2.25 Updates and a Bounty!

August 6, 2009 1:43 PM

Minor double update on a big thread and a little thread...

From the "Ruins of..." thread: I'd like to thank Elmer Benson/Atom Robinson for sending me a copy of the NYT Magazine featuring the infamous photo essay and the subsequent NYT featuring the retraction of the same. Also, I'm offering $50 bounty for anyone who can get out to the possibly un-finished Arizona house and take some pictures/a panorama for us/me/you/them.

P.S. Don't try and fake it.

From my Ruff Ruffman Ask thread from a year and a half ago: A member of the original RR cast, Julia, found the thread about a month ago, contacted me, and offered to send my daughter an official RR t-shirt from the set along with some other swag. Dad being on the radio/newspaper = meh. Dad procuring a t-shirt from a Ruff Ruffman cast member = coolest dad ever.

So remember, Gentle Readers, that the $5 registration isn't a fee, it's an investment.

posted by unixrat to MetaFilter-Related at 1:43 PM (22 comments total)

Also I'm in the middle of moving so I blew my lunch break on this update and won't be back until tomorrow! Thanks again, Metafilter!
posted by unixrat at 1:45 PM on August 6, 2009

Thanks unixrat! I know what you mean about t-shirt swag -- I got my daughter stuff from the 'Tots TV' show via the director of that and she was thrilled beyond reasonable limits! (this was a few years back....).
posted by Rumple at 1:48 PM on August 6, 2009

Let The Schmoopy continue!
posted by Devils Rancher at 1:52 PM on August 6, 2009

Weddings, recoveries... and now free t-shirts?

I may shed a single tear now.
posted by Askiba at 2:30 PM on August 6, 2009

I love The Schmoopy.
posted by rtha at 2:30 PM on August 6, 2009 [2 favorites]

If someone sends me 250 of those cool looking one-dollar coins, I'll keep this schmoopy fest going even longer.
posted by yeti at 2:50 PM on August 6, 2009

I was in Minneapolis last weekend, and I begged my girlfriend to take me to the Mall of America. I was amazed at the size of the amusement park in the middle - now fully branded with Nickelodeon characters! Anyway, we are walking around and I notice a costumed character and I say to her, "Hey Look! It's Pablo from the Backyardigans!" My excited face was met with a bewildered stare. "The Backyardigans... from Nickelodeon?" Nothing. "Nick Jr, I suppose," clarifying as if that would explain my familiarity with Pablo, or help my cause.

My cool swagger through the mall took a dive thereafter.

My point is: Ruff who?

There. I feel hip again.
posted by yeti at 2:59 PM on August 6, 2009

Ruff Ruffman is in fact full of awesome, and your kid is sooooooooo lucky.
posted by middleclasstool at 3:01 PM on August 6, 2009

My cool swagger through the mall took a dive thereafter.

I tend to believe any cool swagger is misplaced in the MOA, if you catch my meaning. I live 5 minutes away and go there quite a bit, but feel pretty un-hip every time.

I hope you enjoyed your time here in Minneapolis.
posted by kingbenny at 3:07 PM on August 6, 2009

This is not Photoshopped.
posted by ColdChef at 3:30 PM on August 6, 2009

Schmoopy just strafed my house from a flying doghouse.
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:40 PM on August 6, 2009

I may have to start doing this when calling BS:
"Hey, you know that that's as accurate as this photo. "
posted by Askiba at 3:43 PM on August 6, 2009

Let it never be said that we're just a bunch of callous cynics again.
posted by Phire at 3:45 PM on August 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

RR is the best and wow, Julia searched for, found, contacted and helped? That's a little....weird and awesome.
posted by DU at 4:44 PM on August 6, 2009

Schmoopy just strafed my house from a flying doghouse.
I know a guy who knows his arch nemesis, the Crimson Viscount. He could clear that airspace for you on the cheap. Extra hazard pay could skyrocket if Schmoopy's got his pal Marl Kaulden with him though.
posted by juv3nal at 5:03 PM on August 6, 2009

Schmoopy just strafed my house from a flying doghouse.

Hang on Schmoopy! Schmoopy hang on!
posted by Nick Verstayne at 5:12 PM on August 6, 2009

UNFINISHED
|    _      ~
|_> | \  _~
  __|  \||
 /      ||
/_________\
 |     _ |           _________
 |  _ |_||          | ARIZONA |
 | | |   |          |_________|
 |_|_|___|              ||

[NOT PHOTOSHOPIST]

There ya go, you can keep the $50, don't waste it all on booze.
posted by qvantamon at 5:20 PM on August 6, 2009 [3 favorites]

As you can see, it's not symmetrical.
posted by qvantamon at 5:24 PM on August 6, 2009 [2 favorites]

Here is the likely Google street view of the house in question if anyone's interested.
posted by TungstenChef at 5:42 PM on August 6, 2009

I like this post because it mentions my name.

Thanks for the shout out. It was the least I could do.
posted by elmer benson at 6:27 PM on August 6, 2009

(The best thing about the Backyardigans is the soundtrack by Evan Lurie - if you were kewl in the 80's you probably knew about John Lurie (lately (?)) of "Fishing with John" fame") and Evan is his brother! From the Lounge Lizards! I know! Remember them! Evn was the brother with the talent! And he's effing great! I first heard him on "Oswald" and I thought the music was so exceptional I made my kid watch the show just because, and when I saw who had written the music and put one and one together... it's hard to describe...)
posted by From Bklyn at 9:52 PM on August 6, 2009

I like this post because it mentions my name.

the subsequent NYT featuring

Mine too!

I hope someone takes up unixrat's find-and-photo-the-house challenge because I really want to see what it actually looked like. I suspect it is much smaller than depicted and such a reveal will make the modified work seem even more misleading.
posted by quin at 7:34 AM on August 7, 2009