Comments on: It was the best of MeFi. It was the worst of MeFi.

It was the best of MeFi. It was the worst of MeFi.

amyms — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:10:52 -0800

If you were showing the MetaFilter Universe (including the main page, Ask, Talk, Projects, Music, everything) to someone for the first time, what threads would you choose as examples of MeFi at its best and at its worst?

By: Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America

Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:15:11 -0800

I would pick this thread as the worst, and my comments activity page as the best.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:32:24 -0800

I thought the Alain Robbe-Grillet wrote a dirty book nobody's read thread was of an impressively high quality considering the subject matter.

By: Bernt Pancreas

Bernt Pancreas — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:58:32 -0800

If MetaFilter is a Universe, is the img tag our Alderaan?

By: theiconoclast31

theiconoclast31 — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:03:25 -0800

I always thought MetaFilter to be the only community capable of doing the limerick thread so well.

By: null terminated

null terminated — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:09:04 -0800

I sent this to someone I had invited to the site:

Interesting Posts

The Blue
- The Codex Seraphinianus
- The 9/11 Thread. It unfolds live and is something I reread every sept. 11th
- Long Best-Of List

Infamous threads
- The Mushroom Thread
- The 09 HDDVD key
- You're in an arena attacked by 5-year-olds intent on killing you. How many can you take?

The Green
- What single book is the best introduction to your field for laypeople?
- What's the appeal of Steve Wozniak (answered by...Steve Wozniak)
- What sign should I put over my cat who sits in my window all day?
- My 6-year-old daughter sees ghosts. What to do?
- (Holiday Themed) Jingle Rock Bell . An addictive variation on a theme
- Suppose you killed somebody and a particularly intricate response
- An amazing answer.
- What's the most important thing your father ever taught you?
- What should I learn next? What should I know?

By: puke & cry

puke & cry — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:25:11 -0800

Best: my penis. Worse: my penis.

By: taz

taz — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 02:08:13 -0800

I'm leaving the house now, but I can say that one of the worst in recent memory was definitely the boobs metatalk post. I had nightmares from that post while it was happening, and not only have I never had a mefi-based nightmare, I rarely have nightmares at all.

We lost some great people there, and I'm bitter.

On the positive side, one Metafilter post that completely fascinated me was the BPD thread, with a lot of very heartfelt member contributions, and a shocking (and heartening) lack of derailing and inane jokes, though at least one person tried to scramble that way. Nobody paid attention though, which was beautiful. (See? it can be done.)

Also, puke & cry's penis. It's what I usually send my friends who are thinking of joining.

By: modernnomad

modernnomad — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 03:33:54 -0800

i recommend the mefi universe to a lot of people, but i don't show them any threads in particular. the beauty of the site is that the breadth of content means there is something interesting for almost everyone. i'm quite sure the questions that i find interesting on askme or the posts i find interesting on mefi are reflective of my own subjective preferences, rather than some sort of objective criterion of "goodness" shared by all.

By: juv3nal

juv3nal — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:19:45 -0800

This or maybe this.

By: Dave Faris

Dave Faris — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 05:12:43 -0800

I don't recommend the mefi universe to my friends. Friends don't let friends join Metafilter.

By: dash_slot-

dash_slot- — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 05:43:32 -0800

If they have a sense of humour...scaracic's scarily thoughtful disposal method in the 'Suppose you killed somebody' thread stands out.

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 06:07:35 -0800

I wouldn't. Though I like dragging my friends to meetups, I would hate to have them actually start using the site and become more popular than I am.

By: localhuman

localhuman — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 06:42:28 -0800

Recommending metafilter to others is hard. It assumes they will put in the work that enjoying metafilter requires. Though it may be easy for many here to scan a list of FPP's, choose one, scan a list of comments, and find enjoyment... this isn't an innate skill, it's learned.

To appreciate metafilter is no easy task. I am happy that my good friends have taken to reading it on ocassion, so that I'm not completetly out of context when talking about it. But its really hard to get someone hooked enough to read, follow, and appreciate the best and worst of metafilter, as it will always require an investment of some sort.

But in terms of best and worst, I would suggest the givewell ruckus. If a person can get through that and enjoy it, they'll definetly have fun here.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 06:51:13 -0800

If I was trying to ease someone into the blue, I'd point them to a collection of posts that link to amazing art or history - preferably posts that got very few comments aside from "Awesome!"

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 06:55:54 -0800

Okay, that cat signs AskMe was the funniest thing I've read in months. alpenglow should update her Flickr stream, there are so many great suggestions there. Thanks null terminated.

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 07:26:56 -0800

Honestly? Really, for-real honestly?

I'd tell them to randomly surf around the Green and the Blue. Chances are they'll find something they'll like. However, I'd tell them to avoid the Grey at all costs.

Seriously. If Metatalk existed without the other MeFi sites for context, it would be one of the worst sites on the internet. Rarely has a website made so many people so angry for so little reason.

By: anotherpanacea

anotherpanacea — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 07:37:25 -0800

It seems like this is a place whose history is less important than its present. Knowing that once upon a time there was a catscan post or a body disposal answer is cool, but if someone's going to fall in love with metafilter they're going to start reading it at the top and make it to the bottom of the page and want to know what happens next, not start reading in 2003 and make their way forward. It's a blog: new stuff goes on top. I love the tradition and history as much as anyone here, but I only revisit the site because I, and others with better internet research abilities, get to build on top of the ruins of Givewell, the misogyny fracas, img-tag-gate, dios callouts, hand-severing flameouts, and posts about expensive chocolate that could win the Pulitzer.

By: micayetoca

micayetoca — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 08:14:30 -0800

From music, I would recommend (in no particular order):

01) chococat's Miss Me In The Morning
02) barmaljova's If I Had Wings [In Yiddish]
03) Wolfdog's Suddenpolka
04) Baby_Balrog's Angeline
05) The Great Big Mulp's Flyball's Lament
06) miss lynnster's Love Me Or Leave Me
07) buriednexttoyou's Arboretum
08) ajp's Longing For Summer
09) ludwig_van's Julia
10) The Great Big Mulp's 4 ewe
11) melissa may's Hazy Heat
12) edlundart's in memories
13) snsranch's Blessed Every Day
14) goodnewsfortheinsane ITEOTFWAWKAIFF [feat. 16 other Mefites]
15) cortex's At The Open Mic

That could give anyone a good idea of just how varied it is. But of course there are many, many great songs there that I didn't put in the list, hope no one is offended, the list is not a best of, by any means, just a quick list trying to give a newcomer a taste of the many things that can be found there.

By: Phire

Phire — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 10:39:00 -0800

The Mr. Rogers Obit thread is a good jumping off point I think, were I ever to actively encourage friends to visit MeFi (which I don't because it's MINE hiss MINE y'hear?? ...). It's a topic that most people I know can appreciate - if you've grown up in North America, you know about Mr. Rogers. Hell, I didn't move here till I was past Mr.-Rogers-Age and I still know about Mr. Rogers. The thread itself was full of well written comments and it had a real community feel to it, much like the 911 thread and the Life altering experiences thread.

But alas, I am selfish.

By: msconduct

msconduct — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 11:11:51 -0800

anything but a (single) youtube link.

By: meehawl

meehawl — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:45:08 -0800

Some of my Metafilter bookmarks:
Anglo Women are an endangered species!

Past life as a Samurai.

I am a Mutant with an enlarged brain, and a device implanted into my head but its very sensitive to electromagnetic fields.. please help me avoid them
Phones are bugged
Need Resources on Mind Energy Changing DNA

Bus boyfriends
No longer rockin' the suburbs

I shit a worm

Vegas Threesome

I've invented a complete imaginary world. Am I insane?
The Lifecycle of the Imaginary

How to shoot a lot of sperm?

Could a typical young man, armed only with a knife, (say, six or eight inches long) be trained to consistently "win" fights with a grizzly bear?

Tommorow is your lucky day, punk ass piece of shit

Now I Know How Simone Warne Must Have Felt

Do I have a classic case of "More-ism?"

Metafilter: you fucking pissants have pulled this shit more than once.

How do I administer some mammal love?

Panty stealer!

Poo

Lawyer Harassment

I sit adjacent to a nice woman at work. I get bad thoughts.

How do I screw my neighbor?

I just got fired today for reading this thread.

What's it like to feel loved?

Bisexuality and the law?

MetaFilter is now neither meta nor a filter.

A link to NAMBLA is just wrong
Growing Up Sexually

What more could I do to stop going crazy?

How does a Protestant minister handle a confession of murder?

Help me become a professional shop lifter

Can I fix my own furnace?

Steal a dog to save a dog, but hurt a man in the process

Why can't the executives at my job spell?

End of youth?
Life-altering experiences

What to do when your s-o doesn't come through in a pinch

Trials of a Responsible Hedonist
Girl Crazy
Fell in love with a prostitute. Lasted 3 years; ended badly. How to get over it?

is an ebay fraud seller free?

I bet my right hand against quonsar's lies

I had no idea how militantly ignorant reklaw was

Calling them like I see them

If you don't know the answer, don't answer the question

Is my mom's behavior towards my little brother inappropriate?

By: francesca too

francesca too — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:56:22 -0800

Nullterminated: thanks for the mushroom thread.

By: kittens for breakfast

kittens for breakfast — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:07:06 -0800

Disappointingly, "How do I screw my neighbor?" is not about what I thought it was at all.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:27:21 -0800

The thread about the Bali bombing, in which I discovered that my friend Rick had been (it turned out, fatally) injured, and the thread posted after he died changed a lot of my thinking about community on the web (for the better), and made it certain that much as I get frustrated sometimes, I don't think I'll ever want to leave Metafilter. The site itself and a lot of people here are very close to my heart.

By: ibmcginty

ibmcginty — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 18:13:57 -0800

It's extremely non-profound, but I really enjoyed this thread about the world's tallest man saving a dolphin. Light and funny.

My favorite pile-on was this one, where the original poster manages to take a few sympathetic souls and turn them against himself.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:24:50 -0800

This is the new.

MySpace page Their songs are pretty catchy, and the video on their myspace page is hilarious.

By: Joseph Gurl

Joseph Gurl — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:29:51 -0800

THE WORST.

Including such gems as "I'm driving by Brail [sic]," "I'm off like a prom dress," and "have a nice trip, see you next fall!"

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:36:49 -0800

shit, stavros, that's heartbreaking. i read a bit of the bali thread & had to close the browser. not the kind of thing to be reading in an office environment.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:32:35 -0800

I'm with you there Joseph. There's a reality distortion field in that thread that may eclipse the sun. No, they aren't clever or witty, they're stupid.

By: flatluigi

flatluigi — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:38:59 -0800

This is a good example of mefites left to their own devices. Well, so is this, but in a different way.

If you want to go the other way and completely alienate them, try this.

By: flatluigi

flatluigi — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:06:10 -0800

Also, meehawl: I need to start reading AskMe. Great links.

By: hadjiboy

hadjiboy — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:35:07 -0800

Don't know if this has been mentioned yet.

By: teraflop

teraflop — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:51:55 -0800

Regarding this AskMe linked above: it looks like nobody ever actually tracked down a copy the poem in question, so here it is (page 7).

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:58:14 -0800

One needs to be logged into IEEE Xplore to access that, teraflop. Care to post the poem here?

By: teraflop

teraflop — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:39:14 -0800

Sure — I doubt the author would object.

“The Skull, the Dream, and the Dancer”

In the land of dreams, skull-bound, I am an eye only:
voiceless to call out or speak, a wanderer,
Without ears to hear music, without breath for weeping,
unsleeping, without solace, without even madness.

In the land of dreams, skull-bordered, a dancer dances
across a gulf from which music rises (I cannot hear it).
In the manner of dreams the abyss is as narrow as harpstrings
but too wide to reach over; and besides, I am handless.
An eye only, watching a dancer dancing
to music she only can hear.
Dearer to me than any music: closer than thought,
yet not to be touched. A dancer’s dancing,
to the deaf, is a mystery.
It is the way of beauty, to be beautiful.

In the land of dreams, skull-shadowed, I am an eye.
Footless to dance to anyone’s music, deaf and alone,
but after all: I have an eye, watchful wanderer,
under the ridge of my bony brow.

In the land of dreams, skull-deep, I can see.
May you be spared the fulfillment of dreams.

Despite all this: in the land of dreams a dancer is dancing
and fairer is the dance than any seen waking.
It is something, after all, to see beauty,
to touch dreams, even to lose them, to be at least an eye
in the land of dreams, in the skull’s hollow.
It is something to know that the music is there.
by Bradley W. Schenck

By: Rumple

Rumple — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 01:26:40 -0800

teraflop - that's awesome. I remember that thread from way back - I think it was right after registration opened and Miss Smartie Pants was a new member and I think it was referred to several times as showing the new sign-ups were not entirely useless.

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 04:37:25 -0800

Ugh, that "Situational Comments" thread.

X  XX  X XX    X  X  X   X X  X  X   X
 X X  X        X  XX    X  X  X   X X 
   X              X        X  X     XX

By: patricio

patricio — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 06:43:39 -0800

This post about McDonalds UK answering questions from the public is somehow one of the funniest things I have ever read online.

By: misha

misha — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 07:01:24 -0800

patricio, thanks for reminding me of that thread! I checked out the McDonald's UK site again, and found more gems like this one:

10. is it true that if you throw a hamburger in the trash can and spin around 3 times really fast and say,"i was hamboozled" the hamburgaler will appear?

No. (July 2007)

By: robbie01

robbie01 — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:21:40 -0800

I posted that desperate question about the lost poem back in November of 2004. This morning I received an e-mail from a nice MeFite letting me know someone had finally answered the question -- in THIS thread! I think that could maybe qualify this thread as one to show someone.

(several months after I first posted the plea, someone did e-mail me a copy of the poem out of the blue (green?), and I was truly grateful. Unfortunately the computer/hard drive where I had that e-mail died a long time ago, and I had lost the poem again! Now I get to be grateful again. Thanks blue/green/gray, and teraflop.)

By: DevilsAdvocate

DevilsAdvocate — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:35:50 -0800

Why separate the two? The best and the worst of MeFi can be found in the Kaycee Nicole threads: Prologue/Part 1/Part 2/Part 3

By: dg

dg — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:26:18 -0800

Dave Faris: "I don't recommend the mefi universe to my friends. Friends don't let friends join Metafilter."
Plus, this is where I go to get away from those people.

stavrosthewonderchicken: "The thread about the Bali bombing, in which I discovered that my friend Rick had been (it turned out, fatally) injured, and the thread posted after he died changed a lot of my thinking about community on the web (for the better), and made it certain that much as I get frustrated sometimes, I don't think I'll ever want to leave Metafilter. The site itself and a lot of people here are very close to my heart."
I guess, for a lot of old-timers, the original 9/11 thread was something that really turned the site into a community for them. I wasn't here then, but those threads really did it for me. I also get pissed off about things that go on here, but I doubt that I'll ever leave because an inordinate amount of stuff that has happened to me over the past whatever years has been somehow mixed up with MeFi.

But no, I don't recommend it to people. Ever. Mostly because I simply have no way to explain it.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:48:30 -0800

I do recommend MetaFilter to people all the time. The most effective way to get people to read it though seems to be when they're tired of digg and reddit and want something smarter.

By: meehawl

meehawl — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 17:05:55 -0800

I forgot to include this one in the long list above:

I was quoting SCIENCE.

By: Joseph Gurl

Joseph Gurl — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 17:48:21 -0800

I would never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never recommend this place to anyone.

(and I like it here, even)

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:22:19 -0800

There have been so many very good and very bad posts to MetaFilter that it's simply impossible to narrow it down to a representative list.

However, I'd strongly recommend the braised lamb shank with wild mushroom and asparagus risotto. And might I suggest a 1998 Vieilles Vignes Pinot Noir to go with that? I think you'll find it delightful.

By: Rumple

Rumple — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:05:37 -0800

Can I get a portobello with that?

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:14:21 -0800

What's this portobello of which you speak?

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:15:39 -0800

It's spelled portabello.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:16:07 -0800

(sometimes I weep for the education of the youth of today)

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:28:43 -0800

also, i gave up trying to recommend this place to people ages ago, because it was disappointing to find that friends who i'd thought would dig it apparently didn't (unless they're playing silly hidey games).

i'll let others stumble upon the site for themselves, if they are so inclined. and then i'll pulverise their tender little egos with my prestigious sub-18404 usernumber & treasure trove of favourites, just as i love to crush ladybirds between my thumb & forefinger. either that, or they'll wonder to themselves, "so what is it exactly that you do for a living, again?"

By: Rumple

Rumple — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:08:51 -0800

fine. portabella. with a side of beans.

UbuRoivas, if you got up before noon you could have had a coveted sub 18059 number. Think of the magnificent prestige. Perhaps your friends would dig it more.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 04:46:47 -0800

Can I get a portobello with that?

Sorry, we're all outta 'shrooms, however you spell 'em. But we can garnish your plate with some pretty flowers.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 04:52:13 -0800

flapjax: flagged as a double

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 05:28:25 -0800

woops. Yup, looks like you beat me to it, there, Ubu...

By: melissa may

melissa may — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:05:24 -0800

Just best of stuff here. There's so much from AskMe that it's hard to narrow down, but here's a sample of things that have stayed with me:

Vienna phonebook
Talking to the dying
Life-altering experiences
Checklist for life practicalities
My 6 year old sees things other people don't

For me, the best front page posts are the ones that blow my mind in a holy smokes, I never knew that kind of way:

Mefi
The most kissed girl in the world
Italo Calvino sparks obsessions
The Codex Seriphinianus
Xylothek
Mapping the Starmaze
Thought I'd Put On a Drag Show (Funny links come and go, but this is the one that never, ever fails to crack me up.)

By: Locative

Locative — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:36:12 -0800

Best of AskMe: What single book is the best introduction to your field (or specialization within your field) for laypeople?

Best of MeTa: nickyskye says thanks

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:14:22 -0800

You're so smart you probably think this thread is about you - probably marked a watershed moment here for me, at least. 221 other members also saw *something* of interest.

And, for a bonus prize, the thread includes robocop_is_bleeding's Wheel story.

By: deadmessenger

deadmessenger — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 07:30:39 -0800

This has got to be a candidate for Worst.