Quick and lazy newsfilter posts. October 16, 2003 2:19 PM   Subscribe

Double-posts leak in. (1, 2)
posted by insomnyuk to Etiquette/Policy at 2:19 PM (42 comments total)

C'mon folks, this is NewsFilter at its worst. This stuff has been on Drudge since early this morning. If I posted something that had already appeared on ObscureStore, I'm sure some iconoclast would be berating me by now.
posted by insomnyuk at 2:20 PM on October 16, 2003


Yeah, it's Newsfilter, but it's comedy gold.
posted by bshort at 2:22 PM on October 16, 2003


Do we need a MeTa callout for a simple double post? The point of talking about them is if one is unsure about something and wants to get a consensus / debate about it. All this does is take up Matt's time when he could be deleting the thread in question already.
posted by Space Coyote at 2:25 PM on October 16, 2003


What are you getting aaronshaf for his wedding, insomnyuk? Leather-bound editions of your MeTa comments?
posted by stonerose at 2:26 PM on October 16, 2003


Since the two were so close together, it's probably a race condition -- one was posted while the other was still editing.
There might be technical measures you could take to deal with that, but I'm not sure it's worth it.
posted by tingley at 2:27 PM on October 16, 2003


I disagree. I think this is a perfect example of lazy posting, thus the callout. I'm posting this to point out that people ought to put a little bit more thought and effort in their posts, something ignored with the all too frequent news posts made here. I know this is the pot calling the kettle black, since I've posted news before, but still. If its item one on the DrudgeReport, Yahoo! News and Google News, isn't there some other more elegant way to discuss the issue (such as including a history of key leaks to the press during Bush's administration, and the implications).
posted by insomnyuk at 2:29 PM on October 16, 2003


it's probably a race condition

And Lord knows we don't do race well.
posted by yhbc at 2:30 PM on October 16, 2003


stonerose: actually I'm not sure, but right now I'm leaning towards chocolate body paint.
posted by insomnyuk at 2:31 PM on October 16, 2003


People, CHILL OUT AND STOP POSTING YOUR EVERY FUCKING THOUGHT TO META.

Matt will delete it when he stops by and sees it, just move one.

That is all.
posted by elwoodwiles at 2:32 PM on October 16, 2003


As the culprit of the actual double, I'd like to confirm that yes, it's a race condition.

What follows was the posting process:
1. I saw the story.
2. I checked to make sure no one else posted it.
3. I ran multiple queries through MeFi search and google search.
4. I composed the post, carefully thinking about whether I wanted to post something that was funny, but was sure to be called out as a NewsFilter post.
5. I submitted the post, whereupon the form spun for a while and then barfed up a CF error.
6. I loaded MeFi in a separate window where I could see my post had gone through....immediately preceeded by Dejah's post.
7. I smacked myself in the forehead.


Sometimes there's no protection against two great minds thinking alike :-)
posted by bshort at 2:32 PM on October 16, 2003


I agree...when posts are this close together, it's obvious that it was two posters at the same time. And the Israel stories aren't anywhere on the FP.

And bshort...jinx right back atcha. heh.
posted by dejah420 at 2:37 PM on October 16, 2003


1) Welcome to the new MetaFilter. We have lots of news stories, we discuss culture, we post links to wacky news, we bash Bush. That's the way it is. I don't like it, in fact very few seem to, but there it is. It won't change. We've tried. Seriously.

2) Two posts that essentially get posted at the same time can hardly be hauled into MetaTalk as double posts. It was an honest mistake.

3) Unclench. Seriously. Hauling a post into MetaTalk with the justification that someone might have hauled you into MetaTalk for something else is lame.
posted by y6y6y6 at 2:37 PM on October 16, 2003


Well, I've been told to chill out before elwood.

Just keeping the taskforce alive.
posted by insomnyuk at 2:40 PM on October 16, 2003


did you notice the doublepost or did someone leak the information to you?
posted by th3ph17 at 2:44 PM on October 16, 2003


y6y6y6: If so few like it, why has it become the way it is. That makes very little sense.
posted by xmutex at 2:50 PM on October 16, 2003


y6y6y6 is invoking the silent majority.

People could very easily use WarFilter, and I wish it would get more traffic, but the temptation of broadcasting to the widest possible audience, whether interested or not, seems to be hard to overcome.
posted by Space Coyote at 2:55 PM on October 16, 2003


Ah, y6y6y6--is he or is he not our very own plushie Cthulhu?
posted by y2karl at 3:12 PM on October 16, 2003


"If so few like it, why has it become the way it is. That makes very little sense."

I agree. So where am I in error?

I guess my explanation would be two fold: 1) Matt takes a light touch when it comes to editing or steering. 2) Mammals tend to go for the low hanging fruit.

The "NewsFilter is bad" thing has been around for a long time and few argue against it. Maybe I'm wrong, and this is just my own bias, but it seems people don't think the best use of MetaFilter is for the same old discussions about the same old political topics. Still, we seem drawn to this like flies to poop.

Am I wrong about this? Do people not think the site would be better without the Bush bashing and the op-ed and the IraqGate?

I think it's the way it is because Matt let's it become whatever it's going to become, and collectively we lack the will to avoid beating the dead horse.
posted by y6y6y6 at 3:14 PM on October 16, 2003


senior metafilter officials reveal that an innocent mistake was not worthy of a metatalk thread?
posted by amberglow at 3:15 PM on October 16, 2003


"y6y6y6 - plushie Cthulhu?"

Oh! Oh! I like that.

My girlfriend has one of those you know. I think it looks silly, but I love the concept.

Yes, I am indeed your official plushie Cthulhu
posted by y6y6y6 at 3:18 PM on October 16, 2003


A couple of months ago when people were complaining that too many liberal articles were getting posted. Topics are posted because people find them interesting. If you don't like what's posted, post something that you do like.

But stop dragging every fucking post into MeTa. It's tiresome.
posted by bshort at 3:19 PM on October 16, 2003


Sometimes there's no protection against two great minds thinking alike :-)
Or fools not differing.

y6y6y6 is right in that there does not seem to be any disagreement with the "newsfilter is bad" opinion and a deer in the headlights comes to mind when wondering why people continue to disparage these posts and almost concurrently add one to the pile themselves. I guess what is important to one is deathly boring to others - almost anything related to American politics is a complete yawn to me (and usually totally incomprehensible as well), but gold to others.

While we need to be continually aware of maintaining the balance in the content here, there needs to be a certain amount of "live and let live" as well. Certainly there needs to be far more of that attitude than there is at present.

On preview - what bshort said.
posted by dg at 3:22 PM on October 16, 2003


Right there with elwoodwiles. Jesus Fucking God, does every FPP have to have a MeTa callout?
posted by subgenius at 3:37 PM on October 16, 2003


"If you don't like what's posted, post something that you do like."

I hear this a lot, and it doesn't make much sense to me. Post something you *do* like??? Isn't this what's happening now? If I have something good to post I always post it. Are there people who are actually holding back on great posts because they aren't news or op-ed?

I think you miss the point. People are *already* posting the good stuff. The point is to get rid of the bad.
posted by y6y6y6 at 3:39 PM on October 16, 2003


Jesus Fucking God, does every FPP have to have a MeTa callout?

Just wait until every comment has a MeTa callout. And you think it's bad now.
posted by scarabic at 4:01 PM on October 16, 2003


If all these "disapproved-of" posts are, like happening, well, so what? Posting these stories doesn't stop the "good" stories from being posted. All you'd get with them cut out, is fewer stories, fewer links posted. The "good" stuff isn't inhibited by the other stuff.

I seem to manage to skip the stories that simply *don't interest* me, regardless of any other evaluation. It's a piece of cake. What mental deficiency prevents others....

.. or is it a control thing: MeFi In My Image?
posted by Blue Stone at 4:36 PM on October 16, 2003


Metafilter is a Self-Police state.
posted by crunchland at 5:18 PM on October 16, 2003


.. or is it a control thing: MeFi In My Image?

You bet it is. It's all about me, Me, ME! Serve me an epicurean feast, dammit, not a steady diet of plain hamburgers. I want to listen to a Mozart opera performed by gleeful monkeys wearing pope hats, not a one-note piano recital given by a some glum idiot savant in high-water pants. I'm jonesin' for an Jell-O orgy between the Monster Raving Looney Party and the Daughters of the American Revolution, but instead, I get Howard Dean entering George Bush from the rear every frickin' night.
posted by MrBaliHai at 5:38 PM on October 16, 2003


Good Gravy, MrBaliHai!

(hat tip, efalk)
posted by iconomy at 5:45 PM on October 16, 2003


smock.
posted by quonsar at 5:46 PM on October 16, 2003


"Yes, I am indeed your official plushie Cthulhu"

Just when I think y6 can't get any more out there...
Someone should remind him he said this when he's ranting about something at a later date.

"I want to listen to a Mozart opera performed by gleeful monkeys wearing pope hats"

Now that's something I'd be interested in seeing - is that happening in another thread I haven't read yet?

Uh oh, quonsar said smock.
Now we all have to get into the tea chest and sing.
posted by batgrlHG at 6:28 PM on October 16, 2003


smock.

Spock?
posted by MrBaliHai at 7:02 PM on October 16, 2003


*ding*

Good call 'nyuk.
posted by hama7 at 7:04 PM on October 16, 2003


Smock Family
posted by clavdivs at 7:41 PM on October 16, 2003


And did those smocks...
in ancient times...
posted by soyjoy at 8:06 PM on October 16, 2003


...walk upon MeTa's mountains gray?
posted by languagehat at 8:56 PM on October 16, 2003


I'm with y'all, I can't believe the devastatingly poor quality of mefi. makes me sick. I hate its guts.
posted by mcsweetie at 9:15 PM on October 16, 2003


But stop dragging every fucking post into MeTa. It's tiresome.

No.

Stop (and I mean all you whining bastards (*smooch*), not just bshort) stop shooting the fucking messenger every time someone starts a Metatalk thread that is in any way critical or -- not to put to fine a point on it, but -- actually fullfilling the function for which Metatalk was intended.

In other words, no matter how often it is claimed that Metatalk threads that fall into the self-policing bin are 'picky' or 'anal' or 'cheese-hostess-like' that doesn't make it true. Laissez-faire leads to lowest common denominator.

If you disagree with someone's criticism of something they feel is inappropriate, disagree, but don't try to shut the the whole process down, in favour of smocky smock harpoon graveyard-whistling.


mmkay?
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:31 PM on October 16, 2003


*whistles*
posted by quonsar at 10:42 PM on October 16, 2003


ph'nglui mglw'nafh y6y6y6 mefi wgah'nagl fhtagn.

and so forth...

(hmm, does cthulhu eat hall-monitors?)
posted by dorian at 11:30 PM on October 16, 2003


(...that little screed up there could have used an editing-pass to tone it down a bit, but the wife was threatening to unplug the computer, so I hadda commit before it was too late. Back home now, and I want to mention that I don't have much of a problem in particular with quonsar smocking all the way to the bank, really; it just seemed like the nearest rhetorical branch sitting on the ground that I could pick up and brandish while making the Angry Face.)
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:55 AM on October 17, 2003


<sing-song>

Stavros is pussy-whipped.

</runs away>
posted by Blue Stone at 10:06 AM on October 17, 2003


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