Mr. Fidler, tear down this home! February 4, 2010 10:38 AM Subscribe
As a follow up to this post, the house Robert Fidler secretly built behind a giant wall of hay without planning board approval must be torn down.
Damn - that's a shame - it's an awesome house/castle.
What I don't get is, with all the money and effort that goes into building a CASTLE...couldn't he have found a "more" legal way of doing it?
posted by Salvor Hardin at 10:49 AM on February 4, 2010
What I don't get is, with all the money and effort that goes into building a CASTLE...couldn't he have found a "more" legal way of doing it?
posted by Salvor Hardin at 10:49 AM on February 4, 2010
How sad. I'm not really sure if MetaTalk is the place for this post, though.
Just the same, I feel one of the greatest tragedies of the modern era was the slow erosion of property ownership. Robert Fidler owned that land but that is completely meaningless today. What's the point of owning something if everyone else has a say about what must be done with it? Alas, I feel this will be an unpopular opinion to hold around here (if the comments on the original FPP are any indication).
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 11:01 AM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Just the same, I feel one of the greatest tragedies of the modern era was the slow erosion of property ownership. Robert Fidler owned that land but that is completely meaningless today. What's the point of owning something if everyone else has a say about what must be done with it? Alas, I feel this will be an unpopular opinion to hold around here (if the comments on the original FPP are any indication).
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 11:01 AM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
What a wonky rule - "if no one complains for 4 years, it's OK by us." Not knowing the actual language of the law, it seems this is only to address the appearance of buildings, and not how structurally sound they are. NPR has some more information, but it still sounds weird that people are only worried about how it looks. Anyway, he has God on his side:
posted by filthy light thief at 11:06 AM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
"We believe that God is involved in our case," he says. "The [authorities] were unable to find it because it was protected. And that's why we believe that this house or this castle — or whatever you want to call it — will stand here forever."God, and a giant pile of hay.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:06 AM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
How sad. I'm not really sure if MetaTalk is the place for this post, though.
Followup updates to closed-and-archived posts are sometimes placed in MeTa when the news isn't important enough for a second MeFi post. I've done it myself.
posted by zarq at 11:10 AM on February 4, 2010
Followup updates to closed-and-archived posts are sometimes placed in MeTa when the news isn't important enough for a second MeFi post. I've done it myself.
posted by zarq at 11:10 AM on February 4, 2010
Followup updates to closed-and-archived posts are sometimes placed in MeTa when the news isn't important enough for a second MeFi post. I've done it myself.
Sometimes they are, yes, and sometimes I pass them by without saying anything. Sometimes I don't: Follow-up to closed MeFi posts should be posted to the blue. If, for whatever reason, the person wanting to follow-up on a closed MeFi post thinks it's not "blue-worthy" or whatever, MetaTalk is not the place for it either. Put it on your blog.
posted by carsonb at 11:14 AM on February 4, 2010
Sometimes they are, yes, and sometimes I pass them by without saying anything. Sometimes I don't: Follow-up to closed MeFi posts should be posted to the blue. If, for whatever reason, the person wanting to follow-up on a closed MeFi post thinks it's not "blue-worthy" or whatever, MetaTalk is not the place for it either. Put it on your blog.
posted by carsonb at 11:14 AM on February 4, 2010
he did build it with moats and flaming oil dispensers and catapults, didn't he?
Supposedly there's a cannon.
posted by echo target at 11:16 AM on February 4, 2010
Supposedly there's a cannon.
posted by echo target at 11:16 AM on February 4, 2010
Well, if you put it on the blue, you'd get people snarking about it over there.
You gotta choose your poison, and snark seems to go better in the gray zone.
I for one am glad to see it posted anywhere Its interesting, and I wouldn't have seen it otherwise.
posted by SLC Mom at 11:28 AM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
You gotta choose your poison, and snark seems to go better in the gray zone.
I for one am glad to see it posted anywhere Its interesting, and I wouldn't have seen it otherwise.
posted by SLC Mom at 11:28 AM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Follow-up to closed MeFi posts should be posted to the blue. If, for whatever reason, the person wanting to follow-up on a closed MeFi post thinks it's not "blue-worthy" or whatever, MetaTalk is not the place for it either. Put it on your blog.
Doing so is established site precedent and it doesn't happen all that often anyway. If the mods have a problem with people doing so, then I'm sure they'll weigh in. Personally, I'd prefer getting those updates than to miss them altogether.
posted by zarq at 11:32 AM on February 4, 2010
Doing so is established site precedent and it doesn't happen all that often anyway. If the mods have a problem with people doing so, then I'm sure they'll weigh in. Personally, I'd prefer getting those updates than to miss them altogether.
posted by zarq at 11:32 AM on February 4, 2010
MetaTalk is not the place for it either.
Are you having a bad day? There is precedent for doing updates like this. Once in a while it's fine, if MeTa becomes full of updates it will become less fine.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:38 AM on February 4, 2010 [4 favorites]
Are you having a bad day? There is precedent for doing updates like this. Once in a while it's fine, if MeTa becomes full of updates it will become less fine.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:38 AM on February 4, 2010 [4 favorites]
The thing that really gets me about this whole issue is that MetaTalk was started so we, the userbase, could discuss site policy and talk about MetaFilter (and now AskMe and Projects and Music, etc.) itself instead of the whole rest of the web. MetaFilter is for the whole, filtered rest of the web. When newsfiltery updates like this one get through onto the front page of MeFi, whatever; because the 'best of the web' filter is different for everybody. But when it leaks all the way into MeTa, that's a bigger failure. That's someone thinking, "Gosh this isn't good enough to post to the blue, where can I put it?" and traditionally the answer to that question is Get Your Own Blog, Fuckwad. I don't like saying that, though, and even GYOBFW rings rough. I'd rather try to explain my point of view, share my opinion on how the site should work (in the appropriate venue, no less) and wait for the haters to shout me down.
But appealing to the mods? In MetaTalk? Hah. If you want to challenge the precedent (which, by the way, is that posts like this go on MetaFilter and talking about MetaFilter goes on MetaTalk) then go ahead and state your case. And I'll hope it's something more than "I did it before!" and "Moooods! carsonb is using MeTa properly!"
posted by carsonb at 11:43 AM on February 4, 2010
But appealing to the mods? In MetaTalk? Hah. If you want to challenge the precedent (which, by the way, is that posts like this go on MetaFilter and talking about MetaFilter goes on MetaTalk) then go ahead and state your case. And I'll hope it's something more than "I did it before!" and "Moooods! carsonb is using MeTa properly!"
posted by carsonb at 11:43 AM on February 4, 2010
Yeah, I probably am having a bad day, and arguments like this don't help. Have fun, you ruiners! I'm taking my ball home.
posted by carsonb at 11:44 AM on February 4, 2010
posted by carsonb at 11:44 AM on February 4, 2010
I'd rather try to explain my point of view, share my opinion on how the site should work (in the appropriate venue, no less) and wait for the haters to shout me down.
No one is shouting you down. Not so far, at least. And you're free to state your opinion, of course. Am I not free to disagree with you? :)
But appealing to the mods? In MetaTalk? Hah.
Oy.
If you want to challenge the precedent (which, by the way, is that posts like this go on MetaFilter and talking about MetaFilter goes on MetaTalk) then go ahead and state your case.
Well there's precedent for both, really. Some people post followups to the Blue. A small number prefer to post them to the Gray. I suspect that's because many of us set a high standard for our posts to the Blue. Maybe they don't want to rehash an entire post with a small bit of new news, but think the community might be interested.
I suppose I don't see a reason why there shouldn't be room for both.
And I'll hope it's something more than "I did it before!" and "Moooods! carsonb is using MeTa properly!"
:)
posted by zarq at 12:05 PM on February 4, 2010
No one is shouting you down. Not so far, at least. And you're free to state your opinion, of course. Am I not free to disagree with you? :)
But appealing to the mods? In MetaTalk? Hah.
Oy.
If you want to challenge the precedent (which, by the way, is that posts like this go on MetaFilter and talking about MetaFilter goes on MetaTalk) then go ahead and state your case.
Well there's precedent for both, really. Some people post followups to the Blue. A small number prefer to post them to the Gray. I suspect that's because many of us set a high standard for our posts to the Blue. Maybe they don't want to rehash an entire post with a small bit of new news, but think the community might be interested.
I suppose I don't see a reason why there shouldn't be room for both.
And I'll hope it's something more than "I did it before!" and "Moooods! carsonb is using MeTa properly!"
:)
posted by zarq at 12:05 PM on February 4, 2010
I briefly read carsonb's parting shot as "I'm taking my bale home." Which would've been pretty funny.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 12:20 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 12:20 PM on February 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
Well, crap. Anyone got another ball? I guess I can go home and get one.
/me bikes home, grabs replacement ball, realizes it's impossible to carry a ball while biking back, stays home watching HBO, acts like nothing happened next day at school.
posted by fleacircus at 12:28 PM on February 4, 2010
/me bikes home, grabs replacement ball, realizes it's impossible to carry a ball while biking back, stays home watching HBO, acts like nothing happened next day at school.
posted by fleacircus at 12:28 PM on February 4, 2010
From the article: "The adverse decision means Fidler's roof must come down."
It's funny because his house is going to be razed. Honestly, yahoo.uk have a little decorum.
posted by boo_radley at 12:40 PM on February 4, 2010
It's funny because his house is going to be razed. Honestly, yahoo.uk have a little decorum.
posted by boo_radley at 12:40 PM on February 4, 2010
boo_radley: The guy was such an asshole that making him tear down his house is funny.
posted by aspo at 12:56 PM on February 4, 2010
posted by aspo at 12:56 PM on February 4, 2010
"...Get Your Own Blog, Fuckwad..."
FuckWIT.
Jesus. Some people.
i'm only teasing carsonb because he already took his ball and went home
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 1:08 PM on February 4, 2010
FuckWIT.
Jesus. Some people.
i'm only teasing carsonb because he already took his ball and went home
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 1:08 PM on February 4, 2010
I don't remember that thread from the first time through.
Is two years too late to post something snarky?
posted by Bonzai at 7:45 PM on February 4, 2010
Is two years too late to post something snarky?
posted by Bonzai at 7:45 PM on February 4, 2010
What's the point of owning something if everyone else has a say about what must be done with it?
Indeed. Why does anyone else even exist?
posted by setanor at 11:46 PM on February 4, 2010
Indeed. Why does anyone else even exist?
posted by setanor at 11:46 PM on February 4, 2010
The thing that really gets me about this whole issue is that MetaTalk was started so we, the userbase, could discuss site policy and talk about MetaFilter (and now AskMe and Projects and Music, etc.) itself instead of the whole rest of the web.
My take on it is that many of the update-on-an-old-post metatalk threads that have stood over the years (and this is, just to reiterate, years-old behavior, not something new) are made with the feeling by the poster that it is Metafilter-related by dint of the involvement some folks on the site had with the subject when it first came around however long ago.
Which is a fuzzy metric, and I think there are updatefilter posts that don't really walk that line very well (the original post is still open, or it's not a post that folks really dug into significantly in the first place, or the "followup" is substantially a post in its own right that should just go on the blue, or someone is more trial-ballooning a questionable post than anything, etc), and we often close or even delete those. Certainly we keep half an eye on this sort of thing in general to make sure it doesn't get out of hand.
But all that said, yeah, in general this kind of thing can be okay and has been so for years and years when done in moderate doses and with some consideration.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:25 AM on February 5, 2010
My take on it is that many of the update-on-an-old-post metatalk threads that have stood over the years (and this is, just to reiterate, years-old behavior, not something new) are made with the feeling by the poster that it is Metafilter-related by dint of the involvement some folks on the site had with the subject when it first came around however long ago.
Which is a fuzzy metric, and I think there are updatefilter posts that don't really walk that line very well (the original post is still open, or it's not a post that folks really dug into significantly in the first place, or the "followup" is substantially a post in its own right that should just go on the blue, or someone is more trial-ballooning a questionable post than anything, etc), and we often close or even delete those. Certainly we keep half an eye on this sort of thing in general to make sure it doesn't get out of hand.
But all that said, yeah, in general this kind of thing can be okay and has been so for years and years when done in moderate doses and with some consideration.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:25 AM on February 5, 2010
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posted by carsonb at 10:44 AM on February 4, 2010