February 2004 Archives (all archives)
February 29
It seems I'm getting strange results when browsing mefi via proxy. Is it something I'm doing wrong?
I've been getting, interesting behavior using metafilter through a proxy server. (The reason I'm using a proxy has to do with some annoying behavior by both Opera and Mozilla under FreeBSD.) wwwoffled just doesn't get the page at all. apache2 running as a proxy does get the page after more than two minutes. This behavior appears to be unique to metafilter.
Turning off proxying for metafilter in the browser works much better. I'm mostly satisfied with this arrangement but the nerd in me is curious as to why. (And the community-oriented person in me wants to describe this problem for other folks who may need to search for this problem.) Any clues?
Turning off proxying for metafilter in the browser works much better. I'm mostly satisfied with this arrangement but the nerd in me is curious as to why. (And the community-oriented person in me wants to describe this problem for other folks who may need to search for this problem.) Any clues?
Marking questions as answered
Another AskMe suggestion. How about a way for someone who has posted a question to go in and add a marker which says that their question has been answered which would then appear next to the 'comments' marker on the front page, which would then offer the ability to filter out all the questions which have been answered so that the benevolant can concentrate on those which haven't.
The AskMe archive pages never seem to show a new comment count for any thread
The AskMe archive pages never seem to show a new comment count for any thread. Is this a planned feature, something that will be changed when the new software rev is posted, or my imagination?
"Your Asian-fetish weirdness flat out gives me the creeps": volatile & personal
Maybe it's me, but "Your Asian-fetish weirdness flat out gives me the creeps" seems like an awfully volatile & personal way to kick off a thread.
February 28
Can I open all links in new tabs?
Is there a way (currently or hypothetically) to customize my account to open exterior links in a new tab, if I'm using that kind of browser? Just curious.
February 27
anti-religious remarks belong on your own blog
It's all well and good for skallas to post his opinions on his own weblog, but couldn't he keep any anti-religious remarks out of his FPPs?
How to reduce server load on large threads
Okay, since I sort of wasted my last MeTa post by being too fast on the draw, how about something more constructive. I think we could save a great deal of overhead on the server by changing the way 100+ post threads are displayed.
Jokes in AskMe are no good
Can we please make it stop? It's bad enough that we really want a 100+ post thread about same sex marriage every day. Do we have to drag it into AskMe?
I'd like to declare a moratorium on comparing things to the Onion
I'd like to declare a moratorium on comparing things to the Onion, as well as nominations for the Darwin Award. [more inside]
February 26
Orkut Satire FPP Treated as Real News
This thread treats satire as a real news report. The author seems to have thought it was real (not having read the small notice at the bottom). I'd either put "[satire]" at the end or delete it.
February 25
Cleanup on aisle 31410: formatting gone awry
Y2Karl's post appears to have messed up its layout. Looks like the html fixer-upper munged up some already buggy html y2karl fed it:
posted by fvw to Bugs at 2:11 PM PST - 4 comments it would be really handy to be able to edit your posts
Linking to my own post as an example, it would be really handy to be able to edit your posts at times. Would this pony ever grow legs and run around the field chasing butterflies and scaring children?
JRun
When attempting to open a thread in the blue this morning, JRun closed connection.
The nerve of JRun!
The nerve of JRun!
February 24
Cleveland Meetup
MeFi Cleveland: Want coffee sometime? Maybe when Spring hits? We can talk about how much Cleveland really looks like American Splendor.
The Google-Ads are looking awfully visual lately aren't they?
The Google-Ads are looking awfully visual lately aren't they?
Its a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt world
Finally got around to reading L.A.'s alt-paper L.A. Weekly's content-heavy "Year End Lists Issue", and was shocked at what I saw on Page 12: (fourth list down here).
That explains why Mr. Howie didn't make it to the L.A. MeetUp: He was with Drudge, Welch, Damon and Groening plotting to take over the universe...
That explains why Mr. Howie didn't make it to the L.A. MeetUp: He was with Drudge, Welch, Damon and Groening plotting to take over the universe...
February 23
A horrible way to begin a discussion
IMHO, this is a horrible way to begin a discussion of a controversial film.
Back button does not unpost
Matt, when submitting a question to Ask Me, I used the back button to edit my text twice. However, apparently the text was posted instead. The one time I'm serious, and I screw everything up.
February 22
Connection refused?
Connection refused? This morning (around 7:30 AM PST) I wasn't able to access metafilter.com or ask.metafilter.com, although I was able to ping the same names. Looks like some others were having the same. Was there an issue?
February 21
Madison meetup
You know, I had quite a wonderful time at the last Madison, WI meetup. So how about another one?
Boston Meetup
So, was Mefi Boston II more fun than having your alternator die in Berwick during a snowstorm and having to be towed home?
AskMe Titles
I really really hate to ask... but can we get Post/Question Titles for Ask MetaFilter?
Logo comparison with metapress
This site has an unusual logo. It's kind of interesting to have it open in a tab next to MeFi, and then to toggle between the two.
FYI: I fixed a small bug this morning.
FYI: I fixed a small bug this morning. The html shortcuts were not showing up in firefox browsers but should now, and they seem to work fine on all three sites.
February 20
Parallel-universe network site invite
When MetaFilter's down, parallel-universe websites like Orkut contain valuable information as well as friendly confraternization - witness the MetaFilter board on the same website. Plus you get photos and intimate details of your favourite MeFi posters, whether friends or foes. How important are these parallel-universe network sites? Is Google's patronage indicative of things to come? And, yes, should we take over while it's hot? Does anyone want to be invited?
February 18
MeFi Swap
Just a reminder: this Saturday is the last day to sign up for the current round of the MeFi Swap. 143 signed up so far, so this round should be pretty exciting.
February 17
How big is the drive Metafilter is located on?
Matt, this is a question to you (as well as a push to the other users here).
How big is the drive Metafilter (or all of your stuff) is located on? Like many others, I lived in a dark world without MeFi and ask:
Have you thought about a raid level 1?
How big is the drive Metafilter (or all of your stuff) is located on? Like many others, I lived in a dark world without MeFi and ask:
Have you thought about a raid level 1?
Firefox Bugs
I've switched to Firefox. I have my MeFi preferences set to open links in a new window. I have the Tabbrowser Preferences extension installed on firefox and everything set to open in new tabs, links on metafilter still bring up new windows. While I can just CTRL + click to open in a new tab, I'm wondering if this is a mozilla thing, or a mefi thing. Thanks.
Meetup in NYC, 2/20/04
MeFiNYC reminder: Friday! Friday! Friday! This Friday the 20th of February at the Veselka Dome, witness MONSTER MeFi ACTION ACTION ACTION! Gates open at 7.30 - no passes will be honored!
BE THERE!!!
BE THERE!!!
February 16
Why was my AskMe question about a web template nixed?
So that I can avoid doing so again in the future: Why was my AskMe question about a web template nixed?
Behold: New York Times Link Generator.
Behold: New York Times Link Generator. Paste your NYT URL and voila!
A link to the article of your choice which won't evaporate after two weeks.
Via Calpundit.
A link to the article of your choice which won't evaporate after two weeks.
Via Calpundit.
Please open up membership (Feb. 2004)
So many of us spent some time at Monkeyfilter while the server was down and it's time to ask again about opening up membership. Pretty please? with sugar on top?
Boston Meetup February 2004
MefiBoston II reminder. Saturday the 21st, 7 PM, John Harvard's in Cambridge.
Metafilter Wiki Current Status Page
For those of you wondering what you can do to find out why Metafilter might be offline in future: the Metafilter Wiki Current Status Page.
We're back
So alas, one of the processor fans in the MetaFilter server decided to up and die, which coincided perfectly with a planned vacation to New York. Upon coming back, no replacement fan was to be found on my doorstep (due to stupid delayed shipping by the company from whom the replacement was ordered), so a trip to CompUSA later, we're back in business. Sorry 'bout that.
February 10
Weird trackbacks?
Is there a reason every thread since this one has a trackback about the Dalai Lama and Bush?
February 9
What domain names do I keep, part 1 of N
Umm... is this appropriate for AskMefi? I might not have bristled as much if not for the implication that we will be seeing "more than a dozen" of the same threads in the "next several days," and this was merely "part one" of many. Wendell, I love you man, but, uh, [this is bad].
pls summarize askme questions on front page
February 7
Amberglow Meetup in Amsterdam
Five out of eight ain't bad. Dutch-based MeFites met up with Amberglow in Amsterdam on Saturday.
Photographic evidence available at prolific.org.
Photographic evidence available at prolific.org.
February 6
why was my post deleted?
Wondering why my FPP link, to a Kuro5hin.org essay about the insular world of blogs, the effect on google and the debate in comments about that was deleted. It was a good discussion, I thought, and work a look. Matt, I've been lurking here for several years, and I thought it was in keeping with the site.
If things are going to tighten up, that's fine, but I'm interested in knowing the parameters and how they applied in this specific case.
If things are going to tighten up, that's fine, but I'm interested in knowing the parameters and how they applied in this specific case.
Why don't you get your own blog, fuckwit?
Men, women, and relationships
What are some good community sites, other than AskMetafilter, where people can intiate discussions on topics like this one? It's a good question in a bad place, IMO.
February 5
No votes to remove posts from Metafilter?
I don't know if it has been proposed before (I don't generally read MetaTalk), but THIS LINK makes me yearn for some kind of "no" vote system where if a post gets a certain number or percentage of "no" it gets taken off the front page. It wouldn't be necessarily easy to implement or tune, but it would help. It would also help remove FPP's that TURN OUT TO BE TOTAL BUNK.
Violent threats not funny
CNN copied Metafilter
NYT quotes AskMe - I think
Hey, doesn't the following quote from this article in today's NYT (reg. req., etc.) come from MeFi? Or AskMe? Searching isn't doing it for me.
"I like a lot of the names I see on spam e-mails because they're completely abstract, with little conception of culture or traditional sounds," said a posting by someone using the name Oissubke, a self-described fiction writer. "They jump out. They're memorable. They may not work for Grisham or Shakespeare, but they're ideal for my own writing style."
"I like a lot of the names I see on spam e-mails because they're completely abstract, with little conception of culture or traditional sounds," said a posting by someone using the name Oissubke, a self-described fiction writer. "They jump out. They're memorable. They may not work for Grisham or Shakespeare, but they're ideal for my own writing style."
February 4
Server outages
MetaFilter, MetaTalk, and Ask Metafilter might be sporadic over the next day or so, as the server hosting the DNS has died for now. Hopefully that server will be back tomorrow morning, but if not, you could hack your hosts file to point the three domains at 209.10.108.201.
If you see the sites unreachable by morning, that's why.
If you see the sites unreachable by morning, that's why.
Hey, are we still self-policing? (Feb. 2004)
Hasn't "self policing" pretty much run it's course by now? I mean, it worked great when we had lots of new people coming in everyday. But today's MetaFilter is made up of people who have *all* been self policed for well over a year. None of us are going to change our ways. Recent attempts at self policing seem to be getting embarrassingly pointless. Can we stop calling it "self policing" and start referring to it by the more accurate term - "masturbatory rhetoric"?
February 3
problem with HTML in link
Link gets munged on preview [more inside.]
I'm fed up of "OutrageFilter" posts
February 2
Pixies reunion: grounds for deletion?
since when is confirmation of the pixies reunion a candidate for deletion ?
Boston meetup 2/2004
Boston meetup round II, anyone?
A couple of months ago, I posted a question to AskMe. I now think I have an answer.
A couple of months ago, I posted a question to AskMe. It generated a lot of interest and responses, but no definitive answer. I now think I have an answer. What should I do?
1. Keep it to myself.
2. Post it to the old, archived thread?
3. Make a new FPP?
I suspect #3 would piss some people off (because the FPP wouldn't be asking a new question), but if someone else found an answer to an old question, I'd prefer them to make a FPP. If they posted it to an ancient, archived thread, I would probably never think to go there and read it.
1. Keep it to myself.
2. Post it to the old, archived thread?
3. Make a new FPP?
I suspect #3 would piss some people off (because the FPP wouldn't be asking a new question), but if someone else found an answer to an old question, I'd prefer them to make a FPP. If they posted it to an ancient, archived thread, I would probably never think to go there and read it.
Trib Media Mention
"Metafilter. Now you know where I get a least half my story ideas." -- Chicago Tribune features writer Maureen Ryan, listing her 10 favorite websites in a guest appearance on co-worker Eric Zorn's weblog. [Trib login: gapers/gapers]