephants can make you fall in love though.

By: maryh

maryh — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 21:46:34 -0800

*tusk, tusk*