MetaFilter Blue Shift

August 14, 2009 1:56 PM

Is MetaFilter color shifting again?

What's the deal with MetaFilter's background doing the color shift thing again? It's not just me, is it? I've deleted all my cookies to be sure.

posted by howling fantods to MetaFilter-Related at 1:56 PM (116 comments total)

Still white to me.
posted by fixedgear at 1:57 PM on August 14, 2009 [14 favorites]

In the footer under 'Links' -> Make it stop.
posted by clearly at 1:59 PM on August 14, 2009

Look at the bottom of the page, under the "Links" section, and click the one that says "Make it stop".
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 1:59 PM on August 14, 2009

Perhaps a link in the MeTa "post a question" page is in order.

"If your background colors are shifting, please click here to see if that resolves your problem."


I'm joking... mostly
posted by zarq at 2:02 PM on August 14, 2009

We're going to completely remove that code from our system so this can't happen again. If you want to experience the color shift, do it now!
posted by pb (staff) at 2:07 PM on August 14, 2009

This is why we can't have nice things.
posted by grouse at 2:07 PM on August 14, 2009 [19 favorites]

If you want to experience the color shift, do it now!

*snorts a line of favorites*
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:15 PM on August 14, 2009 [3 favorites]

I turned it on and it won't start! Why isn't it shifting colors for ME?!
posted by msali at 2:21 PM on August 14, 2009

Ah come on, it would be a shame to do away with it completely!
posted by dead cousin ted at 2:28 PM on August 14, 2009

Aw, I love the color shifting.
posted by unknowncommand at 2:29 PM on August 14, 2009

This is so sad.
posted by Pants! at 2:36 PM on August 14, 2009

I too love the color shifting trick. But I also love being able to reminisce about cool shit n00bs don't know about. They'll come into MetaTalk and say, hey, wasn't there an April Fool's joke where the backgrounds turned into a spiral? Where can I find that and I'll think to myself (and type as a comment) you damn fool, the spirals were only for when MetaFilter was COOL.
posted by carsonb at 2:37 PM on August 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I heard that if you watched someone fall into a black hole, they would never completely disappear - you would see them get very, very close to it, and then red shift for enternity.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 2:42 PM on August 14, 2009

Per Marisa, perhaps MeFi is accelerating away from you and is approaching the speed of light?

Perhaps your circuit's dead and there's something wrong?
posted by GuyZero at 2:46 PM on August 14, 2009

"If you want to experience the color shift, do it now!"

...the talking coyote said to me right before he handed me a psychotropic frog.

"But beware; once you get small, it's hard to reach the doorknob."

And then, blue wind-chimes started. Fortunately, my boots were waterproof, so I wasn't worried.
posted by quin at 2:46 PM on August 14, 2009

Funny, we're disposing that code via black hole.
posted by pb (staff) at 2:46 PM on August 14, 2009

Can we have another footer link to make these "What's the deal with MetaFilter's background?" threads stop?
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 2:48 PM on August 14, 2009

Thanks for the link. I knew it existed, I just couldn't remember where. And sorry to those who like it if it goes away.

Strange thing is, the link still said "Make it start." I had to force it to start and then stop it again. And only the visible area of the window was shifting. When I scrolled up or down I could see the horizontal line where the color shift started.

Fixed now.
posted by howling fantods at 2:54 PM on August 14, 2009

Can we have another footer link to make these "What's the deal with MetaFilter's background?" threads stop?

I really did search for an existing thread for the answer, but couldn't come up with the magical combination of search terms to get it to the top of the heap. Sorry.
posted by howling fantods at 2:58 PM on August 14, 2009

Oh, now it's working.
posted by msali at 3:00 PM on August 14, 2009

NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! Keep! Keep! Keep!

(Or is this really such a pain in the ass behind the scenes that you have no choice?)

(Or is pb celebrating April 1 2010 early?)
posted by maudlin at 3:08 PM on August 14, 2009

True fact: there is no codex for synasthesia. Some hear colors in different tones than others. Then you have goofy people who pretend that they are synasthetes to get the freak cred.

Synesthesia is a horribly debilitating illness. I associate the letter M with feces, and so can't eat at McDonald's because everything tastes like shit.
posted by Sova at 3:14 PM on August 14, 2009 [4 favorites]

Another vote to please keep it! You have to act so purposefully to turn it on, it's not like people are tumbling into color-change-osity unawares.
posted by donnagirl at 3:24 PM on August 14, 2009

This is pretty much one of my favorite things anymore.

Do you have the greasemonkey?

MAKE IT START

MAKE IT START FASTER
posted by boo_radley at 3:36 PM on August 14, 2009 [12 favorites]

Then you have goofy people who pretend that they are synasthetes to get the freak cred.

I like neither the odor nor the hue of your implication, sirrah.
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:38 PM on August 14, 2009 [16 favorites]

You could replace the subtle "Make it stop" link with "STOP COLOR-SHIFTING" at the top of every page.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:39 PM on August 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

If we do away with the color thing.. could you code the site to slowly translate into Russian ?

thanks, I don't need that until later tonight, maybe about 10 pm.... call me when it's ready...
posted by HuronBob at 3:41 PM on August 14, 2009 [2 favorites]

Or, slowly turn the font into Comic Sans. Yaaaaaaaaay!
posted by Askiba at 3:46 PM on August 14, 2009 [2 favorites]

Does Comic Sans have all those weird-ass Russian characters? If it does, I'm OK with that..
posted by HuronBob at 3:47 PM on August 14, 2009

Aw, I'm sad it's going away, too.
posted by juliplease at 3:53 PM on August 14, 2009

I'm sad too; i like the strangeness of the color-shifting.
posted by beandip at 3:59 PM on August 14, 2009

I don' get it. It's such an out-of-the-way link, and you have to click on a link inside of that out-of-the-way link. How the HELL do people who don't know about it keep stumbling across it??

That is to say: Please don't take it away :(

(See, I even used an irritating emoticon.)
posted by Phire at 4:01 PM on August 14, 2009

I agree with all those calling for an instaban on users who post to Meta asking for a solution to this "problem".
posted by gman at 4:15 PM on August 14, 2009

Funny, we're disposing that code via black hole.

As long as you don't have little helper robots with SPINNING BLADES for hands, because those fuckers are scary!
posted by P.o.B. at 4:25 PM on August 14, 2009 [2 favorites]

I call for an instaban on users who call for instabans.

I also call for an instaban on turbans, the institubes, and roll-on Ban®.
posted by GuyZero at 4:25 PM on August 14, 2009

Feature request: a Stop Making Sense button.

I call for an instaban on users who call for instabans.

Didn't Kodak useta make those?
posted by hangashore at 4:27 PM on August 14, 2009

Um, I made it start, and now it won't stop, no matter how many times I click the link. Was this some kind of moron test that I failed?
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:28 PM on August 14, 2009

Nevermind, I figured it out. Clearly the answer was yes.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:31 PM on August 14, 2009

No more color shift? Fuck it, I quit.
posted by marxchivist at 4:33 PM on August 14, 2009

I'm back, that door hurts when it hits your ass on the way out.
posted by marxchivist at 4:33 PM on August 14, 2009 [2 favorites]

Strange thing is, the link still said "Make it start." I had to force it to start and then stop it again. And only the visible area of the window was shifting. When I scrolled up or down I could see the horizontal line where the color shift started.

This happened to me last week. But the colors didn't fade--all the colors on the page got slowly brighter, but only the part on the screen. If I re-started my browser, it would stop for awhile. Eventually it stopped, don't know why (re-booting? updated browser), but it never did seem to have anything to do with the "Make It Start/Stop" button, and once I was able to confirm that it was happening on another site, as well.
posted by not that girl at 4:34 PM on August 14, 2009

Noooooo! Make it stay, please!
posted by fish tick at 4:36 PM on August 14, 2009

Another vote to please let it stay. It's fun in small doses.
posted by amyms at 4:40 PM on August 14, 2009

Small doses will actually cause the same effect.
posted by gman at 4:45 PM on August 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

Why take it away? Yes, on occasion, someone asks what's going on and how to stop it. It's not like other questions aren't asked multiple times.

Please don't delete it. It's obviously a beloved part of MeFi.
posted by deborah at 5:01 PM on August 14, 2009

It should also be a beloved part of our FAQ, so we can point people to it.

(Also beloved: if you make "FAQ" rhyme with "fuck" while doing so)
posted by subbes at 5:21 PM on August 14, 2009

Last night I was reading Mefi under the skylight at sunset on a loaner laptop with Mac OS/X 10.5.7, which is a newer version than I have on my regular machine.

When the display kept getting dimmer and dimmer, I first thought I was going blind, then thought I had accidentally turned on color-shifting.

Only then did I open System Preferences to see that OS/X has this option set on by default: Automatically adjust brightness as ambient light changes.
posted by ottereroticist at 5:27 PM on August 14, 2009

You could replace the subtle "Make it stop" link with "STOP COLOR-SHIFTING" at the top of every page.

I would prefer the header link to read "MAKE IT STOP," which would link to a plain white page with black text asking:

IS THIS BETTER?

It would be my go-to page whenever threads get to be too much, or the internet is overwhelming. I would gaze at the simplicity and sigh in contentment.

And I would answer: "Yes, thank you."
posted by filthy light thief at 5:36 PM on August 14, 2009 [4 favorites]

If things are randomly changing color, CONSULT A DOCTOR.
posted by blue_beetle at 5:46 PM on August 14, 2009 [4 favorites]

> We're going to completely remove that code from our system so this can't happen again. If you want to experience the color shift, do it now!

Boooooo. I vote that we keep it.
posted by desuetude at 5:50 PM on August 14, 2009

I've still got a mouse pointer that color-shifts! The patch for the animated cursor vulnerablilty is effective...right...?
posted by Kronos_to_Earth at 5:59 PM on August 14, 2009

If things are randomly flashing on and off, STOP BLINKING.
posted by genghis at 6:02 PM on August 14, 2009

Please dad...can't we keep it?

It's not very loud. It won't poop on everything, HONEST. And it can sleep in my room!

And all my friends have one!

Please?
posted by arachnid at 6:06 PM on August 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

How about HUGE BLINKY text at the top, ala:

THE COLORS ARE SHIFTING RIGHT NOW. CLICK HERE TO MAKE IT STOP
posted by spiderskull at 6:10 PM on August 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

How come my blinks don't work, but others' do?!
posted by spiderskull at 6:11 PM on August 14, 2009

let's keep the colour shift. please. I love using it. sometimes I Make It Start, then go to another window, go to the Mac side of my machine... work over there... come back only to check what colour the page has shifted to.

One more vote for Let It Stay.
posted by seawallrunner at 6:26 PM on August 14, 2009

Conflating smells with colours? That's just crazy talk.

Now, smells and musical intervals, that's something. Tastes, even.

Look, a root note tastes like nothing, or water if anything. An octave has a hint of flavour, like maybe a pinch of vanilla. But a perfect fifth, bam, that's freshly mown grass, right there.

The major third is sugar. Minor third: mildly salty or umami. The minor sixth is milky but thicker, like yogurt or more savoury, like a thicker Ayran. A minor seventh is like water with a little lemon thrown in, or sometimes like whisky or a whisky sour, a major seventh is key lime pie.

Major second has structure but little to no taste, like sparkling water (seltzer). Minor second is like too much lemon or those super-sour gummy bears, and the dimished fifth is stale coffee (without the pick-me-up) mixed with bitter melon (I had to look that up, we call it sopropo after the Surinamese).

The perfect fourth is the moment just before orgasm. That's neither a taste or a smell (in itself, as it were), but YMMV.

NOTE: I don't acutally have synesthesia, but this seemed as good a place as any to list my gusto-harmonic mental associations, which are in fact real and honest.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 7:48 PM on August 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

oh yes, please make it stay. I don't do drugs anymore, and I hardly ever drink. This is all I have!
posted by dogmom at 7:50 PM on August 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

neither acutely nor actually
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 7:51 PM on August 14, 2009

The perfect fourth is the moment just before orgasm. That's neither a taste or a smell

It kind of smells like bleach.
posted by qvantamon at 7:51 PM on August 14, 2009

Feature request: a Stop Start Making Sense button.

FTFY.

Please don't take away yet another of the things that makes MeFi what it is and should always be. Change is bad! I want things to stay just the way they are forever!
posted by dg at 7:56 PM on August 14, 2009

It kind of smells like bleach.

But tastes like the junior prom?
posted by desuetude at 8:22 PM on August 14, 2009

So... I made it start, now I can't make it stop. Cookies are cleared, rebooted, theme changed, and yet the colors won't stop!

The google, it does nothing!
posted by blue_beetle at 8:39 PM on August 14, 2009

I third the suggestion to put something in the header to say "color shifting ENABLED" & also put, if it's enabled, something on the post page to say the same.

Though it's happened a few times & I do feel for the people who must have stumbled on that link, shrugged, & only later start to lose it.
posted by Pronoiac at 8:54 PM on August 14, 2009

Make it stay! trying to make comments and read posts during the color shifts gives Extra Cabal XP- oh no wait-
posted by The Whelk at 9:02 PM on August 14, 2009

Also: This was for April Fools 2008.
posted by Pronoiac at 9:07 PM on August 14, 2009

But tastes like the junior prom?

Nah, like a 9-volt battery.
posted by nat at 9:29 PM on August 14, 2009

puh-puh-puhlease keep it!
posted by saucysault at 9:47 PM on August 14, 2009

Thanks a lot, Murky Dismal. I'm calling Rainbow Brite.
posted by IndigoRain at 9:53 PM on August 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

Man, I was only gone a week and the place falls apart.

Time to make the donuts fix the wiki...

It was a cute deal, actually, even though I didn't delete the cookies right and I can never login to mefi in firefox on my home machine.
posted by lysdexic at 10:11 PM on August 14, 2009

Thank you for leaving a toy for us, pb.
posted by Cranberry at 10:18 PM on August 14, 2009

Aw, I hope you won't delete it. I didn't even realize it was still available. It's fun to play with once in awhile.
posted by Malor at 10:43 PM on August 14, 2009

Dude, this is awesome; I'm going to keep it on all the time. Please don't delete it.
posted by The Confessor at 10:55 PM on August 14, 2009

Here we go again.
posted by koeselitz at 11:01 PM on August 14, 2009

Hmmm. It seems to be stuck on robin's egg blue. Oh dear, did pb kill it? *cries*
posted by Cranberry at 12:26 AM on August 15, 2009

We're going to completely remove that code from our system so this can't happen again. If you want to experience the color shift, do it now!

.
posted by juv3nal at 12:46 AM on August 15, 2009

pb what is the motivation for removing the feature? I'll jump on the bandwagon of wanting it to stay if there isn't some IMG tag level of security risk involved. The occasional Metatalk thread seems like a small price to pay for som much coolness.
posted by Mitheral at 1:54 AM on August 15, 2009 [1 favorite]

I'm all for keeping it. Please let's keep it!

A) It's fun and cool and sometimes I like turning it on and seeing how long it takes the color-change to slow my Metafiltering down. Any chump can read and comment on blue, green or gray - try it on puce and electric lemon yellow, suckahs!

B) Do we really want to saddle poor howling fantods with the shame of being the MeFite who killed the technicolor dream blog? That's pretty harsh. I think that would mean we would have to throw rocks at him. I can't throw rocks all the way into Canada.
posted by EatTheWeek at 2:03 AM on August 15, 2009 [2 favorites]

Please keep it.
posted by bigmusic at 4:56 AM on August 15, 2009

Please keep it. Please. Please.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:11 AM on August 15, 2009

We're going to completely remove that code from our system so this can't happen again. If you want to experience the color shift, do it now!

I do not recall seeing that memo, pb. Please hold off on that, and let's discuss it at the next meeting.
posted by Meatbomb at 6:09 AM on August 15, 2009

Another vote for keeping this harmless source of enjoyment.
posted by languagehat at 6:10 AM on August 15, 2009

howling fantods, if this goes down.... *points index and forefinger at own eyes, then at howling fantods*
posted by Liver at 6:13 AM on August 15, 2009

So, is this post eponysterical?

No disassemble Stephani-pb! Make it Start Alive!
posted by theclaw at 7:05 AM on August 15, 2009

We're going to completely remove that code from our system so this can't happen again.

Oh, I think we can arrange for it to happen again. Somehow.

I hope next year's April Fools prank keeps on giving much like this one did. Years and years of requests, popping up out of nowhere, spreading from user to user. herpes.js, anyone?
posted by Nelson at 7:50 AM on August 15, 2009

Y'know; I'm not entirely up on actually using Greasemonkey, but it seems that simulating this experience might be the perfect task for a Greasemonkey script. I might've tried writing it myself today if I didn't just pull a near all-nighter with Civ III.
posted by The Confessor at 8:01 AM on August 15, 2009

boo_radley

I HAVE NO ORIGINAL THOUGHTS.

ON MY GRAVESTONE, IT WILL READ:

Confessor, 1981-20??, (double)
posted by The Confessor at 8:03 AM on August 15, 2009

Paging plutor.

I'll bet he could knock this out in 15 minutes if we asked nicely. So what do you say, plutor? Please?
posted by double block and bleed at 8:55 AM on August 15, 2009

That would be useless. It's only cool if it's a built-in site feature.
posted by Malor at 9:03 AM on August 15, 2009 [1 favorite]

EatTheWeak: "...Do we really want to saddle poor howling fantods with the shame of being the MeFite who killed the technicolor dream blog? That's pretty harsh. I think that would mean we would have to throw rocks at him. I can't throw rocks all the way into Canada."

Who said anything about rocks? We'll just buy the tar and feathers when we get there.
posted by double block and bleed at 9:03 AM on August 15, 2009

Keep it, jerks.
posted by 31d1 at 9:30 AM on August 15, 2009 [1 favorite]

Keep it!! Super-please?
posted by Captain Cardanthian! at 10:14 AM on August 15, 2009

I love how we don't just want a colored background instead of that professional white, but we also want that garish color to change into more garish colors over time.
posted by The Devil Tesla at 11:52 AM on August 15, 2009 [2 favorites]

double block and bleed: "Paging plutor.

I'll bet he could knock this out in 15 minutes if we asked nicely. So what do you say, plutor? Please?"

Did you miss this post?

Keep it. Keep it keep it keep it. Please.
posted by IndigoRain at 12:01 PM on August 15, 2009

I absolutely understand the affection for this feature. It was a fun joke that worked well, and it's one of the quirks that makes MetaFilter unique. I'm still in favor of removing it for several reasons. Once enabled, it makes the site unusable. The color-shifts start interfering with the user's ability to read the text on the page. That's funny for a while but gets annoying quickly.

So why not make this "feature" even better with a special message at the top of the page? Because it's not a real feature. Every feature that we support adds complexity to maintaining it. If we add a special system message when color-shift is enabled, suddenly that becomes a test case for me when working with other system message features. And to keep a feature that breaks the site for people runs counter to what I try to do here every day. I try to keep the site working for everyone.

It was a funny April Fools joke and it's part of our shared history. We set up Make It Start/Stop so folks who didn't happen to visit the site that day could see what it looked like. We've been supporting that for over a year now, and I don't think it has to be a permanent part of the site. There will be new, better, even cooler jokes.
posted by pb (staff) at 12:10 PM on August 15, 2009

There will be new, better, even cooler jokes.

I am going to hold you to that sir!
posted by Meatbomb at 12:29 PM on August 15, 2009 [2 favorites]

Splendid! NOW it is bright red.
posted by Cranberry at 12:38 PM on August 15, 2009

Color me easily amused.
posted by Cranberry at 12:40 PM on August 15, 2009

There will be new, better, even cooler jokes.

I swear to Christ that if you do not follow through on that promise then I am coming for your family.
posted by middleclasstool at 1:28 PM on August 15, 2009

And I swear that if you do not follow through... I'll probably not even remember you promised it, but I might pout for a bit, I'm not really sure but probably; no harm.
posted by subbes at 2:40 PM on August 15, 2009

You can take the colors things away if we can have the image tag. Oh, this isn't a democracy?
posted by cjorgensen at 2:53 PM on August 15, 2009

setStyleById('body','background','rgb('+r+', '+g+', '+b+')'); FOR LIFE, YO.
posted by sleslie at 3:05 PM on August 15, 2009

Yes, I did miss the comment about the gm script. Thanks for the MeMail, gman.

Man, pb, what happened to you? You used to be cool, man.

I can understand ditching it if it makes site maintenance more difficult. Running the technical side of this site must keep pb busier than a one-legged cat trying to bury shit on a frozen pond. Cut the poor guy a break.

As for howling fantods, I'll have the tar truck in Toronto about 22:00 local time. Shall we all meet in front of his home about midnight? That will give the tar enough time to heat up. We still need feathers, torches and pitchforks.
posted by double block and bleed at 4:38 PM on August 15, 2009 [1 favorite]

A bunch of MeFites argued about the color of the screen changing. One said, "The color changes." The other said, "The screen changes." Their argument went back and forth and no one could agree.
The Sixth Patriarch said, "Gentlemen! It is not the color that changes; it is not the screen that changes; it is your mind that changes." The MeFites were awe-struck.
posted by exlotuseater at 10:21 PM on August 15, 2009 [2 favorites]

ooh how pretty. the page is now deep teal. *hugs pb*
posted by Cranberry at 10:45 PM on August 15, 2009

mine keeps shifting from gray to grey
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 7:15 AM on August 16, 2009 [1 favorite]

exlotuseater - and the MeFites laughed at the thought of any of them changing their minds?
posted by russm at 7:34 AM on August 16, 2009 [1 favorite]

I tried it out again, and I gotta say that I'm not as attached to the color-shiftiness as I am to, say, the Public Option. So, pb, if you want to take out the color shiftiness, I say fine, but in exchange you should probably make sure that health care reform goes through without any further hitches.
posted by kaibutsu at 12:17 PM on August 16, 2009 [1 favorite]

Could we not have one that just shifts from one professional colour to the other?
posted by ob at 5:20 PM on August 16, 2009

2nd kaibutsu; the second hit is just not as good as the first.
posted by The Confessor at 2:39 PM on August 17, 2009

pb: "We're going to completely remove that code from our system so this can't happen again. If you want to experience the color shift, do it now!"

I somehow accidentally fell victim to this today. It's been 10 days since your ultimatum. Time to purge it?
posted by Plutor at 11:55 AM on August 24, 2009

Slipped in the shower and fell right on it, I suppose.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:07 PM on August 24, 2009

Yeah, I think there's been enough time for anyone stumbling on this thread to try it one last time. I removed the code. Any color-shifting you experience now will be caused by something external.
posted by pb (staff) at 1:18 PM on August 24, 2009

You mean now it's haunted?
posted by lysdexic at 6:55 AM on August 25, 2009

We have normality. I repeat: we have normality. Anything you still can’t cope with is therefore your own problem.
posted by Pronoiac at 12:22 PM on August 25, 2009

Normality is overrated.
posted by dg at 3:49 AM on August 27, 2009