Best of Metafilter: August 1, 2005

August 2, 2005 7:32 PM

Well, no need to wait any longer. We have a winner....
[lots more inside]
posted by anastasiav to MetaFilter-Related at 7:32 PM (35 comments total)

First, a couple shoutouts:

Everyone please wish the always groovy stavrosthewonderchicken a happy 40th birthday! Go. Do it now. I'll wait.

Second, my thanks to Y6Y6Y6 and his excellent (but now retired) MF Distilled for planting this idea in the back of my mind, long, long ago. I've stolen copied his idea somewhat. I hope he doesn't mind. Thanks are also due to amberglow -- we may disagree, but our disagreement brought this idea from the back of my mind to the front.

Finally, I want to thank everyone who posted, commented, and supported this silly little spur-of-the moment idea. I hope you had as much fun with it as I did.

Best of Metafilter for August 1st, 2005

(Amoung the) Best "First Posts" (tie): -harlequin-'s Real X-Files and kimchi's build your own brick oven

Post that will stick with me for days: Hank's Next to Last Words from Columbia

Best Dull Topic: RonZ's Watching Grass Grow (plep certified as great!)

Best Double Post: dodgygeezer's Mingering Mike

Best Post That Seems Somewhat Familiar: DeepFriedTwinkies Pancake Haiku

Best Post About Hull: sgt.serenity's VR Tour of Hull

Best Urban Decay: carter's London Necropolis Railway

Best Surprise: event's Netlag (also a first post)

Most Educational Post: OmieWise's New Alchemy Institute

Best Via: dobbs' Ping Pong Remix, which led me to discover Art Dorks

Best Post I sent to my Mom: mygothlaundry's Useful Reference for the Gardener

Most Heartwrenching Post: ewagoner's Janjaweed in Crayon

Best New Obsession: CrunchyFrog's Urban Dead Game

Best 'Don't Try This At Home Work': mr_crash_davis' Office Guns

Best Thinking Outside The Box: growabrian's 'Firsts' Post
good idea, flawed implementation

Best use of Unicode: Languagehat's Gematria

Best Comments & Conversation (tie): fatllama's Zombie Flash Mob and goatdog's Socialist Film Reviews

Honourable Mention: Gyan's Mumbai Floods
which would have easily been in the top five had it been posted four hours later

My Top Five Favorites (in order of time posted):

Servo5678: Dead Games Tell No Tales
Servo5678 has been a Mefi member for three and a half years -- since December 2001 -- and this is his first post. Lost Levels Online is fun, well designed, and the post was well written and highlighted some great parts of the site I would have otherwise missed.

steef: Ern Malley. I was first attracted to the phrase Angry Penguins. Who can resist Angry Penguins? Certainly not I! But then the poems and the scandal and the story drew me in. Great, well-designed and deep site. Authoritative but independent. I lost an hour there last night when I should have been sleeping.

crunchland: Cambridge in Colour. Easily the most beautiful post of the day, from a poster who has a long and distinguished posting history (and a lower user number than either of mine). The only post that not one but two people emailed me to lobby for -- one who offered a most unusual bribe (aside to correspondent: Thanks, but I think my boyfriend would be very upset if I took you up on your generous offer) I've never been to Cambridge but I spent the best year of my life in Oxford, and I do remember the light just the way the pictures show it....

WolfDaddy: Infinite Flickr. The only link I saw today that I had to immediately email to six of my friends. I have no idea how they did it, but I love it.

LeeJay: Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library's online collection of digital images. As a medievalist, this was a treasure trove unknown to me. I've been admiring her taste in links since she posted The Passion of the Tchotchke, and I think I'll still be thanking her in a year for bringing my attention to this link.

So, I thought and thought. I tossed and turned. I read and read. I put off packing for my vacation, eating my supper, and doing my work. And then, a bit ago, I emailed the person who posted my favorite post of the day, and offered steef the prize.

After all, who can resist Angry Penguins?

I'd love to know what you would have picked, and why.....
posted by anastasiav at 7:34 PM on August 2, 2005

Thanks are also due to amberglow -- we may disagree, but our disagreement brought this idea from the back of my mind to the front.
thanks, hon--you know i never meant to be a bitch about it, and if i was, i'm sorry. I truly feel that Mefi should always be open to all sorts of links and that makes each different type shine all the more. : >

And thank you again for recognizing more than one person. crunchland totally rocks, and always has--he's posted so much wonderful stuff for ages--i'm glad to see him recognized for it as one of the best.
posted by amberglow at 7:48 PM on August 2, 2005

Crunchland rocks. T'is true.

I want to hear more about the bribe.
posted by iconomy at 7:52 PM on August 2, 2005

Speech! Speech!
posted by loquacious at 7:54 PM on August 2, 2005

[fixed the crunchland link]
posted by jessamyn at 7:56 PM on August 2, 2005

anastasiav rocks...

my dear, you must be exhausted, now rest your head on this lavender scented pillow and sleep for a few days while the MeFi fairies sprinkle magic sleepy dust on your eyes and you will awake refreshed in mind and spirit.

I'll personally be popping back to August 1st for some time to come to fully explore.

Thanks to everyone who posted too.. and congrats to steef.
posted by penguin pie at 7:58 PM on August 2, 2005

I woulda picked crunchland, but great links all around and a great idea for a contest. We're all better for it having taken place so thanks again anastasiav.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 8:06 PM on August 2, 2005

Congratulations steef! And thank you anastasiav for such a great idea. It was a terrific day of posts.
posted by LeeJay at 8:29 PM on August 2, 2005

Had fun (and thanks kevspace for letting me steal from your blog). Thanks so much anastasiav for carrying your idea through to the end, must have been tough to choose. Congrats steef!
posted by WolfDaddy at 8:54 PM on August 2, 2005

Bravo to Anastasiav for the diplomacy to mention everyone who participated. I know I don't have the patience or grace to have handled it so well.
posted by crunchland at 9:05 PM on August 2, 2005

Even better, there was some sort of spillover effect as there are quite a few great links today too.
posted by vacapinta at 9:16 PM on August 2, 2005

Well done everyone, and thanks for the birthday shoutout, anastasiav. It means a lot to me, with family and friends, most of them, so far away. I'm saving the linkfest until the weekend, when I can explore at leisure.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:24 PM on August 2, 2005

Grace is the word, yes.

amberglow: and if i was, i'm sorry

That's great, amber, because you were.
posted by mediareport at 9:27 PM on August 2, 2005

happy


40


stavros!
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:37 PM on August 2, 2005

Congragulations steef. I vaguely remember hearing bits of the story. I shall surely get to the links soon.
Thanks again anastasiav. Take a gold star from petty cash and have a nice vacation.
Happy Birthday stavrosthewonderchicken. I had my 40th in SEasia. Have a blast.
posted by peacay at 9:47 PM on August 2, 2005

Happy b'day, stavros. Or, if you prefer, happy bidet!
posted by me3dia at 10:33 PM on August 2, 2005

Happy BDay!

Thanks, Ana! You made MeFi rock!
posted by five fresh fish at 11:16 PM on August 2, 2005

Best Double Post: dodgygeezer's Mingering Mike

Thanks and all, but it wasn't a double.
posted by dodgygeezer at 11:57 PM on August 2, 2005

I too would have gone for the Angry Penguin.
posted by seanyboy at 1:51 AM on August 3, 2005

Thanks, anastasiav, you helped renew the front page, if just for a day or two, to its former glory!
posted by wallaby at 3:39 AM on August 3, 2005

I AM A WINNAR !


happy 40th Stav !
posted by sgt.serenity at 4:33 AM on August 3, 2005

Thanks for the shout-out, anastasiav. Yes, I'm a long time lurker who decided to finally jump into the Front Page Pool. My second career is video game-intensive, so it seemed natural to choose a game-related FPP to jump into the pool feet-first.

Congrats to steef, too!
posted by Servo5678 at 5:11 AM on August 3, 2005

1. This was very cool...
2. ...once. I'm way in favor of not having any more 'sponsored days' unless the sponsorship is anonymous. And possibly even unannounced.
posted by Wolfdog at 5:13 AM on August 3, 2005

anastasiav-Thanks for the contest, and for the very nice way you handled announcing the winner. Good job all around.
posted by OmieWise at 5:21 AM on August 3, 2005

I hope that August 1st, 2005 will be remembered as a day on which, truly, we all got cameras. Thanks, everybody, for a good, good day, everyday. (And hippo birdie, wondrous chicken!)

Three cheers for anastasiav! Hip, hip!
posted by steef at 5:23 AM on August 3, 2005

hoo-ray!
posted by zpousman at 6:37 AM on August 3, 2005

That went really, really well. Thanks, anastasiav, for expertly implementing a wonderful idea.

And happy belated 40, Stav! **SMOOCH!**
posted by frykitty at 7:25 AM on August 3, 2005

steef's was good, yes, but I would've gone with LeeJay's treasure trove from Yale University. I urge everyone to go back for another look at that - it really has something for everyone.

Also, since anastasiav did not see fit to award me a consolation prize, I will nominate my own for
Best FPP That Could Only Have Been Made on That Day.
posted by soyjoy at 7:28 AM on August 3, 2005

Thanks, ana!
posted by 김치 at 7:50 AM on August 3, 2005

Thanks for the mention, anastasiav, and happy birthday, stav!

I think steef fully deserved the award; I would have been equally happy had it gone to LeeJay (but I may be influenced by fond memories of the Beinecke).

Wolfdog: What exactly is your problem with this? You would prefer the usual parade of crap posts? God forbid anyone should try to do better... except this once, of course. Very strange.
posted by languagehat at 8:06 AM on August 3, 2005

Yay crunchland!

I was the other emailer to Anastasiav, having overcome my innate distaste for all things Cambridge after seeing your post. That was a spectacular post, quite literally folks.

I see the point in making the judging anonymous, but in the end the impact has been beneficial - maybe because of anastasia's deft & impartial handling. How many, in truth, could be so solomomesque in their assessment?
posted by dash_slot- at 8:20 AM on August 3, 2005

You would prefer the usual parade of crap posts?
'Course not. I hope my (brief) posting and commenting history says differently, anyway.

The contest was a great reminder of how good things can be. I hope it serves to set a high standard that stands for a long time, that people will be left with a fresh outlook on what makes a good post and we all stay motivated to post the best and only the best - because it makes the place more interesting, more fun, more distinguished.

I don't want to see folks waiting for the next gift certificate before they share something cool, I don't want to see people trying to second-guess what might push a "day sponsor's" buttons, and I don't want to anyone to get the idea they can buy the front page for a day.

That's all. Remember, my #1 point was that it was a very cool event.
posted by Wolfdog at 8:28 AM on August 3, 2005

How many, in truth, could be so solomonesque in their assessment?
Not many.
posted by Wolfdog at 8:31 AM on August 3, 2005

Hey Jessamyn or Matt - might be a good time to update the sideblog, no?
posted by soyjoy at 12:01 PM on August 3, 2005

So it's updated, but I just want to say... THANK YOU to anastasiav. Seems like this entire week has rocked (lacking better term). It's only been done 10,000 times this week, but... METAFILTER: It rocks.
posted by IndpMed at 11:54 PM on August 4, 2005