May 2013 Archives (all archives)
May 31
I still know who you are
I found this thread to be of note in light of the recent MetaTalk thread about the deleted FPP regarding the "sociopath law professor". [more inside]
Busted user script help
It looks like a recent change to the markup of the site might have broken the "Metafilter favorites browser" greasemonkey script. Is it also busted for other folks? Are there any javascript-savvy folks willing to try and fix it?
shakespeherian's Choose Your Own Adventure by Committee #7!
What do lights in the sky, the Chelyabinsk meteor, a flood in South Dakota in 1972, a Cowboy Church, and potato scabies all have in common? [more inside]
Be My Fitbit Friend?
I got a fitbit, and I'm excited about it. (A fitbit is basically a pedometer that syncs with your computer to keep track of how active you are. It has been discussed on MetaTalk before*) But the "friends" tab on my dashboard is lonely. I have no one to compare myself to! Fellow fitbitting mefites, let's be fitbit friends! Here's my profile; please friend me. If you'd like more fitbit friends, put a link to your fitbit profile in the comments** so you can join in on the fitbit friending frenzy.*** [more inside]
May 30
Twitter redux
So I know there have been other MeTas about finding each other on Twitter and how the social explorer isn't so great for that, since there are too many of us and there's no way to tell who's active, etc. BUT I just saw that Twitter expanded their Lists feature to allow 5000 per list, and I went and checked the social explorer and there are only 3300 mefites who've posted their Twitter accounts... [more inside]
I don't want to control you, I just want to Ctrl-U.
The Ctrl-U keyboard shortcut for making links doesn't work everywhere for me. I'd like it to. [more inside]
Is the edit window an invitation to narcissism?
I'm guilty of this: I find myself rereading my posts continuously for 5 minutes after I post them, even though I already previewed and corrected any typos. Not a complaint per se, just curious if my experience is unique.
May 29
We're Not The Fortean Times
Have validate my supernatural experiances and share your own questions always been allowed on The Green?
Deletion with a surprise twist: I'm actually not here to complain
Was redirected here from AskMe by a mod to ask the following question:
Is there a way to block Metafilter comments without blocking the site? [more inside]
Is being an ass really an inalienable right?
This has come up several times recently. Whether it's when someone makes a post in bad faith, that's just baiting crap, or is just generally being a prick without provocation... [more inside]
Long, Fascinating Article About an NYC Scammer
A professional photographer in New York City attempts to pull the perfect apartment scam. He almost gets away with it…until one of his victims turns the tables and locks him out of his own apartment. (8,000 words, but worth the read)
Even a Chap.13 Bankruptcy drops off your Credit Report after 7 years.
Lucy is such a asshole
It was a little too inside jokey for a FPP so I'm putting this here..What a asshole
May 28
Maybe we could try not hating people for their economic status?
I've noticed what seems to be a trend lately - whenever mention is made of people who have more money than either some people have or some think they should have, we seem to get much less considerate than we are of other topics. The most recent thread where this is on display is First World Problems, Analyzed. However, that is not the only example. [more inside]
May 27
Comment number five million.
What does it mean to say "Don't make this the _____ show"?
Over in this post, Artw was taking a stand that no one else in the thread was. And he did it by providing close readings, links, and cogent arguments.
He was told "don't turn this into the Artw show." I'm wondering what that means. [more inside]
May 24
This person in the youtube videos does not need any more free publicity
Doing sickening things to your own body to earn revenue by Youtube page-views/ad-clicks is not something that needs to be promoted with its own post on MeFi.
May 23
We have images! ... In search results?
I used the search field while logged out tonight, and saw this: thumbnails next to search results. Is this some left-over from MetaFiltrest, or have thumbnails been part of non-user searches for a while? [more inside]
Presidential Deathmatch
I remember reading something linked here around a year ago which ranked all U.S. presidents in terms of toughness, however I can't find it in search. Does anyone else remember this?
Don't worry about the vase, Neo.
The Oracle of MeFi is a curated tumblr of "intelligent, insightful, funny or otherwise interesting comments from all over MeFi," created by Foci of Analysis. Via Projects. [more inside]
Memorial Day MetaTalk Queue
It's a holiday weekend in the US and we're turning on the MetaTalk Queue. [more inside]
Obligatory "obligatory pet pic" comments
Maybe I'm the only one, but the "pics or GTFO" business with respect to pet questions on AskMe really gets on my nerves. I feel like it makes MetaFilter come off as clique-y, and it trivializes serious questions about pet behavior and health. I've been letting this issue bother me for a long time now without saying anything, but a recent example has finally pushed me over the edge of raising the topic here. [more inside]
May 22
How do I set the (new xxxx) number?
You know the number that tells you how many new posts have been added? Sometimes mine works, sometimes it doesn't. Most of the time, it just tells me the number of posts in the whole thread, even if I've responded. Is there way to reset it, or get it to count correctly?
And am I in the right place to ask this question?
May 21
The thread of life.
I said goodbye to my beautiful, adoring, smart, and sympathetic mom this evening. I'd like to thank Metafilter for helping me through this beautiful/awful/harrowing/redemptive experience. [more inside]
The tiniest of ponies.
When previewing an IRL post and you get an error, the error is kind of in the middle of the page and in normal text, so it's hard to see what's missing from the form. Having it at the top of the page and with IRL's alt-color beige, would help a lot.
MetaFilter Chat for All
We just added MetaFilter Chat to the list of sites at the top of every page. [more inside]
Summer of the Wake
Inspired by this post from yesterday and this post from last year, I'd like to do a "Summer of the Wake": reading Finnegans Wake from June to mid-August. [more inside]
May 20
Oklahoma mefites, please check in when you can
Listening to the news and it is terrifying. Two mile wide tornado? Winds up to 300 mph? Photos of Moore #1, #2, #3. Live coverage from KFOR.
Ding, Threads are Done
Is there a way to be alerted whenever a thread on the blue closes? Some sort of alert system? A site somebody else has already set up? I'm just wondering if there's some preexisting way someone's already done this.
May 19
Price of Metafilter
This post got me wondering if anyone has tried to buy Metafilter, how much an honest value would be, and if people would leave if a similar entity to Yahoo bought the Blue.
May 18
I know who you are.
May 17
Memories of MeFi troll
Settle / KettleBlack reflects.
May 16
Was my comment deleted?
"The Most Insane News Story You'll See Today"
We met homeless, hatchet-wielding hitchhiker Caleb “Kai’ Lawrence McGillivary in February. He became a meme. Earlier this week Kai was arrested for murdering a lawyer. "I believe that everyone is a little safer with this person off the streets," the prosecutor said. (This is a follow-up)
May 15
A post about metatalk hasn't been deleted yet, and I wonder why
A post about how to use "Metatalk" skill to discuss communication problems and it hasn't been deleted.
But I thought we could discuss why it hasn't been deleted.
Communication is important, I'm just sayin'
AskMe about mixed up text messages
I could have sworn that there was an AskMe not too long ago about sending one text message but having a different one come up on your recipient's phone. Of course, I can't find it. Am I thinking of something I read somewhere else, or does this question exist?
May 14
Success... I celebrate any that I can
I'm hoping this gets back to mrgrowler, he expressed interest in a solution.
When I asked this question, I had an idea that the culprit might be my blood pressure medicine. But I was exploring other options. The doctor even sent me to drink barium. The radiologist gave me half of a tip, he said that I was having spasms. I finally got desperate enough to talk to my doctor about changing meds. I haven't had an episode since.
May 13
RIP Prince_Of_Cups
It is my sad duty to relate some unfortunate news. Matthew Schuler, known here as Prince of Cups, passed away this morning. [more inside]
YOU get a favorite and YOU get a favorite and EVERYBODY GETS A FAVORITE!
100/day just isn't enough anymore, given the increasing volume of quality discussion on this site. Could the daily favorites limit please be raised???
Eurovision posts
I had a huge Eurovision post written and ready to post that I was saving for this evening. Then this was posted. I do feel a bit frustrated by this, but it's a good post, just not the post I wanted to make. Details inside. [more inside]
I was into MeTa before and after it was cool
This post is a pretty sharp piece on how the constructed media of hipsters ends up displacing more salient criticism (including a good line about how obsession with limning the "hipster" has removed "counter" from "counter-culture").
What's the discussion? Immediately, it starts out with the same old hipster tropes of MeFi with too many folks who clearly haven't read the fucking article. [more inside]
May 12
AskMe Has Changed My Life
Back on April 20--three full weeks ago--I saw this AskMe about Sherlock/Watson fanfic, and idly clicked on it. Then I followed a few links, because why not? I'm a curious sort of person. [more inside]
This thread is a nightmare
Last night I dreamt that some guy found out some supersecret information about the servers that Metafilter runs on and was going to blackmail us! [more inside]
May 10
A Tricky Question, a Disappointing Response.
I'm referring to this question and this response. Look, Unified Theory, I'd like to give you the benefit of the doubt here, and assume that maybe you didn't read the entirety of a rather long and rambly OP. And I actually agree with parts of your post - I hated the way the question was phrased as well, and I agree that the assumption that it's automatically creepy for an older guy to be attracted to a younger woman is both sexist and ageist. And, I agree with the many other posters stating the the OP that she handled the situation in a very naive way, and needs to give serious thought to how she sets her own boundaries in situations like this.
But. [more inside]
Birds do it, bees do it, even couples on AskMe do it...
Good evening. I am considering the purchase of an account on MetaFilter for my fiancee. She may find it of use for work (academic librarianship, cataloging), domestic (cats, pies) and leisure; I've sent her pointers to FPPs on here which she has found of interest, and she may be able to contribute questions and comments to AskMe. But... [more inside]
May 9
Do comments here on Metafilter get "disappeared"?
I have a vague unsubstantiated feeling that some comments I've written got tossed into the memory hole. Am I being paranoid, or is this normal with some justification I'm not aware of? [more inside]
Plate of Beans, Incorporated
So tomorrow marks the three month anniversary of this post wherein a group of us banded together to form a corporation in everybody's favourite game to read about but never play, EVE Online.
This is just an update on what's gone on in New Eden since then, and an invitation to make the leap from reading to playing, and come join us. [more inside]
Clean up on the correspondent party aisle
The post is a "this is a shitty thing that happened" and the discussion has been at about the same level of discourse. [more inside]
May 8
Would anyone like to be Fuelband Friends?
Hello everyone,
I just started using a Nike+ FuelBand bracelet, and I am wondering if other Nike+ using Mefites would be willing to become "friends" so that we can support/motivate one another. We would be able to see one another's fitness progress, and it could be a friendly competition/motivator.
According to Nike, to be able to add one another, we would have share our Nike+ username, email, or our real names.
I'll go first: my Nike+ username is 4ster4.
Thanks in advance for your help, inspiration, and motivation!
Monitor Sanity Fading Fast
Not sure if this was on the Blue or Green (possibly even the Grey), but within the last year or two, I remember a discussion around freeware that automatically adjusted your monitors to the ideal brightness/setting. [more inside]
Don't' Drink The Water
May 7
MetaFilter localization?
Has there been any discussion of setting up a localization effort for MetaFilter, at least for UI and other site elements? If not, what do you think of the idea?
(My search-fu didn't turn up anything previous in the FAQ or MetaTalk.)
Pony Font request OpenDyslexic
"OpenDyslexic is a new open sourced font created to increase readability for readers with dyslexia. The typeface includes regular, bold, italic, and bold-italic styles. It is being updated continually and improved based on input from dyslexic users. There are no restrictions on using OpenDyslexic outside of attribution." [more inside]
May 6
Backdoor FPP?
Is there a consensus on "backdoor FPPs?" I have noticed a few - do people think they unnecessarily steer a thread? Takeover discussion? Provide a new viewpoint and welcome context? [more inside]
He's dead, Jim.
To update followers of the Prenda Law porn-trolling copyright lawyers saga, Judge Wright has just issued a catastrophic order [.pdf] imposing sanctions and making criminal referrals, entertainingly littered with Star Trek references.
Calvin and Charlie Brown, I presume?
Looking for two posts/links about Calvin and the Peanuts characters and what they were like as adults. [more inside]
May 5
MeFi Bat Signal
Is there some sort of informal way that we can self-organize into a network of volunteers that can provide local assistance to AskMefites in need? Or maybe have the option for location information on AskMe questions so that we could receive alerts to local questions a la IRL? Or something? (Apologies in advance -- this is long, half-baked, inarticulate & rambly.) [more inside]
May 4
Deleting Damascus
May 3
diachronic panposticon
anon answers
I'm curious what the status is on the idea of having an anonymous option for answering questions in askme. [more inside]
Could we get an option to APPROVE somebody adding us as a contact?
I know that different people use contacts for different things. I use mine as a mental reference to remember people I admire, so that if I'm ever discussing anything with them, I can remember to be nicer to them and assume more good faith on their part. Others use it to bookmark people whose posts they enjoy reading. Still others do it for networking purposes. Whatever.
Even though contacts aren't reciprocal, it seems somebody odd that we don't have an "opt-out" option that lets us remove people from our contacts list. It seems to me that it would be relatively simple to implement this option, and that the current system as it is set up facilitates both bullying and cyberstalking. Could an option like this be added, please?
May 2
Metafilter in the Scientific Literature
I was just reading this PLOS Biology paper about social media for scientists where I noticed that Metafilter was mentioned as an example of a "Linking Community". Nice work on making it into one of the top biology journals!
Close this thread up.
I don’t want to point out anyone or any thread in particular, but something I find odd; In almost every MT thread associated with any small controversy (and they’re all small) someone will jump in, usually right away, with "we should close this up", which as far as I can tell is not up for vote but at the discretion of the mods. [more inside]
Next up, the Achewood strip generator!
Tweeted by User Number One himself, a creation of Matt Round: Meta Mitchell & Webfilter, pairing a Mitchell & Webb sketch to almost any (every?) Metafilter post topic.
RIP liosliath
What the heck is up with deleting posts?
It seems that any interesting posts are getting deleted lately.
Just now, The story about the bolt action rifle handed to the kid as a play toy - deleted.
The story about the movies to help educate people before they make end of life decisions, deleted.
And a few others that upset me at the time, before I noticed the trend... can't recall specifics.
Is someone trying to push metafilter in a new direction, or what?
My God, it's full of links!
Do we know what post has the largest number of links ever? I would imagine this current post would be a contender.
May 1
Is there a way to find most favorited posts with [xyz] tag?
We can find "popular favorites" going back a day, week, month, all-time. And we can find all of the posts with a given tag. Is there a way to combine these two features, to find, say, "Posts with the tag [books] that have been most favorited?"
Writing to find a post about writing
Or it could have been a comment, about writing or planning a book. It went something like this. (I think it was askme, but I'm not sure).
1. Event
2. Climax
3. Ending
And then
1a. Lead up to event.
1b. actual event.
1c. results of event.
2a. Lead up to climax
2b. Almost climax
2c. Climax!
Showing a hierarchical method of laying out a story, so that the paragraphs practically write themselves.
Thank you.