*cue spooky music*

September 14, 2007 5:07 PM

MetaTalk

(found in the course of my workday minding the dollar cart at the used bookstore. eerie.)

posted by jonmc to MetaFilter-Related at 5:07 PM (63 comments total)

"how to uncover the hidden meanings in what people say" hmmmmm
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:09 PM on September 14, 2007

(why is this not showing up when I refresh the MeTa front page?)
posted by jonmc at 5:15 PM on September 14, 2007

(There's a brief cache period—up to five minutes, I think, depending on your timing—during which new posts don't show up. Or something. It's there now, anyway.)
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:22 PM on September 14, 2007

Someone sent me a copy a few years ago!
posted by mathowie (staff) at 5:22 PM on September 14, 2007

Sometimes posts take a moment to show up.
posted by Karmakaze at 5:22 PM on September 14, 2007

Love the shocked/scared expression on your face..
posted by davey_darling at 5:25 PM on September 14, 2007

[That book is now closed]
posted by CKmtl at 5:26 PM on September 14, 2007 [13 favorites]

So, what exactly are you trying to say, jonmc?
posted by lekvar at 5:29 PM on September 14, 2007

Dude! Are you working at the Strand? Those price tags look awfully familiar.
posted by GrammarMoses at 5:37 PM on September 14, 2007

You all have great personalities.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:44 PM on September 14, 2007

I'll never tell.
posted by jonmc at 5:44 PM on September 14, 2007

And the Boss on the wall.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:46 PM on September 14, 2007

God, I love that place.
posted by GrammarMoses at 5:49 PM on September 14, 2007

Now in paperback. With a chapter on lame callouts, and how to flameout with style.
posted by nola at 5:58 PM on September 14, 2007

God, I love that place.

You must have never been to Powell's.
posted by dersins at 5:58 PM on September 14, 2007

cool :)
posted by caddis at 6:08 PM on September 14, 2007

even more cool, the hat

Go Mets!
posted by caddis at 6:09 PM on September 14, 2007

Never even been to Oh-ree-gohn. Powell's is but a shining beacon in the West to me.
posted by GrammarMoses at 6:10 PM on September 14, 2007

So you bought it, right, jonmc?
posted by BeerFilter at 6:16 PM on September 14, 2007

Well, duh. (It helps that I'm the guy who prices the 'clearance books.' so it was only 48 cents.)
posted by jonmc at 6:21 PM on September 14, 2007 [3 favorites]

So now who's the one to get the shot thrown at their "literal" can of rice?
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 6:27 PM on September 14, 2007

I can't wait for the movie!
posted by iamkimiam at 6:28 PM on September 14, 2007

I demand to be played by John Cusack.
posted by jonmc at 6:32 PM on September 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

What a great find! Has anyone actually read that?

jonmc, publish date?
posted by snsranch at 6:43 PM on September 14, 2007

1973.
posted by jonmc at 6:53 PM on September 14, 2007

even more cool, the hat
Go Mets!

Took da woids right outta my mout'.
posted by languagehat at 6:56 PM on September 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

Want your own copy? From $1.00 + $3.00 shipping.
posted by wendell at 7:25 PM on September 14, 2007

You have an earring.

What are you, some kind of fag?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 7:35 PM on September 14, 2007

I think I read it once... It begins with an overly-dramatic foreword, then seems to argue its own assertions for several chapters, before trailing of into a series of increasingly irrelevant anecdotes and in-jokes. I couldn't finish it, though, because when the librarian was checking it out for me, they ripped out the last few pages.
posted by BeerFilter at 7:35 PM on September 14, 2007 [15 favorites]

Am I the only one who's occasionally ended up at metatalk.com?
posted by unknowncommand at 7:37 PM on September 14, 2007

I couldn't finish it, though, because when the librarian was checking it out for me, they ripped out the last few pages.

Only a true initiate to the cabal is allowed to read the last two pages. Perhaps I have said too much.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:39 PM on September 14, 2007

jonmc is the cabal, there are no others
posted by caddis at 7:42 PM on September 14, 2007

I mean, what do you think happened to users 2 through 57?
posted by caddis at 7:45 PM on September 14, 2007

If I only still had my flickr account, right now there would be a hell of a link to a picture captioned L - R: anathema, troutfishing, mr_crash_davis' earring
posted by yhbc at 7:47 PM on September 14, 2007

Love the shocked/scared expression on your face..

We've secretly replaced their usual back covers with goatse!
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:49 PM on September 14, 2007

There is no cabal.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:44 PM on September 14, 2007

Well, outside of jonmc, no, there's not.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:49 PM on September 14, 2007

what i hate is after the first edition, they took all the pictures out
posted by pyramid termite at 8:59 PM on September 14, 2007 [5 favorites]

Pyramid, c'mon, through an ISBN exploit other authors would have been able to put parts of their books on any page containing a picture.

They still have the <ink> tag, though.
posted by maxwelton at 9:45 PM on September 14, 2007 [3 favorites]

Only the first half has photos.
posted by smackfu at 10:20 PM on September 14, 2007

Oh, someone already made that joke. Oops.
posted by smackfu at 10:20 PM on September 14, 2007

This should be mailed to the next large meetup, where it can be featured in pictures of the revelry, and then forwarded to the next large meetup, etc, etc.
posted by davidmsc at 11:16 PM on September 14, 2007

I think jonmc himself should be flown to all meetups, worldwide, to join in the revelry.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 11:25 PM on September 14, 2007

Eponysterical?!
posted by Poolio at 12:11 AM on September 15, 2007

I really wanted that guy in the previous thumbnail to be eating a plate of beans.
posted by sonofslim at 5:07 AM on September 15, 2007

"If I only still had my flickr account, right now there would be a hell of a link to a picture captioned L - R: anathema, troutfishing, mr_crash_davis' earring"

I deny that categorically, as long as you still don't have a Flickr account.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:29 AM on September 15, 2007

This book has too many characters.
posted by brain_drain at 8:36 AM on September 15, 2007

There is no cabal.

There is a cabal, you just have to read between the lines.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:24 AM on September 15, 2007

Bah, I'm still waiting for MetaTalk: the Musical.
posted by quin at 9:47 AM on September 15, 2007

"Now bring me user 24601!"

Roger Dodger missed a golden opportunity when he didn't choose Jean Valjean as a user name.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 10:01 AM on September 15, 2007

Forward by Mathowie: "I had to have this big fucking idea."

Chapter 1: The Founders -- "Get off my Lawn!"
Chapter 2: The server's down again.
Chapter 3: Registration closed, like, forever.
Chapter 4: Fi' Dolla n00bs.
Chapter 6: Why We Cant Have Nice Things, like the IMG tag.
Chapter 6: All downhill from here.
Chapter 7: The advent of Cortex.
Chapter 8: Famous Flameouts of the first 8 years.

apendix: Snark, pancakes, and inside jokes explained.
posted by Devils Rancher at 12:25 PM on September 15, 2007 [2 favorites]

Special bonus in the limited edition, signed copy: a pony!
posted by misha at 1:41 PM on September 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

But wait! There's more! For the next five hundred callers, we'll throw in a free bucket of cocks! That's a $19.95 value, yours free!

Operators are standing by!
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:57 PM on September 15, 2007

Today and only today, you'll receive chapter 5: Rejected Color Schemes for the MetaSites!
posted by heeeraldo at 5:01 PM on September 15, 2007

> Am I the only one who's occasionally ended up at metatalk.com?

I've never done that, but I am downright embarrassed by how many hundreds of times I've typed in "meatfilter.com"
posted by churl at 6:13 PM on September 15, 2007

We do not claim that the portrait we present here is a true one, only that it comes close.
posted by Roger Dodger at 6:50 PM on September 15, 2007

In some sense, I owe my career in the software business to the guy who wrote that book.

Gerard Nierenberg was a choleric little guy with a regrettable habit of referring to himself in his promotional materials as "the father of modern negotiating."

I worked for his son Roy (who referred to himself jocularly as the brother of modern negotiating) in 1985 at a little company in Berkeley called Experience in Software. Which was a total misnomer, since nobody involved had any software experience whatsoever. I see to my astonishment that Roy is still at it.

Roy hired me, a delicate green Comp Lit graduate, as a programmer for his text-heavy software products, on the enlightened basis that it would be easier to teach a writer how to program than the other way around.

I didn't learn much programming, but that was my start in the software business, which paid my bills for many years. And Gerard Nierenberg, author of Metatalk, at that time bankrolled his son's company. So thanks to the Nierenbergs, wherever they may be!
posted by ottereroticist at 7:09 PM on September 15, 2007 [5 favorites]

I love it when real life intersects these posts. That's a cool story.
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:31 PM on September 15, 2007

The special 20th anniversary edition is a pop-up book with a built-in camera, and yes, it vibrates.
posted by Lush at 10:33 PM on September 15, 2007

The white background on the cover of that book looks very professional.

Why yes, this is at least the third time I've made some variant of this joke! Thanks for asking!
posted by Kwine at 10:37 AM on September 16, 2007

I done saw a copy my own self not long ago. Didn't think to announce it to the whole world, though.
posted by Plutor at 7:27 PM on September 16, 2007

Ha! I knew I saw that on Flickr awhile back.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:30 PM on September 16, 2007

Didn't think to announce it to the whole world, though.

You also forgot to include yourself in the picture. You obviously need a class in self promotion. Jonmc does it best. Email him.
posted by Dennis Murphy at 2:54 PM on September 17, 2007