Posts with no context at all.

October 27, 2003 7:48 PM

a b c's, 1 2 3's. Here's a thread to critique these.
posted by stonerose to Etiquette/Policy at 7:48 PM (72 comments total)

I liked Crunch's thread. At least the links were interesting and related, plus there was an interesting subtext as to why he chose to post it in such a manner.
posted by The God Complex at 7:53 PM on October 27, 2003

Reading MeFi shouldn't be so much work.
posted by Nelson at 7:58 PM on October 27, 2003

Crunch's thread, while confusing at first, revealed its purpose immediately upon visitng a few of the links. Ed's also confused me upon the first viewing, but unlike crunch's, it has not yet revealed to me its purpose. I'm very confused, and I don't like it.
posted by punishinglemur at 7:59 PM on October 27, 2003

ed's is a puzzle wrapped in a mystery cloaked in an enigma hidden inside a maze sealed inside a labyrinth and decorated with a pretty little bow--i like it!
posted by amberglow at 8:00 PM on October 27, 2003

This is MetaFilter, not the puzzle barn, amberglow.
posted by punishinglemur at 8:04 PM on October 27, 2003

Yeah. I opened this can of worms. Sorry about that.
posted by crunchland at 8:08 PM on October 27, 2003

Is there actually a puzzle barn, pushinglemur? Or is it one of those newage things like Pottery Barn and its cousin Urban Barn? Because I went to Urban Barn once, with the full intention of buying a young asian child to learn the maths and sciences, but was dismayed to find over-priced furniture in the place of the goods I expected a fully urbanized barn to carry (what, after all, is a barn without livestock?).
posted by The God Complex at 8:11 PM on October 27, 2003

Puzzle barn.
posted by punishinglemur at 8:14 PM on October 27, 2003

ed's fpp only occupies a single line. Easily skipped over. I know I did.
posted by mischief at 8:17 PM on October 27, 2003

At least he put more thought in the post than someone who cuts and pastes from Yahoo news.

(but it IS driving me nuts trying to figure it out!)
posted by j at 8:40 PM on October 27, 2003

Skipped. But as mischief said, no biggie.
posted by DaShiv at 8:45 PM on October 27, 2003

it's quite brilliant actually. here are some hints:

1) polar bears
2) moist towelettes
3) federal express
4) profit!
posted by quonsar at 8:53 PM on October 27, 2003

Hey, quonsar, why don't you go invent a new form of mathematics yourself.
posted by The God Complex at 8:56 PM on October 27, 2003

Jesus Christ, is it now standard practice to Meta anything that deviates from the norm?
posted by Hildago at 9:11 PM on October 27, 2003 [1 favorite]

I like it. I don't understand it, but I like it.
posted by subgenius at 9:13 PM on October 27, 2003

Hey, quonsar, why don't you go invent a new form of mathematics yourself.

because i'm very busy these days authenticating new seismic detection technology myself.
posted by quonsar at 9:14 PM on October 27, 2003

Jesus Christ, is it now standard practice to Meta anything that deviates from the norm?

Yeah, I don't get this crap. Why call this out? Just let it be and see what happens. Personally, I like the occassional disruptive post. Good for curing the vapors.
posted by anathema at 9:17 PM on October 27, 2003

Less chafing, I bet, but enough of this chaffing: what I want to know is why it's 'i' before 'e', except after 'c', unless you live in Arkansas.

I think the thread is contemptible, but I enjoy the concerted efforts of those within, especially the Chin & Q bloc metatalkois.
posted by The God Complex at 9:24 PM on October 27, 2003

amberglow: don't forget, it's also smothered in secret sauce.
posted by tss at 9:25 PM on October 27, 2003

I don't have the time right now to solve Ed's puxzzle due to an ailment which makes me cough heavily and throw up after I eat. But I liked the post. Hidalgo X 2.

Ed's cryptic nonsequiturishness was a light refreshing squall which stirred up the Sargasso lazily drifting in circles on the seas of blue.
posted by troutfishing at 9:27 PM on October 27, 2003

"metatalkois" flows off the tongue in a way which "nonsequiturishness" can never hope to equal.
posted by quonsar at 9:36 PM on October 27, 2003

Less chafing, I bet, but enough of this chaffing: what I want to know is why it's 'i' before 'e', except after 'c', unless you live in Arkansas.

It's a weird society.
posted by Hildago at 9:40 PM on October 27, 2003

Reminds me of http://metatalk.metafilter.com/mefi/1515.
posted by mkn at 9:55 PM on October 27, 2003

"...an ailment which makes me cough heavily and throw up after I eat."

Pneumolimia?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:57 PM on October 27, 2003

I like it.
I don't have time to solve it right now, but I'll give it a go soon.
posted by plep at 11:13 PM on October 27, 2003

Very cool thread. I am not even going to try and crack it, but the work to create this is impressive. If it was a requirement that all threads need this much effort, imagine the quality we would see.
posted by dg at 12:19 AM on October 28, 2003

I am building a metatalkoi pond.

Naturally, it will drain into itself.
posted by dhartung at 1:46 AM on October 28, 2003

Haha!

I was going for more of a Bloc Quebecois (a "kwah" sound) feel, but your flipping of the aquatic switch was an excellent variation that I didn't even consider.
posted by The God Complex at 2:19 AM on October 28, 2003

One more voice in the Jesus, You Angry Miserable Curmudgeons chorus. I can't believe the amount of flak this thread has gotten. Those who skipped it, cool. Those who like it, cool.

Those who have been complete jackholes because they don't like A BENIGN FUCKING PUZZLE should lay right the fuck off.
posted by cortex at 5:36 AM on October 28, 2003

what cortex said, altho maybe not so vehemently.
posted by ashbury at 6:24 AM on October 28, 2003

is it now standard practice to Meta anything that deviates from the norm?

Does metatalking a post necessarily imply attacking it? Maybe stonerose just wanted to have a discussion about this style of post without derailing either thread.

Heck, maybe every thread should automatically have an associated metatalk thread so that *all* discussion of the merits of the link could happen in metatalk and leave the thread itself entirely for discussion of the subject of the link. (Sorry to derail this thread, should we take it to MetaMetaTalk?)
posted by straight at 7:08 AM on October 28, 2003

straight is right - as I stated in ed's MeFi thread, I started this discussion to avoid a derailment in the blue. On the whole, I'm pleased that ed and crunch crafted these posts - while I don't have time to sort through such cleverness (and while I would hate to see people make a practice of attempting similar meta-acrobatics), I'm glad to see other people enjoying themselves.
posted by stonerose at 7:16 AM on October 28, 2003

From the guidelines: A good post to MetaFilter is something that meets the following criteria: most people haven't seen it before, there is something interesting about the content on the page, and it might warrant discussion from others.

I, personally don't think ed's post meets all the criteria.
posted by riffola at 7:19 AM on October 28, 2003

well, that's been my theory behind some of my notoriously obscure front page posts. I usally try to avoid any interpretation of the link(s), and let the clicker do the digesting instead of me doing it for them. But people are sometimes lazy, and want their world spoonfed to them.
posted by crunchland at 7:45 AM on October 28, 2003

Cripes. I wouldn't bother saying anything, cause it's not gonna surprise anybody that I fully support ed's post (even though I'm completely uninterested in solving it myself), but I felt compelled to just to balance (or, hopefully, swamp) the comments hating this. I can't believe that anyone would get so worked up about a couple lines of screen space. If nothing else, it generates laugh-out-loud comments like this one.

So, riffola, exactly which criterion do you think ed's post doesn't meet?
posted by soyjoy at 7:58 AM on October 28, 2003

Maybe we (or some of us) are using the wrong internalized metaphor for MeFi if we want to provide space for a wide variety of interesting discussions related to things found on the web. If you think of a blog as someone's book collection - and a community blog as a public library - then of course, you'll be frustrated if the material is arranged and presented in an obscure way. But is that really what blogs are, or should be limited to? To move the book analogy to another level - there are some people who wouldn't have the patience for books like "Pale Fire," "Ulysses," or "Gravity's Rainbow." Do those people insist that these books be removed from libraries because they're frustrating? No... they just move on. (Sorry to mix metaphors, but it's early for me.)
posted by stonerose at 8:18 AM on October 28, 2003

MetaFilter: Meta anything that deviates from the norm.
posted by me3dia at 9:34 AM on October 28, 2003

One more voice in the Jesus, You Angry Miserable Curmudgeons chorus.

I can't believe the amount of flak...

Those who have been complete jackholes because they don't like A BENIGN FUCKING PUZZLE should lay right the fuck off.

and from ed:

and apparently some of you REALLY hate it

i'm sorry. i just reread this entire thread. could someone please point out to me where someone is "being a complete jackhole"? please show me the "hate". where is all this "flak"???

it's fucking nowhere, cortex. i submit that the only complete jackhole in this thread so far is you! apparently the simple EXISTENCE is a metatalk thread is now assumed by many to be proof of bad behavior.

i'm not seeing it ed. show me the hate! all i see is a lot of people having some fun, some hilarious comments, a few "i don't approve", some gentle "doesn't meet the guidelines" and a vehement objection early on the the existence of a metatalk thread.

where are you people getting all this negativity from?

*holds up mirror*
posted by quonsar at 9:36 AM on October 28, 2003

Does metatalking a post necessarily imply attacking it?

Yes, almost always, unless explicitly stated otherwise, and even then sometimes.
posted by Hildago at 10:01 AM on October 28, 2003

speaking of puzzles, did anyone ever solve that google thing where the states were listed and we had to figure out what the order was?
posted by amberglow at 10:18 AM on October 28, 2003

Or perhaps you're hot and heavy because you're part of a clue. In which case, I assure you, there's nothing negative about your involvement in the puzzle

no no no, i just really didn't understand where cortex was coming from. what he's hollering about simply isn't present. i have no interest in actually WORKING the puzzle, but i'm enjoying the post's commentary immensely, both here and over there. i included you because you mentioned hate, and hate is a pretty strong word for anything i've seen here.
posted by quonsar at 10:19 AM on October 28, 2003

also, i am DYING to see how "my" clue plays out in this thing.
posted by quonsar at 10:28 AM on October 28, 2003

Remember, the ultimate goal is: 0 MetaTalk Posts. MeTa is not for parlor conversation. It's for making MeFi better.

However, I think this thread is open to postive and negative commentary. These two FPPs represent an innovation of form, quite unconventional, and perhaps this demands some articulate reaction on our part.

Then again, perhaps not.
posted by scarabic at 10:53 AM on October 28, 2003

amberglow - apparently not.

Google Answers thread #2

WWW home of the states puzzle
posted by starvingartist at 10:57 AM on October 28, 2003

What's a jackhole?
posted by xmutex at 12:08 PM on October 28, 2003

What's a jackhole?

Dunno exactly, but I hear it's really bad to put one in a Bag of Holding. Or vice versa.
posted by freebird at 12:25 PM on October 28, 2003

I'm still laughing about the guy "creating a new form of mathematics." Next time I get caught with the boss's wife I'll have to give that a whirl.
posted by The God Complex at 12:29 PM on October 28, 2003

thanks, starving...I wasted hours and hours on that one
posted by amberglow at 12:30 PM on October 28, 2003

But people are sometimes lazy, and want their world spoonfed to them. That'll be me then. I come to metafilter to find links to groovy things. And I like to know roughly what the groovy things are before I click on them. If you want people to spend time on a puzzle you made, then why not just make the puzzle, host it on some webspace, and then link to that puzzle via a metaFilter link?
posted by seanyboy at 12:57 PM on October 28, 2003

why not just make the puzzle, host it on some webspace, and then link to that puzzle via a metaFilter link?

Because that is called self-linking, and it is a Very Bad Thing.
posted by stonerose at 1:20 PM on October 28, 2003

So, if we can host it on metafilter, it's a good thing, but if we host it on our own sites and point to it, it's a bad thing. Everything's so much clearer now. Thankyou.
posted by seanyboy at 1:31 PM on October 28, 2003

seanyboy, it was never unclear in the first place.

For those who moan about having to actually use your brain a tiny bit to work out what links are all about, do you really and honestly prefer to know exactly what it is you are going to the huge effort of clicking your mouse once for? Have you no sense of mystery? Personally, I like to see links that allow me to view them without any pre-judgement on my part.
posted by dg at 2:20 PM on October 28, 2003

One has certain expectations set by the medium. I'd be annoyed if I was watching "60 Minutes" and I had to solve some stupid puzzle to watch the show.

In conclusion, this is MetaFilter:

* Clicky on links
* Talk about links

This is some other site:

* Clicky on links
* Talk about how confused everyone is
posted by kindall at 3:19 PM on October 28, 2003

I was going to write a 5000 word essay on why ed's post is inappropriate self-wankery, but fuck it, I'll just ignore it instead.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 3:29 PM on October 28, 2003

Actually, by the way Ed is moderating his puzzle thread, I'd say the thread is more about Ed than anything else.
posted by crunchland at 3:37 PM on October 28, 2003

What's a jackhole?

It's a word invented by Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla during their period on KROQ radio in Los Angeles. It was an attempt to create a new curse word and a tv/radio meme.
posted by eyeballkid at 3:38 PM on October 28, 2003

[ed: I was being sarcastic--no offense intended, sorry for the confusion]
posted by monju_bosatsu at 4:12 PM on October 28, 2003

so, are we having a crucifixion or not? i brung nails.
posted by quonsar at 4:19 PM on October 28, 2003

eyeballkid: Naff Off.
posted by seanyboy at 4:24 PM on October 28, 2003

q: please show me the "hate". where is all this "flak"???

it's fucking nowhere, cortex.

I shouldn't have dared to say "this thread". Pronouns are fuckers that way. I was referring to ed's thread in the blue, the ostensible subject of the meta thread in which I am now commenting.

In ed's thread:

<title="consider getting life">
posted by quonsar

as comment the first; Meta[1] callout a few comments later. So you are right: there is no "hate." Flak, yes, although even that should probably be taken in good humor. I didn't.

In retrospect, that clearly skewed my interpretation of the following, relatively laid-back "I don't get it" and "wtf" comments. My hat is off to you, and I should refrain from posting that early in the morning.

I am still sort bothered by the general willingness to be negative about things that don't seem like they ought to be attacked, such as, from THIS HERE THREAD:

This is MetaFilter, not the puzzle barn, amberglow.
posted by punishinglemur

But then, I can recognize the contradictions when I start yelling fuck in a crowded thread because people weren't being nice, and it's probably partly a knee-jerk throwback to the anti-geek reactionist jocks of high school, all that polarizing, formative bullshit that has made me the mostly cheerful, sometimes misguided creature I am.

So, yeah. Should not have been, as has been alluded to, so goddam vehement.

[1] And, yeah, a meta thread pretty much functions as an attack in most cases, and when it's tossed into a thread that is brewing strangely, with no commentary, I tend to take it that way more so than, say, "We're starting a discussion of unusual threads in Meta." Which is a pretty sad commentary on the recent climate in the grey. And, yes, this one didn't actually declare itself to be negative, and so, again, mea culpa.
posted by cortex at 4:44 PM on October 28, 2003

soyjoy: So, riffola, exactly which criterion do you think ed's post doesn't meet?

most people haven't seen it before - I guess this is met for most of the links

there is something interesting about the content on the page - The pages aren't linked because they might be interesting, they are only linked to provide words for the puzzle.

it might warrant discussion from others - It's not a discussion about the content of the pages linked, it's more of a communal puzzle solving.

I am not saying the thread should be deleted, but at the same time it doesn't really adhere to the guidelines. As you'll note that I even tried solving it last night.
posted by riffola at 4:53 PM on October 28, 2003

hey cortex, i obviously climbed my high horse in my response to your post as well. sorry for that.
posted by quonsar at 5:38 PM on October 28, 2003

No sweat. Just a website, forever and ever, et cetera.

Blort!
posted by cortex at 6:07 PM on October 28, 2003

Jesus christ, get a fucking room, guys.
posted by ashbury at 9:26 PM on October 28, 2003

*removes ten-gallon hat and whops ashbury about the ears with it*
posted by quonsar at 10:07 PM on October 28, 2003

*Recoils in horror as he realises that quonsar's head is the same shape without the hat*
posted by dg at 10:23 PM on October 28, 2003

with BBQ sauce...
posted by quonsar at 11:41 PM on October 28, 2003

I started drooling, fidgeting, and pawing distractedly at my crotch as soon as I saw that thread, which in my books means it's a good 'un!

But I'm not even going to attempt to figure it out.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 3:36 AM on October 29, 2003

funny; I was drooling, fidgeting, and pawing distractedly at stavros' crotch even before I saw that thread.
posted by taz at 3:57 AM on October 29, 2003

*thunderous applause*

Thank you folks, we'll be here all week!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:04 AM on October 29, 2003

Tip your waitperson.
posted by The God Complex at 4:05 AM on October 29, 2003

Garcon means boy.
posted by cortex at 5:23 AM on October 29, 2003