Matt Haughey: Under the Iron January 19, 2004 4:09 PM Subscribe
New from the "I bet Matt will kill me for posting this here" department....
Matt Haughey: Under the Iron
A great, interesting, informative 'interview' with Our Fearless Leader.
Matt Haughey: Under the Iron
A great, interesting, informative 'interview' with Our Fearless Leader.
What's consistently admirable (even adorable) about Matt is how he sees himself as being lucky and benefiting from the company and collaboration of others, when it's so obviously the other way round. This is his greatest strength and it really comes across in this interview.
Nobody else could have created MetaFilter and all his other projects and, even if there was someone, no one could have maintained it and helped it grow, in the simultaneously hands-off but involved way. There's just nothing fake about him and his judgement is on the Supreme Court level. I don't think he has an inkling of how much (and many) people admire him. His parents sure knew what they were doing.
/terminate brown-nosing episode/
posted by MiguelCardoso at 5:57 PM on January 19, 2004
Nobody else could have created MetaFilter and all his other projects and, even if there was someone, no one could have maintained it and helped it grow, in the simultaneously hands-off but involved way. There's just nothing fake about him and his judgement is on the Supreme Court level. I don't think he has an inkling of how much (and many) people admire him. His parents sure knew what they were doing.
/terminate brown-nosing episode/
posted by MiguelCardoso at 5:57 PM on January 19, 2004
Miguel, no matter what you say, he is never going to take you to Iceland with him, ok?
posted by Hildago at 6:56 PM on January 19, 2004
posted by Hildago at 6:56 PM on January 19, 2004
what hildago said (actually it was a good interview--matt comes off very well)
and here are some tissues, miguel and anastasiav ; >
posted by amberglow at 7:12 PM on January 19, 2004
and here are some tissues, miguel and anastasiav ; >
posted by amberglow at 7:12 PM on January 19, 2004
Nobody else could have created MetaFilter
Miguel, I don't mean to dampen your hyperbolic enthusiam but I think that any number of other collaborative projects could easily have grown into something similar to MetaFilter (perhaps even better, if that's possible to imagine.) Matt happened to be at the right place at the right time, with the right -- if somewhat limited -- software (if you compare it to Kuro5hin or Slashdot.)
Matt's seemingly infallible instinct for moderation, combined with the pure chance factor, and probably to some extent the seeming simplicity of this site, are what have created the Meta phenomenon. That's not to say that others couldn't have done the same. After all it's the members -- yourself included -- who make this site the great place it is.
posted by cbrody at 7:23 PM on January 19, 2004
Miguel, I don't mean to dampen your hyperbolic enthusiam but I think that any number of other collaborative projects could easily have grown into something similar to MetaFilter (perhaps even better, if that's possible to imagine.) Matt happened to be at the right place at the right time, with the right -- if somewhat limited -- software (if you compare it to Kuro5hin or Slashdot.)
Matt's seemingly infallible instinct for moderation, combined with the pure chance factor, and probably to some extent the seeming simplicity of this site, are what have created the Meta phenomenon. That's not to say that others couldn't have done the same. After all it's the members -- yourself included -- who make this site the great place it is.
posted by cbrody at 7:23 PM on January 19, 2004
Our Fearless Leader - OFL ... okay, maybe not.
Seriously, a good read about the serendipity inherant in sailing uncharted waters. Good on ya', Matt.
posted by Wulfgar! at 7:23 PM on January 19, 2004
Seriously, a good read about the serendipity inherant in sailing uncharted waters. Good on ya', Matt.
posted by Wulfgar! at 7:23 PM on January 19, 2004
It was definitely an interesting read, but I've always wondered about Matt's style. Do you prefer tv, radio, or print interviews? Also, do interviews really do anything for you (I mean personally, do you enjoy them), or are you more like Bill Watterson, someone who'd rather have his space but occasionally does a spot to keep people informed and wanting more?
posted by BlueTrain at 7:50 PM on January 19, 2004
posted by BlueTrain at 7:50 PM on January 19, 2004
All I know is we're lucky Metafilter didn't turn into Plastic.
posted by keswick at 8:25 PM on January 19, 2004
posted by keswick at 8:25 PM on January 19, 2004
There’s a huge project I’ve been kicking around for almost a year and it hasn’t launched at all yet and I don’t know when or if it ever will
MoJo perhaps?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:10 PM on January 19, 2004
MoJo perhaps?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:10 PM on January 19, 2004
No question that Metafilter was constructed with a visionary balance of features that opened the way for success, but I think the master stroke that elevated Matt to the pantheon of net immortals was #006699.
posted by planetkyoto at 5:20 AM on January 20, 2004
posted by planetkyoto at 5:20 AM on January 20, 2004
MoJo perhaps?
I wondered the same thing.
The interview was most interesting, but raised one very serious concern in my mind when I realised just how many things the man does every day that do not make him money - if/when Mr & Mrs Haughey reproduce, mathowie's other 17,000 children will probably be left out in the cold, given the black hole of time that rug rats inevitably are. Is it too late to retract the trip to Iceland and make it oh, maybe Chernobyl instead?
posted by dg at 5:51 AM on January 20, 2004
I wondered the same thing.
The interview was most interesting, but raised one very serious concern in my mind when I realised just how many things the man does every day that do not make him money - if/when Mr & Mrs Haughey reproduce, mathowie's other 17,000 children will probably be left out in the cold, given the black hole of time that rug rats inevitably are. Is it too late to retract the trip to Iceland and make it oh, maybe Chernobyl instead?
posted by dg at 5:51 AM on January 20, 2004
OFL: Adds a whole new meaning to ROFLMAO.
meh. meh meh.
posted by seanyboy at 6:40 AM on January 20, 2004
meh. meh meh.
posted by seanyboy at 6:40 AM on January 20, 2004
if/when Mr & Mrs Haughey reproduce, mathowie's other 17,000 children will probably be left out in the cold
Are you kidding? Matt will blatantly ignore his offspring in his obsessive concern with this site, and the kid will grow up to write a bitter memoir called something like MeFied! A Ruined Life. Which will then be mocked right here in MeTa.
posted by languagehat at 7:53 AM on January 20, 2004
Are you kidding? Matt will blatantly ignore his offspring in his obsessive concern with this site, and the kid will grow up to write a bitter memoir called something like MeFied! A Ruined Life. Which will then be mocked right here in MeTa.
posted by languagehat at 7:53 AM on January 20, 2004
MoJo perhaps? just asked about this running yet in the thread below, have my answer, no ;(
posted by thomcatspike at 12:26 PM on January 20, 2004
posted by thomcatspike at 12:26 PM on January 20, 2004
Which will then be mocked right here in MeTa.
... and so the circle will be complete.
posted by dg at 2:46 PM on January 20, 2004
... and so the circle will be complete.
posted by dg at 2:46 PM on January 20, 2004
There’s a huge project I’ve been kicking around for almost a year and it hasn’t launched at all yet and I don’t know when or if it ever will and I feel terrible about it. It’s due to the time involved to run it, which I don’t think I’ll ever have, even though I regard the idea and site that could come out of it as probably the most important project I could ever do. It’s just not feasible to drop everything and work on it and I have no idea where to start trying to convince someone to fund me to do it.
What is it you speak of, Matt? Do tell. Never know. (Unless, that is, there's a concern about how to get 17,000 signatures on an NDA).
posted by MidasMulligan at 7:34 PM on January 20, 2004
What is it you speak of, Matt? Do tell. Never know. (Unless, that is, there's a concern about how to get 17,000 signatures on an NDA).
posted by MidasMulligan at 7:34 PM on January 20, 2004
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
Damn you Haughey! The world needs to know that you've developed Cold Fusion to cool your diet sodas!
posted by Stan Chin at 5:02 PM on January 19, 2004