AskMe 'really useful'

June 12, 2007 6:29 PM

Something called www.ask.metafilter.com has made the Independent's list of 101 really useful websites. Just so you know.
posted by pompomtom to MetaFilter-Related at 6:29 PM (33 comments total)

Of course www.ask.metafilter.com isn't going to get you there (as the link on the site proves.)
posted by eyeballkid at 6:36 PM on June 12, 2007

Current topics awaiting advice include what to do when a Mac shows the "blue screen of death", what financial aid is available to students and why cats follow you into the bathroom.

Great, more dumb cat questions on the way...
posted by languagehat at 6:38 PM on June 12, 2007

Could someone please link to a Mac BSOD?
posted by odinsdream at 6:40 PM on June 12, 2007

Where do you send an email to get them to fix the error? It's a nice gesture and all, but geez, if you don't get the URL right, what's the point?
posted by mediareport at 6:41 PM on June 12, 2007

Shhh, if they fix it more people will show up there. At least this way only the semi-intelligent ones will make it.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:46 PM on June 12, 2007

IM in UR AsKmE, MESSING up UR LYNX
posted by misha at 6:49 PM on June 12, 2007

Where do you send an email to get them to fix the error? It's a nice gesture and all, but geez, if you don't get the URL right, what's the point?

Sounds like a question for www.ask.metafilter.com?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 6:57 PM on June 12, 2007 [3 favorites]

I can't tell you how much I hate the phrase "hive mind". My girlfriend dumped me! Help me, hive mind! This is the first image hit at google. Come on, people.
posted by phaedon at 7:02 PM on June 12, 2007

I want one of those sculptures for my front yard.
posted by 517 at 7:10 PM on June 12, 2007

I picked the most likely email from the Independent Contact Us page, that being the online edition's editor Martin King.

I can't tell you how much I hate the phrase "hive mind".
I always liked the sound of "Querying the bird brain."
posted by carsonb at 7:13 PM on June 12, 2007

I can't tell you how much I hate clueless clients who call up incensed because they slapped an uncalled-for "www" in front of the actual URL of their test sites, and got an error page. Then, when you tell them to drop the "www", they're all like "WHAT??? you can have URL without 'www'?"
posted by signal at 7:53 PM on June 12, 2007

I just setup www.ask.metafilter.com to point to the proper site, so it'll work now.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 8:10 PM on June 12, 2007

This is the Independent singled out by Our Dear Leader Tony Blair as an enemy of the state, so we must keep this recommendation quiet. from the authorities.
posted by Abiezer at 8:19 PM on June 12, 2007

>I just setup

Now they'll NEVER learn...
posted by pompomtom at 8:22 PM on June 12, 2007

I can't tell you how much I hate the phrase "hive mind". My girlfriend dumped me! Help me, hive mind! This is the first image hit at google. Come on, people.
posted by phaedon

Well heck, then ask Matt to take it off the top of every AskMe page.
posted by The Deej at 8:22 PM on June 12, 2007

Shhh, if they fix it more people will show up there. At least this way only the semi-intelligent ones will make it.
posted by mr_crash_davis

Ha! I musta come in the side door!

And how do you explain your Fark presence, MCD????

Um, so I have heard. Not that I have seen you there. While browsing under my handle of Fuzzy Skinner. Not at all.
posted by The Deej at 8:25 PM on June 12, 2007

Well heck, then ask Matt to take it off the top of every AskMe page.

Well heck, can you believe I never noticed. Anyway, I'm not that into the whole mental picture of me floating in a tub of white mucous waiting to solve people's problems, so maybe I'll drop it altogether. (By the way, the answer to dealing with a homeless guy peeing on your porch is to kick his ass, no matter how many times you delete it!)
posted by phaedon at 8:28 PM on June 12, 2007

Well heck, can you believe I never noticed.

I can believe it; you're not the only one who's been caught by that trap. It is one of the wonderful little ironies of the site, though.

And how do you explain your Fark presence, MCD????

He gives the place a certain respectability. He's the Inara of Fark.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:34 PM on June 12, 2007 [3 favorites]

Fark is like the MeFi Bizarro World. And MCD straddles both worlds. Thank God he wears underwear.

Well heck, can you believe I never noticed.

I figured you didn't. As Cortex said, you are not the first. Leave it to MeFi to encourage irritating behavior by the posters.

I agree with you though. It. Sets. My. Teeth. Absolutely. On. Edge! It's almost as annoying as people who Write. One. Word. Sentences. For. Effect.
posted by The Deej at 8:44 PM on June 12, 2007

"Shhh, if they fix it more people will show up there. At least this way only the semi-intelligent ones will make it.
posted by mr_crash_davis

Ha! I musta come in the side door!

And how do you explain your Fark presence, MCD????"

Fark is full of semi-intelligentsia.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:15 PM on June 12, 2007

Not to get all literal, but I propose the following logo change.
posted by phaedon at 9:15 PM on June 12, 2007

no one requested it [lately], but I always wanted to do random images on the main page [again]. for AskMe too!
posted by carsonb at 9:23 PM on June 12, 2007

I just setup www.ask.metafilter.com to point to the proper site, so it'll work now.

Can you do ww.ask.metafilter.com as well? Sometimes I fumble when I try to type it all out. www.ask.metafilter.copm would be awesome as well.

Oh, heck, just have Microsoft preinstall the icon on everyone's desktop by default.

actually in the middle of a project moving 75+ domains from one GSM to another, and half of 'em are just www. variants; makes me want to shake a stick. Grr.
posted by davejay at 10:11 PM on June 12, 2007

no one requested it [lately], but I always wanted to do random images on the main page [again].

I miss those! Can they be brought back? Maybe only for logged in members if it's a usability issue? Please pretty please?
posted by Kattullus at 10:26 PM on June 12, 2007

Sometimes I fumble when I try to type it all out. www.ask.metafilter.copm would be awesome as well.

Heh. I can't tell you how many times I've visited General Motors' website trying to check my email.
posted by phaedon at 10:28 PM on June 12, 2007

I haven't been able to answer questions at AskMe since my mind hives healed.
posted by wendell at 10:37 PM on June 12, 2007 [1 favorite]

My girlfriend dumped me! Help me, hive mind! This is the first image hit at google.

Oh come now. You've just been dumped. You don't feel like calling on the assistance of a ravenous alien killing machine? Not even for a moment?
posted by dreamsign at 1:38 AM on June 13, 2007

Heh. I can't tell you how many times I've visited General Motors' website trying to check my email.
posted by phaedon

HA! Yep, and even better, gm.com is now one of my autofill options!
posted by The Deej at 4:56 AM on June 13, 2007

The Deej: "HA! Yep, and even better, gm.com is now one of my autofill options!"

If you're using Firefox, type "gm", use the arrow keys to highlight the autofill choice, and hit Shift-Delete.
posted by Plutor at 6:01 AM on June 13, 2007 [5 favorites]

Yay!
Thanks Plutor. :)
posted by The Deej at 6:25 AM on June 13, 2007

And in other news, MetaFilter gets namechecked 8 times by the likes of the Yorkshire Post, the Washington Post, Wired, Chicago Tribune and Bahrain's Gulf Weekly according to Google News. But, stop the presses ! Fark gets a mention in 65 hits. Once again, Fark is underwhelmed.
posted by y2karl at 6:42 AM on June 13, 2007

Just for the record, y2karl, Drew "The Biggest Farker" Curtis is out promoting a book with the same name as the website. That certainly will hype its press mentions, which, since the book is about dumb things the Establishment Media does, like responding to obvious hype, is way too Ironic for the Fark Ironic tag.
posted by wendell at 4:04 PM on June 13, 2007

I'm so proud. We're all very useful engines!
posted by mds35 at 8:19 AM on June 15, 2007