The Canadians! They read Metafilter!

March 28, 2008 9:14 AM

This post linking to the Globe and Mail's series Talking to the Taliban generated this comment from the quidnunc kid. Somebody at the Globe noticed.
posted by Dasein to MetaFilter-related at 9:14 AM (37 comments total)

The name "the quidnunc kid" shall stand for all enternity with such luminaries as "Green Infidel" and "Bill Longstaff!"

How does it feel to be legendary in Canadia, the quidnunc kid?
posted by dersins at 9:28 AM on March 28, 2008

Awesome!
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 9:30 AM on March 28, 2008

That's great! I've long been a fan of the quidnunc kid, and I'm happy to see him hit the big time.

*dashes off to bum a couple of bucks off tqk, is depressed to discover it's Canadian money*

Kidding! Just kidding! I love you frozen-north people!
posted by languagehat at 9:35 AM on March 28, 2008

Man them Canadian lira are worth more than the American sort. I just flew in from Montreal last night (yes, naturally my arms are tired). That is a clean airport! I mean they don't even have any people or planes there! It's like a giant version of the Bangor, ME airport.

In summary:

Screw you, Canada!
posted by Mister_A at 9:42 AM on March 28, 2008

Someone should mail Quid, or he may never notice.
posted by Phanx at 9:43 AM on March 28, 2008

Its a good observation on the individual psychology of war. Dehumanisation of the other is prerequisite and that's much easier in the absence of a lot of knowledge of the outside world.
posted by jouke at 9:44 AM on March 28, 2008

Also:
We got noticed in the outside world! They acknowledge us, we exist! They value us, they love us!
Let's hoist this heroic kid on a shield and carry him triumphantly through the realm of metafilter followed by our exuberant throngs.
posted by jouke at 9:48 AM on March 28, 2008

... is depressed to discover it's Canadian money
Actually, the Canadian dollar is worth more than the US one these days. However, don't take any Canadian Tire Money, as some of your fellow merkins have been known to do.
Yay Quid!
posted by fish tick at 9:48 AM on March 28, 2008

followed by our exuberant throngs

I read that as thongs, and had a mental picture that I will need many unicorn images to cleanse from my mind.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 9:51 AM on March 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

Someone should mail Quid, or he may never notice.

I emailed him as soon as I posted the thread, naturally.
posted by Dasein at 9:53 AM on March 28, 2008

I read that as thongs, and had a mental picture that I will need many unicorn images to cleanse from my mind.
Here you go.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 10:19 AM on March 28, 2008

I noticed him first!


Good on'ya, quiddo.
posted by Koko at 10:25 AM on March 28, 2008

Actually, the Canadian dollar is worth more than the US one these days.

Actually, no it's not. 1 CAD = ~0.98 USD.
posted by CKmtl at 10:27 AM on March 28, 2008

Actually, the Canadian dollar is worth more than the US one these days.

Not today, it ain't. It keeps bouncing around - experiencing its greatest drop in a few decades last week - as dictated by the whims of powerful entities far beyond its ken.

Which in itself is pretty damn Canadian.

And props to the quidnunc kid! Whether he's being serious or flip, the guy's sharp as a tack!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:32 AM on March 28, 2008

"don't take any Canadian Tire Money, as some of your fellow merkins have been known to do."

CIBC (Cannuck Bank) mistakenly loaded an ATM with Canadian Tire Money a while back, so maybe it's not just the Merkins that are taking it.
posted by Nick Verstayne at 10:44 AM on March 28, 2008

Here you go.

Unless that Cafe Press link is to a store called "Pen Is Unicorns," PASS.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 10:48 AM on March 28, 2008

Did that newspaper go looking for content from the web, or did quidnunc kid submit it here and there?
posted by Dave Faris at 10:55 AM on March 28, 2008

It would be very interesting if he identified himself as 'from metafilter.com' everywhere on the internet, I'd think.
posted by Catfry at 11:02 AM on March 28, 2008

Did that newspaper go looking for content from the web, or did quidnunc kid submit it here and there?

They probably do trackback on their pieces like any little blog would.
posted by Burhanistan at 11:04 AM on March 28, 2008

Doesn't this violate Quid's copyright? Maybe he can sue them and get big Canuck bucks out of this!

Good on Quiddy!
posted by ooga_booga at 11:22 AM on March 28, 2008

It would be very interesting if he identified himself as 'from metafilter.com' everywhere on the internet, I'd think.

What, you don't?
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 11:28 AM on March 28, 2008

Unless that Cafe Press link is to a store called "Pen Is Unicorns," PASS.

Wait, you're probably right. I just googled for unicorn thongs, and I noticed the store name but thought nothing of it, until only now I notice that the unicorns really do all have little penises on their heads. Could use an NSFW there, sorry. D'oh!
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 11:31 AM on March 28, 2008

quidnunc is the best, i'm surprised he's not become rich or something.
posted by sgt.serenity at 11:46 AM on March 28, 2008

unicorns really do all have little penises on their heads

They must be aroused ALL THE TIME! No wonder they only hang out with virgins.
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 12:03 PM on March 28, 2008

What, you don't?

I refuse to dignify that question with an answer.

I'm only here on a green card. I never did qualify for citizenship.
posted by Catfry at 12:16 PM on March 28, 2008

blah blah canadian peso amirite? Give it a rest, lh.
posted by ~ at 1:30 PM on March 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

I am proud to say that I have met quidnunc in real life. I have gazed upon his face, I have heard his tongue speak words of wisdom, and of folly. I believe I may have touched his hair.

Frankly, though, I'd much rather the Globe & Mail had reprinted this comment of his. Nothing to do with the Taliban, to be sure, but it pertinent to pretty much every situation.
posted by flashboy at 3:01 PM on March 28, 2008

Nowhere near his best comment-wise, but the guy is definitely a champion.

I could tell you a fairly embarrassing story about him, but you'd have to kill me first.
posted by Wolof at 4:24 PM on March 28, 2008

qnk is awesome.
posted by painquale at 4:54 PM on March 28, 2008

well done, quidnunc.

I could tell you a fairly embarrassing story about him, but you'd have to kill me first.

Deal.
posted by cosmonik at 6:37 PM on March 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

*Kills Wolof with hugs*

I was planning on doing it anyway.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:22 PM on March 28, 2008

Not to detract from the excitement, but I don't know if the person that put that together is exactly the highest caliber of journalist or anything: "Grant Bowen from the New West, Canada, on globeandmail.com Comments" - unless Grant Bowen actually typed "THE" New West, which I really doubt - being from Western Canada I'd have heard it already - he meant New West, BC, which is short for New Westminster... which isn't exactly huge, but it's a suburb of Vancouver, and you should at least take someone's claimed location verbatim before tacking on a "the" because it looks like it needs one...

Anyway, I wonder how people will take the quidnunc kid's comment.
posted by blacklite at 11:17 PM on March 28, 2008

Suckers - all the cool kids know the quidnunc kid is a sock puppet.
posted by gomichild at 6:41 AM on March 29, 2008

CIBC (Cannuck Bank) mistakenly loaded an ATM with Canadian Tire Money a while back, so maybe it's not just the Merkins that are taking it.

I thought Canada went off the tire standard a long time ago.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:54 AM on March 29, 2008

yeh, they retired that economic policy.
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:33 PM on March 29, 2008 [1 favorite]

Well, I don't like this quidnunc kid character - he sounds like just the kind of no-nothing, attention-seeking loudmouth whose witless buffoonery is killing metafilter.

Of course, I blame the site administrators for letting anybody join without sufficient and rigorous background checks for a measly 5 bucks.

So really, this is your fault, Matt Howie - and I for one look forward to your full and frank apology. And remember that no apology is complete without some chocolates and flowers: email's in the profile.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 1:11 PM on March 29, 2008

that woulda been flagged as self-promoting noise, until i saw that tqk had used "rigorous" - as opposed to the american "rigoros" - revealing him or her to be an aussie, kiwi or pom.

in which case, onyamate! keepupthegoodwork!
posted by UbuRoivas at 1:55 PM on March 29, 2008