Don't post in my own thread?

April 3, 2010 3:37 PM

So, what is an acceptable amount of posting in a metafilter thread you started?

So yesterday I started this thread about a water purifier (about 10 minutes after I watched a talk about it on TED) and there was a bit of concern about how much I was posting in it. Did I go overboard there?

posted by DoublePlus to Etiquette/Policy at 3:37 PM (193 comments total)

I've always wondered about this, and felt guilty for every comment I've made in my own threads. Thanks for asking!
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:41 PM on April 3, 2010

I'm guessing that the general rule is "Don't be an asshole".

The problem is that people's definition of what an asshole is, including the original poster's, varies.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:47 PM on April 3, 2010

Responding to ever comment or every other comment would be over the top. You were right there on the border.
posted by fixedgear at 3:47 PM on April 3, 2010 [3 favorites]

You were getting a little too defensive about the negative comments. Welcome to Metafilter, land of the snarky and negative comments.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 3:50 PM on April 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

As a specific-case thing, I'd say, yeah, you were being probably over-responsive in that thread. Not like cuckoo-nutso over the top or anything, but after one or two comments in the early stages of your own post it's probably time to evaluate whether you're contributing to the discussion in a substantive way or just either defending the post or its contents (what I feel like was going on here a little) or using the post as an excuse to talk about something you wanted to get on your soapbox about or otherwise sort of get in a fight with people (not what it felt like here so much).

More generally: a post should be interesting on its own merits; if you got hit by a truck right after it went up, in theory it should be okay, basically. If you're not sure it will be, it may not be a good idea in the first place. If it seems okay but you feel like maybe people missed some key idea or misunderstood something, a comment or two to clarify that can be okay, but usually just a couple.

So you should be more or less prepared to walk away as soon as you hit post. That doesn't mean you can't comment, it just means you should make sure your commenting is no less wallflower than anyone else's, that you are there to maybe converse in the thread some but not to steer it or tell other people what to think or to argue about the post in any sort of hyperreactive way.

This is more important in particular in the early life of a thread, I think; later on, after its had a chance to find its stride and several hours or a day has gone by and people may still be lingering in the thread, continuing to actively discuss it in a substantive way is generally not problematic. But being very proportionally vocal early on, especially, can be disruptive and self-defeating.
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:51 PM on April 3, 2010 [7 favorites]

You were getting a little too defensive about the negative comments. Welcome to Metafilter, land of the snarky and negative comments.

Ok, yes. I agree. I did get too defensive at the beginning. So in the nicest, most not defensive way possible can try and not have this thread derail in that direction? :)
posted by DoublePlus at 3:53 PM on April 3, 2010

When you are responding to every single post in the thread, that is 'moderating the thread'.

I do it sometimes, too. Happens to everyone. Usually it's not that much of a problem, but on posts that are somewhat pepsi-blue-ish, anyway, like that one was, it starts to look like you're just shilling for the product.

I find that often if you just wait, someone else will say what you were going to say anyway.
posted by empath at 4:00 PM on April 3, 2010

Yeah, no, it's not realy possible to derail a MeTa. We're having ricotta pie tomorrow.
posted by fixedgear at 4:00 PM on April 3, 2010

In general I think it's a good idea not to comment in your own thread for maybe an hour (unless you're saying like 'Hey that's a great link too! Thanks!' or answering a question specifically asked of you ('Did you find this on drawn.ca?')). Then if you jump in and start taking on all comers, at least the thread has some legs under it and everyone can ignore you as an asshole.

This is just my opinion.
posted by shakespeherian at 4:01 PM on April 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

So in the nicest, most not defensive way possible can try and not have this thread derail in that direction? :)

If you're posting about a product, and everyone says the product is bad, that's not a derail.

If you're posting about a product, and everyone is talking about, i dunno, a spelling mistake in the post, or someone goes off on a political rant like: "You know what fuck poor people, they don't deserve water," that's a derail.
posted by empath at 4:02 PM on April 3, 2010 [3 favorites]

So in the nicest, most not defensive way possible can try and not have this thread derail in that direction? :)

Seconding fixedgear. Metatalk is pretty much a free-for-all. You only have to be concerned about derailing when posting on the green or blue.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 4:03 PM on April 3, 2010

Metatalk is pretty much a free-for-all. You only have to be concerned about derailing when posting on the green or blue.

This is why only the best people can be found here.

FOOD FIGHT
posted by shakespeherian at 4:05 PM on April 3, 2010

We're having ricotta pie tomorrow.

OMG ricotta pie! The recipe I have calls for fourteen eggs, altogether, between the cake part and the cheese part. A dozen eggs = not enough eggs.
posted by longsleeves at 4:08 PM on April 3, 2010

I think trouble generally starts when the frequency/content of the posting seems intended to control the "flow" of the thread. Not just like "can you stop making snarky jokes about my serious FPP," but even more substantive things.

Let's say I make a post about Justice Stevens' probable retirement from the Supreme Court. The part of that article I find most interesting is that Stevens changed his view on the death penalty over time on the court. In my little FPP daydream the thread would end up focusing on that. In reality, though, I post the thing and the first poster comments on the merits of Stevens' potential replacements. I think it's fine for me to then mention my interest in the death penalty thing. But if the next couple posters latch onto the replacement predictions and then someone else brings up the fact that Stevens writes his own first drafts, it would be really obnoxious of me to try and corral everyone back to my patch of interest, whether by explicitly steering the discussion back or by posting very frequently in ways that interrupt the ongoing conversation.

If you love your FPP, set it free!
posted by sallybrown at 4:08 PM on April 3, 2010 [2 favorites]

Ok, so it sounds to me like I'm not supposed to answer questions people have, and that I should instead let the thread exist without me. Is that right?
posted by DoublePlus at 4:10 PM on April 3, 2010

OMG ricotta pie! The recipe I have calls for fourteen eggs, altogether, between the cake part and the cheese part. A dozen eggs = not enough eggs.

This is two eggs in the crust and four in the filling. 9" springform pan. That must be one big cake/pie.
posted by fixedgear at 4:14 PM on April 3, 2010

DoublePlus: I think you just about stayed on the right side.

But nobody was saying 'that DoublePlus, s/he's a real idiot for believing in this junk'. They were debating whether the product you posted a link to was as good or better than what else was already on offer.

But just like posting a link to an iPad announcement: It's not the actual poster who's being judged on, generally, whether the iPad is the greatest/worst thing (I won't argue either way... too scared).
posted by selton at 4:18 PM on April 3, 2010

Ok, so it sounds to me like I'm not supposed to answer questions people have

If an FPP causes a lot of people to ask questions of the poster rather that comment on the content, that tends to be a sign that it's not a great post.
posted by longsleeves at 4:19 PM on April 3, 2010

Ok, so it sounds to me like I'm not supposed to answer questions people have, and that I should instead let the thread exist without me. Is that right?

Maybe don't think of the questions as being directed to you, unless they're "Your link is broken"-type stuff. When delmoi posted this, I don't think (I could be wrong though) he was saying Hey DoublePlu, you need to tell me why this one is better (and you responded as though he had), he was throwing the question out to the thread for discussion. And you can be involved in the discussion, but when you begin by saying "But here's what I have to say so far," it makes it seem like you're noting and planning to comment on every post, as though you have a different role in the discussion than everyone else.
posted by sallybrown at 4:22 PM on April 3, 2010 [2 favorites]

(I was not referring above to your specific FPP, DP.)
posted by longsleeves at 4:22 PM on April 3, 2010

Maybe don't think of the questions as being directed to you

Yeah, this is a useful idea. Mefi is a place where conversation happens, and there are all sorts of people who can take a query and run with it. If it's not a question that you, exclusively, are capable of answering, you don't necessarily have to be the one to tackle it and it may be better for the natural development of the thread (and the avoidance of any stink of Steering The Thread) if you just take a pass on that.

Again, it's not an absolute thing; if you want to toss in clarifying comment or two because you think it'd be helpful, that's generally not a problem. But the difference between one or two and a half-dozen is often the difference between being seen as clarifying and being seen as grabbing onto the thread with both hands and refusing to let go.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:29 PM on April 3, 2010 [2 favorites]

Sallybrown: I think you make a good point. I guess the general question I have is whether I am an equal part of the conversation as anyone who decides to read the post.

If I am then I feel I can respond to any question, statement, or whatever like anyone else can, in whatever way I want. Just like people could (very fairly of course) post about other water filtration devices even though they weren't part of my initial post.

If I am not, well then I obviously shouldn't.

annnnnnddd it feels like I'm being defensive and doing the exact same thing now.
posted by DoublePlus at 4:32 PM on April 3, 2010

DoublePlus, someone will come along and explain this more eloquently than I can, or at least at greater length. I'm not trying to insult you, but you are aware that cortex is a moderator and has responded twice in this thread?

You can respond to every single comment in your FPP. People will flag the hell out of it, it will implode, and subsequently be deleted. It's a fine line, and several people have said in several different ways that you were right on the border of derailing your own thread.

This has also been the subject of numerous MeTas, btw.
posted by fixedgear at 4:42 PM on April 3, 2010

I like it when the poster is super-present. Even defensively. It (can) add a whole other dimension to the post/comments. As much as Metafilter is a place to learn things, it's also a form entertainment. So is it bad? Maybe for you. But for this reader, not so much..
posted by marimeko at 4:42 PM on April 3, 2010 [4 favorites]

I guess the general question I have is whether I am an equal part of the conversation as anyone who decides to read the post.

If I am then I feel I can respond to any question, statement, or whatever like anyone else can, in whatever way I want.

You're a mefite among equals as far as what you're allowed to do: you can comment, respond, rebuke, etc within the general (and in most respects very lax) confines of the site guidelines.

That said, as the poster you have a certain amount of added responsibility to show some cool and restraint—your having posted in the first place can be seen as a kind of mega-comment that burns up a lot of your participatory credit in the short term, and it's best to let the thread breathe and be whatever people who aren't you make of it.

Again, not an absolute "stay out" concept, but there's a general cultural expectation here that you'll recognize the potential disruption and distraction that comes with a poster commenting heavily or defensively in their own thread and seek to avoid screwing up the normal dynamic of a thread like that.

It's not a matter of being a second-class commenter, denied the right to participate; it's a matter of being, in a narrow sense, a host, and showing the good manners to let your guests go about enjoying themselves without reminding them excessively about how, exactly, they should be going about the business of partying.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:44 PM on April 3, 2010 [17 favorites]

Ok, so it sounds to me like I'm not supposed to answer questions people have, and that I should instead let the thread exist without me. Is that right?

There's nothing wrong with answering a question that's directed to you by name (this is fairly rare, more often the questions are simply rhetorical or open questions for the community at large), but otherwise: yeah, pretty much. In my opinion, MeFi front page posts work best with no (or at best, minimal) further input from the original poster. Such moderation is unwelcome, counter-productive, and spoils the reader's enjoyment. Also, posters who try to steer the ensuing conversation almost always come off looking petulant, defensive, and self-involved. The discussion starts to become about the poster, instead of the topic at hand.

I like to think of the Front Page Post as a delicious cake that someone spent all day baking and then put on my doorstep. I like to picture the person ringing my doorbell and then running off to hide and giggle behind a tree. At this point, I take the cake inside, and see how it tastes.

When the poster follows me into the kitchen, stridently explaining why I should like the cake and telling me I'm eating it wrong, I pretty much put my fork down and walk into the other room to watch Ghostbusters II.

I don't think your behaviour was especially offensive, but you will notice that at least some of the discussion in the original thread—and now all the discussion in this one—are about you. Which is too much.
posted by hot soup girl at 4:46 PM on April 3, 2010 [20 favorites]

I like to picture the person ringing my doorbell and then running off to hide and giggle behind a tree.

This metaphor makes me smile more than my own does. Heh.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:49 PM on April 3, 2010 [2 favorites]

I like to think of the Front Page Post as a delicious cake ricotta pie that someone spent all day baking and then put on my doorstep.
posted by fixedgear at 4:53 PM on April 3, 2010

I like to think of the Front Page Post as a delicious cake ricotta pie bean-free chili that someone spent all day baking and then put on my doorstep.
posted by sallybrown at 4:57 PM on April 3, 2010 [3 favorites]

I would also venture that (once the thread is well established) making a single comment containing responses to several other comments plays a lot differently than responding to each of those comments individually as they occur. The former gives the impression of one voice among many; the latter of an attempt to dominate the conversation.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:01 PM on April 3, 2010 [2 favorites]

Is the comments thread becoming all about you and your argument with someone else? Then stop. Goes for other peoples FPPs as well.

(I cannot guarantee that I am an example of partcularly good behaviour on this)
posted by Artw at 5:06 PM on April 3, 2010

Yeah, no, it's not realy possible to derail a MeTa

*cracks fingers*
posted by The Whelk at 5:08 PM on April 3, 2010 [5 favorites]

shepherd's pie.

participatory credit ~ thank you cortex for this new and wonderful phrase ;p i foresee much usage of thus so...
posted by infini at 5:11 PM on April 3, 2010

I just googled ricotta pie and can feel my arteries hardening already. The crust is just sweet short pastry right? So I could buy that part and make the rest? I can cook but I don't like it and I'm lazy.
posted by shelleycat at 5:17 PM on April 3, 2010

*cracks fingers*

I don't get it. Were you in a bar fight?
posted by shakespeherian at 5:34 PM on April 3, 2010

Maybe he meant 'cracks knuckles' which makes a little more sense.
posted by fixedgear at 5:37 PM on April 3, 2010

Intervention time: The Whelk, let's talk about your bar fighting.
posted by shakespeherian at 5:52 PM on April 3, 2010

There is a ricotta pie my mother in law made for me waiting two rooms away!
posted by shothotbot at 5:52 PM on April 3, 2010

no no no the dear sweet boy was simply cracking his fingers to let me add my comment underneath his now that he's started reading my mind ;p
posted by infini at 5:56 PM on April 3, 2010

I AM INSIDE OF YOU ALWAYS.

YOU NEED TO TIDY UP IN HERE.
posted by The Whelk at 6:01 PM on April 3, 2010 [3 favorites]

I'm making Stained Glass Cake. It's pineapple whipped cream jello with more jello suspended inside it. Yum!

The paywalled recipe I used. It comes out just like the picture. Google Stained or Broken Glass cake for alternatives that are more or less the same.
posted by mccarty.tim at 6:07 PM on April 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm making Stained Glass Cake.

For some reason I had to read this comment twice to figure out if it was a cocktail. I really want a fancy-schmancy cocktail now. PS I had my first vodka martini last night (I know, I know), and what the hell is the point of those things? Give me back my Hendrick's.
posted by shakespeherian at 6:10 PM on April 3, 2010

That cake looks like a woman vacuuming in pearls.
posted by The Whelk at 6:10 PM on April 3, 2010 [4 favorites]

The Aviator with Creme de violette.
posted by The Whelk at 6:12 PM on April 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

For some reason I had to read this comment twice to figure out if it was a cocktail.

You can make it a cocktail! Make the jello with vodka.
posted by empath at 6:15 PM on April 3, 2010

But don't tell anyone! Grandma is waaay more fun a complete sheets to the wind.
posted by The Whelk at 6:20 PM on April 3, 2010

*looks at The Whelk suspiciously after that comment*

*isn't quite sure if he realizes the implications of what he's just said*
posted by infini at 6:23 PM on April 3, 2010

That must be one big cake/pie.

Yes, fixedgear, it is. The ricotta "pie" recipe I have was given to me by a lady of italian prvovenance and involves yellow cake mix, (not yellowcake, it's bad enough for you without being radioactive) lots of ricotta and egg yolks and sugar. It is baked in a large rectangular cake pan. The ricotta mixture starts on top of the cake mix and magically descends during baking, while the cake ends up on top. You get about 20 servings from it.
posted by longsleeves at 6:24 PM on April 3, 2010

Thanks guys! I'm going to go harden up the jello for my jello cake! And I know it's a dorky way to sell Jell-O, but I eat healthy and natural year round! At least let me have my Jello cake!

As for why I'm not making a cheesecake like all the cool kids: My mom isn't so big on something that fatty, and regular cake just seemed too normal.
posted by mccarty.tim at 6:28 PM on April 3, 2010

I'm going to go harden up the jello for my jello cake!

Worst. Euphemism. Ever.
posted by The Whelk at 6:29 PM on April 3, 2010 [2 favorites]

Oooh, yeah, oh baby, harden up that jello, yeah, let's make some sweet, sweet jello cake. Mmmm. Harden it up. Yeah.
posted by shakespeherian at 6:32 PM on April 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

Have you been reading my dream journal again shakesperherian?
posted by The Whelk at 6:35 PM on April 3, 2010

empath: I find that often if you just wait, someone else will say what you were going to say anyway.

Amen. Not that I FPP often, but I've figured out that if I give myself a time out after each post, others will fill the gap, usually in a better way.

I don't always do that, of course. But at least I know I'm getting into murky waters when I do.

Also, Wheaton's Law ("Don't be a dick") and this sage bit of advice gleaned from Wikipedia's guidelines: "Assume no evil." will go a long, long way to keeping one above the mire.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:36 PM on April 3, 2010

Cue the porn jazz.
posted by longsleeves at 6:37 PM on April 3, 2010

My favorite one so far is where you dress toy poodles like your parents and make them fight with light sabers. I mean, it's like your subconscious isn't even bothering with metaphor.
posted by shakespeherian at 6:37 PM on April 3, 2010 [4 favorites]

No, I didn't order a pizza, but maybe you can deliver something else (drops robe).
posted by The Whelk at 6:38 PM on April 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

...and then you start crying and trying to hug the pizza. And then Master Blaster shows up. And then things get interesting.
posted by shakespeherian at 6:45 PM on April 3, 2010 [1 favorite]

The Whelk: "44The Aviator with Creme de violette. "

If I'd known you like Aviations, The Whelk, I would have taken you out for the best Aviation in San Francisco. Next time you're in SF!
posted by gingerbeer at 6:54 PM on April 3, 2010

shakespeherian, you should try a Bloody Mary made with Hendrick's instead of vodka. Perfect brunch drink.
posted by fixedgear at 6:57 PM on April 3, 2010 [2 favorites]

Pardon the excessive italicization there.
posted by gingerbeer at 6:57 PM on April 3, 2010

what was that Whelkie? a dropped robe? c'mere... ;p
posted by infini at 7:01 PM on April 3, 2010

If they made porn my way, they'd open up the pizza box to reveal a phonograph that then starts playing cheesy (no pun intended) porn music, to clarify that it is, indeed, a porno. And then it would procede as planned with the regular programming.
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:08 PM on April 3, 2010

hologram you mean, with bologna or salami? ;p
posted by infini at 7:12 PM on April 3, 2010

that FPP was a pie
that you made with your own hands
if you wanted to add a cherry or two,
hey man, we understand.
but don't go adding too many,
or the balance will be thrown off
which is kinda what, well, you know...
kinda what *coughyoudidcough*
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:24 PM on April 3, 2010 [5 favorites]

Has anyone done any work on algorithmically-generated porn jazz? It seems like it would be a fertile field of inquiry.
posted by hattifattener at 7:25 PM on April 3, 2010

Wait right there, I've got to (hair toss) Call the cable company and (giggle) inform them of this mistake..
posted by The Whelk at 7:27 PM on April 3, 2010

let me just ...get my papers in order before I ...call the help desk with my various ...QUESTIONS.
posted by The Whelk at 7:29 PM on April 3, 2010

Pardon the excessive italicization there.

AVIATORS SHOULD ALWAYS BE TALKED ABOUT IN ITALICS
posted by The Whelk at 7:29 PM on April 3, 2010

GOOD TO KNOW
posted by gingerbeer at 7:51 PM on April 3, 2010

shakespeherian, you should try a Bloody Mary made with Hendrick's instead of vodka. Perfect brunch drink.

Hendrick's is pretty much the perfect liquor.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:03 PM on April 3, 2010

That's what she said.
posted by Sailormom at 8:13 PM on April 3, 2010

right before passing out in the cab cause she had too much vodka jello cake
posted by The Whelk at 9:19 PM on April 3, 2010

The best rule I know of is to make sure to make sure the thread is not about you. No thread in the blue should be about you, whoever you are.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:01 AM on April 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

I'm going to go harden up the jello for my jello cake!

Worst. Euphemism. Ever.

Yeah. If anything, it should be jiggled.
posted by iamkimiam at 1:02 AM on April 4, 2010

then it'd need a bra? ;p
posted by infini at 1:30 AM on April 4, 2010

Two-perfectly-molded-jello-cups or death?
posted by iamkimiam at 1:34 AM on April 4, 2010

Forgive me while I pretend this thread was just posted:
I've made 4 posts to the front in 5+ years and read thousands. When you post you just sort of release it into the wild. It isn't yours as soon as you post. More importantly, if you both post and then offer a further opinion you provide a big fat sugar-coated vector that points at yourself. It is best to let others work it out. (Lawyer client fool and all that.)
And never post in the goddamn morning.
posted by vapidave at 2:51 AM on April 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

Metafilter: if you got hit by a truck right after it went up, in theory it should be okay

sorry
posted by motdiem2 at 3:29 AM on April 4, 2010

note: everyone needs a hug
posted by infini at 4:45 AM on April 4, 2010

Happy easter everyone! I got sweet-tart jelly beans!
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:33 AM on April 4, 2010

I thought this post would be about the ipad thread.
posted by mr.marx at 5:51 AM on April 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

Oh wow, it is totally Easter! And I had a disturbing nuclear holocaust dream! I hope these are not related.
posted by The Whelk at 6:29 AM on April 4, 2010

really? you need a tinfoil hat, is what you need
posted by infini at 7:26 AM on April 4, 2010

I thought this post would be about the ipad thread.

Oh wow, ditto. I think folks in Mac FPPs know how they're going to go from the start so maybe the expectations are different? I took the OP to be in good faith and maybe just wanting to be part of the discussion in there. I think it's cute how everyone is so hopped up over the giant iPhone.

I made a huge pot of vegetarian matzo ball soup to bring to both family dinners today (sometimes Ms. 'cake's brood even pops by my family's house for dessert... awesome) - I think my folks are pretty much sitting at the dining room table staring at the pie with all the Italian coldcuts in it at this point.

So happy peanut butter egg holidays, you crazy kids.
posted by mintcake! at 7:27 AM on April 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

THAT WILL MAKE THE BURNS WORSE.

Yeah, 3 separate dreams running through Nuclear Dystopia scenes. Lots of waking up and being happy my fingernails aren't faslling off.


*shudder*
posted by The Whelk at 7:28 AM on April 4, 2010

One of my nephews is exceptionally crafty and would probably be thrilled to send you some tinfoil bunny ears, actually.
posted by mintcake! at 7:28 AM on April 4, 2010

I hear the word crafty and my brain just goes to this every time.

(and now it's stuck in my head, and your head)
posted by The Whelk at 7:36 AM on April 4, 2010

i don't know if i want you stuck in my head
posted by infini at 7:37 AM on April 4, 2010

DoublePlus, I hope you've gotten a satisfactory answer to your question; I'd like to thank you for providing an opportunity for the MeTa Krewe to run amuck as only they can (and I'd like to offer a special shout-out to The Whelk, who's the whelkiest MeFite around!).
posted by languagehat at 7:46 AM on April 4, 2010

(and dammit, now he's stuck in my head as well)
posted by languagehat at 7:46 AM on April 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

Blue Moon cocktail, with creme de violette.
posted by crush-onastick at 7:54 AM on April 4, 2010

Open up your heart and let me in.


I call aorta!
posted by The Whelk at 7:56 AM on April 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

And oh! Languagehat, while I'm in your head (SO MANY GERUNDS) can I ask for Hat advice? I've got a funny shaped head (described as "like a cork stuck in a bottle") and a skinny neck and any and all hat that goes on my head just makes me look ridiculous. I would adore to be behatted, but anything put ontop of my head makes it look like I'm playing dressup.
posted by The Whelk at 8:05 AM on April 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

ooo wait i know i know *bounces up and down from te back of the thread*

there's a particular headgear called ass, i've heard
posted by infini at 8:07 AM on April 4, 2010

I was told that the word from the home office is to cease or diminish the frequency of the asshattery.
posted by The Whelk at 8:08 AM on April 4, 2010

yours mine or ours or the entire community?
posted by infini at 9:42 AM on April 4, 2010

Yeah, I kind of clicked through with a shudder, expecting this to be about the iPad thread I started. I'm kind of glad it's not mainly because I'm thin-skinned, not because I don't think it's an interesting subject.

I think that some FPPs get posted because the poster wants to start a conversation on MetaFilter. I think it was Joe Beese that recently defended a post of his by saying it garnered 200 comments? I can get behind that mentality. As a long-time reader who only recently joined, I really get excited when a bunch of people whose opinions I've followed for a while start talking about something I'm also interested in. So while sometimes I make posts because I think they're just interesting subjects, other times I post things that I want to see conversations about. (Not just my posts: I also got excited at the recent FPP about The Room, because the original post never garnered much of a conversation.)

So from that mindset, I don't entirely see why it's bad for posters to also become commenters, as long as they're aware that they're only one voice in a larger conversation and not somehow in control of what people say. I'd hate it if I had to abandon every thread I started. And because I tend to post on MetaFilter while nothing else is going on in life, it means I tend to hover over threads I'm reading and comment a lot; I got accused of threadsitting in the iPad thread when I was just excited about the things people were saying.

I don't totally get the idea of a threadstarter being a "host". I know we recently discussed how MetaFilter is a blog and not a forum, but the conversations we have tend to be more subjective and less personal. We talk about the topic and not about the blogger. So I think the forum model applies, and I haven't been on many forums where the guy starting a thread was expected to act like anything other than a conversationalist. Particularly because starting a thread gives you no real moderation ability, and assumes you're just a regular user.
posted by Rory Marinich at 10:19 AM on April 4, 2010

Now I am picturing The Whelk in a lovely beret, looking like a big mushroom.

Or maybe I'm just hungry.

I've got a lemon/coconut creme/pineapple bundt cake in the oven and it smells yummy. Started out with a lemon cake mix and just started adding ingredients until it went all ambrosia on me.
posted by misha at 10:20 AM on April 4, 2010

I got accused of threadsitting in the iPad thread when I was just excited about the things people were saying.

Not to give you a hard time, Rory, but this post could have indeed been about the iPad thread and to some extent is more on point there than it is on DoublePlus'. Not that you were, by far, the only person being obnoxious or abrasive in that thread, but it was actually a lot more problematic than much of anything that went on in the Lifesaver thread.

Getting excited is understandable, but it doesn't mean it leads to what is considered kosher behavior around here. That's not entirely an issue of you having been the poster of that thread, but that throws some extra spotlight on it.

So I think the forum model applies, and I haven't been on many forums where the guy starting a thread was expected to act like anything other than a conversationalist. Particularly because starting a thread gives you no real moderation ability, and assumes you're just a regular user.

But this isn't some other forum, this is Metafilter. Whether you think it should be so or not, there is a cultural expectation here that posters will make a point of hanging back and not being loud voices in the threads they post. I can dig the culture shock angle if that doesn't feel intuitive, but that's this place as it is, not as how you'd maybe prefer it to be.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:39 AM on April 4, 2010 [6 favorites]

Fair enough, Cortex. From the responses I got I figured I'd done a legitimate social fuck-up, and I'll avoid doing that in the future.
posted by Rory Marinich at 10:43 AM on April 4, 2010

Yeah, I kind of clicked through with a shudder, expecting this to be about the iPad thread I started.

I thought it was going to be about that too.

I got accused of threadsitting in the iPad thread when I was just excited about the things people were saying.

Dude, your second comment was to "strongly request" that people talk about what you wanted them to talk about rather than what they want to talk about, even before they started doing it (which is another way to guarantee a derail). That's not being "just excited about the things people were saying."

For what it's worth, this supposed norm of the poster not commenting too much at the beginning hasn't been around forever, and I've never really thought it was necessary. As long as the poster is participating in the conversation rather than trying to control it, I think it's fine.
posted by grouse at 10:56 AM on April 4, 2010

Dude, your second comment was to "strongly request" that people talk about what you wanted them to talk about rather than what they want to talk about, even before they started doing it (which is another way to guarantee a derail). That's not being "just excited about the things people were saying."

That was in reaction to Malor's opening comment being what it was. Malor's comment led the Google v. Apple debate, and he derailed the Sony thread earlier that week with a similar Apple tangent, and I wasn't at all happy that his was the very first comment in the thread. If it hadn't been my thread I'd have similarly pointed out that we were just mimicking earlier conversations with all the same people and asked that we talk about something else.

I should have thought that that would come across as a threadsit. I honestly didn't mean it to. I done bad.
posted by Rory Marinich at 11:02 AM on April 4, 2010

That was in reaction to Malor's opening comment being what it was. Malor's comment led the Google v. Apple debate, and he derailed the Sony thread earlier that week with a similar Apple tangent, and I wasn't at all happy that his was the very first comment in the thread.

Malor was not the first person to mention Apple in the PS3 thread; not everyone would agree that a discussion of DRM as it applies to various devices was necessarily a derail. However, even if he was, it's not up to you to watch for Malor's appearance in your own thread just because you disagree with what he's said in previous threads. It's kind of crap to blame your post modding on another member, just as it's crap to post a lengthy response to Malor in the PS3 thread and then complain about the "derail". You don't get to write a paragraph of rebuttal and then essentially say "oh let's not derail this so don't respond to my comment".

You don't get to control how discussions go here. And when you don't want or like particular people showing up in your thread and saying things you disapprove of, that's really treading in GYOB territory.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:58 AM on April 4, 2010

A way to think of this is that on the blue, threads are about the link, not about the poster. We say "your thread" but that's misleading. Normally I don't register who has posted a link, and I don't think of the ensuing thread as a reflection on the poster at all -- so when a poster is very visible in the early going, especially if s/he is defensive or responding to every comment, it seems jarring and weird. It comes across as if they are trying to make it "about them".

But - this is most true in threads where the link is to some charged topic -- political topics, and some other hot-button things like Macs. In threads like that, a very active poster is likely to come across as pushy or defensive etc. In a thread about some non-charged topic like "here is a collection of reference material on medieval France", the original poster will often comment responding to additional links or questions people post, and that's usually fine. In those pure-factual threads, there are often fewer comments since there's no big back-and-forth happening, so the original poster's comments can end up being a larger percentage of the total comments while still being appropriate.


Rory: A better way to "re-rail" a discussion -- eg if you want to talk about the technical capabilities of the device rather than a general thing about the brand -- is to just ignore the derailers and make a comment that addresses the thing you're interested in. Eg, don't say "hey, let's not talk about brand wars", instead say "I find it really interesting that they're including x but omitting y; anybody know how this will affect technology z?" or whatever. Telling people what to talk about is weird and pushy, but sparking a different conversation more naturally (by bringing up the aspect you're interested in) is ok. Of course, sometimes it won't work, and then the only option is to let it go - can't win 'em all.
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:16 PM on April 4, 2010 [6 favorites]

DoublePlus, looking at your thread, I think you made a couple of comments that were A-OK, eg the first one where you clarify what the filter can do. Then people were goofing around or making fun of it, and you made a few comments about 'I wanted people to like it," which are less good because they are -- it seems to me anyway -- more defensive sounding. Understandable that you felt that way, but probably better not to say it in thread, because that little bit of defensive tone pushes the wrong button for mefi. Another thing is to remember that EVERYTHING posted to the blue gets a few "hey this sucks' type comments. Ignore them; I think most everybody just ignores them, so it's not like other readers are going to be influenced to dislike the thing just because of the reflexive "this sucks' comments. And people will make silly throw-away jokes, which are not meant to detract from the importance of the thing you're posting about -- like when someone in that thread says "Metafilter: it's a filtering process" or whatever, it's usually just a quickie throwaway and it's best to ignore it; it's not meant as a serious challenge or insult or anything, it's just goofing around.
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:32 PM on April 4, 2010

Oh wow, it is totally Easter! And I had a disturbing nuclear holocaust dream! I hope these are not related.

HOLY CRAP I had the *exact* same dream! Only instead of a nuclear holocaust, I was flying through a series of pink clouds firing lasers at flying kittens, who fired lasers back with their eyes. Still, pretty Eastery, if you ask me.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 1:34 PM on April 4, 2010

I had a dream where I was hanging out with House and he was trying to balance on his tall bike but he fell over but he wasn't really hurt and then we went up to his apartment where I told Diane Keaton that he had decided to subpeona her after all and so she fired us.
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:45 PM on April 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

I had a dream where I was in the hospital and Ann Coulter was the nurse and she put the IV needle into the back of my ear instead of my wrist and it really hurt. Then she accused my unfaily of crapping the bed, and then my parents came in to visit so I told her I was checking myself out and leaving with them and she got very angry.
posted by longsleeves at 2:00 PM on April 4, 2010

I had a dream my boyfriend was pregnant.
posted by shelleycat at 2:07 PM on April 4, 2010

I had a dream that one day the lurkers and the spamers and the powerusers would comment together on the Front Page of equality.
posted by The Whelk at 2:19 PM on April 4, 2010

i had a dream i posted in this thread
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:29 PM on April 4, 2010

I dreamed I was flaming out in my Madienform bra...
posted by The Whelk at 2:34 PM on April 4, 2010

I had a dream about The Whelk the other night. Seriously.

I don't remember what it was and I'm a bit scared of what it might have been.
posted by CKmtl at 2:56 PM on April 4, 2010

I don't remember my dream, except:
- I awoke muttering "It's all pancaked up! It's all pancakes in here!"
- inexplicably, this pancakiness was a bad thing.

So, apocalypse?
posted by Elsa at 4:00 PM on April 4, 2010

PROJECT LUCID IS GOING WELL
posted by The Whelk at 4:06 PM on April 4, 2010 [3 favorites]

So I was having this dream about this derailed MetaTalk thread where people were talking about their dreams and... wait... you're all figments of my imagination, aren't you? The Whelk is just a piece of my subconscious that broke off in the great acid floods of 94! Bush Jr never got elected! I never heard of Ann Coulter! AOL never connected to the internet in 96!

OH MY GOD THERE'S STILL TIME LEFT! THERE'S STILL TIME!
posted by loquacious at 5:54 PM on April 4, 2010

MY ALTERNATE REALITY HAS JET PACKS.
posted by The Whelk at 5:55 PM on April 4, 2010

My alternate reality allows me to jack straight in to the Net but you're still all figments of my imagination there.
posted by gingerbeer at 5:59 PM on April 4, 2010

Dude, ducted fans aren't jets. And until I can go buy a jet pack at WalMart or Fry's it's not really reality.

My alternate reality has municipal cheese districts.
posted by loquacious at 6:00 PM on April 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

GO GOUDA TOWNSHIP 101!
posted by The Whelk at 6:06 PM on April 4, 2010

Don't post much in your own thread. Post nothing if you can. Post lightly if idiots are way off track. Usually, if it is any good someone else will counter the idiots for you.
posted by caddis at 6:16 PM on April 4, 2010

No, no. Nothing so gauche. It's a sanitary cheese delivery system using reservoirs and modern plumbing. You can only get Gouda from the taps on Thursdays. On Easter Sunday it's a piping hot raclette, but to be frank it's usually just nacho processed cheese food product on Sundays.
posted by loquacious at 6:17 PM on April 4, 2010

I had a dream where I was a gay Russian ninja assassin. It was every bit as awesome as it sounds.

I WOULD LIKE A JET PACK PLZ.
posted by elizardbits at 6:19 PM on April 4, 2010

Don't post much in your own thread.

Is this an attempted re-rail? No. We're talking about cheese! PIPED INTO YOUR HOME!

The cheese selection on Monday varies. It's usually quite the event as people gather around the open taps on Monday evening, hoping for a good blend as the new cheese rumbles through the pipes. While it's usually something pleasant like a change over from dill havarti to a brisk English cheddar, many strive with difficulty to forget the Casu Marzu meets Limburger fiasco of 2027.
posted by loquacious at 6:24 PM on April 4, 2010 [2 favorites]

fuck cheese
posted by caddis at 6:25 PM on April 4, 2010

did you have a specific variety in mind?
posted by gman at 6:28 PM on April 4, 2010

fuck cheese

If you say so. You must really like cheese.
posted by loquacious at 6:32 PM on April 4, 2010

Havarti is fucking good cheese.
posted by Sailormom at 6:33 PM on April 4, 2010

Swiss might be better for this purpose.
posted by sallybrown at 6:53 PM on April 4, 2010

Is this an attempted re-rail? No. We're talking about cheese! PIPED INTO YOUR HOME!

Jesus, man, don't be such a rowdy havarti piper.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:03 PM on April 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

"My alternate reality allows me to jack straight in to the Net"

So I read that as "My alternate reality allows me to jack off straight in to the Net" which probably means it's bedtime.
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 7:16 PM on April 4, 2010

Jesus, man, don't be such a rowdy havarti piper.

PENALTY. Illegal use of cheese in an 80s pun involving wrestling. Three kilograms of mozzarella - must be eaten whole without a beverage in one sitting, and not baked into a donut.
posted by loquacious at 7:23 PM on April 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

So I read that as "My alternate reality allows me to jack off straight in to the Net" which probably means it's bedtime.

What? Uh, oh. *removes cat-5 cable, looks sheepish*
posted by loquacious at 7:25 PM on April 4, 2010 [3 favorites]

Once the cheese wheel rolls off the rails, there ain't no going Jack!
posted by iamkimiam at 7:41 PM on April 4, 2010

I am so sorry. I hang my head in shame and step away from the computer.
posted by iamkimiam at 7:43 PM on April 4, 2010

Muenster been nice while it lasted, iamkimiam.
posted by cgc373 at 7:59 PM on April 4, 2010

Fuck Cheese is very creamy and leads to GOOD TIMES.
posted by The Whelk at 8:06 PM on April 4, 2010

If your thread looks like this one, you're posting too often.
posted by rodgerd at 8:24 PM on April 4, 2010

hey YO ALTERNATE UNIVERSE PEEPS! GET ON THE SHIP! We're cuttin' out of here before things get all ...worse. Load up, I'm makin a beeline over to Callosity City but I can be persuaded to stop off at Sideways Nap Time, get my drift. Load up and haul out!
posted by The Whelk at 9:10 PM on April 4, 2010

Two things Mefites ought always keep in mind: one, storage space on the internet for text is quite limited; and two, it's poor form to have opinions on subjects you are obviously interested in.
posted by turgid dahlia at 6:06 AM on April 5, 2010

I have a serious problem with this: DoublePlus'
This is not an accepted liturgical archaism. For shame, MetaTalk.
posted by Mister_A at 7:20 AM on April 5, 2010

The Velvet Tango Room in Cleveland has delightful Aviations and other cocktails that will make you swoon. Oh, and a cheese plate (to bring two of these fine topics together).
posted by bitter-girl.com at 9:37 AM on April 5, 2010

My favorite children's book: Anatole ("a most honorable mouse... [who] heads for the tasting room at the Duvall Cheese Factory. On each cheese, he leaves a small note--'good,' 'not so good,' 'needs orange peel' --and signs his name. When workers at the Duvall factory find his notes in the morning, they are perplexed--but they realize that this mysterious Anatole has an exceptional palate and take his advice. Soon Duvall is making the best cheese in all of Paris! They would like to give Anatole a reward--if only they could find him...").
posted by ericb at 9:54 AM on April 5, 2010 [4 favorites]

I still maintain that the finest cheeses come from a butane-propelled cannister, and are best eaten by spraying the cheese into a Bugle before eating.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 10:31 AM on April 5, 2010

I've been getting more into soft white cheeses lately. I used to like harder, sharper cheddars and the like, but anymore I'm a huge fan of provolone and mozzarella.
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:50 AM on April 5, 2010

Good provolone isn't soft, fyi. It's aged, and harder and sharper than any cheddar.
posted by Nothing... and like it at 10:56 AM on April 5, 2010

Trick question! It is not acceptable to start a MetaFilter thread.
posted by Eideteker at 10:58 AM on April 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

Mefi threads as some sort of spiritual lapse. When we have all attained enlightenment, there will be no more posts. Om.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:00 AM on April 5, 2010 [3 favorites]

I still maintain that the finest cheeses come from a butane-propelled cannister, and are best eaten by spraying the cheese into a Bugle before eating.

I don't know. If I'm going to consume aerosol cheese, I like mine on a Chicken In A Biskit. Both of those food items are Crimes That Cry Out To Heaven For Vengeance, but about once a year I indulge and say "never again."
posted by marxchivist at 11:07 AM on April 5, 2010 [1 favorite]

That's one thing I'll miss about the NATO base closing in Iceland - you used to be able to ride up to the commissary there and buy all kinds of American crap you couldn't get elsewhere. Chicken in a Biskit among them.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 11:19 AM on April 5, 2010

Speaking of weirdo American foods, I made and ate the Jello Stained Glass cake. Say it looks like a Mad Men set piece all you want. It was good. Cold, refreshing, and sweet.
posted by mccarty.tim at 11:29 AM on April 5, 2010

BTW, why is it that we celebrate spray cheese in this thread, and not on top of Greasy Honkey Pie?
posted by mccarty.tim at 11:30 AM on April 5, 2010

You are making this greasy honkey feel persecuted. Also hungry.
posted by Mister_A at 12:18 PM on April 5, 2010

Careful, we might turn you into a pie.
posted by The Whelk at 12:24 PM on April 5, 2010

Tell that to Rob Halford's erection!
posted by SpiffyRob at 12:48 PM on April 5, 2010

If I was a pie, I wouldn't have to worry about fictionalizing this confounded timesheet.
posted by Mister_A at 12:50 PM on April 5, 2010

You would worry about your crust cracking or being devoured by ravenous birds.!
posted by The Whelk at 12:54 PM on April 5, 2010

My favorite children's book: Anatole

Interestingly most mice and rats don't actually like cheese. I'm not sure where the myth came from. I mean, yeah, they'll eat it but it's probably because they're omnivores that like dense protein sources whenever and wherever they find them.

However, I've noticed that rats LOVE beer. As in they'll knock over your glass or bottle and dive in, drinking it as fast as possible to excess if you don't catch them and stop them. And then they get all hoppitamoppita and bouncy, which tends to knock over more beer and lead to more hoppitamoppita.

Pet rats raised almost entirely on vegetarian rat food will also attack a hot dog with such alarming vigor that you'll never stick your fingers through the bars of a rat's cage ever again and it would make the most dedicated carnivorous humanoid question their dedication to being a carnivore.
posted by loquacious at 1:06 PM on April 5, 2010

However, I've noticed that rats LOVE beer. As in they'll knock over your glass or bottle and dive in, drinking it as fast as possible to excess if you don't catch them and stop them. And then they get all hoppitamoppita and bouncy, which tends to knock over more beer and lead to more hoppitamoppita.

Step 1: Get large amounts of beer

Step 2: Attract a large amount of rats

Step 3: Drunk Rat Beer Party.
posted by The Whelk at 1:16 PM on April 5, 2010

you mean frat don't you?
posted by infini at 1:49 PM on April 5, 2010

One, two, one-two-three-four!
Come on all you good rats
we'll send you to heaven
you'll find the pearly gates in the froth and the foam
'cause in these vats you've made quite a creation
a potion that turned the Guinness to gold!
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:53 PM on April 5, 2010

Speaking of gold beer, I was wondering: How is that Midas Touch beer from Dogfish Head? It's expensive, but I'm curious about it because it'd be like drinking history.
posted by mccarty.tim at 2:10 PM on April 5, 2010

Rats also quite enjoy chowing down on cockroaches - even that white gunk inside the cockroaches' bellies. They hold the cockies in their little rattie paws and nom nom nom, usually starting from the arse end.

Just a little thought to give you all a lift & help you through your day.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:16 PM on April 5, 2010

My cats adore cockroaches, too. Not the legs, though. They leave the legs any old place for me to find later.
posted by restless_nomad at 2:17 PM on April 5, 2010

Well, that scuttles my theory about furballs.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:18 PM on April 5, 2010

♪It's the circle of life!♪
posted by mccarty.tim at 2:22 PM on April 5, 2010 [2 favorites]

Cats and rats and man joining together against the cockroaches in the name of beer!

I smell a children's movie!
posted by The Whelk at 2:23 PM on April 5, 2010

Midas Touch is great. It's sweet. Theobrama is pretty tasty, too. Haven't tried the spit beer, though.
posted by fixedgear at 2:26 PM on April 5, 2010

I smell a children's movie!

Err, sorry. I just beefed.
posted by loquacious at 2:37 PM on April 5, 2010

for the last time stop inflating that cow.
posted by The Whelk at 2:41 PM on April 5, 2010 [2 favorites]

what is an acceptable amount of posting in a metafilter thread you started?

3
posted by Phanx at 2:45 PM on April 5, 2010 [3 favorites]

mccarty.tim: "Speaking of gold beer, I was wondering: How is that Midas Touch beer from Dogfish Head?"

Like most Dogfish Head beers, it's definitely interesting and worth trying. It's not very much like beer, though. If it has any hops at all, you can't taste it. It's fairly sweet... with malt, honey, and fruit sweetness. Kind of like a blend of barleywine and muscat with some spice added. It's good, but nothing I would feel the need to buy twice. Just get a single bottle if you can.
posted by team lowkey at 3:54 PM on April 5, 2010

Kind of like a blend of barleywine and muscat with some spice added.

Yeah, very sweet. Strong honey and date flavors, a little spicy. Like a thick heavy mead that needs some more fermentation. I thought it was just all right, but it's worth trying for sure.
posted by penduluum at 4:31 PM on April 5, 2010

Thanks for the input re: beer, guys. If I can find a place that lets you buy 1 bottle/build your own 6 pack, I will definitely give it a shot.
posted by mccarty.tim at 4:34 PM on April 5, 2010

do cockroaches or rats like single malt? (worries about security of the kitchen cupboard)
posted by infini at 4:43 PM on April 5, 2010

I want pie.
posted by _paegan_ at 11:01 PM on April 5, 2010

I want to sleep on a bed of cheese. Mmm. Cheese.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:34 AM on April 6, 2010

Until your body heat melts it and LO! YOUR FAVORITE SNACK HAS BECOME YOUR TOMB!
posted by The Whelk at 7:36 AM on April 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

so those rats are actually tomb raiders then?
posted by infini at 8:07 AM on April 6, 2010

Entombed in cheese... just like pharaoh Fetahotep.
posted by Mister_A at 8:55 AM on April 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

The idea that you're not supposed to post in your own thread and that by doing so you're somehow trying to steer the discussion is stupid, and I've always disregarded it from the first post I made here. So there.
posted by DecemberBoy at 11:05 AM on April 6, 2010

I mean, the only reason I'd even post anything is I want to talk about it. Am I instead supposed to just want to watch other people talk about it? Why would I even join if I wanted to do that? I could just lurk.
posted by DecemberBoy at 11:07 AM on April 6, 2010

I'm making Stained Glass Cake.

That looks terrifying.
posted by spinturtle at 11:07 AM on April 6, 2010

I'M LOCKING MYSELF IN MY ROOM AND EATING MY CAKE ALONE YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY!
posted by mccarty.tim at 1:58 PM on April 6, 2010

I thinks it's like that bank-robbing credo, get in, do the deed , get out.
posted by StickyCarpet at 3:38 PM on April 6, 2010

do cockroaches or rats like single malt?

I doubt cockroaches would, but here in NYC rats are often seen licking wine bottle corks and liquor bottle screw tops, before returning to the rest of their meal in the restaurant trash bags.
posted by StickyCarpet at 3:43 PM on April 6, 2010

NYC rats are often seen licking wine bottle corks and liquor bottle screw tops

Word up. NYC rats know what time it is.

80s catchphrases rule</small.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:30 PM on April 6, 2010

leaving tags open doesn't rule, especially when they were unnecessary anyway
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:34 PM on April 6, 2010

Entombed in cheese... just like pharaoh Fetahotep.

Not to mention the early demise of Akhenraten & Cleoratra.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:04 PM on April 6, 2010

Not one of you said nice things about the cake that everybody loved at Easter. I'm totally going to take one to the next meetup.
posted by mccarty.tim at 7:13 PM on April 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

I didn't say it was BAD. Just you should have used vodka to make the jellp.
posted by The Whelk at 7:26 PM on April 6, 2010

Funny, I was at Kenny's Castaways tonite. I used to be a bouncer and a manager of that lovely place. My brother and I had a long conversation about their new infestation of tiny fruit flies with the bartender. Those little buggers like to lay their eggs in certain bottles. They actually love alcohol.

In the bar I used to work in, (before Kenny's) the fruit flies would only drop their eggs in the Johnnie Walker Red Label bottle. When I showed it to my boss he would say, "Just filter them out and pour it back."

Now Brenda, the bartender at Kenny's, had a couple of ways that she had heard, to stop it. She had a plastic cup with a cotton glove rubberbanded over the top. She would occasionally drip some sweet alcohol on the cotton. She said that it drew the flies there. Then they would get stuck and die.

She also had a plant, the name of which escapes me, that was supposed to kill the flies. I suggested that they get rid of the open top pouring spouts that they had. Maybe replace them with the kind that had the ones that close with a flip top that has little weights on it.

She said that they were a pain and never poured right.

Then I suggested that she should charge extra for drinks with protein in them.

We agreed to disagree. But it was a fun night.

Then the bro and i went to Lupa around the corner.

I had the Crispy Duck "Agrodolce" it was heavenly. My bro had the handmade gnocchi with lamb ragu. It was the best meal I've had in years. And not a fruit fly in sight.
posted by Splunge at 9:36 PM on April 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

Mosquitos like this trap. Seems the buggers love fermenting yeast, as it blows off carbon dioxide (AKA animal breath). Beer would also work (albeit shortly), since it's carbon dioxide held in a water solution. Fermenting beer would be even better, providing a week of CO2, but I'm too lazy to set up an airlock/trap.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:27 AM on April 7, 2010