Theme post April 1, 2002 6:39 PM Subscribe
Does anybody else like the "met4filter.org" kuro5hinesque color scheme better than the regular metafilter one? I sure do. Rusty, whatddyathink?
I'm afraid it's too bright for these old eyes to squint at before my first cup of coffee in the morning. In a word, no.
posted by NsJen at 6:45 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by NsJen at 6:45 PM on April 1, 2002
hurts my eyes.. no offense to rusty, but i'm looking forward to the site changing back tomorrow.
posted by lotsofno at 6:49 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by lotsofno at 6:49 PM on April 1, 2002
I like it. It should be an optional skin. I know I'm in the minority along with alumshubby here, but I'm getting used to being in the minority a lot.
posted by briank at 7:16 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by briank at 7:16 PM on April 1, 2002
It has it's charms, but only for the short-term. It's like that wacky-color car: cool for a few weeks, and then it's embarassing.
Also, the change of color rests certain cones (or is it rods?) in the eye. But once they're rested, BACK TO BLUE
posted by ParisParamus at 7:26 PM on April 1, 2002
Also, the change of color rests certain cones (or is it rods?) in the eye. But once they're rested, BACK TO BLUE
posted by ParisParamus at 7:26 PM on April 1, 2002
No one is to stone anyone until I blow this whistle! Even if I say that I don't like #006699.
posted by machaus at 7:28 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by machaus at 7:28 PM on April 1, 2002
I'm really not fond of it. Too bright, as one said, and the smaller type makes an already text-heavy page blur into gibberish. I'll keep the white on blue, thanks.
posted by me3dia at 7:31 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by me3dia at 7:31 PM on April 1, 2002
Also, the change of color rests certain cones (or is it rods?) in the eye. But once they're rested, BACK TO BLUE
Actually, a white background activates all three of the color sensitive cone types. So not only are the cones that are sensitive to blue light not getting a rest, neither are any of the other cones. Or rods for that matter.
posted by iceberg273 at 7:46 PM on April 1, 2002
Actually, a white background activates all three of the color sensitive cone types. So not only are the cones that are sensitive to blue light not getting a rest, neither are any of the other cones. Or rods for that matter.
posted by iceberg273 at 7:46 PM on April 1, 2002
As Matt says in the Metafilter sidebar, the blue will return tomorrow.
posted by iconomy at 7:55 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by iconomy at 7:55 PM on April 1, 2002
This could have been even more jarring...Matt could have pretended to merge with Fark. Actually an interesting experiment would be for Fark and Mefi to trade memberships for a day. Fark would be full of very well written and punctuated odes to boobies and farts, while MeFi would be loaded with comments like "Dialectical Materialism sux, d00d!"
posted by jonmc at 8:06 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by jonmc at 8:06 PM on April 1, 2002
to keep the april fools layout would be to copy someone else's style. I think the blue needs to stay. Short of that, I think Matt should adopt this website design.
posted by crunchland at 8:22 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by crunchland at 8:22 PM on April 1, 2002
As Matt says in the Metafilter sidebar, the blue will return tomorrow.
And as Donovan sings in Colours:
Blue's the colour of the sky-y,
In the morning, when we rise,
In the morning, when we rise.
That's the time, that's the time,
I love the best.
This was before he started hitting the bottle, of course
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:29 PM on April 1, 2002
And as Donovan sings in Colours:
Blue's the colour of the sky-y,
In the morning, when we rise,
In the morning, when we rise.
That's the time, that's the time,
I love the best.
This was before he started hitting the bottle, of course
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:29 PM on April 1, 2002
I've been staring at this bright white crap all day long.
Now I look like Tor.
posted by dong_resin at 8:55 PM on April 1, 2002
Now I look like Tor.
posted by dong_resin at 8:55 PM on April 1, 2002
#069! #069! (I just like typing that)
posted by eyeballkid at 8:58 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by eyeballkid at 8:58 PM on April 1, 2002
Pervert.
posted by dong_resin at 9:07 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by dong_resin at 9:07 PM on April 1, 2002
"Hurts your eyes?" Geez, how do you people ever manage to use a word processor?
posted by kindall at 9:26 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by kindall at 9:26 PM on April 1, 2002
how do you people ever manage to use a word processor?
There's an option to make the text/background color scheme easier on the eyes.
posted by iceberg273 at 9:42 PM on April 1, 2002
There's an option to make the text/background color scheme easier on the eyes.
posted by iceberg273 at 9:42 PM on April 1, 2002
It's back. The blue is back. Much better. The terrorists haven't won, after all.
posted by theora55 at 9:45 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by theora55 at 9:45 PM on April 1, 2002
how do you people ever manage to use a word processor?
By never looking at a word processor before at least one cup of coffee.
posted by NsJen at 9:54 PM on April 1, 2002
By never looking at a word processor before at least one cup of coffee.
posted by NsJen at 9:54 PM on April 1, 2002
sweeeet, sweet blue... i knew you'd come back!
*presses his face against the monitor*
never leave me again.
posted by jheiz at 10:05 PM on April 1, 2002
*presses his face against the monitor*
never leave me again.
posted by jheiz at 10:05 PM on April 1, 2002
For those who did enjoy the K5 style, it's still around.
posted by eyeballkid at 10:15 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by eyeballkid at 10:15 PM on April 1, 2002
Geez, you guys couldn't even go one day without the classic version of MetaCrack. Addicts, the whole lot of you.
posted by insomnyuk at 10:36 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by insomnyuk at 10:36 PM on April 1, 2002
Great. Now everything that goes wrong with M4.. ahh, I mean MeFi... is gonna be my fault, isn't it?
Actually, I'm kind of seeing the advantage to non-white backgrounds myself. I gotta fix up K5 so we can easily change that.
posted by rusty at 11:02 PM on April 1, 2002
Actually, I'm kind of seeing the advantage to non-white backgrounds myself. I gotta fix up K5 so we can easily change that.
posted by rusty at 11:02 PM on April 1, 2002
It's interesting to see the attachment to the MeFi Blue. The entire rest of the Web is on a white background (I wonder what the average color of the Web is?), but white on MeFi is extremely jarring. Maybe our brains are conditioned to expect The Blue to such an extent that anything else -- even a very common combination like black text on a white background -- seems abrupt and confusing...like seeing a Starbucks in the middle of your living room or something.
posted by jkottke at 11:22 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by jkottke at 11:22 PM on April 1, 2002
blue rules. i definitely can't take the white for mefi's shorter posts. For long stuff, white is cool, which is why it works for Kuro
posted by chaz at 11:33 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by chaz at 11:33 PM on April 1, 2002
I'm not such a fan of all that blue either, myself. I kind of like MeTa gray, but it's a little depressing after a while. I think that's on purpose, like the way they make the seats at McDonald's only comfortable for 15 minutes.
Weird. White doesn't bother me on K5, but it did on M4. I just brought them up in side-by-side tabs, and there was actually a lot more white on M4 than on K5, due to our side boxes and various other things.
What's most interesting is that me and Matt both independently arrived at #006699 as the "key" color. We use less of it, but K5's blue is the exact same hex value. I had never seen MeFi when I decided on that color.
#006699: It's the Color of Community.
posted by rusty at 11:40 PM on April 1, 2002
Weird. White doesn't bother me on K5, but it did on M4. I just brought them up in side-by-side tabs, and there was actually a lot more white on M4 than on K5, due to our side boxes and various other things.
What's most interesting is that me and Matt both independently arrived at #006699 as the "key" color. We use less of it, but K5's blue is the exact same hex value. I had never seen MeFi when I decided on that color.
#006699: It's the Color of Community.
posted by rusty at 11:40 PM on April 1, 2002
I'm a big fan of Blue myself, but for completely different reasons.
posted by BlueTrain at 11:44 PM on April 1, 2002
posted by BlueTrain at 11:44 PM on April 1, 2002
#006699: It's the Color of Community.
Oh that's it! That should be on the new MeFi t-shirts
posted by riffola at 11:46 PM on April 1, 2002
Oh that's it! That should be on the new MeFi t-shirts
posted by riffola at 11:46 PM on April 1, 2002
i found it interesting that clickthroughs (3rd column below) on my 20things.org ad went up drastically with the new design. i wonder what it was about the layout/color scheme that drew people to the ads.
03/31/2002.......523......4.........0.76%
04/01/2002....1,138....20.........1.76%
posted by judith at 11:53 PM on April 1, 2002
03/31/2002.......523......4.........0.76%
04/01/2002....1,138....20.........1.76%
posted by judith at 11:53 PM on April 1, 2002
Apparently distaste at the new design was driving people away at the same time that 20Things was enticing them. Happy coincidence! Or, more likely, the redesign focused people's attention more on the trappings of the page, including the TextAds.
Solution to banner blindness, perhaps.
I am really surprised how much inertia there is about the color scheme... The only other site I see with any regularity (personal sites excepted) that has a non-white background is the MSN homepage. Is there anyone else trying colors as saturated as Community Blue?
posted by anildash at 2:02 AM on April 2, 2002
Solution to banner blindness, perhaps.
I am really surprised how much inertia there is about the color scheme... The only other site I see with any regularity (personal sites excepted) that has a non-white background is the MSN homepage. Is there anyone else trying colors as saturated as Community Blue?
posted by anildash at 2:02 AM on April 2, 2002
...very well written and punctuated odes to boobies and farts, while MeFi would be loaded with comments like "Dialectical Materialism sux, d00d!"
Damn, he's on to me....
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:38 AM on April 2, 2002
Damn, he's on to me....
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:38 AM on April 2, 2002
All I can say is next time y'all have to screw up this website, don't do it when I have a day off...:-p
posted by bunnyfire at 4:43 AM on April 2, 2002
posted by bunnyfire at 4:43 AM on April 2, 2002
It was neat, but definitely sore on the eyes...It was harder to separate comments and the stories. It is much easier for me to scan a page with the good ol' scheme.
posted by adampsyche at 5:31 AM on April 2, 2002
posted by adampsyche at 5:31 AM on April 2, 2002
That's only because you've been trained to visually separate the columns with the original color scheme. The very first time I looked at MetaFilter, I thought to myself "I don't understand what's going on here," but I quickly adjusted and figured it out.
It's just a psychological crutch. The Met4Filter one is pretty easy to read too, it just takes a little more practice to separate the comments because the visited link text color looks way too close to the body text color, and the regular link text color is a little light on that white background.
posted by insomnyuk at 5:56 AM on April 2, 2002
It's just a psychological crutch. The Met4Filter one is pretty easy to read too, it just takes a little more practice to separate the comments because the visited link text color looks way too close to the body text color, and the regular link text color is a little light on that white background.
posted by insomnyuk at 5:56 AM on April 2, 2002
I think that's on purpose, like the way they make the seats at McDonald's only comfortable for 15 minutes.
Spot on observation. The Zeldman inspired color schemes of most fast food restaurants play into that same "here's your hat, what's your hurry?" psychology - orange is a color that makes people want to bolt as quickly as possible, and fast food restaurants use it to their benefit, like that vaguely uncomfortable seating you mentioned.
like seeing a Starbucks in the middle of your living room or something
They really are running out of places to build new ones. Someone a lot funnier than me said that Starbucks has so saturated the coffee market that they're starting to build new Starbucks inside of older Starbucks, so that the employees of the older Starbucks have a place to buy their coffee.
Want to know what I would love? Sure you do! I would love to see an option to make the margins on the pages wider - in other words, make the column of text narrower - the text running from one end to the other of a 17 or 19 inch monitor is so tough to read sometimes that I make my browser window smaller or open my favorites in my browser sidebar just to make the column narrower. A narrower column of text (especially in MetaTalk where there's no sidebar) can so much easier to read for longer periods of time. Sort of like a newspaper, you know? Not to say that there should be multiple columns here (shiver) just that it would be nice to be able to make the one column that is here, narrower.
And hey - Thanks for yesterday, really. Reading the comments was so entertaining.
posted by iconomy at 6:09 AM on April 2, 2002
Spot on observation. The Zeldman inspired color schemes of most fast food restaurants play into that same "here's your hat, what's your hurry?" psychology - orange is a color that makes people want to bolt as quickly as possible, and fast food restaurants use it to their benefit, like that vaguely uncomfortable seating you mentioned.
like seeing a Starbucks in the middle of your living room or something
They really are running out of places to build new ones. Someone a lot funnier than me said that Starbucks has so saturated the coffee market that they're starting to build new Starbucks inside of older Starbucks, so that the employees of the older Starbucks have a place to buy their coffee.
Want to know what I would love? Sure you do! I would love to see an option to make the margins on the pages wider - in other words, make the column of text narrower - the text running from one end to the other of a 17 or 19 inch monitor is so tough to read sometimes that I make my browser window smaller or open my favorites in my browser sidebar just to make the column narrower. A narrower column of text (especially in MetaTalk where there's no sidebar) can so much easier to read for longer periods of time. Sort of like a newspaper, you know? Not to say that there should be multiple columns here (shiver) just that it would be nice to be able to make the one column that is here, narrower.
And hey - Thanks for yesterday, really. Reading the comments was so entertaining.
posted by iconomy at 6:09 AM on April 2, 2002
That's only because you've been trained to visually separate the columns with the original color scheme. The very first time I looked at MetaFilter, I thought to myself "I don't understand what's going on here," but I quickly adjusted and figured it out.
That's interesting... My initial reaction on seeing Metafilter was also "huh?". The next time I came back, my mind worked it out. I wonder how many people visit once, just don't get it, and flee. Perhaps we're part of an elite group, highly evolved enough to understand the subtleties of Metafilter's design. Yes... that must be it.
posted by jheiz at 6:20 AM on April 2, 2002
That's interesting... My initial reaction on seeing Metafilter was also "huh?". The next time I came back, my mind worked it out. I wonder how many people visit once, just don't get it, and flee. Perhaps we're part of an elite group, highly evolved enough to understand the subtleties of Metafilter's design. Yes... that must be it.
posted by jheiz at 6:20 AM on April 2, 2002
I wonder what the average color of the Web is?
Well, the average color of the universe is beige (not aqua.) I'd assume the average color of the web is something similar...
posted by andrewraff at 6:38 AM on April 2, 2002
Well, the average color of the universe is beige (not aqua.) I'd assume the average color of the web is something similar...
posted by andrewraff at 6:38 AM on April 2, 2002
The Met4filter gag makes me want a field on the customize page where I can specify my own style sheet that MetaFilter will be rendered in.
posted by rcade at 7:25 AM on April 2, 2002
posted by rcade at 7:25 AM on April 2, 2002
(With an override function for the occasional April 1 insanity, of course.)
posted by rcade at 7:25 AM on April 2, 2002
posted by rcade at 7:25 AM on April 2, 2002
I definately liked the met4filter design better then the current. I don't know, it was cleaner, and more welcoming to my eyes, than the current design.
posted by thebwit at 7:36 AM on April 2, 2002
posted by thebwit at 7:36 AM on April 2, 2002
Speaking as a member of the progressive-lensed crowd, I find I don't have to squint quite as hard at the blue screen as at that April foolish one.
posted by groundhog at 8:08 AM on April 2, 2002
posted by groundhog at 8:08 AM on April 2, 2002
The Met4filter gag makes me want a field on the customize page where I can specify my own style sheet that MetaFilter will be rendered in.
It seems I remember Matt saying a bunch of times that he considered himself an interface guy. Even if database load wasn't an issue, I wonder how comfortable he'd be with a skinable MeFi.
I thought it was an interesting experiment because of the differences it revealed. I've long wondered why I couldn't get into K5 more. It seems like the kind of site I would enjoy, but whenever I try to go over there I don't seem to stay very long.
In reading their thread on the gag, a lot of them were deriding their MLP (Meaningless Link Propagation?) section, which is largely what MeFi aspires to as its height of remembered glory. We spend electron after electron arguing over how we can get better links, and they (it seems) spend a similar amount of time trying to figure out how to get rid of them.
Also, a lot more of their members seemed ready to go along with the gag. I don't know if they just trust Rusty more than we trust Matt, or if we're just more cynical and jaded over here, or if they're more naive over there, or if they were all just more ready to play along with the gag, while we all had to say yeah, but look at the date. It was an interesting difference though.
posted by willnot at 8:09 AM on April 2, 2002
It seems I remember Matt saying a bunch of times that he considered himself an interface guy. Even if database load wasn't an issue, I wonder how comfortable he'd be with a skinable MeFi.
I thought it was an interesting experiment because of the differences it revealed. I've long wondered why I couldn't get into K5 more. It seems like the kind of site I would enjoy, but whenever I try to go over there I don't seem to stay very long.
In reading their thread on the gag, a lot of them were deriding their MLP (Meaningless Link Propagation?) section, which is largely what MeFi aspires to as its height of remembered glory. We spend electron after electron arguing over how we can get better links, and they (it seems) spend a similar amount of time trying to figure out how to get rid of them.
Also, a lot more of their members seemed ready to go along with the gag. I don't know if they just trust Rusty more than we trust Matt, or if we're just more cynical and jaded over here, or if they're more naive over there, or if they were all just more ready to play along with the gag, while we all had to say yeah, but look at the date. It was an interesting difference though.
posted by willnot at 8:09 AM on April 2, 2002
I for one am sick of white backgrounds on the web. Too corporate, often unimaginative. I am primarily a print designer and know how hard bright white is on readers, even when it isn't backlit. Color is *free* on the web, which doesn't mean we should employ the entire spectrum on every page. Judicious use of color is just a question of good design--using all of the tools at your disposal.
Oh, and fast food places are also using orange to make you hungry. Yellow and red are more likely to chase you out the door.
posted by whatnot at 8:35 AM on April 2, 2002
Oh, and fast food places are also using orange to make you hungry. Yellow and red are more likely to chase you out the door.
posted by whatnot at 8:35 AM on April 2, 2002
Blue is suppossed to be an ideal background color for the computer screen. Something about the eyes not being able to really focus on it.
I looove the Metafilter design Do NOT change it.
posted by xammerboy at 8:48 AM on April 2, 2002
I looove the Metafilter design Do NOT change it.
posted by xammerboy at 8:48 AM on April 2, 2002
I looove the Metafilter design Do NOT change it.
No one wants it changed, but a few people would like the option of some color customization, within the framework of the MetaFilter site design.
posted by insomnyuk at 9:37 AM on April 2, 2002
No one wants it changed, but a few people would like the option of some color customization, within the framework of the MetaFilter site design.
posted by insomnyuk at 9:37 AM on April 2, 2002
I don't understand why so many people think inverse text is easier to read. My job consists mainly of looking at pages full of black text on white backgrounds, all day long, and I never experience eyestrain. But I can't take a page full of white text on black background for more than a few seconds before my eyes start to water and I have to look away.
Metafilter's white on blue is soft enough that it doesn't hurt, but I was surprised at what a relief it was to come in here yesterday and see a crisp white background. It was easier to skim through the text and I didn't have to look away to blink as often.
Maybe my eyes are weird. Or maybe this LCD screen makes more of a difference than I thought.
-Mars
posted by Mars Saxman at 10:05 AM on April 2, 2002
Metafilter's white on blue is soft enough that it doesn't hurt, but I was surprised at what a relief it was to come in here yesterday and see a crisp white background. It was easier to skim through the text and I didn't have to look away to blink as often.
Maybe my eyes are weird. Or maybe this LCD screen makes more of a difference than I thought.
-Mars
posted by Mars Saxman at 10:05 AM on April 2, 2002
"Hurts your eyes?" Geez, how do you people ever manage to use a word processor?
In blue, actually. Thankfully, Word still keeps that option around. Hit ALT, T, O, Ctrl-Tab, Space. Ahhh, so soothing.
posted by muckster at 10:10 AM on April 2, 2002
In blue, actually. Thankfully, Word still keeps that option around. Hit ALT, T, O, Ctrl-Tab, Space. Ahhh, so soothing.
posted by muckster at 10:10 AM on April 2, 2002
iconomy has a point -- in my browser I normally keep the Mozilla sidebar open, not because I use it (although it's almostas handy as the Google toolbar is for IE), but because it makes the text in most webpages a narrower column and more quickly readable.
Back in Ye Olden Days before the web, there were some widely appreciated principles of graphical design. One of them is that text columns should be narrow, ideally no more than 50-80 characters. The eye can whip back to the beginning of the next line more quickly because it hardly has to move. Alas, the web seems to lean much more toward principles like liquid HTML -- because they don't 'waste space'. I don't get these people.
I'd like a skinnable MeFi, perhaps, but it's not something to lose sleep over.
posted by dhartung at 12:40 PM on April 2, 2002
Back in Ye Olden Days before the web, there were some widely appreciated principles of graphical design. One of them is that text columns should be narrow, ideally no more than 50-80 characters. The eye can whip back to the beginning of the next line more quickly because it hardly has to move. Alas, the web seems to lean much more toward principles like liquid HTML -- because they don't 'waste space'. I don't get these people.
I'd like a skinnable MeFi, perhaps, but it's not something to lose sleep over.
posted by dhartung at 12:40 PM on April 2, 2002
Dhartung - the reason that I use liquid displays and web designs is because the large areas of bright backlit light on websites hurts my eyes. I avoid websites with lots of blank white space (such as Kuro5hin or LoFi) because of that.
posted by SpecialK at 2:27 PM on April 2, 2002
posted by SpecialK at 2:27 PM on April 2, 2002
Maybe what matt should do is keep the met4filter.org site as that design, and metafilter.com the current. Kind of stupid, but then people have the choice. The met4filter.org domain points to this server so why not?
posted by thebwit at 3:18 PM on April 2, 2002
posted by thebwit at 3:18 PM on April 2, 2002
In blue, actually. Thankfully, Word still keeps that option around. Hit ALT, T, O, Ctrl-Tab, Space. Ahhh, so soothing.
I'll be damned. I never noticed that preference in Word. I did see the blue background once but assumed it was some kind of weird bug. I reinstalled Word to get rid of it, and when that didn't work, I reformatted the hard disk and re-installed Windows and Office. Stupid Microsoft; who in the world would have ever imagined that there would be a preference that would let you intentionally screw up your display?
posted by kindall at 3:20 PM on April 2, 2002
I'll be damned. I never noticed that preference in Word. I did see the blue background once but assumed it was some kind of weird bug. I reinstalled Word to get rid of it, and when that didn't work, I reformatted the hard disk and re-installed Windows and Office. Stupid Microsoft; who in the world would have ever imagined that there would be a preference that would let you intentionally screw up your display?
posted by kindall at 3:20 PM on April 2, 2002
If you want that design, go here and it's there. For you!
posted by j.edwards at 4:00 PM on April 2, 2002
posted by j.edwards at 4:00 PM on April 2, 2002
As long as Matt is willing to leave the met4filter page up, I'm satisfied with that solution. Who says you can't have your pancakes and eat them too?
posted by briank at 6:29 AM on April 3, 2002
posted by briank at 6:29 AM on April 3, 2002
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posted by NortonDC at 6:42 PM on April 1, 2002