I don't think Lucy's question should have been deleted December 11, 2006 7:12 PM Subscribe
After much careful consideration, I don't think Lucy's question should have been deleted.
You know, I was really on the fence about that question. It got flagged a ton, was clearly hypothetical, but also had some science behind it and possible answers based on that science. On the other hand, every time I checked the thread it seemed to be getting filled up with noise. And just because something "could happen" doesn't mean we need to suffer a bunch of what if questions about it. Please see: pigs fly, monkeys fly out of my butt, &c.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:15 PM on December 11, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:15 PM on December 11, 2006 [1 favorite]
Well, I just want you to know I'll be thinkin of you when the Earth suddenly grinds to a screaching halt.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 7:18 PM on December 11, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by Baby_Balrog at 7:18 PM on December 11, 2006 [1 favorite]
"After much careful consideration, I don't think Lucy's question should have been deleted."
Get her to quit pulling the football away when Matt tries to kick it.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 7:25 PM on December 11, 2006 [1 favorite]
Get her to quit pulling the football away when Matt tries to kick it.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 7:25 PM on December 11, 2006 [1 favorite]
Are you saying monkeys flying out of butts is a hypothetical? Because now I have nowhere to turn for help.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 7:32 PM on December 11, 2006
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 7:32 PM on December 11, 2006
Kraftmatic, you can get a cream for that, ask at your local pharmacy.
posted by Jimbob at 7:34 PM on December 11, 2006
posted by Jimbob at 7:34 PM on December 11, 2006
*earth screeches, halts*
"...iiii love you jessamyyyyyyyyyynnnn—[SPLAT]"
posted by cortex at 7:38 PM on December 11, 2006
"...iiii love you jessamyyyyyyyyyynnnn—[SPLAT]"
posted by cortex at 7:38 PM on December 11, 2006
Given the open-ended nature of the question, I do not think my answer:
You'd still be down in the barrio
Hearing my music on your radio
qualifies as noise.
And I'd just like to add that if the world stopped turning, and if the stars fell from the sky, if the sun refused to shine, my love for Lucy would still be strong.
Even if she continues to post easily googleable hypothetical chatfilter questions.
posted by Meatbomb at 7:41 PM on December 11, 2006
You'd still be down in the barrio
Hearing my music on your radio
qualifies as noise.
And I'd just like to add that if the world stopped turning, and if the stars fell from the sky, if the sun refused to shine, my love for Lucy would still be strong.
Even if she continues to post easily googleable hypothetical chatfilter questions.
posted by Meatbomb at 7:41 PM on December 11, 2006
if the world stopped turning
the hourglass of time would suck the sand from our vaginas.
posted by quonsar at 7:54 PM on December 11, 2006
the hourglass of time would suck the sand from our vaginas.
posted by quonsar at 7:54 PM on December 11, 2006
Dammit, her name is LUCIE. Some of us have the name Lucy and don't want to think this shoutout is about them.
posted by piratebowling at 8:15 PM on December 11, 2006
posted by piratebowling at 8:15 PM on December 11, 2006
Are you saying monkeys flying out of butts is a hypothetical?
Actually, I think Jessamyn is saying it "could happen". Do we get photos?
posted by shelleycat at 8:17 PM on December 11, 2006
Actually, I think Jessamyn is saying it "could happen". Do we get photos?
posted by shelleycat at 8:17 PM on December 11, 2006
It got flagged a ton, was clearly hypothetical, but also had some science behind it and possible answers based on that science.
Please reconsider the ban on hypotheticals. It's an imprecise filter for what you guys seem to actually be trying to discourage, which is questions that don't have an answer.
posted by gsteff at 8:47 PM on December 11, 2006 [1 favorite]
Please reconsider the ban on hypotheticals. It's an imprecise filter for what you guys seem to actually be trying to discourage, which is questions that don't have an answer.
posted by gsteff at 8:47 PM on December 11, 2006 [1 favorite]
Yeah, like what if Hitler hadn't been born. That has plenty of answers...
posted by bob sarabia at 9:01 PM on December 11, 2006
posted by bob sarabia at 9:01 PM on December 11, 2006
There's a difference between hypothetical and open-ended chatfilter. There are both right and wrong answers to her question. But the policy here is "no hypotheticals," so that's what happens.
posted by knave at 9:08 PM on December 11, 2006
posted by knave at 9:08 PM on December 11, 2006
I maintain that the ABSOLUTE BEST questions ever asked on this site are hypotheticals.
Disposing of bodies
Fighting 5 year olds
Zombie Muscles
etc.
posted by blue_beetle at 9:13 PM on December 11, 2006
posted by blue_beetle at 9:13 PM on December 11, 2006
I love you Jessamyn. You don't get enough thanks when things go right. It's kinda like an umpire at a baseball game -- nobody notices him when the game goes well.
But ... bad call, Jessamyn. Otherwise, all the other fun hard-science-sci-fi questions would be axed, too, including one of mine.
posted by frogan at 9:34 PM on December 11, 2006
But ... bad call, Jessamyn. Otherwise, all the other fun hard-science-sci-fi questions would be axed, too, including one of mine.
posted by frogan at 9:34 PM on December 11, 2006
Holy shit that's a sweet question, frogan.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 9:40 PM on December 11, 2006
posted by Baby_Balrog at 9:40 PM on December 11, 2006
I love you Jessamyn.... bad call, Jessamyn.
This one was mathowie's call actually, but only because I was at work. There's a fuzzy line between hypotheticals that can have applications of real world math and science applied to them and ones that can't. The real trick is making the more serious fact-based hypotheticals not turn into randy noise parties either because people don't think the question is going to stand, or because some of the people feel compelled to answer a question they don't really know anything about (you know who you are).
I'm not sure if summing it up with "no 'what if' questions" is a better way to put it, but the end goal is to not have everyone using AskMe to bounce their own possible world scenario off of, since the answers to those types of questions rarely benefit other people and are often full of idle speculation.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:41 PM on December 11, 2006
This one was mathowie's call actually, but only because I was at work. There's a fuzzy line between hypotheticals that can have applications of real world math and science applied to them and ones that can't. The real trick is making the more serious fact-based hypotheticals not turn into randy noise parties either because people don't think the question is going to stand, or because some of the people feel compelled to answer a question they don't really know anything about (you know who you are).
I'm not sure if summing it up with "no 'what if' questions" is a better way to put it, but the end goal is to not have everyone using AskMe to bounce their own possible world scenario off of, since the answers to those types of questions rarely benefit other people and are often full of idle speculation.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:41 PM on December 11, 2006
Good call in my opinion. When someone poses a question like that my head fills with a thousand questions about how this sudden cessation of rotation is supposed to occur, most of the effects of which probably aren't what the questioner was after anyway.
I would suggest the question be rephrased as:
'What everyday things depend on the rotation of the Earth?'
which might make it a whole lot less hypothetical and a whole lot more answerable too.
posted by edd at 9:46 PM on December 11, 2006
I would suggest the question be rephrased as:
'What everyday things depend on the rotation of the Earth?'
which might make it a whole lot less hypothetical and a whole lot more answerable too.
posted by edd at 9:46 PM on December 11, 2006
I consider myself a top-notch theosophist, and take offense to your implication of pseudoscientificality.
earth stoppage killed dinos
posted by Baby_Balrog at 9:47 PM on December 11, 2006
earth stoppage killed dinos
posted by Baby_Balrog at 9:47 PM on December 11, 2006
Some of us have the name Lucy and don't want to think this shoutout is about them.
You're so vaaaain... I bet you think this thread is about you
Don't you
Don't you...
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:03 PM on December 11, 2006
You're so vaaaain... I bet you think this thread is about you
Don't you
Don't you...
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:03 PM on December 11, 2006
We was doin valuable scientificatin in there...
Oh please, must we endure such poor grammar? Don't you know by now the correct phrasing is:
"We was doin valuable sciencing in there..."
posted by The Deej at 10:07 PM on December 11, 2006
Oh please, must we endure such poor grammar? Don't you know by now the correct phrasing is:
"We was doin valuable sciencing in there..."
posted by The Deej at 10:07 PM on December 11, 2006
tellyouwut:
that question should be deleted because it was asked entirely because of a misrememberance of the relationship between gravity and the rotation of the earth. gravity is what keeps us from flying off the earth from the centrifugal force of the spinning planet, not the other way around.
posted by shmegegge at 10:12 PM on December 11, 2006
that question should be deleted because it was asked entirely because of a misrememberance of the relationship between gravity and the rotation of the earth. gravity is what keeps us from flying off the earth from the centrifugal force of the spinning planet, not the other way around.
posted by shmegegge at 10:12 PM on December 11, 2006
Good thing that "name my fish" thread survived.
posted by The God Complex at 1:40 AM on December 12, 2006
posted by The God Complex at 1:40 AM on December 12, 2006
Yeah, I'm pretty tolerant of AskMe questions in general, but I really really hate the "name my pet" ones. Open the dictionary at random and pick a name, or ask a bum on the street, ferchrissake.
posted by languagehat at 5:18 AM on December 12, 2006
posted by languagehat at 5:18 AM on December 12, 2006
I have a follow-up question about how people sleep when their beds are burning.
posted by GuyZero at 6:42 AM on December 12, 2006
posted by GuyZero at 6:42 AM on December 12, 2006
There's a fuzzy line between hypotheticals that can have applications of real world math and science applied to them and ones that can't.
Perhaps so, but this question was about twenty miles on the "real world math and science can be applied" side of that fuzzy line. The FAQ as currently written doesn't ban all hypotheticals, just "open ended unanswerable hypotheticals." This was a hypothetical, but neither open-ended nor unanswerable. If you're going to disallow all hypotheticals (and I don't think you should) at least revise the FAQ to note that. Don't cite the FAQ in your deletion reason when the FAQ doesn't support the deletion!
As far as how possible it is, it's orders of magnitude more possible than a cubic world.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:55 AM on December 12, 2006
Perhaps so, but this question was about twenty miles on the "real world math and science can be applied" side of that fuzzy line. The FAQ as currently written doesn't ban all hypotheticals, just "open ended unanswerable hypotheticals." This was a hypothetical, but neither open-ended nor unanswerable. If you're going to disallow all hypotheticals (and I don't think you should) at least revise the FAQ to note that. Don't cite the FAQ in your deletion reason when the FAQ doesn't support the deletion!
As far as how possible it is, it's orders of magnitude more possible than a cubic world.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:55 AM on December 12, 2006
"I have a follow-up question about how people sleep when their beds are burning."
Give it back.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:59 AM on December 12, 2006 [1 favorite]
Give it back.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:59 AM on December 12, 2006 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I'm pretty tolerant of AskMe questions in general, but I really really hate the "name my pet" ones. Open the dictionary at random and pick a name, or ask a bum on the street, ferchrissake.
Or better yet, get a bum for a pet. Chances are they already have a name.
posted by oneirodynia at 8:59 AM on December 12, 2006
Or better yet, get a bum for a pet. Chances are they already have a name.
posted by oneirodynia at 8:59 AM on December 12, 2006
blue_beetle writes "I maintain that the ABSOLUTE BEST questions ever asked on this site are hypotheticals.
"Disposing of bodies "
What makes you think that's hypothetical?
posted by Mitheral at 12:10 PM on December 12, 2006
"
What makes you think that's hypothetical?
posted by Mitheral at 12:10 PM on December 12, 2006
They should have phrased the thread with specific reference to the Superman movie where he flies around the world until it stops and ultimately reverses itself (and time). Then it would have been kosher.
posted by The God Complex at 12:59 PM on December 12, 2006
posted by The God Complex at 12:59 PM on December 12, 2006
This deletion bothered me. The call should be made when the answers are hypothetical, rather than the question. All kinds of hypothetical questions have extremely entertaining, informative, and precise answers. Science is based on hypothetical questions. "What would it be like if we could fly?" On the other hand, you can have an extremely precise question, like "What should I do with a moldy toenail clipping that I found in the bottom of my fridge?" that will elicit nothing but jokey chat.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:52 AM on December 13, 2006
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:52 AM on December 13, 2006
I wish I hadn't totally forgotten about the existence of MetaTalk until today. Hmm. Well, if it helps, I think I phrased my question poorly. I really meant to ask something along the lines of: "What effect, if any, does the rotation of the earth have on what we experience as gravity?"
It might not be the most practical question, but I think it's a reasonably interesting one and seemed to get people interested - and, as others here mentioned, it pretty much cr@pped all over the 'name my pet' questions increasingly prevalent on MeFi!
And I'll definitely think of this thread if I fall off the planet ... and the next time I get 'sandy' at the beach...
posted by Lucie at 12:36 AM on December 16, 2006
It might not be the most practical question, but I think it's a reasonably interesting one and seemed to get people interested - and, as others here mentioned, it pretty much cr@pped all over the 'name my pet' questions increasingly prevalent on MeFi!
And I'll definitely think of this thread if I fall off the planet ... and the next time I get 'sandy' at the beach...
posted by Lucie at 12:36 AM on December 16, 2006
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
Also, it could happen, so it's not hypothetical chat filter.
It's called being prepared.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 7:13 PM on December 11, 2006