I love Metafilter and this is my way of saying thank you and hello. December 11, 2004 12:58 PM   Subscribe

I love Metafilter and this is my way of saying thank you and hello. [How could there not be more, inside?]
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane (staff) to MetaFilter-Related at 12:58 PM (81 comments total)

Hello everyone. As an avid MeFi reader for years and currently but a lowly sprout among the Newbie Influx, i felt it would be appropriate to introduce myself to you all.

The internet may have an immense capacity and a lengthy memory, its attention span has, in some respects, more in common with that of a goldfish. The latest meme gets piled on today, but it'll be largely forgotten about tomorrow. Metafilter is one of the few places that transcends this shortcoming and is somehow more than only a meme repository. Sure, it's 'just a web site', and it's important we keep this in mind in the light of. But a site special enough that keeps me coming back, and has given me more entertainment, amusement and even (dare I say it?) knowledge than many books, films and many other web sites.

Sure, there have been rough patches here and there, and civilised discourse isn't exactly always the dominant overtone in the the blue, grey and green arenas. But where else can you find a jolly person with fish in their pants, a quirky mofo linguist wearing a hat while speaking in tongues, a wondrous chicken that welcomes us n00bs in song, blokes that are willing to put time and effort into creating an alternative home especially for us Euro trash, an established Portuguese penman with an appropriately Mediterranean temperament, a list maker of skill, an insubordinate civilian who lights our path to posting Zen, an annoyingly pc Springfield resident in a rather revealing tracksuit, a brilliant contemporary philosopher who is, well, rather run-of-the-mill, and last but not least, a creative director, a creator who's now gone pro? And that's just naming a very few (albeit not by name).

So, what I guess I'm trying to say is: thank you for good times, and hello. I'll try to be good.

If all this is possible now, then this Internet thing you speak of might just become something really big someday.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 12:59 PM on December 11, 2004


Storm the front! Don't let them get in! YAAAA

Just joking, good job on the post.
posted by Keyser Soze at 1:07 PM on December 11, 2004


The effort you put into this post is the only thing saving you from certain death. Welcome.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 1:10 PM on December 11, 2004


Welcome goodnewsfortheinsane! Now stop posting crap on meta. In all rights this should propably be deleted. No one cares who you are and no one wants your "introduction." Make good comments and good posts and that'll be introduction enough. For now, however, when I see your name I'll most likely roll my eyes at your narcisism.

on preview: The effort you put into this post is strangely juxtaposed to the amount of thought you put into it.
posted by elwoodwiles at 1:14 PM on December 11, 2004


One would have to be a real link whore to click all those links. I only got about halfway. Nice enough post; I'm sure someone will be by shortly to disapprove of it. Nevertheless, I liked it.

What I've found out is that it is a lot different being able to post than it is just reading in this place. In the past, I usually stuck to the blue and didn't read too deep into the comments. I figured it was no use if I couldn't chime in when I thought of something to say. Now that's all changed; now when I think of something to say, I can say it and be told how stoopid I am. That is defintely worth the five bucks alone.
posted by Doohickie at 1:21 PM on December 11, 2004


Make good comments and good posts and that'll be introduction enough.

Indeed. It's a lot more fun to make a bad first impression by being snarky in threads than making a bad MeTA post.
posted by adampsyche at 1:25 PM on December 11, 2004


goodnews, is that really the Sinter Klaus (sp?) story in the Netherlands? about kidnapping and stuff? (from your site)...and welcome!
posted by amberglow at 1:30 PM on December 11, 2004


Your "more inside" feels like one of those Best of Best of Best of albums where I feel like the same tunes are getting rehashed and I don't really think they're all that great anyway....

Make good comments and good posts and that'll be introduction enough.

Just. Do. It.
posted by SpaceCadet at 1:34 PM on December 11, 2004


i hate these sorts of threads because they bring out that girl who shrieks inanities in all caps - something far worse than goofy n00b introductions.
posted by t r a c y at 1:35 PM on December 11, 2004


Wow, great post. Welcome!
posted by Juicylicious at 1:43 PM on December 11, 2004


Welcome. Now bend over for your introductory spankings. :)
posted by me3dia at 1:51 PM on December 11, 2004


The funny part is that you didn't actually introduce yourself to anyone, as you had promised.

OK. Now, who are all the rest of you?
posted by Saucy Intruder at 1:52 PM on December 11, 2004


you love metafilter because it's not full of posts like this one, right?
posted by glenwood at 1:58 PM on December 11, 2004


Well, it didn't used to be.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 2:11 PM on December 11, 2004


My god, they cloned Carlos Queveda!
posted by Kafkaesque at 2:33 PM on December 11, 2004


Bravo! Plus points for the work you put into this post, negative points for introducing yourself. Balance = 0. Welcome!
posted by Quartermass at 2:42 PM on December 11, 2004


OMG RECOGNITION! Thank you so much baby.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 2:44 PM on December 11, 2004


Thanks for the comments, everyone. Seriously.

@ Saucy Intruder, I understand that if every single newbie wrote an introductory post like I did it would be a greater mess than it already is a brilliant mess. At the same time I can't speak for anyone else other than myself. I'd say it's one part to honour this superb (or superbly) silly blue web site, and one part to test the waters. Either way, as I said: I'll try to be good.

So, to make amends: my name is Paul, I go by gnfti after a song (won't self link - you can find it on my site under the sidebar header 'tevens') I once wrote, I'm a student of cognitive psychology (in the US that would probably be cognitive science for trivial reasons, most of which bureaucratic). I live in the Hague, in the Netherlands. Any questions? :)

@ Amberglow, it's arguably off-topic, but to answer your question: let's just say that Sedaris didn't make up a whole lot (if any) of his story, but he certainly gave it a major spin - keep in mind that his aim was to write a humorous story about foreign traditions, and he certainly succeeded at that.

In the Dutch psyche, as far as I can judge, the Sinterklaas story is more of a collective mystification, a benign lie we tell our kids to have them look forward to their presents. If there's any threat involved, it's merely in jest. (Full disclosure: I have an English father and a Dutch mother, and my mom told me the truth about Sinterklaas when I was three or four, after my dad had indulged in telling me the scariest of made-up stories about Sinterklaas. Probably thought no harm of it in the light of this 'silly Dutch tradition'. No traumas, either.)

On preview, I guess Quartermass summed it up right there. Thanks for having me.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 2:47 PM on December 11, 2004


Hello and welcome, goodnewsfortheinsane :-)
posted by Shane at 2:59 PM on December 11, 2004


We need a course in Metahistory, mandatory for newbs.

gnfinsane, people get pilloried around here for personal goodbye posts. I don't think hello posts are gonna be met with open arms either.

Specifically drawing attention to yourself around here is a good way to get shot, in other words.
posted by konolia at 3:00 PM on December 11, 2004


oh my god.

there are more of them.

more blighs.

the horror. the horror.
posted by The God Complex at 3:01 PM on December 11, 2004


As an avid MeFi reader for years

i felt it would be appropriate to introduce myself to you all

*hyena laugh*

Miguel? Is that you, you clever old knave?
posted by The God Complex at 3:02 PM on December 11, 2004


I hereby dub this the "MetaFilter Christmas Special" thread.

And you were there, and you were there....

God bless us, every one!

[vomits]
posted by scarabic at 3:03 PM on December 11, 2004


*SNIFF*
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 3:16 PM on December 11, 2004


God bless us, every one!

[vomits]


So that's why Tiny Tim was tiny. Who knew?
posted by Cryptical Envelopment at 3:22 PM on December 11, 2004


I am eating some food I purchased at Taco Bell. It's eating away at my insides even as I type this.
posted by weretable and the undead chairs at 3:53 PM on December 11, 2004


I'm sorry. I meant for that to be a fpp.
posted by weretable and the undead chairs at 3:53 PM on December 11, 2004


gnfinsane, people get pilloried around here for personal goodbye posts.

And rightly so.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 3:53 PM on December 11, 2004


btw, welcome gnfti. i find your post to be refreshing and interesting and wish that you would ignore all of your detractors. they are jealous of your good nature and ability to engage in friendly banter.
posted by weretable and the undead chairs at 3:58 PM on December 11, 2004


is my way of saying thank you

next time just send me money.
posted by quonsar at 4:04 PM on December 11, 2004


Oh, please don't ignore your detractors. We've had over 2,000 new members (or maybe only 200 new members and 1800 second accounts for previous members, which is what I think happened).

If every new account created a "Hi, I'm new" meta post, the grey would be a giant clusterfuck. So, I vote no to these kinds of posts, even if they are delightful.
posted by Salmonberry at 4:22 PM on December 11, 2004


I don't have a problem with having a social thread. But just one every so often. If I wanted to introduce myself as well, I would just tag on to this one. In fact, I think I will: Hi, my name is Paul, just like goodnewsfortheinsane. It really is.

Honest.
posted by Doohickie at 4:31 PM on December 11, 2004


Why do so many of the newbs use '@' before another user's name when addressing them? This is something I've never seen until now, and it frightens and upsets me, and I want it stopped, by crikey! Damn kids these days.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:33 PM on December 11, 2004


*scribbles furiously in his notebook, reminding himself to use '@bosco' at least once a day*
posted by The God Complex at 4:43 PM on December 11, 2004


I wish I lived in a place that started with 'the'.

I do live just outside of the District of Columbia. But it's not nearly as cool as the Hague. Anyone know of anywhere in the U.S. cool enough to start with 'the'? Am I missing anything obvious?
posted by Witty at 4:47 PM on December 11, 2004


The People's Republic of Berkeley?
posted by Armitage Shanks at 4:52 PM on December 11, 2004


Hi goodnewsfortheinsane. Lovely post. I'm happy to be here, too.

There. I've held myself back from saying that for 22 days and I won't mention it again.
posted by sophie at 4:54 PM on December 11, 2004


"Anyone know of anywhere in the U.S. cool enough to start with 'the'? Am I missing anything obvious?"

Well, there's The Dalles, but it's kind of a shithole.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:56 PM on December 11, 2004


Des Moines.
posted by Armitage Shanks at 4:59 PM on December 11, 2004


@ stavrosthewonderchicken- Why don't you like the @? Does @ bother you? Personally, I hadn't seen it before either. They didn't mention it at the noob convention in October, although there was a booth there with a banner that said something like "How To Annoy the Old Posters". I grabbed their pamphlet but threw it out before I read it. I think the @ seems like it is a poor man's bullets, separating different thoughts in the same post.

The thought that all those extra @'s driving the email harvesters crazy kinda makes me smile though.
posted by Doohickie at 5:02 PM on December 11, 2004


Long live the heroes of the eighteenth of November!
posted by ackptui at 5:04 PM on December 11, 2004


oh my god.

there are more of them.

more blighs.

the horror. the horror.


Excuse me, but I never made a post like this to MeTa. So fuck you all good and tight, like, right?
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 5:08 PM on December 11, 2004


...oh, and where on WoW are the mefites?
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 5:10 PM on December 11, 2004


Anyone know of anywhere in the U.S. cool enough to start with 'the'? Am I missing anything obvious?

Las Vegas. El Paso. You get the idea. But it sure isn't The Hague in The Netherlands.
posted by McGuillicuddy at 5:22 PM on December 11, 2004


Seems we have our own Indigo Child.
posted by dong_resin at 5:40 PM on December 11, 2004


Hi, my name is Paul, just like goodnewsfortheinsane.

Whoa...my name is Paul too. Trippy.
posted by Quartermass at 6:09 PM on December 11, 2004


dong_resin, dang, I thought this post was sweet, so I feel guilty for laughing myself to bits right now.
posted by melissa may at 6:16 PM on December 11, 2004


[vomits]
posted by scarabic

Oh no! More vomiting! Well. I will just have to take it to Metatalk

The South?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:20 PM on December 11, 2004


dobbs's skill is that he "makes lists"! Reminds me of Mystery Men.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 6:21 PM on December 11, 2004


The house where I live?
The bedroom where I am going now?
The bed where I hope to repose and forget the horror of this page?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:23 PM on December 11, 2004


Whoa...my name is Paul too. Trippy.

Oh wow, man, yer, like, freakin' me out! I mean, out of 20,000 posters what'r the odds there are three Pauls??????!!!!!!@!!!!!

(Note: the @ is there to annoy stavrosthewonderchicken. And make the email harvesters crazy.)
posted by Doohickie at 7:14 PM on December 11, 2004


*Clips toenails, drinks a reddog*

btw: I'm liking you more every minute doohickie.
posted by puke & cry at 7:29 PM on December 11, 2004


Here in Californium, we have lots of cities whose names start with the various Spanish language equivalent of "The": "La", "El", "Las", "Los", the most appropriate of which is the little coastal sinkhole just south of the L.A. Airport, "El Segundo", which I have been told translates literally as "The Second".

I wonder why Second City never opened an improv theater there.

gnfti, you should copy your entire post (MI and all) to your user page, because that's where it really belongs. And, do you pronounce your acronym Guhnf-tee or Guh-nuh-fi-tee?
posted by wendell at 7:32 PM on December 11, 2004


I'm liking you more every minute doohickie.

Well, you can buy me a beer at the next DFW area meetup. If it's on the west side of the metroplex, I mean. I don't do Dallas.
posted by Doohickie at 7:53 PM on December 11, 2004


wendell - I'm reading gnfti as "nifty".
posted by Witty at 8:05 PM on December 11, 2004


GET.
A.
FUCKING.
LIFE.

;-)
posted by i_cola at 8:17 PM on December 11, 2004


Witty, that works well, in a gnostic sense.
posted by Doohickie at 8:42 PM on December 11, 2004


So that's why Tiny Tim was tiny. Who knew?

I've been reading the (so far) excellent Mr Timothy, in which an adult and not so tiny Tim happens to take up residence in a brothel, but so far none of the staff have made any comments in relation to his, *ahem*, endowment. He could be Ron Jeremy Tim for all I know.
posted by Shane at 8:53 PM on December 11, 2004



Excuse me, but I never made a post like this to MeTa. So fuck you all good and tight, like, right?


I know. Just having a bit of fun ;)

Frostwolf (I think that's what server). PVP. Character name is Coldvein.
posted by The God Complex at 9:53 PM on December 11, 2004


Excuse me, but I never made a post like this to MeTa. So fuck you all good and tight, like, right?

bligh can flow too. who knew?
posted by puke & cry at 10:41 PM on December 11, 2004


> you love metafilter because it's not full of posts like this one, right?

Well, it didn't used to be.


Yes. YES. I'm off to cry now.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:24 AM on December 12, 2004


"Hi. I'm a new member. I'm going to post rubbish like this because I want a MeFi name. "
STFU!
posted by seanyboy at 4:21 AM on December 12, 2004


Hmmm. My way of saying thank you and hello was not doing this.
posted by flashboy at 4:52 AM on December 12, 2004


It's indeed pronounced nifty, with the silent 'g' as in "MeFi gnostics gnashed their teeth before gnawing away at the gnewbies."
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 5:06 AM on December 12, 2004


Can we just set up our own little play room for the new people for a bit? Maybe with a purple background, and a pit of nerf balls for them to romp around in? kthxbi.
posted by adampsyche at 8:08 AM on December 12, 2004


Word.
posted by scarabic at 12:09 PM on December 12, 2004


Who are you people? I thought this was self-policing MetaFilter. Instead I'm looking at some creepy cuddle party. How can anyone not see this post for being utter and complete crap designed to brown-nose its way into notoriety. Gnfti, get a life, a blog, or whatever, but do not post crap to meta. I don't care where you live, what you study, or about your stupid name, okay? Welcome to fucking metafilter. Don't fuck it up.
posted by elwoodwiles at 1:07 PM on December 12, 2004


You don't brown-nose your way into MeFi notoriety; you whine and act e-hard, complain about n00bs and tell them to STFU, maybe post some right-wing links and tell people 'that's how it is'. Any time anyone lets their guard down, you jab them in the grill, and while they're stunned, shank them with your sharpened toothbrush.

For more hints, cf Fark.
posted by cosmonik at 5:15 PM on December 12, 2004


What elwoodwiles said.
posted by adampsyche at 6:04 PM on December 12, 2004


Can someone explain why everyone's being shitty about a well-thought out and well-researched post? Sure, if every neoFite did this, it'd be chaos, but I seriously doubt anyone else will, so click the links and fucking enjoy yourselves for once.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 8:07 PM on December 12, 2004


Well, sorry Optimus. I clicked them all and found it nothing special. And yes, I am made a little testy by new folks who use MetaTalk to be cheeky, drop names and get attention, and even more annoyed by other new folks who tell me to shut up and enjoy it. As elwood wiles said, I don't recognize this place half the time, and the new shit doesn't excite me much.

To put it another way, let's just say I wouldn't spend two years trying to join a site that resembled this post. I kinda wonder why some people waited so long to join if they clearly have no regard for the norms here.

I'm pretty excited to see someone use "neoFite," though! Good on ya!
posted by scarabic at 10:12 PM on December 12, 2004


I am made a little testy by new folks who use MetaTalk to be cheeky, drop names and get attention...

We wouldn't want that to catch on, now would we?
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 10:51 PM on December 12, 2004


The way I look at it is that the blue is prime real estate and should not be ruined by shitty posts like this, this, or this - and that's just on the front page. The green should be as troll and snark free as possible, and hopefully avoid stupid questions like konolia's recent megablunder. The signal-to-noise ratio should be very, very high. But this is MetaTalk, and I'd say this post is pretty Metafilter-related. It's not that bad.

But oh ho ho, y'all'd rather spend 74 comments defending angry modem, who is bar fucking none the worst, repeat worst, poster MeFi's ever had. Well done, guys.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 11:39 PM on December 12, 2004


I am a muffled sigh, pressing against the glass.
posted by Opus Dark at 1:49 AM on December 13, 2004


Love ya, Opus.

*hugs gnfti*
posted by taz at 5:40 AM on December 13, 2004


Dear ancientFites,

I'm in. We can close the door now. Oh, and while we're at it, you can up the $5 to $20 now, Matt. After conversion it was only 3.90 Euros anyway - exactly how much I value MeFi. And next time someone asks for a pony, just have some wannabe-neoFite dress up as one.

I'm trying just trying to adapt to the norms the norms here, people.

</apparently obligatory sarcasm>

Thanks Opus. Thanks taz, ya mushy retroFite.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 2:01 PM on December 13, 2004


Anyone know of anywhere in the U.S. cool enough to start with 'the'? Am I missing anything obvious?

Yes.

Bronx.
posted by mudpuppie at 6:15 PM on December 13, 2004


It's not that bad.

Which is perhaps the best that can be said about it. And I'm not surprised you were able to find an even stupider thread out there. However, setting up the angry modem thread as a straw man doesn't make this thread suck any less.

BTW, gnfti, "norms" refers specifically to everything that's not in the guidelines. Which is a lot. The guidelines don't go very far and aren't very specific. They cover the basics. The rest of everything else, like "don't use MeTa for personal messages" is just convention and consensus on the part of the members. No, it isn't set in stone, and yes, it changes over time, but some regard for the norms would indeed be nice - that is, if you're here to belong. If you're here to overturn and destroy, then do as you please.
posted by scarabic at 6:42 PM on December 13, 2004


Happy birthday (for the 3rd time already), g-nifty. May your longboat always sail west.
posted by If I Had An Anus at 1:45 PM on August 1, 2005


This is the site of the phantom birthday party for gnfti.

Consider yourself wished, happily!


posted by gramschmidt at 3:03 PM on August 1, 2005


Awww... thanks guys!

See, kids? Vanity threads pay off, in the end.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 5:46 AM on August 2, 2005


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