More evidence of AskMe awesomeness June 10, 2010 5:49 PM Subscribe
The actual subject of a seemingly obscure painting identification question, turns up in the thread with THE answer.
Every time I think that the internet is a huge, vast place, something happens to make me realize we're all closer than we ever want to imagine.
posted by SNWidget at 5:54 PM on June 10, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by SNWidget at 5:54 PM on June 10, 2010 [3 favorites]
looks like LMHallock signed up specfically to respond to the question. Comp account?
posted by edgeways at 5:59 PM on June 10, 2010
posted by edgeways at 5:59 PM on June 10, 2010
Neat, (assuming you click over here) how did you find the question? Google Alert of some kind, lurker here?
posted by furiousxgeorge at 6:04 PM on June 10, 2010
posted by furiousxgeorge at 6:04 PM on June 10, 2010
While we're on the subject, I'm actually the subject of this picture. I'm the guy in the center by the cannon.
I'm not looking great. But don't worry, I'm fine! I just have a headache.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 6:05 PM on June 10, 2010 [6 favorites]
I'm not looking great. But don't worry, I'm fine! I just have a headache.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 6:05 PM on June 10, 2010 [6 favorites]
It's a scam! She's not real! We've got to uncover the truth and save maniactown from being exploited! Mobilize! GOGOGO.
Seriously, this is cool. And the metafilter scooby team generally does good, I'm not making fun of them, either.
posted by neuromodulator at 6:06 PM on June 10, 2010
Seriously, this is cool. And the metafilter scooby team generally does good, I'm not making fun of them, either.
posted by neuromodulator at 6:06 PM on June 10, 2010
small world.
posted by crunchland at 6:10 PM on June 10, 2010
posted by crunchland at 6:10 PM on June 10, 2010
I have actual goosebumps and got choked up when I saw this - wow. Just WOW. I HEART THE INTERNET.
posted by tristeza at 6:16 PM on June 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by tristeza at 6:16 PM on June 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
That is so fucking cool.
Love the painting, too.
posted by chococat at 6:18 PM on June 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
Love the painting, too.
posted by chococat at 6:18 PM on June 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
Google alert.
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:45 PM on June 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:45 PM on June 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
There's a meta joke about the subjectivity of impressionist art here, but I can't seem to find it. Verily, I swear.
posted by iamkimiam at 6:57 PM on June 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by iamkimiam at 6:57 PM on June 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
And then they found out the post came... from inside the house!!
posted by Iron Rat at 7:50 PM on June 10, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by Iron Rat at 7:50 PM on June 10, 2010 [5 favorites]
Nah seriously, this is best of the web stuff right here.
posted by Iron Rat at 7:51 PM on June 10, 2010
posted by Iron Rat at 7:51 PM on June 10, 2010
Is anyone wondering who that awkward gangly kid was, in eighth grade in Arlington, Virginia? Remember that guy? Yeah, it was me!
posted by chinston at 7:58 PM on June 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by chinston at 7:58 PM on June 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
Holy crap. That made an otherwise lousy day sparkle a little brighter.
LMHallock, if you're reading this I would love to know how you stumbled upon the question.
The internet is awesome.
posted by ohyouknow at 8:01 PM on June 10, 2010
LMHallock, if you're reading this I would love to know how you stumbled upon the question.
The internet is awesome.
posted by ohyouknow at 8:01 PM on June 10, 2010
I should have said 'subject-ivity' in my comment above. I personally think the art was awesome, as was the post (and response (and internet (and recursivity))).
posted by iamkimiam at 8:08 PM on June 10, 2010
posted by iamkimiam at 8:08 PM on June 10, 2010
Total conjecture: Her mother's name was mentioned in the first answer. Perhaps she has a Google alert set up. She gets an email, clicks on the AskMetafilter link, and bam! The rest is history.
posted by desjardins at 8:25 PM on June 10, 2010
posted by desjardins at 8:25 PM on June 10, 2010
Please alert me when my life gets exciting.
posted by at the crossroads at 8:37 PM on June 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by at the crossroads at 8:37 PM on June 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
This is awesome. Could the world be any smaller?
It reminds me of a story my aunt told me about a trip to Ireland. She was sitting with her husband in a pub and she happened to say her (maiden) last name out loud (it's long and Polish, but probably pretty common in Poland).
A German tourist couple was sitting next to them and did a double take and asked her if she was related to [Dr. My Grandfather's Name] and she said yes. Turns out the German guy (pretty elderly) was in a WWII POW camp in North Carolina near the end of the war and my grandfather (Polish immigrant that spoke German) was the camp doc. The German tourist told my aunt how kind and human my grandfather was (which we knew) and teared up talking about it.
I used to ask him questions about the war, and one time I asked him what he would do if he saw an escapee. He said, "I don't know, give him a sandwich?"
posted by Pax at 9:00 PM on June 10, 2010 [15 favorites]
It reminds me of a story my aunt told me about a trip to Ireland. She was sitting with her husband in a pub and she happened to say her (maiden) last name out loud (it's long and Polish, but probably pretty common in Poland).
A German tourist couple was sitting next to them and did a double take and asked her if she was related to [Dr. My Grandfather's Name] and she said yes. Turns out the German guy (pretty elderly) was in a WWII POW camp in North Carolina near the end of the war and my grandfather (Polish immigrant that spoke German) was the camp doc. The German tourist told my aunt how kind and human my grandfather was (which we knew) and teared up talking about it.
I used to ask him questions about the war, and one time I asked him what he would do if he saw an escapee. He said, "I don't know, give him a sandwich?"
posted by Pax at 9:00 PM on June 10, 2010 [15 favorites]
Huzzah, Internet! It's so fantastic when this sort of thing happens.
Pax, that's just wow about your aunt's chance meeting. Talk about a tiny world indeed.
(at the crossroads, did you mean to link to "Julia Miller"? Can't seem to find the song on YT, unfortunately. Still, speaking of small worlds, I never imagined I'd see a reference to a line of that Edgar Lee Masters poem/Buckner song in a MeTa thread.)
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 9:49 PM on June 10, 2010
Pax, that's just wow about your aunt's chance meeting. Talk about a tiny world indeed.
(at the crossroads, did you mean to link to "Julia Miller"? Can't seem to find the song on YT, unfortunately. Still, speaking of small worlds, I never imagined I'd see a reference to a line of that Edgar Lee Masters poem/Buckner song in a MeTa thread.)
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 9:49 PM on June 10, 2010
I also smell scam. Somebody ought to pop down to the artist's former studio, and verify that it's not actually a haven for Russian mafiosi.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:20 AM on June 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:20 AM on June 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
What I feed interesting is that everyone seems to have instantly believed that answer.
Think about that the next time you're fuming about how untrustworthy people are.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:38 AM on June 11, 2010
Think about that the next time you're fuming about how untrustworthy people are.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:38 AM on June 11, 2010
And it's still not marked as a favorite. Ha.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 6:13 AM on June 11, 2010
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 6:13 AM on June 11, 2010
It's still not marked as resolved.
posted by cjorgensen at 6:25 AM on June 11, 2010
posted by cjorgensen at 6:25 AM on June 11, 2010
It's still not marked as best answer.
posted by slogger at 6:46 AM on June 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by slogger at 6:46 AM on June 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
What I feed [sic] interesting is that everyone seems to have instantly believed that answer.
I'm trying so hard right now to ignore the negativity and embrace the serendipity.
Think about that the next time you're fuming about how untrustworthy people are.
Why on earth would you say this about this comment/answer? It's all well and good to be sceptical but there's no reason to be questioning this particular response as unbelievable or untrustworthy.
posted by unliteral at 6:54 AM on June 11, 2010
I'm trying so hard right now to ignore the negativity and embrace the serendipity.
Think about that the next time you're fuming about how untrustworthy people are.
Why on earth would you say this about this comment/answer? It's all well and good to be sceptical but there's no reason to be questioning this particular response as unbelievable or untrustworthy.
posted by unliteral at 6:54 AM on June 11, 2010
Ah, best answer is what I meant. Thanks slogger.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 6:55 AM on June 11, 2010
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 6:55 AM on June 11, 2010
It's still not marked as best answer.
Yeah, that should have been me, until that hipster painted girl and her guitar turned up and answered better.
posted by unliteral at 7:09 AM on June 11, 2010
Yeah, that should have been me, until that hipster painted girl and her guitar turned up and answered better.
posted by unliteral at 7:09 AM on June 11, 2010
Another interesting case of serendipity reported on this week:
A match made at Disney: How a married couple found their paths had crossed as toddlers 20 years earlier.posted by ericb at 7:47 AM on June 11, 2010
It's all well and good to be sceptical but there's no reason to be questioning this particular response as unbelievable or untrustworthy.
Oh, it was thinking of several instances with Metafilter such as anon poster follows up via an admin, people just showing up on the site saying who they are and despite the lack of any verification means usually, they are who they say they are and people believe that. Yet the situation work out and all is good. That's neat and amazing!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:03 AM on June 11, 2010
Oh, it was thinking of several instances with Metafilter such as anon poster follows up via an admin, people just showing up on the site saying who they are and despite the lack of any verification means usually, they are who they say they are and people believe that. Yet the situation work out and all is good. That's neat and amazing!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:03 AM on June 11, 2010
But would we believe it if the subject of the painting had been a dog?
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 8:56 AM on June 11, 2010
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 8:56 AM on June 11, 2010
Sure, why not?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:22 AM on June 11, 2010
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:22 AM on June 11, 2010
Somebody ought to pop down to the artist's former studio, and verify that it's not actually a haven for Russian mafiosi.
On it.
posted by bingo at 11:20 AM on June 11, 2010 [11 favorites]
On it.
posted by bingo at 11:20 AM on June 11, 2010 [11 favorites]
Yes, it's certainly surprising that similarly-aged children, in the exact target Disney demographic, were in Disney at the same time.
how many kids were in the US/canada at that time? how many kids went to disney world in a day? even accounting for demographic, it's still pretty astounding, especially since one of them was canadian. i mean, not only were they in the park on the same day, at the same time - they were in the exact same spot for that moment.
posted by nadawi at 12:36 PM on June 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
how many kids were in the US/canada at that time? how many kids went to disney world in a day? even accounting for demographic, it's still pretty astounding, especially since one of them was canadian. i mean, not only were they in the park on the same day, at the same time - they were in the exact same spot for that moment.
posted by nadawi at 12:36 PM on June 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Updated. Still doubt it?
If you're speaking to me, I never doubted it.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:06 PM on June 11, 2010
If you're speaking to me, I never doubted it.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:06 PM on June 11, 2010
As if I needed any more reason to love Ask.Metafilter more. What a cool thing. I already loved the painting, and now I love it more.
Sorry I didn't mark anybody as best answer before now. I got a MeFi Mail from LMHallock or I wouldn't have seen the updated question for some time. I really should add my own questions to my RSS reader...
posted by maniactown at 2:17 PM on June 11, 2010
Sorry I didn't mark anybody as best answer before now. I got a MeFi Mail from LMHallock or I wouldn't have seen the updated question for some time. I really should add my own questions to my RSS reader...
posted by maniactown at 2:17 PM on June 11, 2010
You want astounding? Check out this story of a man reunited with his brother, briefly, at Disney World.
posted by mlis at 9:33 PM on June 11, 2010
posted by mlis at 9:33 PM on June 11, 2010
Wonderful outcome, and I keep clicking over to look at the painting again, too.
posted by tangerine at 11:11 PM on June 11, 2010
posted by tangerine at 11:11 PM on June 11, 2010
And again! I wonder how these people find this stuff? I guess google searches/alerts as some have said.
posted by cashman at 11:14 AM on June 17, 2010
posted by cashman at 11:14 AM on June 17, 2010
I once attended an art opening where one of the photos was a portrait of me I had *completely forgotten I sat for* from a few years ago. That was an unnerving experience - always thought it would make a good hook for a story.
posted by The Whelk at 12:23 PM on June 17, 2010
posted by The Whelk at 12:23 PM on June 17, 2010
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posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:51 PM on June 10, 2010