Comments on: How to scan a cat and other subjects

How to scan a cat and other subjects

bowline — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:16:57 -0800

A nice piece on Metafilter, including an audio interview with Mathowie, from the Toronto Globe and Mail.

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:22:59 -0800

Wow, is the author a Mefite? You'd almost think so. If not, he's really done his research. Great article.

By: grouse

grouse — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:24:14 -0800

That is an excellent description of the site. Well, mostly.

"MetaFilter has a very active immune system," wrote Josh Millard, one of the site's moderators, when I e-mailed to ask how the site's civility had lasted a decade.

Civility?

By: Navelgazer

Navelgazer — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:25:03 -0800

A crew of four moderators keeps an eye on things, pruning judiciously, but their presence is hardly noticeable.

Aww... guys... I've noticed you...

By: Brockles

Brockles — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:28:05 -0800

The site plays out like a never-ending editorial meeting, with members hashing out the relevance of each new story as it comes up.

Great description.

By: DU

DU — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:29:33 -0800

pruning judiciously, but their presence is hardly noticeable.

Yeah, it's pretty unobtrusive btw has anyone seen my left arm?

By: jbickers

jbickers — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:34:09 -0800

(A separate discussion board is reserved for discussions of the MetaFilter itself, sparing casual readers the endless self-examination.)

Found it on the Google.

By: widdershins

widdershins — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:34:12 -0800

I feel all warm and fuzzy now.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:38:10 -0800

That is a good article; I'm impressed. Thanks for the post.

> Wow, is the author a Mefite?

From the article:

Nowadays, to post links and comments on the site, members have to pay a one-time $5 fee. (A fee, in the spirit of disclosure, that I've paid myself.)

By: cortex

cortex — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:38:48 -0800

Wow, is the author a Mefite?

Yeah, I imagine he'll drop in. When he asked me if I had any other thoughts on what makes the site work, he probably didn't expect like a thousand words, but I'd had a lot of coffee that morning.

Civility?

Relatively speaking.

By: Miko

Miko — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:41:05 -0800

The site plays out like a never-ending editorial meeting, with members hashing out the relevance of each new story as it comes up.

Great description.

Yeah, I also thought that was one of the most apt summings-up of the site I'd ever seen.

Also, what a tagline mine:

MetaFilter: Held together by the sheer stubbornness of its culture
MetaFilter: sparing casual readers the endless self-examination
MetaFilter: It's not much, but a buy-in is a buy-in
MetaFilter: The old folks are good at explaining.

Very complimentary piece; I don't think I've seen the site so well or so succinctly described anywhere. Thanks for posting the link.

By: zennie

zennie — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:43:32 -0800

MetaFilter seems to be held together by the sheer stubbornness of its culture.

Indeed.

Beautifully written essay, Mr. Tossell.

By: ODiV

ODiV — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:45:10 -0800

A June challenge to cover Leonard Cohen led to the appearance of no fewer than 28 different recordings of Hallelujah; the best was recorded as ska dance.

Are you just going to sit there and take that, cortex?

By: ODiV

ODiV — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:47:33 -0800

Also, two things:

1. Is this in print?

2. The Toronto Globe and Mail?

By: burnmp3s

burnmp3s — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:50:33 -0800

He wrote about MetaFilter previously (I remembered the name Ivor). Glad to see a more thourough writeup this time, he definitely captured the spirit of the site.

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:51:49 -0800

Yeah ... great article. Props to Ivor!

By: cortex

cortex — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:53:17 -0800

Are you just going to sit there and take that, cortex?

The ska cover was really, really tight. I had a good time with my versions, but they were much more idea-hastily-realized affairs than solid production numbers, whereas Jon_Evil's was just fucking note-perfect.

Setting aside the fundamental question of how sane it is to argue musical top-1 lists in the first place, etc.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:53:33 -0800

Ivor Tossell is Matthey Ingram 2.0!

2. The Toronto Globe and Mail?

Haw, haw, bowline's from Vancouver.

I know it seems like very Upper Canadian bowline, but the Glob of Mail is indeed a national newspaper. They even review a Vancouver restaurant once a month! If that's not national, what is?

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:53:49 -0800

Can we get a "Start the Conversation" button?

By: ericb

ericb — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:53:59 -0800

So true: "Popular sites often wind up as fiefdoms run by the self-important, overrun by zealots, and prone to bring out the baboon within."

By: FishBike

FishBike — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:56:47 -0800

Great article, indeed.

Often when I read a newspaper article covering a subject I know something about, I shake my head about how completely wrong it is. But in this case, it seems pretty much right on.

By: ssg

ssg — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:56:54 -0800

prone to bring out the baboon within

Globe and Mail comments section anyone? But hey, that's those Toronto people acting like baboons.

By: ODiV

ODiV — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:57:33 -0800

The ska cover was really, really tight.

Oh, I agree. I just thought it was funny how "best" was stated so matter-of-factly.

By: boo_radley

boo_radley — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:59:38 -0800

grouse: "Civility?"

Have you seen the rest of the internet? We might as well be wearing monocles and top-hats, jack.

By: scody

scody — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:00:53 -0800

Agreed, this is definitely the most accurate rendering of what Metafilter's like that I've read. And I'm not just saying that because I was excited to see the Road Runner debate get mentioned.

By: rtha

rtha — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:01:16 -0800

Aw, it made me a little teary!

Not really, but still, a really nice piece.

By: dirtdirt

dirtdirt — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:02:59 -0800

It might be the best site on the Internet.

Fucking A right it is.

By: graventy

graventy — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:06:04 -0800

We sure do have a lot of penchants.

By: zennie

zennie — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:08:08 -0800

I'd love to work this into a toast for The Tenth.

By: ODiV

ODiV — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:08:08 -0800

They were on special.

By: seanmpuckett

seanmpuckett — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:11:33 -0800

Let's get this guy to come to the Toronto meetup. I reckon he won't have any trouble drinking for free.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:12:37 -0800

MetaFilter's denizens have a penchant for overthinking, a penchant for being too clever by half, a penchant for the occasional in-joke.

1) Yes, 2) only by half, and 3) you're new here, aren't you.

Also, we might need to turn the critical eye of the Nieman Journalism Lab on The Globe and Mail. Ivor used "penchant" 3 times in that sentence. THREE! There are a plethora of alternatives, my good man.

By: ODiV

ODiV — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:13:39 -0800

I reckon he won't have any trouble drinking for free.

You mean ethically?

zing?

By: zarq

zarq — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:17:48 -0800

Hands down, this is the best summary of MeFi I've ever read. Excellent work.

By: fiercecupcake

fiercecupcake — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:17:59 -0800

Good stuff.

By: ODiV

ODiV — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:21:45 -0800

Oh wait, it looks like he might be coming to the meetup already, though he hasn't yet hit the confirm button.

He outed himself in the last thread.

Also, it looks like FishBike is coming as well. That's kind of strange.

By: Miko

Miko — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:24:12 -0800

We sure do have a lot of penchants.

We're the pirates of pen-chants.

By: FishBike

FishBike — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:26:51 -0800

Also, it looks like FishBike is coming as well. That's kind of strange.

When I first found out that I had picked a user name that was quite similar to someone else's, and then found out that person also lives in the Toronto area, I had a feeling it would all end in hilarity.¹

And now the circle is complete.

(In the unlikely event that anyone is wondering, no, we aren't the same person. If we both end up at the meetup, I guess there will be a bunch of other MeFites who can verify that we have actually both been seen in the same place, at the same time.)

1: Actually, I was kind of disappointed because I thought I had been so original.

By: gofargogo

gofargogo — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:34:36 -0800

What a nice piece, and to nth the others above who said it was the best explanation of metafilter I've seen. Well done!

By: steef

steef — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:37:05 -0800

"Velocipede Pike" and variants are still free.

By: Lemurrhea

Lemurrhea — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:40:52 -0800

Have you seen the rest of the internet? We might as well be wearing monocles and top-hats, jack.

I specifically put on a bowler when visiting Metafilter, just to be in the right frame of mind. And nthing the wonderfulness of that piece.

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:43:52 -0800

Those who sailed in the longboat wear tiaras.

By: marxchivist

marxchivist — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:50:15 -0800

Like everybody else is saying, that was a good summation of this site. One small thing to fix though: "For new joiners, the in-joke's origins can be confusing, but they figure it out. The old folks are good at ~~explaining~~ mocking you mercilessly, chasing you off their lawns with pitchforks and if it gets bad enough, roasting marshmallows over your burning corpse."

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:50:51 -0800

Unless you defend yourself with SHARKS.

By: quin

quin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:55:18 -0800

MetaFilter's denizens have a penchant for overthinking, a penchant for being too clever by half, a penchant for the occasional in-joke. The...

He is a mefite!

Seriously fantastic article though. The editorial meeting meeting analogy is spot on.

By: SpiffyRob

SpiffyRob — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:55:53 -0800

We might as well be wearing monocles and top-hats, jack.

Or fedoras.

By: empath

empath — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:56:25 -0800

Civility?

Metafilter proper and askme fairly civil most days. It's metatalk where the knives come out.

By: Optimus Chyme

Optimus Chyme — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:56:32 -0800

It might be the best site on the Internet.

Might?

By: ocherdraco

ocherdraco — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:59:18 -0800

It ~~might be~~ is the best site on the Internet.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:59:42 -0800

Well, except we don't have pictures of cats riding invisible bicycles.

By: ND¢

ND¢ — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:00:20 -0800

It's not just a good read, and it's not just popular and lively, but it actually makes one feel slightly better about being human.

Oh great. Now I'm crying.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:03:06 -0800

Civility?

We're more civil than you can imagine, poopyhead.

By: The Straightener

The Straightener — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:08:15 -0800

I have to admit that I only skimmed the article to see if I was in it.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:11:37 -0800

Oh man did that put a smile on my face! The interview is also very good.

By: bowline

bowline — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:13:49 -0800

Yeah I actually thought twice about the "Toronto" Globe and Mail thing, but I thought it would be useful info for non-Canadians to know where the paper was based. My apologies to the Globe's marketing department.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:16:49 -0800

Civility?

FRAK YOU. FRAK YOU RIGHT IN THE FRAKKIN' EAR.

I'm sorry, what were we talking about?

By: bicyclefish

bicyclefish — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:20:14 -0800

Wow. That was fast.

So yeah, that's me who wrote it. I've been writing about the web for the Globe for a good four years now, and I couldn't put a number on how many ideas have come from MeFi, except to say 'many'. I figured this was a good opportunity to give the site some well-deserved spotlight.

Thanks all for the kind words. And thanks to mathowie and cortex for being so generous with their time! I really do find MeFi to be something of an enigma, wrapped in a mystery, buried in beans, and it a fun topic to poke at.

In response to a few points:

1. Is this in print?

After a long run in the print edition, my web columns are online-only at the moment.

2. The Toronto Globe and Mail?

You'd be amazed (or maybe not) at how often it gets referred to that way. If you hear it coming from an American, it's benign misunderstanding. If you hear it coming from a Canadian, it's disgruntlement.

(On preview: bowline, you're excepted.)

And fairly so, I suppose. One of the problems with Canada is the media concentration in Toronto, which leads to all manner of resentment elsewhere. Interestingly, the whole 'Canada's National Newspaper' thing was a fairly recent innovation in the Globe's history - a deliberate reinvention. At its inception, it really was the Toronto Globe and Mail.

Also, it looks like FishBike is coming as well. That's kind of strange.

The existence of FishBike kind of blew my mind when I discovered him a few weeks ago. Were we ever to find ourselves in the same room, I can only imagine we'd start pacing in circles, glaring at each other through squinty eyes. Only one can leave!

Alas, it won't be at the meetup: I'm out of town for a wedding in my immediate family. How poorly-timed was that? That kinda kills me.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:28:20 -0800

zennie: I'd love to work this into a toast for The Tenth.

May you scan cats for a 100 years, with one extra year to heal from the scratches.

We drink to your coffin. May it be built from the material of a hundred year old bean stalk that I shall plant tomorrow.

May God grant you many years to post, for sure he must be knowing, the earth has penchants (or is that pedants?) all too few and heaven is overflowing...

May the spammers never earn a pound out of you.

May the ban-hammer wielding mods take a liking to you... But not too soon!

May you die in bed at 95, shot by a jealous internet-spouse (or 20).

My thanks to the Irish, they make the best toast.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:35:53 -0800

At its inception, it really was the Toronto Globe and Mail.

Well, if you want to split hairs, it was The Globe, The Toronto Mail and the Toronto Empire at inception. Mergers, etc. But according to the never-fallible Wiklipedia, the Globe had national distribution back as far as the 1850's. Last Spike, etc.

It was always mildly ironic that the Toronto edition was bigger with the local section while the non-Toronto editions cost more for less paper.

One of the problems with Canada is... all manner of resentment

So true.

Only one can leave!

NERD THUNDERDOME!

By: grouse

grouse — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:38:22 -0800

MetaFilter: an enigma, wrapped in a mystery, buried in beans

By: bicyclefish

bicyclefish — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:38:43 -0800

NERD THUNDERDOME!

HOW IT WILL BE SETTLED

By: ArgentCorvid

ArgentCorvid — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:52:00 -0800

MetaFilter: might as well be wearing monocles and top-hats

By: JeffK

JeffK — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:52:54 -0800

Very nice piece. Congratulations, Number 1. And congratulations to us all. For all of the snarking and bitching that goes on around here, this is still the most civil place on the internet. I'm proud and happy to be a Mefite.

Fuck You very much.

By: quin

quin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:01:37 -0800

NERDERDOME!

By: languagehat

languagehat — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:02:22 -0800

> We might as well be wearing monocles and top-hats

What do you mean? Aren't you wearing a monocle and top-hat? You're supposed to pick them up when you sign in.

By: zennie

zennie — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:10:26 -0800

> We drink to your coffin. May it be built from the material of a hundred year old bean stalk that I shall plant tomorrow.

Hah! That's great. Yet I'm not sure it's imbued with enough tomfoolery for MeFi.

By: Navelgazer

Navelgazer — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:14:28 -0800

THUD! NERD! O, ME!

By: misha

misha — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:14:50 -0800

We might as well be wearing monocles and top-hats

Holy crap, Mr. Peanut is a Mefite?!

Nice job, bicyclefish.

And thanks to all who joined in the Mefi Music Hallelujah challenge (which I only just learned about). Awesomeness all around for my playlist!

By: wendell

wendell — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:46:51 -0800

Loved the article, but like most hardened MeFites, I thought it overplayed the relative civility of the site.

"mostly intelligent, mostly civil, and mostly functional"

Still, that is a perfect description of ME. Mostly.

We might as well be wearing monocles and top-hats

Hey, it Defeats the Awkward Zone!

NERD THUNDERDOME!

Oops. Sorry, must've been the beans.

"Velocipede Pike" and variants are still free.

I'm thinking "Recumbent Tuna" or "Tour de Turbot" or "Salmon Schwinn" or "two-wheeled land shark" or "Tenspeed Cod"...

By: MrVisible

MrVisible — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:48:51 -0800

Okay, where the hell am I going to get a monocle and a tophat in time for the meetup?

By: lunit

lunit — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:59:48 -0800

Aw gee whiz.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:01:08 -0800

What do you mean? Aren't you wearing a monocle and top-hat? You're supposed to pick them up when you sign in.

I'm wearing two monocles and a top-hat, it's quite an exertion, also I suspect that my cravat is entirely too tight.

By: scody

scody — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:02:12 -0800

I'm wearing my ambassador's sash, no matter how hard cortex tries to deny it.

By: bru

bru — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:09:20 -0800

Great work, Ivor, thanks.

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:10:05 -0800

MetaFilter: ENTIRE TEXT OF ARTICLE

By: Justinian

Justinian — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:11:19 -0800

What do you mean? Aren't you wearing a monocle and top-hat? You're supposed to pick them up when you sign in.

I thought a fedora and pin-stripes was also acceptable attire? No? Is that why everyone keeps staring at me?

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:15:27 -0800

I'm wearing my ambassador's sash, no matter how hard cortex tries to deny it.

And ONLY an ambassador's sash! Rawr!

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:30:49 -0800

and an eye-opening introduction to the Giant Pacific Octopus

hey, that was MeFi's own WhySharksMatter!

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:35:40 -0800

"there's always new blood ...," notes Millard.

So much for civility!

By: DevilsAdvocate

DevilsAdvocate — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:35:53 -0800

The old folks are good at ~~explaining~~ mocking you mercilessly, chasing you off their lawns with pitchforks and if it gets bad enough, roasting marshmallows over your burning corpse."

Yes, but we also explain as we mock, chase, and roast. Combining the explanation with a traumatic experience aids in recall the next time the in-joke comes up.

By: theora55

theora55 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:39:19 -0800

Matt's famous ~~on the Internet~~ in Canada!

By: longsleeves

longsleeves — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:04:44 -0800

I'm usually wearing swim fins, leg warmers, a tutu, a gas mask and a shako.

By: donnagirl

donnagirl — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:20:16 -0800

"It's not just a good read, and it's not just popular and lively, but it actually makes one feel slightly better about being human."

Couldn't be more true, bicyclefish. Nearly daily, Metafilter affirms what I love most about people, that they are generous of heart and unfathomably weird and that both those things are beautiful.

By: Rumple

Rumple — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:34:43 -0800

I lie how the only comment on the article so far is:

redkristyspal

7/9/2009 2:41:21 PM
anyone know where the toronto party is being held? got myself a couple cats and a b&w scanner.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:45:23 -0800

Black and white? As in police scanner? Ur doin it rong.

(Really, are there actually black and white photo-scanners? Maybe someone is thinking of a stand-alone photo-copier? Or maybe an old fax/printer?)

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:56:58 -0800

I have to admit that I only skimmed the article to see if I was in it.

Likewise!

By: turgid dahlia

turgid dahlia — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:05:36 -0800

I tried reading the article but all I see is boxes.

By: snsranch

snsranch — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:18:59 -0800

It's not just a good read, and it's not just popular and lively, but it actually makes one feel slightly better about being human. It might be the best site on the Internet.

Somebody buy the man a drink already!

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:38:11 -0800

Already?!??

Do you know how much wining & dining it takes before a journo will give you a plug like that?

By: Rhomboid

Rhomboid — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:05:10 -0800

Gosh, you kids don't remember the time when color scanners cost a fortune? As a lower cost alternative they sold the monochrome hand scanner that you'd manually move over the item being scanned.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:11:00 -0800

Gosh, you kids don't remember the time when color scanners cost a fortune? As a lower cost alternative they sold the monochrome hand scanner that you'd manually move over the item being scanned.

Off to eBay, in search of old technology for new artwork (unless you have some of this old tech you'd like to off-load?)

I remember when flatbed scanners were slow and expensive in the mid 1990s, but even those created color facsimiles of items placed on the glass.

By: Rhomboid

Rhomboid — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:33:00 -0800

If you want a starting point, try the Logitech Scanman. I see a handful of them on ebay, but I would be very surprised if you would be able to get one of these working in a contemporary PC, as it had its own dedicated hardware card and (Windows 3.x) driver. Here's a absolutely hilarious review of the Scanman/256 from 1991. If you want other model names to search for try here.

By: shakespeherian

shakespeherian — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:57:32 -0800

I wish it had included a mention of the MeFi Detective Squad, because that shit is dope.

By: Phire

Phire — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:02:13 -0800

Guys, I think we've Metafiltered (2) the link.

By: yhbc

yhbc — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:18:56 -0800

I'm wearing three monocles.

Wanna see?

By: gman

gman — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:33:51 -0800

From the Globe comment section:

7/9/2009 7:11:40 PM
http://ten.metafilter.com/go/canada/on/toronto

That should get you info on the party.

You can all thank cjorgensen for wasting Matt's c-note on a bouncer to keep randoms out.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:40:36 -0800

Many of the special interface cards were dumbed down scsi and there were full scsi hand scanners around too so that might be your easiest route once you find one. The parallel port scanner I used was a sheet feed B&W bought apparently because B&W were several times fasterthan colour units.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:41:37 -0800

gman writes "You can all thank cjorgensen for wasting Matt's c-note on a bouncer to keep randoms out."

Just charge a $5 instant sign up cover charge.

By: sevenyearlurk

sevenyearlurk — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:44:57 -0800

I used to have the Scanman 2000 hand scanner - it was colour, not b&w and had a parallel port interface. God, every once in a while I remember how annoying computers were 10 years ago -- parallel ports, interrupts, memory management, winsock -- and I blow a little kiss to progress. Oh, and on topic, sweet article! I will forward it to my friends when I explain where I'm going to be on the 18th.

By: Rumple

Rumple — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:10:24 -0800

heh, from Rhomboid's scanner review:

A few factors to remember. The 1MB memory requirement allows the scanner to work, but I recommend at least 4MB--8MB for an active Windows user (aren't you glad that RAM prices have fallen to about $60 per megabyte?).

By: joeclark

joeclark — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:11:19 -0800

I talked to Ivor on the phone for an hour and gave him additional insider lore. It appears this is my tenth anniversary on the site too. I don't actually have a lot of complaints, but certainly a few. I gave him a whole discursion about the performance anxiety of a(n) FPP.

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:16:48 -0800

Surely an iPhone can be used to scan a kitten!

By: grouse

grouse — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:21:34 -0800

aren't you glad that RAM prices have fallen to about $60 per megabyte?

More like $40 per gigabyte, AMIRITE?

By: Rumple

Rumple — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:30:15 -0800

I bought 4 gigs this morning for 79 bucks (Canadian). Mindboggling.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:48:35 -0800

lukemeister: Surely an iPhone can be used to scan a kitten!

catswithiphones.com is not taken!

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:12:15 -0800

Kattullus,

Sadly, catiphone.com is taken. iphonecat.com appears to be available.

By: Rhomboid

Rhomboid — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:27:55 -0800

Oh and on the subject of the annual July 14 birthday post... Could the admins please make a preemptive declaration that nobody is allowed to do it this year but mathowie? Every year it seems like a race to see who will be the first to make the cat-scan post and I know it will be especially bad this time around, so why not just spare all the deleted posts and stupid jockeying for position (and whinging about missing it by "that much") and just have matt officially do it?

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:23:24 -0800

those Toronto people acting like baboons

They already smell like them, what's the difference?

"People on the site have long memories..."

BRANDNEWDAY!BRANDNEWDAY!BRANDNEWDAY!

By: cortex

cortex — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:25:04 -0800

You know, people on this site have cats, and they have scanners, and there's really only one way to finish this thought if we want to make this years ritual posting really meaningful. Get to it.

By: bunnytricks

bunnytricks — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:36:51 -0800

I don't have a cat but I have a dog, and I would run my scanman over his face but he ate the controller card a few days ago. All that was left was a couple of square inches of epoxy that read "Logitech." Now, I know pitbulls are tough but WTF DOG?

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:48:33 -0800

cortex: You know, people on this site have cats, and they have scanners, and there's really only one way to finish this thought if we want to make this years ritual posting really meaningful. Get to it.

Goddamnit that's the best idea ever and I have a scanner at work and two count'em two cats at home but I can't bring the scanner from the office and I can't bring the cats to work (distracting to the seeing eye dogs) and for fuck's sake I'll spend most of Bastille Day on a plane anyway goddamn.

By: Rumple

Rumple — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:57:27 -0800

metafilter.com/catscans would be a suitable lasting monument to the first 10 years.

By: Phire

Phire — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:30:16 -0800

No, we have to keep internal consistency for synergy. catscans.metafilter.com.

By: cortex

cortex — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:34:18 -0800

catscanhack: don't have a scanner where your cats are? Stick em on a glass end table and take a flash photograph from below!

By: birdsquared

birdsquared — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:37:19 -0800

You know, people on this site have cats, and they have scanners, and there's really only one way to finish this thought if we want to make this years ritual posting really meaningful. Get to it.

Are you saying you'll be activating the img tag for the anniversary thread? I have one of these, and though my cat is black and white, the pink nose should prove it's a colour image...(though there is a b/w mode).

By: heeeraldo

heeeraldo — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:50:08 -0800

I don't have a cat, can I scan my (8.5 month old) niece?

By: bicyclefish

bicyclefish — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:18:18 -0800

scanned-cats.com is available...

By: Rumple

Rumple — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:20:58 -0800

I don't have a cat, can I scan my (8.5 month old) niece?

You could get one from an animal shelter, scan it, then "change your mind" and take it back.
hint: to avoid damaging the glass, it is best to declaw it before you put it on the scanner

By: Happy Dave

Happy Dave — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:47:02 -0800

This really is a great article. I'm going to email it in future to anyone who asks me why I'm going out drinking with my internet friends.

By: msconduct

msconduct — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:58:34 -0800

i have four cats. snarling beasts, all of them. well, all of them except for big boy, who is a gentle giant, and who looks rather like stimpy, but not quite so smart. hardly the types who would sit still for scanning, even if they were jammed in & pinned between the glass & the lid. so ... can we also get a side site & accompanying contest for things like 'most scratches,' 'deepest gouges,' 'longest hospital stay,' things like that?

By: msconduct

msconduct — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:24:34 -0800

oh! and great article bicyclefish!

By: Pollomacho

Pollomacho — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:25:18 -0800

meh.

I kid, pretty nice article.

By: spinturtle

spinturtle — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:15:55 -0800

THUNERDOME!!!!

By: caddis

caddis — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:16:40 -0800

bicyclefish you did a great job of characterizing Metafilter. This is a pretty special place on the internet as you pointed out so well. As we grew in size I did fear that shear numbers would overwhelm the place, but it still works pretty well. Certain threads, like anything with Sarah Palin, blow up rather quickly and become almost impossible to follow, but that remains the exception rather than the rule. I think a lot of the success is due to Matt's personality which attracted a lot of like minded souls.

By: deborah

deborah — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:26:22 -0800

By: cjorgensen

cjorgensen — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:32:59 -0800

cortex: "You know, people on this site have cats, and they have scanners, and there's really only one way to finish this thought if we want to make this years ritual posting really meaningful. Get to it."

No self-linking though.

By: jasper411

jasper411 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:38:46 -0800

I feel like giving everyone a hug!

By: Rumple

Rumple — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:57:14 -0800

I feel like giving everyone a cat!

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:15:27 -0800

I'm gonna throw up a hug!

By: Pollomacho

Pollomacho — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:25:43 -0800

I feel like giving everyone a cat!

I love cats and not in the "rub one out the wrong way" type cat loving either!

By: deborah

deborah — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:21:03 -0800

No self-linking though.

Too late!

By: grapefruitmoon

grapefruitmoon — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:42:35 -0800

I have both two cats and two scanners.

I do believe that only one cat would consent to being scanned, but I could scan her on each scanner to make up for the fact that the other cat is psychotic.