QuizMe September 28, 2009 6:23 PM   Subscribe

It's time for yet another Metafilter quiz!

Trivia site Sporcle (previ-ously) finally opened their quiz creation tool to the public and, inspired by good news for the insane's challenging 10th anniversary test, I decided to make one of my games dedicated to Mefi.

Mine's not nearly as difficult as GNFTI's, but does require a little more effort. Instead of multiple choice, you just type your answers into a text box, based on the categories and clues given below. If you type in a correct answer, it'll show up on the board. If not, just backspace and try something else. There are seventy answers in all (plus a few seekrit invisible bonus slots that only show up if you guess the right thing).

When you're done, click "See the Most Missed" to view charts of how often each answer was guessed and how you did in comparison to everyone else who took the quiz.

(And once you start, make sure not to go back to Mefi until you're done, as a few questions depend on memory of what the site looks like.)

[ Click here to play ]
posted by Rhaomi to MetaFilter-Related at 6:23 PM (109 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite

I took about 45 seconds to figure out how to play and gave up (no I did not read this complete post). Then I went back, noticed I was the answer to two of the questions, played some more, and then quit again when I stumbled on who was the open source advocate and when the sci fi author I picked wasn't the answer.... I may be too cracked on on black and white cookies to do this properly, but this seemed a little difficult. On the other hand, DTMFA, now I know what it means!
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:30 PM on September 28, 2009


Ummm... Single Link Oxford English?
posted by Flunkie at 6:32 PM on September 28, 2009


What, no love for MeFi's other Notable Science Fiction Author?
posted by CKmtl at 6:38 PM on September 28, 2009


Ah, now it worked. Disregard.
posted by CKmtl at 6:39 PM on September 28, 2009


Fun! 43/70. Enough to be respectable, but not enough to personally feel pathetic and like I need to Devil's Rancher myself off.
posted by cashman at 6:47 PM on September 28, 2009


I got 41, but then I am a pro sporcler (albeit a less pro mefite). Which reminds me, I should probably brush up on my countries of the world instead of doing work...
posted by MadamM at 6:48 PM on September 28, 2009


What the fuck kind of interface is that?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:49 PM on September 28, 2009 [2 favorites]


D'oh on the sci-fi author... must've gone to it before 15351 was added. Didn't know about the original answer.

45/70. Killed by real names (knowing first or last but not both), taglines, and notable users.
posted by Riki tiki at 6:50 PM on September 28, 2009


Sorry if it was confusing, everybody -- I've been hooked on the site for awhile now and might be overestimating how simple the format looks to people who have never tried it.

Basically, each blue box is a category of facts with a certain number of slots, and some of the boxes have hints next to each slot that prompt a particular answer. To submit answers, you type guesses into the text field at the top. If anything you type matches one of the correct answers, the text field will clear and the answer will appear in one of the slots. So you don't have to click around the boxes or go in order or anything -- just scan the various headings and clues, and if you see something you know the answer to, type it in. If what you type doesn't trigger anything, backspace and try something else.

For example, one of the categories is "Mods (usernames)." If you type any username of any Metafilter mod in the text field, it will show up in that category. Same goes for all the other categories. Whatever you type, if it's a correct answer, it will appear below when you type it.

CKmtl: "What, no love for MeFi's other Notable Science Fiction Author?"

CKmtl: "Ah, now it worked. Disregard."

No, you were right -- I'd had him as an answer before, was going to merge him with the other "scifi author" slot, but forgot. It should work now.

(Oh, and special thanks to the Mefi Wiki for providing most of the ideas for answers.)
posted by Rhaomi at 6:52 PM on September 28, 2009


Oh, there's at least one extra credit option (spoiler). Which is cool.
posted by Riki tiki at 6:53 PM on September 28, 2009


I got 58 out of 70, and I'm not even a power user. Some of the ones I didn't get are embarrassing, though.
posted by not that girl at 6:54 PM on September 28, 2009


Sporcle?

I imagine a ring of ragged, starving, bearded apocalypse survivors, gathered around a wild pig, desperately trying stab it to death with plastic fork-spoon hybrids, then, frustrated at their failure, turning on each other.

But maybe that's the vibe they were trying to give.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 6:55 PM on September 28, 2009


I only got 47. Didn't understand bylines. Forgot how to spell Matt's last name and forgot cortex and pb's last names.
posted by ODiV at 6:56 PM on September 28, 2009


57/70. I missed a shitload of taglines, mainly because I'm always too busy making up my own.

Also forgot vacapinta. (sorry, dude)
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 6:59 PM on September 28, 2009


I appreciate the effort, but the multiple categories make Sporcle the wrong format for this.
posted by gman at 6:59 PM on September 28, 2009


46/70 and feeling OK about it. Pleased that I forgot "taters," also.
posted by empyrean at 7:03 PM on September 28, 2009


I only got 63/70 with heavy cheating. I'm disappointed.
posted by flatluigi at 7:04 PM on September 28, 2009


57. Not bad.
posted by Phire at 7:04 PM on September 28, 2009


46/70. Meh for me. I really couldn't dredge up too many taglines, and I'm not so good on Famous MeFites, nor do I know the full names of pb and vacapinta.
posted by Miko at 7:06 PM on September 28, 2009


Treaty of Westphalia was all new to me.
posted by josher71 at 7:10 PM on September 28, 2009


I got 62 and now I feel a little dirty. Knowing how Sporcle works is a big help, though.

I never would have picked your answer for "highlighting an issue for community discussion". Ever.
posted by donnagirl at 7:11 PM on September 28, 2009


I cheated, and looked up the taglines and the flags. Other than that, I did pretty well! And I got the bonus byline!
posted by not_on_display at 7:15 PM on September 28, 2009


Also: poor vacapinta, the unknown mod. I know his name now, just like 2.2% of you did before taking the quiz!
posted by not_on_display at 7:17 PM on September 28, 2009


That was fun, though I scored poorly enough I'm going to conveniently not share it here - thanks for taking the time to do this, Rhaomi!
posted by Solon and Thanks at 7:25 PM on September 28, 2009


I got 50, if you count two bonus taglines. Then I cheated.
posted by Captain Cardanthian! at 7:29 PM on September 28, 2009


60/70, but I work here. Those taglines are hard!
posted by pb (staff) at 7:30 PM on September 28, 2009


What the fuck is a "byline element"? I still don't understand.
posted by dersins at 7:31 PM on September 28, 2009


Riki tiki, I got two secret answers. (spoiler) Are there more?
posted by shakespeherian at 7:31 PM on September 28, 2009


This will not.... uh, quonsar? NO? DAMMIT.
posted by wendell at 7:38 PM on September 28, 2009 [1 favorite]


Judging by the comments so far, there are at least four secret answers and possibly six.
posted by Captain Cardanthian! at 7:39 PM on September 28, 2009


dersins: "What the fuck is a "byline element"? I still don't understand."

I intended it to mean the line of information below each post and comment saying who posted it and when and such. Is there a more common term for it?
posted by Rhaomi at 7:41 PM on September 28, 2009


I got a 48/70 which included zero taglines and also, I could not hustle up the correct spelling of Bausch.
posted by kate blank at 7:46 PM on September 28, 2009


Just found 13 more bonus taglines for a total of at least 15 (spoiler). I tried them all so you don't have to.
posted by Captain Cardanthian! at 7:47 PM on September 28, 2009


We can figure out all the secret answers. We're all in this together, right?

58/70
posted by carsonb at 7:48 PM on September 28, 2009


I only got 40. I had no idea what a byline element was, I've never actually paid attention to the taglines, I only know of two "notable" MeFites and sixcolors apparently wasn't an answer.
posted by katillathehun at 7:51 PM on September 28, 2009 [2 favorites]


63/70. Embarrassing moments: Knowing what vacapinta's first name was but throwing up my hands at remembering what his last name is. Also, not until very late did I figure out that the taglines being asked for weren't the "bonus" ones.
posted by Kattullus at 8:06 PM on September 28, 2009 [1 favorite]


Oh, and not to be all pedantic (fun quiz) but the answer given to "a very long thread" isn't correct. That's not what it means.
posted by Kattullus at 8:08 PM on September 28, 2009


dersins: "What the fuck is a "byline element"? I still don't understand.

posted by dersins at 10:31 PM on September 28 [+] [!] [quote]
"

Asked and answered, in one comment. We Mefites are nothing if not efficient.
posted by Riki tiki at 8:15 PM on September 28, 2009


Kattullus: "Oh, and not to be all pedantic (fun quiz) but the answer given to "a very long thread" isn't correct. That's not what it means."

Hmmm... I knew the term originated in the really long conversational posts that occurred before the one-month thread closure policy was instituted, but I thought it could apply to any any loooong thread in general, as well. For instance, I've heard the epic Palin VP thread called a longboat before.

But I guess that's not the case, and that it refers specifically to the conversational threads that don't really happen anymore. If so, does anybody have a good, succinct way to describe "longboat" that will fit into the hint box? I'll replace it if so.
posted by Rhaomi at 8:26 PM on September 28, 2009


Also: poor vacapinta, the unknown mod.

I remembered him, but couldn't figure out the spelling. I kept trying to insert an L where clearly none was needed. Like an orange, I guess.
posted by anastasiav at 8:26 PM on September 28, 2009


Another little quibble: always thought it was GYOB with an optional 'FW' at the end.
posted by carsonb at 8:30 PM on September 28, 2009


57/70. I fail at remembering who people actually are. And taglines.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 8:31 PM on September 28, 2009


Since when is NSFW "not safe for work"? Hasn't it always been "not suitable for work"? Am I the only one who tried like 3 times to get that to work?
posted by lunit at 8:42 PM on September 28, 2009 [1 favorite]


lunit: "Since when is NSFW "not safe for work"? Hasn't it always been "not suitable for work"? Am I the only one who tried like 3 times to get that to work?"

1. Since always
2. Yes
posted by Captain Cardanthian! at 8:44 PM on September 28, 2009


57/70. You can tell that I use the professional white background, because I got none of the taglines. Also: vacapinta's name is Ricardo?

The More You Know ♒★
posted by ocherdraco at 8:46 PM on September 28, 2009 [1 favorite]


60/70. I never even knew vacapinta's real name before.

It's funny that I knew more of the old taglines than the current taglines.
posted by grouse at 8:49 PM on September 28, 2009


Oops. Make that

1. Since always
2. No
3. Yes

(See, here's a legitimate use of the edit window!)
posted by Captain Cardanthian! at 8:50 PM on September 28, 2009


I had no idea what a byline element was, I've never actually paid attention to the taglines

Same.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:25 PM on September 28, 2009


50/70 (after I figured out what "byline element" was looking for).
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:28 PM on September 28, 2009


Woo! 60!
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:30 PM on September 28, 2009


52/70. Had no idea what any tagline was. Was 100% stumped by that interface for a very long time.
posted by popechunk at 9:31 PM on September 28, 2009


Fun stuff. A little like Family Feud, ironically.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:31 PM on September 28, 2009


Argh. That was lots of fun but just 41/70.
High point: got every term.
Low point: didn't get a single tagline, and apparently I don't keep up with the celebs.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:52 PM on September 28, 2009


Here's one for you, ala crossword puzzle clues:
Describing a poissoned tailor's efforts?
First one to post/ memail the correct answer wins a noprize.
posted by boo_radley at 9:55 PM on September 28, 2009


Shouldn't it be dump the motherfucking arsehole? Does that have a better ring to it? Not saying the answer's wrong, mind, just suggesting improving the acronym so it's more acrimonious. (Acroharmonymious even?)
posted by b33j at 9:57 PM on September 28, 2009


I got 55. For some reason, I don't view the correspondent as such, & I couldn't get the Portuguese author typed right, apparently. Oh, & tag lines. And a couple of real names.
posted by Pronoiac at 10:01 PM on September 28, 2009


56/70. Missed "it breaks the guidelines" because I forgot the "it".
posted by teraflop at 10:21 PM on September 28, 2009


boo_radley: Is it a tailored, tailor result?
posted by tellurian at 10:26 PM on September 28, 2009


54/70, which I'm quite proud of considering that I've used the professional white background for so long that I didn't even know there were sub-site taglines. I was racking my brain trying to figure out what that section was all about, other than the running "Metafilter: [comment from current thread]" jokes that spring up across the site like dandelions.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 10:28 PM on September 28, 2009


sew-sew sole?
posted by carsonb at 10:32 PM on September 28, 2009


I got 54. I'd have had more, but I kept spelling get with a Y (gyet). It said GYOB, man... Surely I get a do-over for that, and someone pack me another bowl, eh?
posted by heyho at 10:33 PM on September 28, 2009


This Is Just To Say

I visited
the site
that featured
the brief quiz

which could
very probably
cause me
much chagrin

Not too bad
forty of seventy
the center
of the curve
posted by Kronos_to_Earth at 10:47 PM on September 28, 2009


I got 48 (taglines and notable members were the hardest) but i liked the format! fun, thanks.
posted by milestogo at 10:49 PM on September 28, 2009


b33j: "Shouldn't it be dump the motherfucking arsehole? Does that have a better ring to it? Not saying the answer's wrong, mind, just suggesting improving the acronym so it's more acrimonious. (Acroharmonymious even?)"

1. No.
2. No.
3. No, even.
posted by Riki tiki at 10:51 PM on September 28, 2009


54/70. I got three secret taglines and none of the regular ones. I also forgot Pepsi Blue so I can only assume I deserve to have people spam me until it's burned into my brain.
posted by mindless progress at 11:05 PM on September 28, 2009


52/70. I'm so disappointed in myself.

I like the way the results page is set up.
posted by deborah at 11:19 PM on September 28, 2009


Holy shit, 65/70, without even cheating. Go me?

I missed anildash (despite Sporcle's professional white background), I forgot the tagline for the Shop, and I forgot about the Podcast subsite and its tagline completely because I only ever listen to the podcast from MeTa. I thought the subsite I was missing was Ten, which meant I spent a full minute trying to figure out how the quiz had it spelled (Tenth Anniversary, 10th Anniversary, mefi10, Ten, 10, MetaFilter Ten, fucking MeFi X...).

Also, I couldn't quite nail vacapinta's first name. I tried Ronaldo, Roberto, Rigoberto, and several different spellings of Reymundo. Sorry, vacapinta. I failed you.
posted by maqsarian at 11:31 PM on September 28, 2009


I got 53. I didn't get any taglines because the first two I tried were 'query the hive mind' and 'community blog' so when they didn't work I thought I was on the wrong track. Dammit!

Aside from that, I am oddly proud that I had absolutely no idea for 'boyzone'. (That was the 'easiest' ranked question that I missed, too).
posted by jacalata at 11:35 PM on September 28, 2009


48. I knew it wasn't "Treaty of Wasilla" but I froze up.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 12:25 AM on September 29, 2009


I got mathowie, cortex, jessamyn, and pb. The remaining mod is like the third guy after Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:48 AM on September 29, 2009


41. And still pissed about the longboats.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 3:45 AM on September 29, 2009


Yeah, the longboats started in 9622v.2 (THIS MESS). I said I wanted a longboat. There was a photo of a longboat in my Flickr stream. Someone pointed this out to me. I indicated that that was not MY longboat.

And so it began. It was a literal longboat. And lo, it became the symbol of much foolishness. And then it got co-opted to mean "Any thread in which much foolishness breaks out." And then, I guess, it became "Any long thread." And now I guess it's also a verb, sometimes.

IT WAS A LITERAL LONGBOAT, PEOPLE.

Use it correctly or I'm taking my longboat and going home!
posted by grapefruitmoon at 3:49 AM on September 29, 2009


Honey, I got 51. Bylines screwed me, couldn't summon pb and vaca's real names, tripped on the famous Mefites, and oddly enough, couldn't get MeFite.

I like the format, even though I've never used the site before. Sort of like Family Feud without the kisses.

Bug report: Meatbomb must have been spelled wrong in the "Mods" category. It never accepted that as an answer.
posted by SpiffyRob at 4:55 AM on September 29, 2009


60 and I missed all of the taglines (oh, plain theme, how could you treat me so).

and I got one of the bonus questions (our Astral Mod), what are the others?
posted by atrazine at 5:43 AM on September 29, 2009


52, but the bizarre interface threw me for a while, especially given that I couldn't fit the whole thing in the screen at once, even with Firefox in full-screen mode. Stupid small laptop screen.
posted by dg at 6:15 AM on September 29, 2009


tl;dr
posted by theora55 at 6:20 AM on September 29, 2009


I'm upset because "single-link opionion editorial" was not good enough for "single-link op-ed". For a moment there I wasn't sure I'd ever known what SLOE meant, but really... really, I did!
posted by sunshinesky at 7:10 AM on September 29, 2009


I did, however enjoy the bonus "batshitinsane" addition to the flags.
posted by sunshinesky at 7:11 AM on September 29, 2009


I got 30 does this mean I fail at metifilter?
posted by Mastercheddaar at 7:13 AM on September 29, 2009


Odinsdream: "Matt Haughey"
posted by flatluigi at 7:20 AM on September 29, 2009


I'm with lunit and kept using 'suitable' in NSFW.

I wrongly guessed the 'long thread' was 9622 and then 8762. Nope.

Right away, I typed 'jessamyn' and 'wendell' for two immediate correct answers before looking over the prompts. This did not work when I typed "quonsar'.

I misspelled Miguel's last name.

I got 42. When the curve is established I think I'll be okay.
posted by geekyguy at 7:56 AM on September 29, 2009


48. Had no idea what a byline was, and I had "query the hivemind" instead of "querying the hivemind". Blarg.
posted by yeti at 8:55 AM on September 29, 2009


50/70. Taglines and famous people are hard. And apparently I'm a very negative flagger, since I didn't get "Fantastic Post/Comment."
posted by This Guy at 9:02 AM on September 29, 2009


51. I bombed mainly on the taglines, although for some reason I got the bonus one.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:16 AM on September 29, 2009


Turns out IANAL has nothing to do with sex. Always thought it was an odd way to start off a post.
posted by Askr at 9:19 AM on September 29, 2009


60/70. Didn't summon up Pepsi Blue, spelled Westphalia wrong apparently and assumed wrong-tree barking, and, like Kattullus, made the impressive error of being unable to recall vacapinta's surname. I really thought it was something else and I'm not sure why.

I also couldn't summon up doctorow, but I attribute that to having much more well-primed associations than the one to open source stuff.

Other than that, it was all missed taglines, a couple of which I don't even recognize.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:24 AM on September 29, 2009


48/70, and I couldn't remember cortex's name - just that it started with a "J." And the clock was ticking and I started to feel pressured and my brain did this:

Brain: TRY JESUS H. SHATNER!
Me: It isn't Jesus H. Shatner.
Brain: TRY JESUS H. SHATNER TRY IT!!11
Me: It isn't Jesus H. Shatner.
Brain: ...
Me: ...

Protip: It isn't Jesus H. Shatner.

(Fun quiz, thanks Rhaomi!)
posted by arachnid at 9:25 AM on September 29, 2009 [5 favorites]


I've been here for 7 years and I don't see any reason why cortex should have any other name.
posted by biffa at 9:28 AM on September 29, 2009


Just for you, arachnid.
posted by Rhaomi at 9:44 AM on September 29, 2009


I got 52/70. I didn't get any of the taglines.
I did manage to figure out my own name though!
posted by vacapinta at 9:47 AM on September 29, 2009 [2 favorites]


I'm always vaguely disgruntled when the topic of "our" science fiction authors comes up and no one mentions shetterly.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 9:47 AM on September 29, 2009


Also: vacapinta's name is Ricardo?

One of the cool things about being an early flickr user was being able to grab any name you wanted.
So, my flickr stream is at http://flickr.com/ricardo

I'm hoping to sell it one day to some Latin American photographer.
posted by vacapinta at 9:52 AM on September 29, 2009


54. I missed:

Podcast (I'd argue it's just a category of MetaTalk, not a subsite per se, but I should have got it anyway)
Mefi Shop (forgotten it still existed)

All but three taglines (I don't think I've even ever seen "all work and no play" or "where self-links rule")

Ricardo Vacapinta (didn't know his real name; also, I always assumed "vacapinta" was some sort of pun about pints and cows I didn't understand)

self-link (too obvious, I guess, should have got it; still, one can argue that a self-link need not strictly be self-promotional: a link to a site of one's own posted in good faith but perhaps in an improper venue could also be a self-link)

Anil, Stross/Scalzi, Doctorow, Hodgman (oh my!)

Thanks Rhaomi! This was really fun. Good job on the notable Mefites, it really challenged my mental phonebook.


-------------


Having read the comments:

-I think the definition of "longboat" used is correct, albeit not exhaustive.
-I'd appreciate accepting more alternate spelling and the like such as "jessamyn charity west" and its variations,
-I like Sporcle. Lack of prompts makes for a really challenging format -- really, try naming all US states or EU member states!
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 10:23 AM on September 29, 2009


32/70. Failed completely on Taglines and Flagging Options.

I'll have to do evening classes to catch up........
posted by panboi at 10:34 AM on September 29, 2009


"I'm upset because "single-link opionion editorial" was not good enough for "single-link op-ed". For a moment there I wasn't sure I'd ever known what SLOE meant, but really... really, I did!"

"Op-ed" is short for "Opposite editorial," not "opinion editorial." It's a place that opinions are posted, but is not the opinions themselves.

This has been today's "Justify My Student Loans."

(I got 62; missed mostly taglines. Thought that PB was Paul Blart for some reason. Also isn't Shetterly also a known author? As is Doctorow. I guess.)
posted by klangklangston at 11:12 AM on September 29, 2009 [1 favorite]


boo_radley: "Here's one for you, ala crossword puzzle clues:
Describing a poissoned tailor's efforts?
First one to post/ memail the correct answer wins a noprize.
"

The word is quonsartorial.
posted by boo_radley at 12:04 PM on September 29, 2009


Mastercheddaar, I did worse, but I'm still new and only really visit one site. I thought tl;dr was the answer instead of longboat.
posted by jgirl at 12:19 PM on September 29, 2009


61. Taglines were my nemesis. Also Doctorow, but he always has been, so.
posted by padraigin at 1:23 PM on September 29, 2009


Just wanted to confirm that all the bonus answers have been found.

OR HAVE THEY?

Yeah, they have.

posted by Rhaomi at 2:43 PM on September 29, 2009


Just shy of 50, and it kind of show my lack of participation that I crashed on flag types. I only got two taglines too, but they were old ones - 'you're wrong! no, you're wrong' and 'the Plastic.com it's okay to like,' which cracked me up hard when I first saw it years back. I made one comment on plastic and then got yelled at by someone who hated Plato, which of course would never happen around here.

Cortex shouldn't have a last name, that shit just ain't fair.
posted by Dandeson Coates, Sec'y at 6:13 PM on September 29, 2009


51/70. Not bad, I think. As a non-frequently-commenting user, I take lots of care to stare at the screen and memorize it rather than type (but I remembered no taglines, because I roll PWB)
posted by NikitaNikita at 7:10 PM on September 29, 2009


Tripped up on that matt guy, and all of the taglines bar one. I had no idea doctorow was an open source advocate: maybe MeFi(SciFi)Writers would have been a good category on its own?

Also, I think I've flagged something about once in my life, probably means I'm a bad person that doesn't care about sexism/racism/html/double posts/noise/fantastic comments/whatever else is in that category.

Good quiz, nice colour choices, and I like the interface, even if it isn't great on a small screen.
posted by Wrinkled Stumpskin at 6:18 AM on September 30, 2009


I always assumed "vacapinta" was some sort of pun about pints and cows I didn't understand

You too? Although after thinking about it a bit more and dissecting, I guess it could be something like "cow suit" or "cow-looking" or "cowhide." I always think it's interesting seeing how names evolved...
posted by This Guy at 7:37 AM on September 30, 2009


31 out of 70.

I still don't understand taters.
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 9:45 AM on September 30, 2009


My feeling is that "taters" was a mistyping of "rated." The letters t, r, d and s are pretty close by on the keyboard.
posted by Kattullus at 10:38 AM on September 30, 2009


Jeez. All along I've been hearing in my head, "Dump the motherfucking asshole."
posted by Baby_Balrog at 11:15 AM on September 30, 2009


My feeling is that "taters" was a mistyping of "rated." The letters t, r, d and s are pretty close by on the keyboard.

Nope. Just like every other rational explanation, this one doesn't hold water. For one thing, tater was used *twice*, so that would be two mistypings. While it's believable as one, to make the same multi-letter typo twice in the same sentence seems like a stretch. Secondly, substituting "rated" for "taters" only works in the first instance.

and the sites in that history contained hardcore rated [awkward, but it works.], and it is sexual harassment to expose people in the workplace to sexual material against their will, especially if that person finds rated [no dice] (straight or gay) to be offensive.

The only thing it could possibly be standing in for is "porn", and there's no explanation for why one would refer to porn as taters. It is a mystery!
posted by SpiffyRob at 12:39 PM on September 30, 2009


Ah... well... I only remembered the first sentence, not the second.
posted by Kattullus at 8:04 PM on September 30, 2009


It's unfortunate, though perhaps inevitable, that anonymous was smacked around a bit in that thread, because I don't think he/she would suffer much blowback at this point if he/she outed him/herself to explain this. Quite the contrary, I suspect, but I can see how he/she would be gunshy given the OMG SNOOPER! reaction.
posted by SpiffyRob at 5:18 AM on October 1, 2009


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