Wot? My thread got secreted! December 12, 2010 12:51 PM Subscribe
It's a little ironic that my MeFi post on the supposed Julian Assange OkCupid profile has been censored.
I know it might not be true, but in terms of following the whole Assange and Wikileaks saga I think it's quite relevant. I must admit, I am new here, so I may have broken some rule, but yeah, I was a little surprised to see an Assange thread undergo rendition.
I know it might not be true, but in terms of following the whole Assange and Wikileaks saga I think it's quite relevant. I must admit, I am new here, so I may have broken some rule, but yeah, I was a little surprised to see an Assange thread undergo rendition.
How can I link to it if it was deleted? I went to the front page and it was gone so... how can I link to it?
posted by dougrayrankin at 12:55 PM on December 12, 2010
posted by dougrayrankin at 12:55 PM on December 12, 2010
I am being to think Assange is some kind of perpetual motion machine.
posted by The Whelk at 12:55 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 12:55 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
Sometimes I think that the functionality of the Deleted Posts greasemonkey script should just be a part of the site, something you could enable or disable in your profile prefs.
posted by kenko at 12:57 PM on December 12, 2010 [33 favorites]
posted by kenko at 12:57 PM on December 12, 2010 [33 favorites]
Such a woman should spirited and playful, of high intelligence, though not necessarily formally educated, have spunk, class & inner strength and be able to think strategically about the world and the people she cares about.
OMG, I think I'm Julian Assange's dream woman.
Western culture seems to forge women that are valueless and inane.
Eeeee, never mind.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:58 PM on December 12, 2010 [23 favorites]
OMG, I think I'm Julian Assange's dream woman.
Western culture seems to forge women that are valueless and inane.
Eeeee, never mind.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:58 PM on December 12, 2010 [23 favorites]
Having your post get closed up because it's been posted before in a still-open thread is not exactly what I'd call censorship.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 12:58 PM on December 12, 2010 [19 favorites]
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 12:58 PM on December 12, 2010 [19 favorites]
Sorry, didn't realise it was a double. Which thread was it posted in?
posted by dougrayrankin at 12:59 PM on December 12, 2010
posted by dougrayrankin at 12:59 PM on December 12, 2010
How can I link to it if it was deleted? I went to the front page and it was gone so... how can I link to it?
The MeMail you get from mathowie saying "Success, your MetaFilter post is live" will have a link to the thread which stays the same even if the thread is deleted [i.e. you can see the thread there even though the post itself doesn't show up on the front page].
And I probably should have dropped you a note dougrayrankin and I apologize for that. Over the past few weeks we've been playing whack-a-mole with Assange/Wikileaks posts and have had to make some judgment calls on posts on these topics that make it to the front page. Our general approach lately has been "hey if this is being discussed in another thread (as the Assange OKC page is) it's probably not necessary to make a whole new post about it"
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:00 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
The MeMail you get from mathowie saying "Success, your MetaFilter post is live" will have a link to the thread which stays the same even if the thread is deleted [i.e. you can see the thread there even though the post itself doesn't show up on the front page].
And I probably should have dropped you a note dougrayrankin and I apologize for that. Over the past few weeks we've been playing whack-a-mole with Assange/Wikileaks posts and have had to make some judgment calls on posts on these topics that make it to the front page. Our general approach lately has been "hey if this is being discussed in another thread (as the Assange OKC page is) it's probably not necessary to make a whole new post about it"
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:00 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
I know it might not be true, but in terms of following the whole Assange and Wikileaks saga I think it's quite relevant. I must admit, I am new here, so I may have broken some rule, but yeah, I was a little surprised to see an Assange thread undergo rendition.
The rule is that you post it in one of the 3 or 4 open wikileaks threads that are already out there.
At this point, unless something world shattering happens, I doubt another wikileaks post will fly for a while.
posted by empath at 1:00 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
The rule is that you post it in one of the 3 or 4 open wikileaks threads that are already out there.
At this point, unless something world shattering happens, I doubt another wikileaks post will fly for a while.
posted by empath at 1:00 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
There have been so many wikileaks posts that if you are going to do something about Assange or wikileaks, it has to be a very strong post to survive. Many wikileaks threads are still open, so there's no need to take up front page real estate with that underwhelming link.
posted by Roger Dodger at 1:00 PM on December 12, 2010
posted by Roger Dodger at 1:00 PM on December 12, 2010
Woah, he and I are an 86% match? I love that he took a D&D alignment test and scored "chaotic neutral."
posted by the_bone at 1:01 PM on December 12, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by the_bone at 1:01 PM on December 12, 2010 [4 favorites]
Forgive me, I'm from a more "forum" internet background and for me, new development equals new topic.
posted by dougrayrankin at 1:01 PM on December 12, 2010
posted by dougrayrankin at 1:01 PM on December 12, 2010
You're not allowed to use the word censorship on Metatalk.
posted by stinkycheese at 1:02 PM on December 12, 2010 [16 favorites]
posted by stinkycheese at 1:02 PM on December 12, 2010 [16 favorites]
And this is the thread where it's being discussed. Granted not everyone wants to dive into a 1000+ thread about Wikileaks/Assange, but having ten threads all pop up on different small aspects of this winds up being complicated to moderate and fracticious for people interested in the topic. There's no perfect solution to this situation. MeFi is not an all purpose "discuss the news" site though people who like discussing the news are some of the people who congregate here.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:04 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:04 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
Several things (and I'm not a moderator here, so take it as you will):
- If there's already an open post on a topic—especially hot-button news topics—it's advisable to post your links there. Every little development doesn't need its own post.
- Whenever you make a post to MetaFilter or any subsite you should receive a MeMail from mathowie telling you you've succeeded in making a post and offering a link to it (as well as a link to the contact form in case you need to take up any issues with the mods directly, like, ahem, having them explain a deletion).
- You are not being censored, as technically only governments can censor. What has happened to you is that you are the unfortunate victim of your own poor judgement.
- Lurk more.
On preview, jessamyn is a moderator; listen to her.
posted by carsonb at 1:04 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
- If there's already an open post on a topic—especially hot-button news topics—it's advisable to post your links there. Every little development doesn't need its own post.
- Whenever you make a post to MetaFilter or any subsite you should receive a MeMail from mathowie telling you you've succeeded in making a post and offering a link to it (as well as a link to the contact form in case you need to take up any issues with the mods directly, like, ahem, having them explain a deletion).
- You are not being censored, as technically only governments can censor. What has happened to you is that you are the unfortunate victim of your own poor judgement.
- Lurk more.
On preview, jessamyn is a moderator; listen to her.
posted by carsonb at 1:04 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
dougrayrankin, no problem at all. As I said I probably should have dropped you a note to explain what was going on.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:04 PM on December 12, 2010
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:04 PM on December 12, 2010
kenko: "Sometimes I think that the functionality of the Deleted Posts greasemonkey script should just be a part of the site, something you could enable or disable in your profile prefs"
Damn straight. It got to the point where I sent the mods a memail thanking them for being so on top of things with that topic.
jessamyn: "Over the past few weeks we've been playing whack-a-mole with Assange/Wikileaks posts and have had to make some judgment calls on posts on these topics that make it to the front page. Our general approach lately has been "hey if this is being discussed in another thread (as the Assange OKC page is) it's probably not necessary to make a whole new post about it"
Again, thank you.
posted by theichibun at 1:06 PM on December 12, 2010
Damn straight. It got to the point where I sent the mods a memail thanking them for being so on top of things with that topic.
jessamyn: "Over the past few weeks we've been playing whack-a-mole with Assange/Wikileaks posts and have had to make some judgment calls on posts on these topics that make it to the front page. Our general approach lately has been "hey if this is being discussed in another thread (as the Assange OKC page is) it's probably not necessary to make a whole new post about it"
Again, thank you.
posted by theichibun at 1:06 PM on December 12, 2010
Sometimes I think that the functionality of the Deleted Posts greasemonkey script should just be a part of the site, something you could enable or disable in your profile prefs.
This has been suggested before and I'm pretty sure the mods have said it's not going to happen. Having a built-in feature to display deleted posts would defeat the purpose of deleting those posts.
posted by John Cohen at 1:11 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
This has been suggested before and I'm pretty sure the mods have said it's not going to happen. Having a built-in feature to display deleted posts would defeat the purpose of deleting those posts.
posted by John Cohen at 1:11 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
I guess, though they would still be invisible to readers who aren't signed in. I have the greasemonkey script enabled and I think that seeing what posts are deleted, and the deletion reasons, is really helpful.
posted by kenko at 1:24 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by kenko at 1:24 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
It's not really ironic either. Assange getting censored online is expected; there's no sharp incongruity in a post about him here getting censored.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:28 PM on December 12, 2010
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:28 PM on December 12, 2010
I await the FPP on Julian Assange's grocery list.
posted by kmz at 1:37 PM on December 12, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by kmz at 1:37 PM on December 12, 2010 [5 favorites]
I was a little surprised to see an Assange thread undergo rendition.
Do mean mean "redaction"? Or did someone write a song about an Assange thread?
posted by grumblebee at 1:44 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Do mean mean "redaction"? Or did someone write a song about an Assange thread?
posted by grumblebee at 1:44 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
I think he meant it the thread was sent to /b/ where they have fewer qualms about torturing posters.
posted by dersins at 1:49 PM on December 12, 2010 [8 favorites]
posted by dersins at 1:49 PM on December 12, 2010 [8 favorites]
It's not really ironic either. Assange getting censored online is expected; there's no sharp incongruity in a post about him here getting censored.
It's like raaaaain on your wedding day,
In monsoon season.
posted by pompomtom at 1:52 PM on December 12, 2010 [6 favorites]
It's like raaaaain on your wedding day,
In monsoon season.
posted by pompomtom at 1:52 PM on December 12, 2010 [6 favorites]
I laughed at his description of his "Nordic appearance" as anytime I see a photo of Julian Assange, he reminds me of a specific Icelander I know - not an exact doppelgänger per se, but they could certainly be stunt doubles.
I'm not the only one who has noticed this specific resemblance either. Others familiar with said Icelander have also commented "Man, Julian Assange TOTALLY looks like THAT GUY."
So, yes, should WikiLeaks not work out, he could be an Icelandic body double.
posted by sonika at 1:55 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
I'm not the only one who has noticed this specific resemblance either. Others familiar with said Icelander have also commented "Man, Julian Assange TOTALLY looks like THAT GUY."
So, yes, should WikiLeaks not work out, he could be an Icelandic body double.
posted by sonika at 1:55 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
dougrayrankin, a couple of other useful things to know:
1. You can contact the moderators privately by using the Contact form. To get there, go all the way down to the bottom of the page and look in the bottom right corner. That is often the best way to raise a question of this sort, since all of the moderators will get your message and they'll be able to respond privately.
2. Metatalk is always an option but it's worth being aware that this section of the site can sometimes be a bit combative or snarky and whenever you make a post here, you open yourself to that sort of scrutiny. (Sometimes people don't realize this, and end up getting very flustered and upset about the snarky reception they get here. You can read through some threads to see what I mean.) The combativeness is not encouraged, and not something to be emulated, but it does happen. Don't take it personally if it happens here. This is why for some things it's better to use the private contact-form option; it decreases drama.
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:00 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
1. You can contact the moderators privately by using the Contact form. To get there, go all the way down to the bottom of the page and look in the bottom right corner. That is often the best way to raise a question of this sort, since all of the moderators will get your message and they'll be able to respond privately.
2. Metatalk is always an option but it's worth being aware that this section of the site can sometimes be a bit combative or snarky and whenever you make a post here, you open yourself to that sort of scrutiny. (Sometimes people don't realize this, and end up getting very flustered and upset about the snarky reception they get here. You can read through some threads to see what I mean.) The combativeness is not encouraged, and not something to be emulated, but it does happen. Don't take it personally if it happens here. This is why for some things it's better to use the private contact-form option; it decreases drama.
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:00 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Such a woman should spirited and playful, of high intelligence, though not necessarily formally educated, have spunk, class & inner strength and be able to think strategically about the world and the people she cares about.
OMG, I think I'm Julian Assange's dream woman.
Western culture seems to forge women that are valueless and inane.
Eeeee, never mind.
Pity I don't like my wanted men blond.
posted by The Lady is a designer at 2:00 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
OMG, I think I'm Julian Assange's dream woman.
Western culture seems to forge women that are valueless and inane.
Eeeee, never mind.
Pity I don't like my wanted men blond.
posted by The Lady is a designer at 2:00 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
There's nothing ironic about it. Assange is a terrorist. And posting about terrorists is not allowed. In fact, the FBI should be beating down your front door any minute. Nice knowin ya, Guantanimo Boy!
posted by crunchland at 2:01 PM on December 12, 2010
posted by crunchland at 2:01 PM on December 12, 2010
Oh, and if you don't know how to use Mefimail:
Look at the top right corner of the screen, below the date, where it says your username. There is a little icon of an envelope there. You can click on the envelope to go to your mailbox.
To send someone a message you go to their user page. You can do this by searching for their user name in the search box, clicking on the option for "users", then clicking on their name. Once you're at their user page, next to their name there is an option for "send this person Mefi mail".
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:04 PM on December 12, 2010
Look at the top right corner of the screen, below the date, where it says your username. There is a little icon of an envelope there. You can click on the envelope to go to your mailbox.
To send someone a message you go to their user page. You can do this by searching for their user name in the search box, clicking on the option for "users", then clicking on their name. Once you're at their user page, next to their name there is an option for "send this person Mefi mail".
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:04 PM on December 12, 2010
A little too ironic. And, yeah, I really do think
posted by seventyfour at 2:06 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by seventyfour at 2:06 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
OH MY GOD YOU GUYS SOMEONE WHO IS CURRENTLY IN THE NEWS HAD A PROFILE ON A DATING SITE FOUR YEARS AGO!
Jesus fucking Christ. I do not care about Julian Assange's old dating profiles, or his childhood essays about "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" or any other fucking crap.
Although that shit about how terrible "Western democracy" makes women makes me want to punch him really, really hard. Yeah, it's just a million kinds of awesome to be a woman in a developing-world dictatorship or theocracy, Julian. Fuck you.
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:11 PM on December 12, 2010 [13 favorites]
Jesus fucking Christ. I do not care about Julian Assange's old dating profiles, or his childhood essays about "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" or any other fucking crap.
Although that shit about how terrible "Western democracy" makes women makes me want to punch him really, really hard. Yeah, it's just a million kinds of awesome to be a woman in a developing-world dictatorship or theocracy, Julian. Fuck you.
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:11 PM on December 12, 2010 [13 favorites]
Jesus fucking Christ. I do not care about Julian Assange's old dating profiles, or his childhood essays about "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" or any other fucking crap.
Actually, I find that I kind of do care about Assange's old dating profile. The whole wikileaks saga fascinates me from many different angles: 1) the whole 'free information is free thing'; 2) The 'government does a lot of shady shit thing'; 3) the whole 'anonymous wages Gibsonian war on the powers that be thing'; and 4) Assange as a pompous, self-righteous, idealistic, brilliant, pretty incredible, maybe kinda rapey, character in said Gibson novel.
The dating profile fits so neatly into #4 that I find it hard to resist.
posted by Think_Long at 2:15 PM on December 12, 2010 [10 favorites]
Actually, I find that I kind of do care about Assange's old dating profile. The whole wikileaks saga fascinates me from many different angles: 1) the whole 'free information is free thing'; 2) The 'government does a lot of shady shit thing'; 3) the whole 'anonymous wages Gibsonian war on the powers that be thing'; and 4) Assange as a pompous, self-righteous, idealistic, brilliant, pretty incredible, maybe kinda rapey, character in said Gibson novel.
The dating profile fits so neatly into #4 that I find it hard to resist.
posted by Think_Long at 2:15 PM on December 12, 2010 [10 favorites]
My thread got secreted
Congratulations, you're a spider.
posted by Wolfdog at 2:15 PM on December 12, 2010 [40 favorites]
Congratulations, you're a spider.
posted by Wolfdog at 2:15 PM on December 12, 2010 [40 favorites]
It could have been worse. At least no one is trying to have you extradited.
posted by snofoam at 2:21 PM on December 12, 2010
posted by snofoam at 2:21 PM on December 12, 2010
Or did someone write a song about an Assange thread?
Guantanimo Boy
I HAVE THE BEST IDEA
posted by griphus at 2:22 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Guantanimo Boy
I HAVE THE BEST IDEA
posted by griphus at 2:22 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
I await the FPP on Julian Assange's grocery list.
Never should have bought those discount brand condoms.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 2:25 PM on December 12, 2010 [8 favorites]
Never should have bought those discount brand condoms.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 2:25 PM on December 12, 2010 [8 favorites]
Moderation != censorship. All cabal jokes aside, there is no conspiracy. The right of a private site to remove content that does not meet guidelines is not conspiracy. There were likely a whole bunch of flags thrown. Do us all a favor and get over yourself.
posted by theora55 at 2:31 PM on December 12, 2010
posted by theora55 at 2:31 PM on December 12, 2010
Yeah, yeah. That's what Easy DNS said, too.
posted by ryanrs at 2:37 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by ryanrs at 2:37 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
I think the meaning of the word 'censorship' is changing.
But, to be fair, this might not be as interesting a prescriptivist-vs-descriptivist battle as the possessive form of 'Dickens.'
posted by box at 2:38 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
But, to be fair, this might not be as interesting a prescriptivist-vs-descriptivist battle as the possessive form of 'Dickens.'
posted by box at 2:38 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
I guess, though they would still be invisible to readers who aren't signed in. I have the greasemonkey script enabled and I think that seeing what posts are deleted, and the deletion reasons, is really helpful.
I know about the Greasemonkey script. There's a difference between a Greasemonkey script and a built-in feature. There are many suggestions for features that are already achievable with Greasemonkey where the mods say, "If people want to use a script for that, fine, but we're not going to build it into the site." There are often good reasons for this.
Of course readers who aren't signed in don't have any profile preferences, but the profile preference would still be a problem since it would largely defeat the purpose of deleting posts.
posted by John Cohen at 2:39 PM on December 12, 2010
I know about the Greasemonkey script. There's a difference between a Greasemonkey script and a built-in feature. There are many suggestions for features that are already achievable with Greasemonkey where the mods say, "If people want to use a script for that, fine, but we're not going to build it into the site." There are often good reasons for this.
Of course readers who aren't signed in don't have any profile preferences, but the profile preference would still be a problem since it would largely defeat the purpose of deleting posts.
posted by John Cohen at 2:39 PM on December 12, 2010
Moderation != censorship. All cabal jokes aside, there is no conspiracy. The right of a private site to remove content that does not meet guidelines is not conspiracy. There were likely a whole bunch of flags thrown. Do us all a favor and get over yourself.I didn't start a movement, nor reference Lenin, I just asked for clarification on MetaTalk. And got drunk.
posted by dougrayrankin at 2:39 PM on December 12, 2010 [5 favorites]
there is no conspiracy.
and there is no cabal. Uh.
posted by special-k at 2:42 PM on December 12, 2010
and there is no cabal. Uh.
posted by special-k at 2:42 PM on December 12, 2010
For future reference:
Drunk -> Metatalk -> reference Lenin -> start a movement.
posted by ryanrs at 2:43 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
Drunk -> Metatalk -> reference Lenin -> start a movement.
posted by ryanrs at 2:43 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
I just asked for clarification on MetaTalk. And got drunk.
Well, I commend you on doing it in that order, at least.
posted by griphus at 2:43 PM on December 12, 2010 [4 favorites]
Well, I commend you on doing it in that order, at least.
posted by griphus at 2:43 PM on December 12, 2010 [4 favorites]
I came on to say, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means," but apparently dougrayrankin has been unfailingly good-spirited and friendly about the whole thing instead of flaming out in some spectacular fashion.
Thanks for ruining my Princess Bride reference, dougrayrankin! I HATE THIS PLACE! Etc., etc.
posted by infinitywaltz at 3:05 PM on December 12, 2010 [7 favorites]
Thanks for ruining my Princess Bride reference, dougrayrankin! I HATE THIS PLACE! Etc., etc.
posted by infinitywaltz at 3:05 PM on December 12, 2010 [7 favorites]
I didn't start a movement, nor reference Lenin, I just asked for clarification on MetaTalk. And got drunk.
I'll have what he's drinkkfhrdfbcy.
posted by ericb at 3:11 PM on December 12, 2010
I'll have what he's drinkkfhrdfbcy.
posted by ericb at 3:11 PM on December 12, 2010
that shit about how terrible "Western democracy" makes women makes me want to punch him really, really hard.
*Shrug.* He'd probably just punch you back, then move on to one of your friends. In between saving the world and all, of course.
posted by octobersurprise at 3:15 PM on December 12, 2010
*Shrug.* He'd probably just punch you back, then move on to one of your friends. In between saving the world and all, of course.
posted by octobersurprise at 3:15 PM on December 12, 2010
I just asked for clarification on MetaTalk.
For the record, that's not really what you did. You made a passive-aggressive accusation (and you found out your assumptions were completely wrong).
People have mostly reacted very patiently and helpfully, so consider yourself lucky (these types of things can be a bloodbath sometimes). You don't have to respond to the people who snark or get cranky, but when you do respond you'll earn more goodwill if you don't insult the reader by disingenuously minimizing your own behavior.
posted by amyms at 3:17 PM on December 12, 2010 [3 favorites]
For the record, that's not really what you did. You made a passive-aggressive accusation (and you found out your assumptions were completely wrong).
People have mostly reacted very patiently and helpfully, so consider yourself lucky (these types of things can be a bloodbath sometimes). You don't have to respond to the people who snark or get cranky, but when you do respond you'll earn more goodwill if you don't insult the reader by disingenuously minimizing your own behavior.
posted by amyms at 3:17 PM on December 12, 2010 [3 favorites]
We need to make the look at the FAQ part on the new post information for MetaTalk be 60 point font, bold, blinking and bright red.
posted by winna at 3:25 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by winna at 3:25 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
Can I just say I hate the assumption that this is some fight to the death where we collectively jeer until somebody apologizes? MetaTalk works despite the snark, not because of it.
In related news, I think final exams are making me grumpier than usual.
posted by yaymukund at 3:33 PM on December 12, 2010 [7 favorites]
In related news, I think final exams are making me grumpier than usual.
posted by yaymukund at 3:33 PM on December 12, 2010 [7 favorites]
Drunk ==> Symbathlazh ghk ==> ruahsdafUA*6 ==> SSSSSSffffffft
posted by Potomac Avenue at 3:47 PM on December 12, 2010
posted by Potomac Avenue at 3:47 PM on December 12, 2010
4) Assange as a pompous, self-righteous, idealistic, brilliant, pretty incredible, maybe kinda rapey, character in said Gibson novel.
He reads much more like a character in an early draft of Cryptonomicon to me. Makes me wish that Stephenson would stop working on that crowd-sourced novel or whatever the hell it is and write a sequel.
posted by longdaysjourney at 3:50 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
He reads much more like a character in an early draft of Cryptonomicon to me. Makes me wish that Stephenson would stop working on that crowd-sourced novel or whatever the hell it is and write a sequel.
posted by longdaysjourney at 3:50 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Jesus fucking Christ. I do not care about Julian Assange's old dating profiles ...
posted by Sidhedevil
I find it interesting that people react so viscerally to something like this. Nobody's asking anyone to CARE about the profile, but rather, it is mildly INTERESTING to some of us. Even Sidhedevil admitted it was interesting. It's an interesting argumentative strategy, though, to criticize people for "caring" about something that they actually just find a little interesting.
posted by jayder at 4:06 PM on December 12, 2010
posted by Sidhedevil
I find it interesting that people react so viscerally to something like this. Nobody's asking anyone to CARE about the profile, but rather, it is mildly INTERESTING to some of us. Even Sidhedevil admitted it was interesting. It's an interesting argumentative strategy, though, to criticize people for "caring" about something that they actually just find a little interesting.
posted by jayder at 4:06 PM on December 12, 2010
Me and Julian Assange are a 92% love match!! My life could have been so different!
posted by thirteenkiller at 4:13 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by thirteenkiller at 4:13 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Isn't the cool thing about wikileaks (if you think it's cool) that it's decentralized? So it's hard to shut down ever? So shouldn't it not matter that much if one certain guy who started it gets arrested (or has an old dating profile where he says super-trite stuff about "Western culture" in a rather sadly transparent effort to pick up Asian chicks?)
posted by drjimmy11 at 4:22 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by drjimmy11 at 4:22 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
He reads much more like a character in an early draft of Cryptonomicon to me.
Yes! The whole WikiLeaks thing feels very alternate universe Cryptonomicon to me. Plus, I have no idea what brand of shoes Julian Assange wears so it's clearly not a Gibson novel.
posted by grapesaresour at 4:23 PM on December 12, 2010 [7 favorites]
Yes! The whole WikiLeaks thing feels very alternate universe Cryptonomicon to me. Plus, I have no idea what brand of shoes Julian Assange wears so it's clearly not a Gibson novel.
posted by grapesaresour at 4:23 PM on December 12, 2010 [7 favorites]
"OH MY GOD YOU GUYS SOMEONE WHO IS CURRENTLY IN THE NEWS HAD A PROFILE ON A DATING SITE FOUR YEARS AGO!
Jesus fucking Christ. I do not care about Julian Assange's old dating profiles, or his childhood essays about "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" or any other fucking crap.
Although that shit about how terrible "Western democracy" makes women makes me want to punch him really, really hard. Yeah, it's just a million kinds of awesome to be a woman in a developing-world dictatorship or theocracy, Julian. Fuck you."
How did you know every thought in my head?!?!!
posted by klangklangston at 4:24 PM on December 12, 2010 [3 favorites]
Jesus fucking Christ. I do not care about Julian Assange's old dating profiles, or his childhood essays about "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" or any other fucking crap.
Although that shit about how terrible "Western democracy" makes women makes me want to punch him really, really hard. Yeah, it's just a million kinds of awesome to be a woman in a developing-world dictatorship or theocracy, Julian. Fuck you."
How did you know every thought in my head?!?!!
posted by klangklangston at 4:24 PM on December 12, 2010 [3 favorites]
The more I think about it (which, admittedly, isn't that much) the more it amazes me that someone who is (rightfully) paranoid to the extent that Assange is, and someone who knows as much about computers and the internet as Assange does, that that same someone has left a dormant profile on a dating website for four years.
That's the kind of crap I expect from someone like, oh, me. Someone who isn't paying much attention and doesn't much care about people contacting me. Not someone in the public eye who may or may not be the center of a paranoid conspiracy.
posted by sonika at 4:27 PM on December 12, 2010
That's the kind of crap I expect from someone like, oh, me. Someone who isn't paying much attention and doesn't much care about people contacting me. Not someone in the public eye who may or may not be the center of a paranoid conspiracy.
posted by sonika at 4:27 PM on December 12, 2010
Even Sidhedevil admitted it was interesting.
Where did I say it was interesting? "Annoying" and "interesting" are not synonyms in my world.
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:29 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Where did I say it was interesting? "Annoying" and "interesting" are not synonyms in my world.
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:29 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Isn't the cool thing about wikileaks (if you think it's cool) that it's decentralized?
I thought so until recently, but now it seems to be The Julian Assange Show.
I can understand that level of oversimplification from the numbskulls who are baying for his blood, but from the people who support the idea of a decentralized wiki-style clearinghouse of previously or currently classified information, I find it confusing.
Note: I find it deplorable that numbskulls are baying for Assange's blood on the basis that he coordinates a decentralized wiki-style clearinghouse of previously or currently classified information.
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:32 PM on December 12, 2010
I thought so until recently, but now it seems to be The Julian Assange Show.
I can understand that level of oversimplification from the numbskulls who are baying for his blood, but from the people who support the idea of a decentralized wiki-style clearinghouse of previously or currently classified information, I find it confusing.
Note: I find it deplorable that numbskulls are baying for Assange's blood on the basis that he coordinates a decentralized wiki-style clearinghouse of previously or currently classified information.
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:32 PM on December 12, 2010
Wow, what a blast from the past.
I briefly dated Assange and we met a few years ago through OKC. He was a gentleman, mostly, but there were some warning signs I should have heeded. Like the insistent requests to whisper alarming secrets in his ear.
By the sixth date he was having me make up all kinds of ridiculous fake and naughty secrets to write into a cleartext that we'd encrypt multiple times with outrageously large keys, and then he'd literally get off while decrypting them. Do you have any idea how awkward it is to manually enter a 4096 bit key while getting freaky in bed? He had a weird habit of shouting keys in binary when he came, like "Oh! One! ONE! OHHHH!", but I'm not sure if it was any better when he did that in octal or hexadecimal, either.
Of course, now I wish I had recorded some of those byte blocks.
By the ninth or tenth date I knew it wasn't going to work out, and I broke things off. He was perfectly polite and reasonable about it and we parted ways amicably , but then a few days later I found all of our texts and emails entered as remarks as a rejected OpenSSH patch submission.
I'll miss the volcano lair, though. That was pretty hot.
posted by loquacious at 4:34 PM on December 12, 2010 [42 favorites]
I briefly dated Assange and we met a few years ago through OKC. He was a gentleman, mostly, but there were some warning signs I should have heeded. Like the insistent requests to whisper alarming secrets in his ear.
By the sixth date he was having me make up all kinds of ridiculous fake and naughty secrets to write into a cleartext that we'd encrypt multiple times with outrageously large keys, and then he'd literally get off while decrypting them. Do you have any idea how awkward it is to manually enter a 4096 bit key while getting freaky in bed? He had a weird habit of shouting keys in binary when he came, like "Oh! One! ONE! OHHHH!", but I'm not sure if it was any better when he did that in octal or hexadecimal, either.
Of course, now I wish I had recorded some of those byte blocks.
By the ninth or tenth date I knew it wasn't going to work out, and I broke things off. He was perfectly polite and reasonable about it and we parted ways amicably , but then a few days later I found all of our texts and emails entered as remarks as a rejected OpenSSH patch submission.
I'll miss the volcano lair, though. That was pretty hot.
posted by loquacious at 4:34 PM on December 12, 2010 [42 favorites]
I was a little surprised to see an Assange thread undergo rendition.
Thread undergoing rendition, now there's an interesting comparison.
So... a thread is removed from Mefi where certain norms of civilized behavior apply, and moved to the barbaric world of MeTa, where it's open season for said thread to undergo a horrible ordeal.
Seems to work quite well as metaphors go.
posted by philipy at 5:22 PM on December 12, 2010
Thread undergoing rendition, now there's an interesting comparison.
So... a thread is removed from Mefi where certain norms of civilized behavior apply, and moved to the barbaric world of MeTa, where it's open season for said thread to undergo a horrible ordeal.
Seems to work quite well as metaphors go.
posted by philipy at 5:22 PM on December 12, 2010
> I am being to think....
I thought it was the other way around?
posted by cjorgensen at 5:26 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
I thought it was the other way around?
posted by cjorgensen at 5:26 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
Although that shit about how terrible "Western democracy" makes women makes me want to punch him really, really hard.
"Western culture", which arguably has little to do with the particular style of government that reigns in most Western countries at the moment.
posted by kenko at 5:36 PM on December 12, 2010
"Western culture", which arguably has little to do with the particular style of government that reigns in most Western countries at the moment.
posted by kenko at 5:36 PM on December 12, 2010
I thought it was the other way around?
No you've gotta be to think. Therefore if you've got to the thinking, you must be being too.
Disclaimer: I also am being. But just for the heck of it, not specifically to think.
posted by philipy at 5:43 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
No you've gotta be to think. Therefore if you've got to the thinking, you must be being too.
Disclaimer: I also am being. But just for the heck of it, not specifically to think.
posted by philipy at 5:43 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
No you've gotta be to think. Therefore if you've got to the thinking, you must be being too.
I be, therefore I am.
posted by amyms at 5:49 PM on December 12, 2010
I be, therefore I am.
posted by amyms at 5:49 PM on December 12, 2010
GOB's not on board.
posted by griphus at 5:55 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by griphus at 5:55 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
I am not a human being, I am a number.
posted by nomadicink at 6:20 PM on December 12, 2010
posted by nomadicink at 6:20 PM on December 12, 2010
Is there a prize for the millionth wikileaks post?
posted by Artw at 6:38 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 6:38 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm exhausted from all that hyperbole.
posted by QuarterlyProphet at 6:39 PM on December 12, 2010
posted by QuarterlyProphet at 6:39 PM on December 12, 2010
hi mefi i am drunk
let's make out
posted by elizardbits at 7:09 PM on December 12, 2010 [7 favorites]
let's make out
posted by elizardbits at 7:09 PM on December 12, 2010 [7 favorites]
hi mefi i am drunk
let's make out
I know that seems like a sexy idea, because the site comes off as charming and well-read and all that, but you should be warned that Metafilter is a notorious tongue-biter.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 7:15 PM on December 12, 2010
let's make out
I know that seems like a sexy idea, because the site comes off as charming and well-read and all that, but you should be warned that Metafilter is a notorious tongue-biter.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 7:15 PM on December 12, 2010
Metafilter is a notorious tongue-biter.
You say that like it's a bad thing.
posted by The Whelk at 7:16 PM on December 12, 2010
You say that like it's a bad thing.
posted by The Whelk at 7:16 PM on December 12, 2010
You say that like it's a bad thing.
The good, honest tongue-biters, who play by the rules and hand out orgasms like it's Sexual Halloween, never make the news. The fact that Metafilter is notorious for it is what's worrying.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 7:22 PM on December 12, 2010
The good, honest tongue-biters, who play by the rules and hand out orgasms like it's Sexual Halloween, never make the news. The fact that Metafilter is notorious for it is what's worrying.
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 7:22 PM on December 12, 2010
I'm biting my own tongue right this very moment.
Mmmph mmph mmph mmph.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:30 PM on December 12, 2010
Mmmph mmph mmph mmph.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:30 PM on December 12, 2010
I bite my tongue when I want to swallow some pills and don't have any other liquid within 3 feet of me. I started taking some meds for my acne so this means I'm biting my tongue all the dang time now.
Wait, what are talking about?
posted by Green With You at 7:58 PM on December 12, 2010
Wait, what are talking about?
posted by Green With You at 7:58 PM on December 12, 2010
Self-cannibalizing Zombie much?
(that's no tongue, it's an infinite tail) /Guinness
posted by infinite intimation at 8:02 PM on December 12, 2010
(that's no tongue, it's an infinite tail) /Guinness
posted by infinite intimation at 8:02 PM on December 12, 2010
> And this is the thread where it's being discussed. (Dec. 7th thread)
Given the flat comment style of Mefi, a five day old thread with a meandering discussion doesn't seem like a great place to post anything you don't want to get buried. I'd prefer a topic reset more on the order of 2-3 days for these kinds of fast moving issues. Daily posts on TSA/Obama/US-newsfilter can get tedious, but every second or third day is easily ignorable for those not interested.
posted by stp123 at 8:14 PM on December 12, 2010
Given the flat comment style of Mefi, a five day old thread with a meandering discussion doesn't seem like a great place to post anything you don't want to get buried. I'd prefer a topic reset more on the order of 2-3 days for these kinds of fast moving issues. Daily posts on TSA/Obama/US-newsfilter can get tedious, but every second or third day is easily ignorable for those not interested.
posted by stp123 at 8:14 PM on December 12, 2010
A human bean, being plated. And overthunk.
posted by wv kay in ga at 8:17 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by wv kay in ga at 8:17 PM on December 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
Do you have any idea how awkward it is to manually enter a 4096 bit key while getting freaky in bed?
Hugh Jackman could probably relate.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 9:17 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Hugh Jackman could probably relate.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 9:17 PM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Jesus fucking Christ. I do not care about Julian Assange's old dating profiles, or his childhood essays about "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" or any other fucking crap.
Well, I found it interesting.
And as it turns out, I'm apparently one degree of separation from a Melbourne waitress who only just realised that Assange is *that* Julian who used to be a regular in her cafe - always accosting random strangers with "intense" discussions.
"Intense Julian", he was known as by all the staff.
That tidbit, combined with the dating profile, reminds me of a certain kind of person you come across in activist circles:
"I'm disrespectful to authority! Can you see I am serious! Get out of my way, all of
you! This is no place for loafers. Join me or die. Can you do any less?"
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:19 PM on December 12, 2010 [4 favorites]
Well, I found it interesting.
And as it turns out, I'm apparently one degree of separation from a Melbourne waitress who only just realised that Assange is *that* Julian who used to be a regular in her cafe - always accosting random strangers with "intense" discussions.
"Intense Julian", he was known as by all the staff.
That tidbit, combined with the dating profile, reminds me of a certain kind of person you come across in activist circles:
"I'm disrespectful to authority! Can you see I am serious! Get out of my way, all of
you! This is no place for loafers. Join me or die. Can you do any less?"
posted by UbuRoivas at 9:19 PM on December 12, 2010 [4 favorites]
who play by the rules and hand out orgasms like it's Sexual Halloween,
This differs from normal Halloween how?
posted by The Whelk at 9:23 PM on December 12, 2010
This differs from normal Halloween how?
posted by The Whelk at 9:23 PM on December 12, 2010
"Given the flat comment style of Mefi, a five day old thread with a meandering discussion doesn't seem like a great place to post anything you don't want to get buried."
Actually, given the way that the Recent Activity tab works, it's a really easy place to post updates, like Hermetosis and Ericb do all the time. It's a great way to keep up with a topic after the first wave of interest.
On the other hand, not only is it still pretty tedious for folks who are following the news, but it's also a problem of volume, as everyone thinks the IMPORTANT TOPIC they're following is important for all values. Which is a big part of why newsfilter is dubious in the first place.
posted by klangklangston at 9:27 PM on December 12, 2010
Actually, given the way that the Recent Activity tab works, it's a really easy place to post updates, like Hermetosis and Ericb do all the time. It's a great way to keep up with a topic after the first wave of interest.
On the other hand, not only is it still pretty tedious for folks who are following the news, but it's also a problem of volume, as everyone thinks the IMPORTANT TOPIC they're following is important for all values. Which is a big part of why newsfilter is dubious in the first place.
posted by klangklangston at 9:27 PM on December 12, 2010
I'd prefer a topic reset more on the order of 2-3 days for these kinds of fast moving issues.
That's actually more or less what's happening if you follow the Wikileaks tag. The issue is, since we know it's topic that so many people are interested in, any non-deleted Wikileaks post becomes THE Wikileaks post for 48 hours or so and so there's a bit of pressure to have it be something... along major update lines, since it's going to wind up having everyone on the site interested in the topic showing up to discuss Wikileaks generally.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:33 PM on December 12, 2010
That's actually more or less what's happening if you follow the Wikileaks tag. The issue is, since we know it's topic that so many people are interested in, any non-deleted Wikileaks post becomes THE Wikileaks post for 48 hours or so and so there's a bit of pressure to have it be something... along major update lines, since it's going to wind up having everyone on the site interested in the topic showing up to discuss Wikileaks generally.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 9:33 PM on December 12, 2010
"Intense Julian", he was known as by all the staff.
That tidbit, combined with the dating profile, reminds me of a certain kind of person you come across in activist circles:
"I'm disrespectful to authority! Can you see I am serious! Get out of my way, all of
you! This is no place for loafers. Join me or die. Can you do any less?"
I got a similar impression of him personally from the New Yorker piece awhile back.
Your characterization makes me realize that it is shocking that no exes of mine have become notorious international figures a la Assange, given that he was apparently TOTALLY my type in my early twenties.
posted by desuetude at 9:37 PM on December 12, 2010 [3 favorites]
That tidbit, combined with the dating profile, reminds me of a certain kind of person you come across in activist circles:
"I'm disrespectful to authority! Can you see I am serious! Get out of my way, all of
you! This is no place for loafers. Join me or die. Can you do any less?"
I got a similar impression of him personally from the New Yorker piece awhile back.
Your characterization makes me realize that it is shocking that no exes of mine have become notorious international figures a la Assange, given that he was apparently TOTALLY my type in my early twenties.
posted by desuetude at 9:37 PM on December 12, 2010 [3 favorites]
You obviously ruined them for the Revolution, desuetude! RUINED them!!!
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:00 AM on December 13, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:00 AM on December 13, 2010 [2 favorites]
This differs from normal Halloween how?
See, this is why all the parents tell their kids to stay away from your house on Halloween.
posted by Rangeboy at 12:29 AM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
See, this is why all the parents tell their kids to stay away from your house on Halloween.
posted by Rangeboy at 12:29 AM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
he was apparently TOTALLY my type in my early twenties.
Totally everyone's type in their youth, until you figure out that
a) humorless people are, in fact, no fun
b) Being constantly tested is also no fun
b) just because someone is Intense and Serious doesn't mean they know what the fuck they're talking about. Intense, serious people who are not very bright are the most tedious of all.
posted by louche mustachio at 3:00 AM on December 13, 2010 [12 favorites]
Totally everyone's type in their youth, until you figure out that
a) humorless people are, in fact, no fun
b) Being constantly tested is also no fun
b) just because someone is Intense and Serious doesn't mean they know what the fuck they're talking about. Intense, serious people who are not very bright are the most tedious of all.
posted by louche mustachio at 3:00 AM on December 13, 2010 [12 favorites]
d) people who are disrespectful towards list numbering are probably more fun.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:11 AM on December 13, 2010 [5 favorites]
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:11 AM on December 13, 2010 [5 favorites]
He was totally my type too. Now I know better, thank God. Well, sort of.
These intense guys with blinders on really need to be careful with consent and also with who and where they fuck! Not only can they really hurt and traumatise someone they are exposing themselves to accusations.
posted by By The Grace of God at 3:28 AM on December 13, 2010
These intense guys with blinders on really need to be careful with consent and also with who and where they fuck! Not only can they really hurt and traumatise someone they are exposing themselves to accusations.
posted by By The Grace of God at 3:28 AM on December 13, 2010
5) oopsie
posted by louche mustachio at 3:28 AM on December 13, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by louche mustachio at 3:28 AM on December 13, 2010 [3 favorites]
Given the flat comment style of Mefi, a five day old thread with a meandering discussion doesn't seem like a great place to post anything you don't want to get buried.
This is a feature, not a bug. People who care about the wikileaks thing will have commented in or favourited the appropriate post, and it will show up in their recent activity. Anyone who isn't interested doesn't have to see it.
posted by zamboni at 6:54 AM on December 13, 2010
This is a feature, not a bug. People who care about the wikileaks thing will have commented in or favourited the appropriate post, and it will show up in their recent activity. Anyone who isn't interested doesn't have to see it.
posted by zamboni at 6:54 AM on December 13, 2010
This is a hilarious rumination on how many dudes I dated who were known to be INTENSE.
posted by desuetude at 2:23 PM on December 13, 2010
posted by desuetude at 2:23 PM on December 13, 2010
And for the record, Julian Assange looks nothing like "said Icelander", apart from maybe the hair. You know who does look like Julian Assange though? Bill Maher. Right now, Assange is actually on Pitcairn Island, laughing and sipping a rum drink from a tiki bamboo cup while Maher is pleading with British corrections officers to "just check my DNA, god damn it, that's not my passport!"
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 2:25 PM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 2:25 PM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
Like not linking to the thread itself.
posted by gman at 12:54 PM on December 12, 2010