Comments on: Best Answer AWOL?

Best Answer AWOL?

beagle — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:09:10 -0800

This AskMe post shows on the front page as having a Best Answer, but on the inside page nothing is so marked. Did a Best Answer get deleted?

By: mathowie

mathowie — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:10:48 -0800

Yeah, it's an old bug I thought we fixed, where someone marks, then unmarks a best answer but it doesn't clear out the indicator. We'll patch it up soon.

By: Grither

Grither — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:16:18 -0800

Hahah yeah, that was me. Not sure how it got tagged as the best answer, but I flagged my own post as "noise" since it had nothing to do with answering the question...

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:18:27 -0800

It's okay to type out the comment and then just close the browser window, Grither. Or just type the comment in your head and leave it at that. A lot of the impulse noise we get in askme comes from folks who seem to know better, and more self-control on that front from all involved would make our lives a little easier and AskMe a little bit better.

By: Grither

Grither — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:24:21 -0800

But what will I do with myself all day at work, then, cortex?

Seriously though, is there a best way to delete my own (stupid) comments? E-mail a mod, flag it, etc?

And I will take care to try and refrain from said comments in the future, thanks.

By: kbanas

kbanas — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:25:07 -0800

Aww, cortex needs a hug.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:30:21 -0800

There is no try.

By: mumkin

mumkin — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:33:53 -0800

I couldn't begin to count the number of times I've written, edited, and rewritten a comment, only to ultimately decide it's not appropriate to the thread and just moved on. It sounds silly, but the process really does get it out of your system, Grither. Don't set-out to write an unposted comment, just make a practice of asking yourself if you really should do it before you click that Post Comment button. Less is more.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:36:50 -0800

Yeah, I don't mean to be a super grumpus about it. I've got a headache, and that's nobody's fault.

"Just don't do it" really is I believe the best solution you can aim for, because it's good to build up that sense of restraint and good sense about when to just step away, but if you find yourself slipping then just flag your own comment; you can send us an email if its likely to really cause a ruckus before the deletion happens, of course.

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:38:58 -0800

Really, you can email your amusing comment to me and I promise to gibber over it appreciatively.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:39:12 -0800

just make a practice of asking yourself if you really should do it before you click that Post Comment button

Exactly. I do this a few times a week at least; the answer usually turns out to be "no. C'mon."

We could totally [NOT ACTUALLY A FEATURE REQUEST/SUGGESTION] implent a little tooltip pop up for the Post button that when you hover over it in a moment of indecision will say, "Seriously?"

By: brain_drain

brain_drain — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:51:21 -0800

cortex, that is an excellent feature suggestion -- thanks for promising to implement it.

By: Tehanu

Tehanu — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:11:05 -0800

Maybe it should say "It's not funny. Don't bother." That's why I don't post things that I type much of the time-- not even my own amusement lasts long enough.

By: timeistight

timeistight — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:15:42 -0800

Really, you can email your amusing comment to me and I promise to gibber over it appreciatively.

What about the rest of us? I'd like to gibber over beagle's funny best answer, too.

How about a "My AskMe" option that would let me see all the funny stuff you're protecting the rest of the world from?

By: burnmp3s

burnmp3s — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:21:35 -0800

I couldn't begin to count the number of times I've written, edited, and rewritten a comment, only to ultimately decide it's not appropriate to the thread and just moved on.

I've found the best way to do this is to have a crippling feeling of worthlessness and constant soul-crushing bouts of self-doubt. Once the voices in your head start telling you that nobody cares what you have to say, and that every idea you've ever had is laughably trite, you'll be hitting the "Back" button a lot more than the "Post" one. Once you do get the nerve post something it will either be pure gold or the insane ramblings of a raving lunatic.

By: anotherpanacea

anotherpanacea — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:32:19 -0800

Really, you can email your amusing comment to me and I promise to gibber over it appreciatively.

That is so totally going to get overused.

By: jamaro

jamaro — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:32:26 -0800

It's okay to type out the comment and then just close the browser window

I did this until I got really paranoid that my stupid comment would get automagically posted anyway. I blame the paranoia on the part of my brain which used to try to convince me that I had forgotten to go to class on the day of a critical exam.

By: Floydd

Floydd — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:33:42 -0800

Seconding burnmp3s comment.

By: Floydd

Floydd — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:34:29 -0800

I can't believe I just posted that.

By: Grither

Grither — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:37:57 -0800

I can't believe I just posted that.
posted by Floydd

The shame you feel must be strong. The shame I feel FOR you will be enough to prevent me from posting stupid comments on this site in the future.

Not including this one.

By: Skot

Skot — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:42:27 -0800

super grumpus

Man, I would buy this comic. C'mon, Marvel! Bring me Super Grumpus! It can't be any stupider than House of M.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:58:44 -0800

It'd just be Crankshaft in spandex. With a crossover issue with Plugger Bear.

By: Malor

Malor — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:09:29 -0800

Huh. You know, all this time, I thought the write-rewrite-rewrite-shrug-abandon cycle was just me. I wonder how many little gems have gone unposted over the years?

And, yes, curiously, I also don't actually have to post a comment to get some mental closure. At least for me, writing out the comment clarifies the issue enough to myself that actually posting it sometimes isn't at all necessary.

In all seriousness, try it sometime -- write up your response and just close the window. Sometimes just seeing the words will convince you that it's not worth pursuing anymore, even if you're so, so right. :-)

By: Kwine

Kwine — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:28:13 -0800

Less than 50% of the comments that I type into the comment box wind up getting posted. On Askme, the ratio is more like 4 abandons to every answer ("Is this really a helpful answer, Kwine, or is this just a look-at-me ego boost?"). Those folks who seem to be able to answer any question helpfully on the green amaze me.

By: The corpse in the library

The corpse in the library — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:29:59 -0800

Grither: "Seriously though, is there a best way to delete my own (stupid) comments?"

I was pissed off recently and wrote an angry comment. I quickly realized I was being stupid, e-mailed the moderators (using the contact link at the bottom of the page), and they deleted it. It probably would've been deleted anyway, come to think of it... but I feel much better for having snitched on myself (Catholic school will do that to you).

By: languagehat

languagehat — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:32:02 -0800

Crankshaft in spandex

That is not an image I needed.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:36:22 -0800

Yeah, lhat, I know. I just saw my own comment in Recent Activity and thought it through for the first time and shuddered, and now I'm posting this comment mostly to remove that one from view.

Though fwiw his log would be the front grill of a Blue Bird schoolbus.

By: Crankshaft in Spandex

Crankshaft in Spandex — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:10:50 -0800

This was so worth it.

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:10:52 -0800

That is so totally going to get overused.

It's really easy to type appreciative gibber. I will take one for the team.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:20:35 -0800

Logo. His logo. I don't even want to work in a scat angle on this.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:27:11 -0800

You know what would be really amazing? If someone would just take existing Crankshaft strips and do some layover art to put dude into costume, and leave everything else about the strip unchanged. And so all of a sudden instead of having this grumpy old unlikeable bastard doing boring crap and being rude to people who don't seem to have much motivation for being around him in the first place, you'd have this crazy son of a bitch in a crappo superhero costume and the readings of justifiable fear and caution into the supporting characters would kind of fall together and make more sense.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:27:53 -0800

Plus, they could probably make a mint off the dozen people on the planet with that exact fetish. See also previous comment re: scat angle.

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:28:10 -0800

Man, this is some good coffee.

By: Tehanu

Tehanu — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:34:10 -0800

No, no. Mary Worth needs costumes. Crankshaft needs less Crankshaft.

By: konolia

konolia — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:35:52 -0800

Really, you can email your amusing comment to me and I promise to gibber over it appreciatively.
posted by jessamyn at 2:38 PM on April 7 [1 favorite +] [!]

*gibbers over jessamyn's comment*

By: konolia

konolia — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:36:02 -0800

appreciatively.

By: Marie Mon Dieu

Marie Mon Dieu — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:52:57 -0800

Cortex: Man, this is some good coffee.

I want some of that.

Now I've got a picture in my head of some old dude in spandex passing a grill from a Blue Bird bus, taking a picture of it and posting it on oldmanscatfetish.com

Someone invent a mind eraser, NOW!

By: B(oYo)BIES

B(oYo)BIES — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:06:06 -0800

I vote for a chatfilter tab (similar to Wikipedia's 'Discussion' tab) where people can post their wacked out shit.

By: Dr. Curare

Dr. Curare — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:17:32 -0800

Cortex, you are serial commenting the crap out of the wrong thread. This one is nowhere near 2000.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:21:08 -0800

Pony Request: A link/button below the comment box to send the comment to the thread poster as MeFi Mail, instead of posting the comment in the thread.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:23:05 -0800

Crankshaft without Crankshaft.

By: meech

meech — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:25:02 -0800

You mentioned spandex, that always means to me you can see the outline of their junk. I thought "log" was your new nickname for it and then I had to picture his penis as a grill of a bus. And then...can I have that mind-eraser next?

By: batmonkey

batmonkey — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:40:48 -0800

I favourited, but, wow, I love this idea - it would encourage folks to take personal stuff to MeFi Mail and would, uh, encourage the use of MeFi Mail:

blue_beetle put in a request for a Pony this size and colour:
"Pony Request: A link/button below the comment box to send the comment to the thread poster as MeFi Mail, instead of posting the comment in the thread."

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:42:15 -0800

By: cortex

cortex — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:19:42 -0800

Okay, so, upon review: the framing in Crankshaft is actually pretty ungenerous as spandexification goes. Usually you only get a slice of The Shaft, or on a good day a torso-and-up shot (from behind, often as not). My initial sad attempts bore no fruit. I still think it could be done, but it'll require someone with some skill and patience, or a more finely tuned sense of recklessness than I have.

By: proj08

proj08 — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:34:17 -0800

I have nothing to add. *posts comment, closes browswer*

By: Tehanu

Tehanu — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:01:46 -0800

My initial sad attempts bore no fruit.

Thank god. The world really does not need Crankshaft in spandex.

By: Catfry

Catfry — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:06:37 -0800

Btw. when did the 'best answer tick' turn from yellow to green?

By: Catfry

Catfry — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:07:00 -0800

It confuses and angers me that you always changes things on this site.

By: quin

quin — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:48:25 -0800

I loved both Crank and Shaft, though I don't remember seeing anyone in spandex.

Was that a deleted scene on the DVD or something?

[Posted as an example of something I should have thought, typed, and then deleted]