100K raffle is over! Congrats to jamaro!

November 20, 2009 9:21 PM

The 100K raffle is over! In just four days, we raised $12,745 for five good causes thanks to the generosity of several hundred mefites. Video of the drawing here...or if you can't stand the suspense, winners and miscellaneous details are below the fold.

Our five runners-up will each get their choice of a Metafilter tshirt from the shop as well as a copy of the Metafilter Compilation Album. They are:

- lantius
- birdsquared
- lalex
- bigmusic
- ColdChef (who came up twice as a runner up, so we redrew, but he can have an extra shirt and CD too if he wants)

And our grand prize winner, who gets custody of usernumber 100000 and paid airfare to and from a meetup of their choice:

- jamaro!

Congrats, everybody!

We shot the video this afternoon; Jessamyn is traveling right now (happy birthday, Jessamyn's dad!) and I wanted to incorporate some ad hoc footage that she gamely cameraphoned in the airport but I didn't manage to pull it off. Hopefully she'll post those outtakes to youtube herself when she has a chance.

And as folks who have been following the previous thread or Matt's twitter already know, we're having kind of a nightmare with Paypal right now freezing up Matt's account. Hopefully we can get that figured out in a sane way and finish off the raffle the way we intended, but if Paypal does ultimately just completely shit the bed on this we'd ask folks to go ahead and send the money they'd see refunded off to the intended beneficiaries on their own as a sort of DIY solution to the problem. We'll post more in here as things develop.

Thanks again to everybody who participated and to everyone who helped support or brainstorm the idea along the way. This was a lot of fun and an amazing community turn out.

posted by cortex to MetaFilter-related at 9:21 PM (267 comments total)

Congrats, y'all!
posted by runningwithscissors at 9:25 PM on November 20, 2009 [1 favorite]

So rad. Good job, Metafilter!

May Jamaro only use these powers for good.
posted by padraigin at 9:28 PM on November 20, 2009

Yay! Congrats, all!

I was totally gonna drag Mr. F here at last if I won.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 9:30 PM on November 20, 2009

Wheee! Yay to the winners, and boo that I missed out. Oh wells. Where are you going, Jamaro? WHERE?
posted by jonathanstrange at 9:32 PM on November 20, 2009

jamaro! awesome!
posted by gomichild at 9:32 PM on November 20, 2009

0100 = 100000?

oh that's got cabal written all over it.

congrats, jamaro!
posted by kuujjuarapik at 9:33 PM on November 20, 2009 [1 favorite]

WOW and jamaro's raffle ticket number was *0100*

creeeepy
posted by Ouisch at 9:33 PM on November 20, 2009

Congratulations, that's awesome.
How cool that the winner was 0100. Spooky.
And I knew it; we were waiting hours and hours so cortex could edit a kooky video.
The drumroll made me laugh though.
posted by chococat at 9:33 PM on November 20, 2009

Good stuff. Hope the money gets distributed like it should.

Also, someone get cortex a proper paper cutter.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:34 PM on November 20, 2009

So can I get 99,999 now?
posted by Eideteker at 9:35 PM on November 20, 2009

Okay, rafflers needs to be a web sitcom. You just need to raffle off random shit each week, for charity. And make sure the cat is in each video. There always has to be cat time. Congrats Jamaro!
posted by cashman at 9:35 PM on November 20, 2009 [6 favorites]

Yay, congratulations everyone! And hooray for all the funds raised.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:38 PM on November 20, 2009

I didn't win, but it's okay -- because this is exactly I love MetaFilter.

Also, you three are huge dorks and it warms my heart. You totally could have used a random number generator, but you went all out and whipped up something fancy for us all. Thanks.
posted by cgomez at 9:38 PM on November 20, 2009 [1 favorite]

I bet we could make an extra couple thousand bucks in donations if Jamaro wanted to flip the prize and try raffling it again!

But congratulations!
posted by sambosambo at 9:39 PM on November 20, 2009

jamaro! jamaro! We'll love ya! jamaro! it's only a day! A! Waaaay!
posted by boo_radley at 9:41 PM on November 20, 2009 [11 favorites]

Grats, jamaro!

And that was an awesome video. Thanks for going the extra mile to make it fun, and for making me smile.
posted by gemmy at 9:42 PM on November 20, 2009

Video of the drawing here...

:D

That was pretty fucking great. Congrats all!
posted by loquacious at 9:43 PM on November 20, 2009

Wooo! The drawing video was great even if I didn't win.
I hope the paypal thing gets resolved peacefully.
posted by Memo at 9:45 PM on November 20, 2009

IT'S A FIX! I REMAND A RECOUNT!
posted by dersins at 9:46 PM on November 20, 2009

ALSO, DEMAND ONE.
posted by dersins at 9:46 PM on November 20, 2009 [7 favorites]

That cat is awesome.

Also, fuck PayPal.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:47 PM on November 20, 2009

0100? arithmosterical.
posted by dhartung at 9:47 PM on November 20, 2009 [10 favorites]

speech! speech!
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 9:48 PM on November 20, 2009

dersins - just do a chargeback.
posted by bh at 9:49 PM on November 20, 2009

Aha! It's been discovered that Jamaro is a millionaire from Paraguay who faked the winning ticket and just maybe this here ticket that I bought with the $5 I found in a sewer could be the actual...winning...no, still lost.
posted by chococat at 9:49 PM on November 20, 2009 [7 favorites]

Oh, and congratulations to the winners!
posted by bh at 9:50 PM on November 20, 2009

Oh my, the video for the raffle is geekaliciously cute.

Why didn't you use pre-perforated thingys, cortex? Doesn't Avery make something à propos?
posted by desuetude at 9:50 PM on November 20, 2009

And the ticket-printing was fully Kitty-Approved™ - awesome.

P.S. Fuck PayPal.

On preview - dnab is my long-lost soul twin.
posted by hangashore at 9:55 PM on November 20, 2009

Why didn't you use pre-perforated thingys, cortex? Doesn't Avery make something à propos?

Cutting 'em himself is cooler, you heathen!
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:56 PM on November 20, 2009

On preview - dnab is my long-lost soul twin.

I sense a new round of enspousening coming on.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:57 PM on November 20, 2009

LOVED that video!! Congratulations, wieners. From a looser.
posted by heyho at 9:57 PM on November 20, 2009

1130 - wooo! How do I pick my t-shirt - just post my selection here - or MeMail someone?

I will definitely send my money to MSF (DWB to you non-Francophones) if the Paypal thing doesn't get resolved.
posted by birdsquared at 9:58 PM on November 20, 2009

Why didn't you use pre-perforated thingys, cortex? Doesn't Avery make something à propos?

You know, it's Portland, and they're all like "Let's make a thing out of some stuff, and make it SUSTAINABLE". Those numbers were printed on the backs of vegan restaurant takeout menus, with soy ink.

Soon, someone will decoupage those little numbers on to something and sell it on Etsy, which is where Portland people hang out.
posted by padraigin at 10:00 PM on November 20, 2009 [14 favorites]

birdsquared, I sent an email to you and the other winners to the email address we have on file for you. Just reply to that with which shirt you want, the size, and shipping address. If you didn't get the email you can MeFi Mail me the info.
posted by pb at 10:01 PM on November 20, 2009

I sense a new round of enspousening coming on.

We are Canadian, after all.
posted by hangashore at 10:03 PM on November 20, 2009

awesome job! way to go jamaro!

and i will badmouth the namby-pamby jagoffs who run PayPal every time the subject comes up for the rest of my years on earth. They've always sucked -- zero accountability, acting like a bank until it is not financially prudent, then, magically, "we're not a bank" -- whatever, but when you pull this chicanery with a MetaFilter charity drive, you've picked the wrong nerds to fuck with.
posted by porn in the woods at 10:05 PM on November 20, 2009 [6 favorites]

I am in awe of that video. I would've written a 3-line python script. This is probably why I'm not responsible for something as cool as metafilter.

Grats jamaro!
posted by cj_ at 10:05 PM on November 20, 2009

Printer cat is watching you rafflate.
posted by ooga_booga at 10:06 PM on November 20, 2009 [11 favorites]

Oh, and that's an excellent video. Congratulations to jamaro on the win. I didn't really want to fly to Australia, New Orleans or the ISS. No, I didn't really. *sniff*
posted by ooga_booga at 10:07 PM on November 20, 2009

MetaFilter: you've picked the wrong nerds to fuck with
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 10:11 PM on November 20, 2009 [6 favorites]

This is the best video about three guys in dark shirts I've ever seen.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 10:11 PM on November 20, 2009

It still amazes me any of those three dudes is married. To anyone.
posted by mathowie at 10:12 PM on November 20, 2009 [38 favorites]

jamaro organized a fantastic meetup in Santa Clara over the summer. Couldn't deserve it more.
posted by null terminated at 10:15 PM on November 20, 2009

Congrats!
posted by juv3nal at 10:17 PM on November 20, 2009

It still amazes me any of those three dudes is married. To anyone.

There's a nerd shoe for every nerd sock.
posted by padraigin at 10:17 PM on November 20, 2009 [13 favorites]

There's a nerd shoe for every nerd sock.

Where is the damn shoe store, is what I want to know.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 10:18 PM on November 20, 2009 [15 favorites]

That cat totally wanted to get wedged into that printer. I don't know how, or why.
posted by shakespeherian at 10:23 PM on November 20, 2009 [11 favorites]

Ossum. I am still standing after too much alcohol. Schooommpyyyyyyyyyyyy
posted by special-k at 10:36 PM on November 20, 2009 [1 favorite]

Yay, jamaro -- congrats to all the winners!

Loved the video as well -- it was all kinds of awesome. The Real Live-Action Drumroll was a nice touch -- leave it up to MetaFilter not to skimp on the effects. Missed the raffle but in the spirit of the event, I'll make a donation directly to Doctors Without Borders.

cashman: Okay, rafflers needs to be a web sitcom. You just need to raffle off random shit each week, for charity. And make sure the cat is in each video. There always has to be cat time.

Yes. Plus, split-screen conversations with jessamyn, the raffler field agent. Plus jessamyn also in the wonderful/nostalgic/hilarious credits, of course. And the cat in the credits.

Also, it was really great to see mathowie up and about and in good spirits (hope you're feeling a lot better, Matt).
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 10:36 PM on November 20, 2009 [2 favorites]

jamaro: Go to Vietnam! Like you thought about before...
posted by special-k at 10:37 PM on November 20, 2009

Based on that sitcom pilot, the podcast should be done as video with matt, jess, cortex and pb sitting at a table in Monk's Cafe...
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:40 PM on November 20, 2009 [1 favorite]

Was I the only one who thought--Should Matt be jumping?

I am so somebody's mom. Forgive me, Matt, you listen to your body and you jump all you want and then you have a nice rest over on the couch and I'll put your cartoons on, okay?
posted by padraigin at 10:41 PM on November 20, 2009 [16 favorites]

Sub-Saharan African rodents to everyone!
posted by strixus at 10:45 PM on November 20, 2009

Woohoo jamaro!

May your reign of terror be gentle and sibilant.
posted by Kattullus at 10:46 PM on November 20, 2009 [2 favorites]

BtW, way to put the spoiler right there in the URL, CORTEX. >:(
posted by Eideteker at 10:53 PM on November 20, 2009

COLDCHEF HAS PSYCHICAL POWERS THAT CONTROLLED MATTHOOIES HAND INTO PICKING HIM TWICE
posted by Mikey-San at 11:01 PM on November 20, 2009 [3 favorites]

IGNORE special-k... MELBOURNE.
posted by jonathanstrange at 11:06 PM on November 20, 2009

Congrats to jamaro, and to the runners-up!
posted by amyms at 11:07 PM on November 20, 2009

Rafflers are adorable!

Congrats!
posted by rtha at 11:15 PM on November 20, 2009

Congrats all.


And holy crap, really really nice job with the drawing video. Looks spectacular.
posted by lazaruslong at 11:15 PM on November 20, 2009

What camera did you shoot on?
posted by lazaruslong at 11:16 PM on November 20, 2009

holy shit
posted by jamaro at 11:17 PM on November 20, 2009 [81 favorites]

Yay jamaro!

And Coldchef. But seriously man, how awesome must you be?

Also; I really like the look of the video. A short focal length combined with time lapse makes everything look very well produced.

Nice.
posted by quin at 11:19 PM on November 20, 2009 [1 favorite]

Congratulations, winners, especially Jamaro!
posted by goshling at 11:26 PM on November 20, 2009

It still amazes me any of those three dudes is married. To anyone.

Much less several hundred anyones named Ralph.
posted by loquacious at 11:27 PM on November 20, 2009

SO WHERE ARE YOU GONNA FLY TO!?!?!??!?!?!
posted by floam at 11:34 PM on November 20, 2009

BANG ZOOM STRAIGHT TO THE MOON?
posted by heeeraldo at 11:52 PM on November 20, 2009

That opening sequence seemed very Doogie Howseresque.
posted by Rhomboid at 12:06 AM on November 21, 2009

neat :)

Metafilter, the dude with the cold, blue exterior and the warm and fuzzy gray insides.
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:26 AM on November 21, 2009

That video is so great; it warmed my heart and also the heart of the non-mefite who watched it with me.
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:27 AM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

Congrats, jamaro and runners-up!

(Awesome video, but chaps, PULL the scalpel across the paper with your hand - held in the same way but wrist dropped and the arm working more - don't push down on it! I could feel the hand cramps from here.)
posted by carbide at 12:30 AM on November 21, 2009

Congratulations jamaro!

And I hope the paypal problems get sorted out.
posted by shelleycat at 12:35 AM on November 21, 2009

I love you all.
posted by Jofus at 12:43 AM on November 21, 2009

loved the Rafflers video.
congratulations jamaro!

now if you'll excuse me, i have to unpack.
posted by de at 1:35 AM on November 21, 2009

Does anyone else want more Rafflers episodes with different things going on? Maybe one goes to the local bakery for a marble rye, the other two go along, one gets sick from a cookie, and then they find out someone just bought the last marble rye and—
posted by Mikey-San at 1:44 AM on November 21, 2009 [5 favorites]

Awesome video, and congratulations to all of the winners!
posted by maxwelton at 1:46 AM on November 21, 2009

Is cortex a better cinematographer than anyone knew, or is there a certain quality to the winter sunlight in Portland?
posted by Jofus at 2:43 AM on November 21, 2009

> holy shit

SPEECH
posted by cj_ at 3:10 AM on November 21, 2009

Congratulations jamaro and the runners-up. PayPal clearly sucks way more than even I thought it did.
posted by dg at 3:14 AM on November 21, 2009

A brighter jamaro!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:54 AM on November 21, 2009

holy shit indeed, jamaro!! I'd be hard pressed to find someone cooler to win. SO HAPPY! I jumped for joy, even.

YAY!!!
posted by Stewriffic at 4:00 AM on November 21, 2009

holy shit
posted by jamaro

So...is that the username?

Congratulations!
posted by marxchivist at 4:37 AM on November 21, 2009

WHAT. THE. FUCK. COLD CHEF!
posted by The Deej at 4:50 AM on November 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

jamaro! Remember to only use your powers for Chaotic Evil!
posted by Greg Nog at 4:55 AM on November 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

Oh buddy = 2265
posted by darkmatter at 4:57 AM on November 21, 2009

Dammit, dammit, dammit! I was hoping to sell #100,000 on Ebay so that I could bankroll the filming of my new sitcom pilot! My favorite part of the raffle video was when cortex was all, "Hey, cool! ColdChef won again!" and Matt was all, "Fuck that guy, he got his shirt already."

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to wander off and ponder why the universe would mock me so.

Twice!! grumblegrumblegrumble.
posted by ColdChef at 5:03 AM on November 21, 2009 [17 favorites]

i think i know where you went wrong, ColdChef
posted by de at 5:11 AM on November 21, 2009 [4 favorites]

Great way to start my day!! Matt looks all spy and healthy, PB is hawt! And Cortex....Cortex has a kick ass hat!!

My husband is cooking bacon for me.....life is good!!

Congrats to the winners!! This was fun!!
posted by pearlybob at 5:18 AM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

Congrats, Jamaro!

Now I guess I won't need these fantastic user names anymore:

AwesomeSauce
Hot Barista
Dashboard Jesus
Bucket of Clocks
Bond Villain

Fly! Fly free to the wind, little user names!
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 5:18 AM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

ARRRRGH!! Matt looks SPRY!!
posted by pearlybob at 5:19 AM on November 21, 2009

It still amazes me any of those three dudes is married. To anyone.

There's a nerd shoe for every nerd sock.

Never a nerd pot so crooked that you can't find a nerd lid to fit it.

And, yay, my friend ColdChef. Always a nerd bridesmaid and never a nerd bride!
posted by tizzie at 5:43 AM on November 21, 2009

Yay one of our #bunnies won! Couldn't have happened to a nicer person.
posted by terrapin at 5:54 AM on November 21, 2009

PB is hawt!

I didn't want to be the first to say it.

But yes. Damn.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 5:57 AM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

Whose cat is that? S/he's beautiful. I have to say I LOL'd when I saw the look on cortex's face during the drum roll.

And may I also say how glad I am to see Matt looking so chipper after he scared the crap out of everyone a couple of weeks ago.
posted by essexjan at 6:08 AM on November 21, 2009

What a great thing for Mefite's to have done. I really feel warm and fuzzy about knowing you all today.
posted by bunnycup at 6:10 AM on November 21, 2009

Loved the video. Congrats Jamaro!
posted by ursus_comiter at 6:26 AM on November 21, 2009

Congrats to jamaro!

The video and the donations make me feel like we all won. Thanks, guys. Good job.
posted by fiercecupcake at 6:34 AM on November 21, 2009

PBtested, kitty approved. Who could argue with results like that? And Matt looked so healthy and Cortex played the drums! So, even though I didn't win, it was SO worth joining in the fun.

Congrats, jamaro! And to all the runners-up, too.
posted by misha at 6:50 AM on November 21, 2009

Cortex's grinning drumroll made me so happy. So happy.
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 6:53 AM on November 21, 2009

Yay everyone! I was in the car almost all of yesterday so I made some little movies with my laptop camera but no dice. Next time maybe edit in a little lens flare and call it me. Congrats to jamaro, the other winners and thanks so much to everyone else who chipped in.
posted by jessamyn at 6:57 AM on November 21, 2009

Congrats, jamaro!
Congrats, runners up!

Fun video, guys (and cat!).

We are all too cool for school; the money will get to where it's meant to be, one way or the other.
posted by jaruwaan at 7:05 AM on November 21, 2009

Congratulations. Take some time to choose your new username. Don't waste it.
posted by gman at 7:25 AM on November 21, 2009 [3 favorites]

Yay! Kitty!

Whoops - I mean, congrats jamaro!
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:26 AM on November 21, 2009

That's an awesome video.

Congrats jamaro!
posted by vacapinta at 7:29 AM on November 21, 2009

Yay jamaro! The medecins sans frontieres will get my ten bucks, with or without evil Paypal.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:37 AM on November 21, 2009

Yay! Congratulations jamaro and runners-up!

The raffle and video were so fun. I just want to hug everyone. *wraps arms around monitor*
posted by hoppytoad at 7:45 AM on November 21, 2009

null terminated: "jamaro organized a fantastic meetup in Santa Clara over the summer. Couldn't deserve it more"

And ColdChef helped organize the New Orleans meetup...I call SHENANIGANS! We didn't see the computer screen did we..... :)
posted by radioamy at 7:51 AM on November 21, 2009

Near the end I kept thinking "Someone should put on the hat! With all the tickets in it! Yeah!". And then cortex did. I am easily pleased.
posted by collocation at 7:57 AM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

Yay! Best $5 I may have or not have ever spent, even if I didn't win.

Ok, help me out here. What are you guys spoofing in the beginning and ending of the video?
posted by cjorgensen at 8:02 AM on November 21, 2009

Near the end I kept thinking "Someone should put on the hat! With all the tickets in it! Yeah!". And then cortex did. I am easily pleased.

Or psychic!!!
posted by The Deej at 8:03 AM on November 21, 2009

The all around exra mile effort made this a class act. Congrats us, every one!
posted by Feisty at 8:04 AM on November 21, 2009

jaruwaan: "Is it possible that we can do a letter writing, or something else that would help?"

This sounds like a great idea. Have an address? Heh!
posted by cjorgensen at 8:28 AM on November 21, 2009

What camera did you shoot on?

All the good looking footage is from pb's Canon 5D MkII. The grainier b-roll stuff is shot on my little Canon SD960, which is what I used to shoot the all the video I shot during my meetup tour (and which I really need to get back to working on video for.

Whose cat is that?

That is Frigg, one of the two cats (along with Frejya) that my wife and I got back near the beginning of the year. She spends a fair amount of time on my desk, whether I like it or not.
posted by cortex at 8:34 AM on November 21, 2009

Ok, help me out here. What are you guys spoofing in the beginning and ending of the video?

No one specific; I was just going for generic early-80s cheeseball sitcom aesthetic.
posted by cortex at 8:35 AM on November 21, 2009

Is that really Comic Sans I spy on the tickets?


...let's call it an easter egg.
posted by Tesseractive at 9:03 AM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

So mods, are you going to attend the meetup that jamaro flies to?
posted by radioamy at 9:06 AM on November 21, 2009

Paypal will soon learn we are indeed not nerds to be trifled with. We just need to muscle them in the right way, and this should be sorted out rather quickly. I suggest horse heads under bedclothes.
Congrats to Jamaro, I have loved this whole I deed from beginning to end, and I look forward to seeing where he goes, and what he does with his newfound celebrity and power.
Plus, just like padraign, I couldn't help but wonder if Matt should be jumping around like that, and my, doesn't he look chipper for someone scaring the everliving shit out of all of us just two weeks ago. This place is awesome.
posted by msali at 9:12 AM on November 21, 2009

cortex's facial expression while doing the drumroll is exactly how I picture Helen Wiggin looking during the intro to My Pal Foot Foot.
posted by Greg Nog at 9:18 AM on November 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

Wow - awesome video.

There will be a drumming cortex animated gif, oh yes.
posted by Pronoiac at 9:36 AM on November 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

My husband is cooking bacon for me

What a great user name!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:37 AM on November 21, 2009

the drumroll! the drumroll!

congratulations to the winners!

i'm happy to donate directly to the organizations if the jerkasses at PayPal don't fix it.
posted by gursky at 9:44 AM on November 21, 2009

> There will be a drumming cortex animated gif, oh yes.

i will hold you to that.
posted by gursky at 9:45 AM on November 21, 2009 [4 favorites]

Congrats Jamaro!

What camera were you shooting on, Cortex? And what, if any, external mic/lights? That's one of the better-produced awesome-looking Youtube videos I've seen. I mean obviously the content is the big driver, but the production values were 99% spot on, too!
posted by Alterscape at 9:46 AM on November 21, 2009

Really, it's all about pb's Canon MkII. Shot through a 50mm 1:1/4, I think, with the aperture wide open for most of it hence all the nice depth of field. Just natural lighting and the onboard mic. I'm picky enough about audio that I'm not super happy with the latter, actually, but it was certainly good enough.
posted by cortex at 9:48 AM on November 21, 2009

Forget about the pressure of jamaro having to name this account. Next up: a year long raffle for the rights to the 100,000 post.
posted by gman at 9:52 AM on November 21, 2009

SPEECH

Um, uh

So it's a running joke in my family that I do not win raffles. Raffles, lotteries, sweepstakes: anything that involves getting selected by chance? I don't win. On the other hand my dad, my SO, and my son are like raffle magnets, if any of them enter a game their numbers will get drawn at least once (like ColdChef!) I've actually witnessed other people rub their tickets on them mid-draw, which looks just as freaky as it sounds. My bad raffle juju is so pronounced that my family and friends refuse to let me handle their raffle tickets or even look at their numbers for fear I will transfer my non-winningness to them.

Anyhow, because I do not win raffles I was in no suspense over the draw and spent the evening deep in the sofa catching up on DVDs before wandering by my desk and seeing a "You won" message from Matt which triggered an immediate and totally bizarre fight/flight physical response that had my heart racing and me running to the bathroom to puke while thinking of the AskMe about the guy who did the amazing paper airplane throw and thought, "Holy shit, I'm having a heart attack and I'm going to end up as an item on News of the Weird, 'Woman dies seconds after winning first ever raffle,'" which is a thought no one needs when one's head is in a toiletbowl.

I have no idea what to name the account. My current user name is my first initial/last name, which gives you an idea of the heights of my username creativity. I have some ideas about where to go for a meetup but I'm grappling with profound guilt over winning (I have no idea) but hopefully I'll get over it.

Thank you everyone and thank you Matt, PB, Cortex and Jessamyn. I love Metafilter; I lurked for a year before joining up and I continue to mostly lurk especially on the blue, where everyone is more brilliant than me by a few thousand times and I read, oh I read, almost every single thread and learn a little more in each one.

Can I just say that I'm so incredibly relieved that my first MeTa callout is not for doing something stupid?
posted by jamaro at 10:07 AM on November 21, 2009 [108 favorites]

Ok, that video was really great.
posted by Lutoslawski at 10:08 AM on November 21, 2009

I don't know this jamaro individual, but from looking at her flickr stream, which includes kittens, delicious-looking desert and the freakin Exploratorium I'm thinking I like her already!
posted by radioamy at 10:09 AM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

Congratulations jamaro.
posted by Sailormom at 10:10 AM on November 21, 2009

[resounding applause!]
posted by Lutoslawski at 10:13 AM on November 21, 2009

Awesome all around; congradges, jamaro!
posted by breezeway at 10:14 AM on November 21, 2009

Well, you're certainly welcome in NYC for a meetup and a free place to sleep.
posted by kathrineg at 10:15 AM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

Hooray for jamaro-not-tomorrow-and-everyone-else-happybomb!
posted by The Whelk at 10:28 AM on November 21, 2009

"PB is hawt!

I didn't want to be the first to say it.

But yes. Damn."

Does every thread have to be such a boyzone?
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 10:33 AM on November 21, 2009 [4 favorites]

Oh jamaro, aren't you sweet. Your good-at-Metafilteringness has tuned your raffle-crap-luck around! Why feel guilty? Everybody needs a windfall!

And I dunno about the username, either, but there are mefites in Tokyo and it totally rules to visit.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:34 AM on November 21, 2009

'Woman dies seconds after winning first ever raffle,'"

Sounds like something... Fark-y.

the battle rages onward
posted by Askiba at 10:34 AM on November 21, 2009

Congratulamations jamaro and the runners up!

PS: That's gotta be Comic Sans on the tickets. Please say yes.
posted by deborah at 10:35 AM on November 21, 2009

Also, jamaro? Seem to love froyo more than I do, which is incredibly impressive.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:38 AM on November 21, 2009

Yes, that is totally comic sans on the tickets.
posted by cortex at 10:44 AM on November 21, 2009

jamaro, that is so sweet. you should call all your relatives and tell them you were saving it up all these years for a trip around the world.
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:46 AM on November 21, 2009

Why did you get rid of ticket #2550? (1 min 35 secs in the video)
posted by iamkimiam at 10:46 AM on November 21, 2009

jamaro: "I love Metafilter; I lurked for a year before joining up and I continue to mostly lurk especially on the blue, where everyone is more brilliant than me by a few thousand times and I read, oh I read, almost every single thread and learn a little more in each one."

Fate picked exactly the right person for this raffle. Other people may be more creative or more active or more sock-puppet-happy. But I don't think there are many Mefites out there who are more sincerely joyful about MetaFilter. Congrats, jamaro.
posted by Plutor at 10:49 AM on November 21, 2009 [4 favorites]

PB is hawt!

I didn't want to be the first to say it.

But yes. Damn.

Well that answers the "should I re-grow my beard for winter?" question.

line forms on the right guys
posted by The Whelk at 10:50 AM on November 21, 2009

Why did you get rid of ticket #2550? (1 min 35 secs in the video)

We had only 2549 entries, natch.
posted by cortex at 10:51 AM on November 21, 2009

And 2549 is prime, so they were FUCKED.
posted by Plutor at 10:53 AM on November 21, 2009

Hah! I totally called that it was a MarkII! We just started using one at work and it's gorgeous! I understand your rendering problems now, that damn thing shoots at 30 frames for some reason, as opposed to the standard 29.97! *Shakes fist*
posted by yellowbinder at 10:56 AM on November 21, 2009

That is Frigg, one of the two cats (along with Frejya)

Valhalla awaits! Awesome.

Also: Lovely video, hooray for jamaro!
posted by soundofsuburbia at 10:57 AM on November 21, 2009

Hey, neat, I have like the exact same hat from that video.
posted by adamdschneider at 10:58 AM on November 21, 2009

Hmm, guess I have a classier band. ;-)
posted by adamdschneider at 11:00 AM on November 21, 2009

Aw, man. I was all set to hate the winner, and it's someone really nice, and they even love kittens and frozen yogurt. Dammit.
posted by JoanArkham at 11:12 AM on November 21, 2009 [3 favorites]

Standing ovation here for Jamaro's excellent acceptance comment!!

Also, I agree with Frigg that the printer in action is completely mesmerizing.
posted by bearwife at 11:25 AM on November 21, 2009

Congratulations, jamaro! And can I say that your froyo creations are inspiring (and your puppies adorable)?
posted by MadamM at 11:27 AM on November 21, 2009

Congrats jamaro and yays to the runners up!

Regardless if Paypal makes the actual giving difficult, MetaFilter is full of awesome.
posted by faineant at 11:35 AM on November 21, 2009

Plutor: Fate picked exactly the right person for this raffle.

My thoughts exactly when I read the "speech". [of course I too am one of those "wow Mefi is so awesome I read it every day but don't say much but boy does it enrich my life" people, so biased]

Heartfelt congrats from me too jamaro!
posted by ClarissaWAM at 12:22 PM on November 21, 2009

dear mods,

My heart just about exploded at the nerdy adorableness of that video. What a great ending for a great project. Yay Metafilter!

Love,

LAY-lex

p.s. fuck paypal. Add me to the list of those that will definitely be donating directly if this doesn't get worked out.

p.p.s A winner is me! I have never won anything before; this is so exciting!
posted by lalex at 12:33 PM on November 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

LAY-lex

I knew it!
posted by cortex at 12:38 PM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

jamaro, this is obviously karmic payback for rescuing that kitten. Congratulations!

And what a truly fine video! Featuring three extremely fine gentlemen. I love you for your minds, really
posted by Pallas Athena at 12:40 PM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

cortex.gif

(with bonus YTMND)
posted by Rhaomi at 12:47 PM on November 21, 2009 [31 favorites]

Congrats, jamaro!

Coldchef, you clearly have the spirits of the dead working on your behalf -- in this case, guiding Matt's hand to PICK YOU TWICE. The universe does not mock you, my friend; nay, it serenades you fondly.

As for Paypal: I SAID GOOD DAY SIR
posted by scody at 12:55 PM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

I believe what scody is saying is that that was a Ouija Fedora.
posted by cortex at 1:01 PM on November 21, 2009

Congrats, jamaro, you lucky kitten.

Pay it backwards, LapYap.
posted by effluvia at 1:07 PM on November 21, 2009

Hey jamaro, if you're still in Santa Clara like your profile says, there's going to be a meetup in SF on Thanksgiving weekend (no firm date, time or place yet, because that's how we roll), and you should come! Beverage of your choice is on me.
posted by rtha at 1:18 PM on November 21, 2009

Another animated gif: cortex drumming.
posted by Pronoiac at 1:21 PM on November 21, 2009 [20 favorites]

Another animated gif: cortex drumming.

See, this is why we need animated profile pics.
posted by adamdschneider at 1:26 PM on November 21, 2009

Rhaomi: "with bonus YTMND"

Oh man... that is fantastic. I think I've had enough, then I miss it have to go click again. Woo! DRUM SOLO!
posted by team lowkey at 1:31 PM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

that was a Ouija Fedora

The dead ladies love it
posted by scody at 2:21 PM on November 21, 2009

Congrats jamaro. I really hope you have a great time on your free meetup trip!
posted by burnmp3s at 2:22 PM on November 21, 2009

Okay, so maybe I am naive. But if PayPal opened communication with Matt, does he not have a return address/email/phone number to respond to them?
posted by jaruwaan at 2:25 PM on November 21, 2009

Oh, if you are a member you can use the contact form or if you're not a member customer service at 1-888-221-1161. I wanted a physical address.
posted by cjorgensen at 2:57 PM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

PayPal, Inc.
2211 North First Street
San Jose, California 95131.
posted by cjorgensen at 3:06 PM on November 21, 2009

DRUMS LOL.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 3:12 PM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

that is seriously the funniest video
posted by Optimus Chyme at 3:42 PM on November 21, 2009

I liked the part where they drew numbers out of a hat.
posted by found missing at 3:44 PM on November 21, 2009

P.S. Jamaro pick NYC plz
posted by Optimus Chyme at 3:46 PM on November 21, 2009

Congrats to jamaro and the runners up!

And Rhaomi, that's a GIF for the ages. Woo! Drums soLOL!
posted by cobwebberies at 4:23 PM on November 21, 2009

Whoopee, jamaro! Okay, now somebody do a .gif of cortex putting his head in and taking his head out of the plastic mixing-bag, which is my favoritest part.
posted by steef at 4:24 PM on November 21, 2009

Wow! I'm taking myself out of semi-retirement to commend the fates, jiggerers, gerrymandering jerry-riggers in making the raffle results so awesome. How great that a lovely lurker de-lurked long enough to make such an awesome speech.

Your new user name could be "heart*kablam*" since that's what happened when you won. Or we could have another raffle to decide your name! Heh.
posted by readymade at 4:35 PM on November 21, 2009

And, wow. Coldchef must be paying some pretty big kick-backs for those results. Way to go, criminal master mind!

Video=amazing.

Just....amazing!
posted by readymade at 4:45 PM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

Not only is the video pretty snazzy, but the strangest thing is that, for once, YouTube comments are civil and pleasant, even grammatically correct.

Until Coldchef brings things back down to earth.
posted by Ghidorah at 4:54 PM on November 21, 2009 [2 favorites]

That was seriously fun. Yay for you, Jamaro.
posted by theora55 at 5:05 PM on November 21, 2009

Until Coldchef brings things back down to earth.

That's odd...I usually bring things down into the earth.
posted by ColdChef at 5:26 PM on November 21, 2009 [6 favorites]

Not only is the video pretty snazzy, but the strangest thing is that, for once, YouTube comments are civil and pleasant, even grammatically correct.

rolf th e coments in this vidoe are fuckin s;tupd liek ur a all a bunch of fagets metafilter is just as bad as any other govement dude the people who formed it no longer ex ist and the same currpot people who control other govermets control americas...where do you think poor countries get the type of weapons they get..we help them..just watch ironman lol XDDDDD
posted by stavrogin at 5:29 PM on November 21, 2009 [6 favorites]

Nice. The video felt to me a bit like Fishing With John (minus of course the fishing and fish related plot, and with better drumming).
posted by acro at 5:58 PM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

jamaro, this is obviously karmic payback for rescuing that kitten. Congratulations!

No wonder Frigg Cat was watching the printer so intently; he was putting mojo on Freeway Cat's owner's ticket. The rest of us never had a chance.

jamaro, you sound like a gem! I'm hoping you select a spectacular trip!
posted by Feisty at 6:10 PM on November 21, 2009

Tokyo.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:46 PM on November 21, 2009

Two and a half minutes of cortex drumming.
posted by Pronoiac at 6:52 PM on November 21, 2009 [6 favorites]

Pronoiac: "Two and a half minutes of cortex drumming."

That was great. Youtube needs to implement loop points for videos, STAT.
posted by idiopath at 6:57 PM on November 21, 2009

Congratulations, all! Drums, cats, hats, hawts, nice people, video -- everything made of awesome.
posted by angiep at 7:02 PM on November 21, 2009

Thanks, idiopath!

It took me long enough that I couldn't tell if it was amusing.
posted by Pronoiac at 7:11 PM on November 21, 2009

Pronoiac, that was both hypnotic and hilarious. (mouseover for spoilers)
posted by cobwebberies at 7:17 PM on November 21, 2009

cortex is a monster on those skins - give the drummer some!
posted by porn in the woods at 7:27 PM on November 21, 2009

It still amazes me any of those three dudes is married. To anyone.

You must be joking. Three handsome, super intelligent, well dressed, fedora sporting young guys demonstrating something nerdtastic for charity? I'm amazed you're all not married several times over, myself.
posted by jokeefe at 7:28 PM on November 21, 2009 [5 favorites]

And hurrah for all the winners! And death to PayPal!
posted by jokeefe at 7:30 PM on November 21, 2009

The drumming was uncannily like this famous organist.
posted by chococat at 7:55 PM on November 21, 2009 [3 favorites]

Rhaomi: with bonus YTMND

Oh God man! Do you realize what you've done? Soon enough there are gonna be videos of cortex staring at that girl from Lazytown while Shatner and Lil Jon scream at each other. Poor cortex will never sleep restfully again for when he closes his eyes the horror will be projected onto his eyelids.
posted by Kattullus at 7:55 PM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

the drum rolling is secondary to the eye rolling...
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:56 PM on November 21, 2009

Well done guys.

And that made me really miss Doogie Howser M.D. for some reason.
posted by Big_B at 8:20 PM on November 21, 2009

The drumming was uncannily like this famous organist.
posted by chococat at 10:55 PM on November 21 [+] [!]

but thank GOD cortex had pants on….for a change
posted by ShawnString at 8:22 PM on November 21, 2009

Aw, I love you metafilter. This thread makes me feel like I'm swimming through kittens.

I continue to mostly lurk especially on the blue, where everyone is more brilliant than me by a few thousand times and I read, oh I read, almost every single thread and learn a little more in each one.

That's a real swell thing to write, jamaro, and nicely put. I relate big-time. Congratulations on winning your first ever raffle! I hope you enjoy your trip to Wherever.
posted by the cat's pyjamas at 8:52 PM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

You are swimming through kittens.
posted by readymade at 9:32 PM on November 21, 2009

Why do I feel like I won?

YEAAS!
posted by humannaire at 9:34 PM on November 21, 2009

ShawnString: but thank GOD cortex had pants on….for a change

Sort of... cortex has a Trompe-l'œil tattoo of a pair pants on his legs.

Socks and shoes are real though.
posted by Kattullus at 9:39 PM on November 21, 2009

Congrats jamaro! Go somewhere cool and take some neat pictures. Also, "I continue to mostly lurk especially on the blue, where everyone is more brilliant than me by a few thousand times" is pretty much the best litmus test for being the sort of person the blue needs.

This thread put me in a really good mood, and I screwed up the pan sauce for my steak tonight so this has been quite the emotional roller coaster. Hooray!
posted by Doublewhiskeycokenoice at 9:41 PM on November 21, 2009

Yes, Tokyo. It's quite nice this time of year. You should really come. Dozens of Mefites await your arrival. We can even arrange ninja shows. Possibly. The last time we tried though, well, lets just say there used to be hundreds of Mefites in Japan.
posted by Ghidorah at 9:55 PM on November 21, 2009

So what's the status with Paypal?
posted by radioamy at 9:58 PM on November 21, 2009

Tokyo mefites are lovely.
posted by shelleycat at 10:02 PM on November 21, 2009

voting for NYC and another free place to sleep (unless you are allergic to cats).
posted by lalex at 10:11 PM on November 21, 2009

So I'm searching through my favorites to find a link to use in an AskMe answer when I notice the comment I'd been looking for was #1999985. Out of curiosity, I looked through a few of the other comments for the big milestone, then paged back a thread and found it: psmealey wins the 2,000,000th Mefi comment! In February 2008. But still!

And no one even noticed at the time... what a shame. Maybe mathowie can send him ColdChef's extra shirt and CD, as a belated congratulations for being one in a million.

(As for the 1,000,000th comment, a few minutes of URL tweaking shows benzo78 snatched the prize back in 2005 -- though he was obviously gunning for it.)

And as long as we're talking milestones, the earliest comment I can find is #6, which actually shows up on the third-oldest Mefi post. The oldest one -- the venerable Cat Scan post -- didn't get its first comment until months later, while the second-oldest post no longer exists. All that's left is the cryptic partial title in the navigation bar at the bottom of adjacent posts: Download Abiword...

Archive.org doesn't have the post, but a little creative googling reveals more of the lost headline:

Download Abiword from this new company called Abisource. It's small (under a meg), smart (can read Word97 documents), cross-platform (runs in Windows, ...

What could it mean? What ancient secrets can this relic teach us about this lost time of "megs" and "Word97"? I guess no one will ever really know...

i bet this is what being a Leakey feels like
posted by Rhaomi at 10:50 PM on November 21, 2009 [9 favorites]

Another reason why I love this place.

About paypal: there are plenty of reasons why they suck, but the fact they can't support a raffle is undoubtedly related to legal issuesand their liability under US law, and not some nefarious plot to screw over charities.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 11:05 PM on November 21, 2009

Snarchaeology!
posted by Rumple at 11:12 PM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

The thread you are looking for does not exist at the moment.

That error message is kind of zen. I mean, it's like, "the thread I'm looking for doesn't exist, does that mean I should be looking for a different one?" while at the same time all "it doesn't exist in this moment but it might exist in a future moment."
posted by Rhomboid at 11:12 PM on November 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

oh, Rhaomi, could you possibly provide an answer I'm not in love with?
posted by lalex at 11:41 PM on November 21, 2009

Aww, this was all so nice. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you for the video!
posted by kiwi-epitome at 4:49 AM on November 22, 2009

In my defence, I put twenty bucks in an RSPCA jar this afternoon and told myself that it was for Metafilter because, y'know, nanimals.
posted by turgid dahlia at 4:51 AM on November 22, 2009

Have you guys thought of using Google Checkout or Amazon's payment systems?
posted by delmoi at 5:09 AM on November 22, 2009

tehloki closed his account and all you fuckers can talk about is some raffle? Nice.
posted by gman at 7:57 AM on November 22, 2009

Wait what? He did?

WHY JESUS? WHY?
posted by chunking express at 8:10 AM on November 22, 2009

One of my unfavorite things!
posted by The Whelk at 8:13 AM on November 22, 2009

Is there a raffle to see how long before jamaro flames out and gets banned in a metatalk thread?
posted by Balisong at 8:15 AM on November 22, 2009

> WHY JESUS? WHY?

He posted a stupid MetaTalk thread (quickly deleted) and apparently felt bad about having done so. I imagine he'll be back.
posted by languagehat at 8:21 AM on November 22, 2009

tehloki closed his account and all you fuckers can talk about is some raffle? Nice.

Because he stunt posted trucker's delight to the front page after mod bedtime and then made sort of a goof of himself in MeTa about it. We're assuming he'll be back too, yeah.
posted by jessamyn at 8:22 AM on November 22, 2009

I think the goof was entirely contained to Metatalk, though I missed the whole thing in any case.
posted by cortex at 8:25 AM on November 22, 2009

That video was so fun! Thanks guys for giving up your time to entertain us!! It was much more fun than a random number selector.
posted by garnetgirl at 8:29 AM on November 22, 2009

That video was almost as good as Trucker's Delight. Keep trying, guys. Keep trying.
posted by double block and bleed at 10:15 AM on November 22, 2009

Because he stunt posted trucker's delight to the front page after mod bedtime and then made sort of a goof of himself in MeTa about it.

I read too quickly and thought you were talking about me, and I'm all I THOUGHT WE WERE PAST ALL THAT.
posted by desjardins at 11:15 AM on November 22, 2009

Well I certainly hope tehloki comes back.
posted by Sailormom at 11:19 AM on November 22, 2009

So, when was jamaro planning on coming to Toronto? We'd need to get organized first.
posted by chunking express at 12:48 PM on November 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

Mefite Meetup -- TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH!
posted by The Whelk at 12:51 PM on November 22, 2009

That video was hilarious.
posted by !Jim at 1:07 PM on November 22, 2009

I'll donate my 100 favourites per day allotment to tehloki if he returns.
posted by gman at 2:04 PM on November 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

I know tehloki'll be back. He's a swell guy and I hope he gets as much of a brand new day as he requires.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:20 PM on November 22, 2009

Two and a half minutes of cortex drumming.

WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW?
posted by ShawnStruck at 2:31 PM on November 22, 2009

Why didn't you use pre-perforated thingys, cortex? Doesn't Avery make something à propos?

My first thought was why didn't you just buy actual raffle tickets, saving a lot of printer ink, finger cramps, and/or time. But (aside from the fact that the rolls apparently only go to #2000), the printing/cutting was so much more cinematic. What a hugely entertaining video, especially the opening sequence. Three Men and a Raffle indeed.

I also like how you guys made up (some of) the rules while the drawing was taking place.
posted by LeLiLo at 3:05 PM on November 22, 2009

yay! animated gifs! excellent work.
posted by gursky at 4:01 PM on November 22, 2009

That video was one of the most adorably nerdy things I've seen in a while. And Comic Sans tickets! COMIC SANS TICKETS!

Oh, and congratulations jamaro!
posted by ZsigE at 4:18 PM on November 22, 2009

jamaro, I hereby extend to you massive congrats and an invitation to visit us for a meetup here in Ireland. I know, I know; you're thinking London. I assure you, Dublin is a superior destination in every way and the Guinness is better.
posted by DarlingBri at 4:53 PM on November 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

Hrm. I may have missed this - but if PayPal does decide to screw the pooch on this one, will there be a sidebar announcement? I'm not sure I'd notice the money coming back into my account until after I forget about it, and I'd hate to not have donated $5 to DWB because PayPal can't quite cope with charity.
posted by Kyol at 5:50 PM on November 22, 2009

This is stupid and I hate you and I'm running away forever and never coming back
posted by tehloki at 4:40 PM

maybe it isn't just the stunt post.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 7:46 PM on November 22, 2009

kuujjuarapik: "This is stupid and I hate you and I'm running away forever and never coming back
posted by tehloki at 4:40 PM

maybe it isn't just the stunt post"

fixed that link for you
posted by idiopath at 7:59 PM on November 22, 2009

Thanks. Don't know what happened.

Anyway, come back tehloki. It's all cool.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 8:10 PM on November 22, 2009

That video made me miss Fred Meyers. Their southernmost branch died in the early 90s, not that I ever head up that way anymore. Every trip through the PNW is always brightened by a store where I can buy socks and cheese -and- auto parts.

Also, Cortex is going to hell for not using reusable bags.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 10:09 PM on November 22, 2009

We've got a couple of the reusable bags. But we also have cats, and cat shit is one of the reasons disposable bags exist.
posted by cortex at 10:17 PM on November 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

I keep trying to go to the 100,000 user page but so far nothing. Maybe jamaro needs some more idiotic suggestions for a spoofed username?
posted by shakespeherian at 6:31 AM on November 23, 2009

'squatter'
posted by de at 7:08 AM on November 23, 2009

Wait a tick, we didn't give our user names in association with the raffle entries. Did we? I think they just chose some names at random, tossed ColdChef in twice for laughs (after all, it's an 80s sitcom) called it a day.

That, or pb has skills beyond my understanding, and I should question nothing on MetaFilter, for fear that he'll hack into my brain and make me forget what I have seen.

Regardless, jamaro deserves the win. Maybe you can figure out the 100k user name at that meet-up? Or is the weight of deciding on a meet-up location (or a single mod to fly out) another heavy burden? Crikey, winning is a lot more stress than I realized.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:26 AM on November 23, 2009

Wait a tick, we didn't give our user names in association with the raffle entries. Did we?

You had to be logged in to get to the raffle page in the first place, which made it trivial to store userid for each submission. HAXOR3D.
posted by cortex at 7:42 AM on November 23, 2009

pb has also memorized everyone's usual IP address, much like a grocery store checkout clerk memorizes produce codes.
posted by Burhanistan at 7:49 AM on November 23, 2009 [2 favorites]

> That, or pb has skills beyond my understanding, and I should question nothing on MetaFilter, for fear that he'll hack into my brain and make me forget what I have seen.

He frequently pops into my brain to suggest things I hadn't thought of, or occasionally to remind me that what I was about to post was not a good idea. Thanks, pb!
posted by languagehat at 7:54 AM on November 23, 2009

He's back. Favourites now have meaning again.
posted by chunking express at 8:27 AM on November 23, 2009

and the meaning is what now, again?
posted by kuujjuarapik at 8:39 AM on November 23, 2009

whatever tehloki wants it to be.
posted by gman at 9:06 AM on November 23, 2009

I hate to say this because it can't be undone, but in the raffle video you totally should have copied Police Squad by pretending to freeze in the video, like depicted here.
posted by Green With You at 10:11 AM on November 23, 2009 [1 favorite]

> like depicted here

That was hilarious—thanks!
posted by languagehat at 11:48 AM on November 23, 2009

like depicted here

That was the other thing I was thinking about, I sort of looked to see if they were doing that but alas.
posted by jessamyn at 12:09 PM on November 23, 2009

Burhanistan: much like a grocery store checkout clerk memorizes produce codes

Well you'd think so but just the other day I was at the grocery store and the checker was unable to identify a portabello mushroom. And no, she wasn't new...and to make matters worse the checker next to her didn't know either. (more inside)
posted by shakespeherian at 12:14 PM on November 23, 2009

I actually thought about the Police Squad fake-freeze, but we were working really quickly and I didn't want to futz around too much. Plus, the best thing about those freezes was the freeze-spoiling elements, and I wasn't immediately sure what those should be or how to stage them.

Next time I make a goofy video, I will try not to do so with a silly deadline.
posted by cortex at 12:22 PM on November 23, 2009

So I only just watched the video. It was both adorable and nerdtastic. I LOL'd.

I did kind of want to see cortex take the hat off again though, with the resulting shower of tickets.
posted by shelleycat at 5:21 PM on November 23, 2009

And looking at that youtube video lead me to find Jessamyn's little youtube videos (yes I'm slow) such as this and this which are adorable without being nerdtastic at all.
posted by shelleycat at 5:29 PM on November 23, 2009

Speaking of video dorkery, here's another Meeting Metafilter update.
posted by cortex at 7:30 PM on November 23, 2009

Well, you certainly took a lot of video after 2am.
posted by kathrineg at 8:13 PM on November 23, 2009

Is there an update on the PayPal fiasco?

Anyone? Bueller?
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 7:07 AM on November 24, 2009

Paypal basically busted me on two counts: one was violating the use policy by soliciting donations using paypal, second I was accused of acting as a non-profit agent for the charities involved.

Paypal cleared me on point one after a few days, with a stern warning that if I ever do it again, they'll kick me out of the service, which I'm fine with. I forgot that they forbid doing this, but we only did it because there's no easy way to track donations from many people to a few organizations in any feasable way.

I'm still waiting on point two. I can't really say anything to paypal as I already admitted guilt in the first round using an open explanation area. The second round they only accept official non-profit documentation scans, no textareas to explain what was going on. I've been told it takes 1-2 weeks for similar claims to end.

In the end, if they don't just clear me and let me make the donations, I hope they just refund everyone and we'll ask everyone to donate to the charity and level that they intended to. Not ideal, but certainly fair and we'll still honor the prizes we gave away regardless.

I was pretty pissed about this last week but given my current health crisis, I'm trying to just stuff it in the back of my mind until they decide to close it up.
posted by mathowie at 8:06 AM on November 24, 2009 [1 favorite]

Yeah, the timing of the Paypal fiasco sucks and I wish we could do something to fix it. But thanks for the update. Take care of yourself, mathowie. Be well.
posted by deborah at 1:14 PM on November 24, 2009

The video was great, and I came here to see what the deal was with PayPal. In any case, congrats to jamaro and all the other winners, live and be well Matt.
posted by fixedgear at 2:24 PM on November 24, 2009

I had a dream last night about that baby and it's books. Well not about the baby, about Jessamyn telling me about the baby. I think, it's a bit vague (there was a baby, I remember Jessamyn's voice, there was some other people there and my cat and some other stuff going on). Yeah. Maybe less metafilter right before bed?
posted by shelleycat at 7:01 PM on November 24, 2009

Next time I make a goofy video, I will try not to do so with a silly deadline.

You damn well better. Not. Or Do. I'm not sure how to get rid of funky double negatives in this situation.
posted by Green With You at 10:47 PM on November 24, 2009

Just spent an hour on the phone with Paypal trying to figure out this mess from the perspective of a ticket buyer. Ugh, ugh, ugh paypal is the worst.
posted by lalex at 2:38 PM on November 25, 2009