So that's how you pronounce it! March 3, 2011 4:23 PM Subscribe
Qwiki on MetaFilter: Known as 'me fie' to its members… MetaFilter was founded by Matthew 'Honkey' in 1999.
Apparently he grew up in "placenta". Most people don't stay that long.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:27 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:27 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
Tough womb.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:29 PM on March 3, 2011 [19 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:29 PM on March 3, 2011 [19 favorites]
The behst of the behst, and some policing.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 4:38 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by kuujjuarapik at 4:38 PM on March 3, 2011
Well it's not wrong
posted by 2bucksplus at 4:38 PM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by 2bucksplus at 4:38 PM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
Qwiki is so fucking stupid. I heard about it last year when it won some startup awards, and when someone gave me a beta invite I tried it out and was totally underwhelmed. It's just wikipedia + crappy robot voice. I've never used it after logging in once and can't find any reason to try it again except for lulzy entries that sound funny in the robot voice.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 4:38 PM on March 3, 2011 [6 favorites]
posted by mathowie (staff) at 4:38 PM on March 3, 2011 [6 favorites]
I kept expecting to hear, "After the test, there will be cake."
posted by angiep at 4:42 PM on March 3, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by angiep at 4:42 PM on March 3, 2011 [3 favorites]
One needs flash (v10 no less) and JavaScript to view a Wiki? Holy broken web Batman.
posted by Mitheral at 4:47 PM on March 3, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by Mitheral at 4:47 PM on March 3, 2011 [5 favorites]
Is that where I can finally get my all-syrup squishy?
posted by mannequito at 4:49 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by mannequito at 4:49 PM on March 3, 2011
Waka Flocka Flame is pretty funny when read aloud.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 4:52 PM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by mathowie (staff) at 4:52 PM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
Does it do HAL 9000 when drunk at parties just to shit people up?
posted by Abiezer at 4:56 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by Abiezer at 4:56 PM on March 3, 2011
Hmm, there's a fairly thorough entry for Jessamyn too. And here's Mathowie's, with lots more "Hawkey" references.
posted by bearwife at 4:57 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by bearwife at 4:57 PM on March 3, 2011
Hey, it uses Fred Astaire's mispronunciation of Bob Fosse's name! That has to count for something.
posted by thomas j wise at 5:03 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by thomas j wise at 5:03 PM on March 3, 2011
I am not 'conˌtent with qwiki forshort but I will re:port that mefffi is the bestof thebest.
posted by iamkimiam at 5:05 PM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by iamkimiam at 5:05 PM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
It's just wikipedia + crappy robot voice.
Oh, that's unfair. It's wikipedia + crappy robot voice + autosummarize, baby.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:10 PM on March 3, 2011
Oh, that's unfair. It's wikipedia + crappy robot voice + autosummarize, baby.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:10 PM on March 3, 2011
Lace up your skates - it's time to play matthew hockey.
posted by mintcake! at 5:12 PM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by mintcake! at 5:12 PM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
I feel like I'm in Star Trek asking the computer to list the greatest websites in the post-Eugenics War era.
Except the computer is kind of crap and Majel Barrett didn't have time to talk with the writers about pronunciation so she just winged it.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:20 PM on March 3, 2011
Except the computer is kind of crap and Majel Barrett didn't have time to talk with the writers about pronunciation so she just winged it.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:20 PM on March 3, 2011
We discuss con-TENT.
I'm happy and calm. Anyone else happy and calm?
posted by mendel at 5:20 PM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm happy and calm. Anyone else happy and calm?
posted by mendel at 5:20 PM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
Calmer than you are.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:20 PM on March 3, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:20 PM on March 3, 2011 [4 favorites]
Wow. I'd never heard of Qwiki before. That might possibly be the most epically stupid and pointless format for a web site that I've ever seen.
posted by dersins at 5:20 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by dersins at 5:20 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
Known as 'me fie' to its members
This has not yet been agreed to among said members.
posted by dg at 5:20 PM on March 3, 2011
This has not yet been agreed to among said members.
posted by dg at 5:20 PM on March 3, 2011
Jessamyn, is it true the FBI has not been to your college?
Seriously, why would you rely upon a webcrawler to add images to a wiki automatically?!
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:23 PM on March 3, 2011
Seriously, why would you rely upon a webcrawler to add images to a wiki automatically?!
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:23 PM on March 3, 2011
This thing really takes me back. It's so happy and matter-of-fact about it.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:28 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:28 PM on March 3, 2011
+ autosummarize
More's the shame, I was looking forward to Lion-Eating poet in the Stone Den.
Buffalo is still kind of good though.
James while John - "is an English sentence used to demonstrate lexical ambiguity and the necessity of punctuation, which serves as a substitute for the intonation, stress and pauses found in human speech." - which this robot voice beautifully demonstrates.
posted by unliteral at 5:38 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
More's the shame, I was looking forward to Lion-Eating poet in the Stone Den.
Buffalo is still kind of good though.
James while John - "is an English sentence used to demonstrate lexical ambiguity and the necessity of punctuation, which serves as a substitute for the intonation, stress and pauses found in human speech." - which this robot voice beautifully demonstrates.
posted by unliteral at 5:38 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
Jessamyn, is it true the FBI has not been to your college?
Um, I don't know, I ran away from Qwiki when it started talking to me.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:40 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
Um, I don't know, I ran away from Qwiki when it started talking to me.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:40 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
What, exactly, is the point of that site?
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:42 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by Devils Rancher at 5:42 PM on March 3, 2011
This is the worst website I have seen today and I spent most of the last hour looking at oekaki boards by furries and pokemon fans.
posted by NoraReed at 5:46 PM on March 3, 2011 [6 favorites]
posted by NoraReed at 5:46 PM on March 3, 2011 [6 favorites]
I like how the autosummarize decided to clean up Mel Gibson's wiki page of anything terrible.
Also, it impressively pronounces the Speaker of the House's name.
This thing is cool as it's clearly an attempt of a poorly made AI to understand the human world by skimming free encyclopedias and Youtube videos.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:56 PM on March 3, 2011
Also, it impressively pronounces the Speaker of the House's name.
This thing is cool as it's clearly an attempt of a poorly made AI to understand the human world by skimming free encyclopedias and Youtube videos.
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:56 PM on March 3, 2011
WARNING: Do not ask for GLaDOS. It'll know you're on to it and reveal spoilers from Portal 2. Although I do like how it sounded surprised and concerned when GLaDOS is described as "malicious."
posted by mccarty.tim at 6:02 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by mccarty.tim at 6:02 PM on March 3, 2011
"Panther Moderns," he said to the Hosaka, removing the trodes. "Five minute precis."
"Ready," the computer said.
Not quite there yet.
posted by Babblesort at 6:04 PM on March 3, 2011
"Ready," the computer said.
Not quite there yet.
posted by Babblesort at 6:04 PM on March 3, 2011
I agree that this is really dumb. OTOH, the text2speech seems unusually accurate. Or did I just happen across an easy-to-read entry?
posted by DU at 6:16 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by DU at 6:16 PM on March 3, 2011
Qwiki is so fucking stupid. I heard about it last year when it won some startup awards, and when someone gave me a beta invite I tried it out and was totally underwhelmed. It's just wikipedia + crappy robot voice. I've never used it after logging in once and can't find any reason to try it again except for lulzy entries that sound funny in the robot voice.
u mad
posted by secret about box at 6:22 PM on March 3, 2011 [3 favorites]
u mad
posted by secret about box at 6:22 PM on March 3, 2011 [3 favorites]
Oh, that's unfair. It's wikipedia + crappy robot voice + autosummarize = your mom.
Oh snap!
posted by special-k at 6:29 PM on March 3, 2011
hmmm.. the second search I did resulted in finding one of my own photos.
posted by tomswift at 6:35 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by tomswift at 6:35 PM on March 3, 2011
Regarding the point: what about the blind? I really don't know anything about software for blind people. Are there programs that would, say, read Wikipedia for the blind?
Why yes, deborah, there are programs for the blind and others with accessibility problems.
Yeah, I Googled that for myself.
Bonehead.
posted by deborah at 6:48 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
Why yes, deborah, there are programs for the blind and others with accessibility problems.
Yeah, I Googled that for myself.
Bonehead.
posted by deborah at 6:48 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
mccarty.tim: "WARNING: Do not ask for GLaDOS. It'll know you're on to it and reveal spoilers from Portal 2. Although I do like how it sounded surprised and concerned when GLaDOS is described as "malicious."
The reading of the Shodan quote in the middle of nowhere, though, is awesome.
posted by ShawnStruck at 6:57 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
The reading of the Shodan quote in the middle of nowhere, though, is awesome.
posted by ShawnStruck at 6:57 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
Aw, crap; I opened that link not realising it was going to start yelling at me. At 4am in my silent flat. I fricking hate that.
posted by hot soup girl at 7:55 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by hot soup girl at 7:55 PM on March 3, 2011
metafilter is a front for the white power movement pass it on
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 8:50 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 8:50 PM on March 3, 2011
i didn't say it was a very good front incidentally given that its net effect is entirely counter to the white power movement's aims but that's how these things go
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 8:51 PM on March 3, 2011
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 8:51 PM on March 3, 2011
Hook this up to Songsmith and the world would collapse in a black hole of stupid ideas.
posted by Rhomboid at 8:59 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Rhomboid at 8:59 PM on March 3, 2011 [2 favorites]
That interface is horrible. Best of Web 2.No.
posted by arcticseal at 12:41 AM on March 4, 2011
posted by arcticseal at 12:41 AM on March 4, 2011
Honkey is pretty close to how matts name is actually pronounced - i dont know where he gets 'howie' from.
A better man than myself, such as languagehat, would explain it better.
posted by sgt.serenity at 3:20 AM on March 4, 2011
A better man than myself, such as languagehat, would explain it better.
posted by sgt.serenity at 3:20 AM on March 4, 2011
Why yes, deborah, there are programs for the blind and others with accessibility problems.
The technology in that area is coming on in leaps an bounds, apparently. A blind user of the iPhone wrote up his experiences, in what must be the first genuinely moving tech review in history. (It's long, but read on to the bit where he downloads an app called Color Identifier and uses it to 'see' plants in his garden - amazing!)
posted by a little headband I put around my throat at 4:45 AM on March 4, 2011
The technology in that area is coming on in leaps an bounds, apparently. A blind user of the iPhone wrote up his experiences, in what must be the first genuinely moving tech review in history. (It's long, but read on to the bit where he downloads an app called Color Identifier and uses it to 'see' plants in his garden - amazing!)
posted by a little headband I put around my throat at 4:45 AM on March 4, 2011
So I plugged in the group I work for and got treated to a robot voice mangling my name and strange pictures of my friends floating by.
This feels like there should be a Lex Luthor like villain sitting in a huge arm chair watching this while drinking scotch and planning my destruction.
posted by The Whelk at 6:28 AM on March 4, 2011
This feels like there should be a Lex Luthor like villain sitting in a huge arm chair watching this while drinking scotch and planning my destruction.
posted by The Whelk at 6:28 AM on March 4, 2011
Ooh, my worst combo: creepy and boring.
posted by thinkpiece at 8:51 AM on March 4, 2011
posted by thinkpiece at 8:51 AM on March 4, 2011
It is 'me fie.' Isn't it? 'Meh fee' sounds so...crappy.
posted by BillBishop at 11:50 AM on March 4, 2011
posted by BillBishop at 11:50 AM on March 4, 2011
I think "me fie" sounds worse, BillBishop! Along the lines of "Me fie foe fumb."
posted by evening at 12:04 PM on March 4, 2011
posted by evening at 12:04 PM on March 4, 2011
wasn't there a poll about the pronunciation of mefi a while back? it was part of a project I believe but i could be wrong.
posted by OHenryPacey at 4:05 PM on March 4, 2011
posted by OHenryPacey at 4:05 PM on March 4, 2011
wasn't there a poll about the pronunciation of mefi a while back? it was part of a project I believe but i could be wrong.
There was, as a centerpiece to an in-progress piece of academic research by iamkimiam. When I first saw the title of this thread in my email, I actually assumed the thread was somehow related to that.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:43 PM on March 4, 2011
There was, as a centerpiece to an in-progress piece of academic research by iamkimiam. When I first saw the title of this thread in my email, I actually assumed the thread was somehow related to that.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:43 PM on March 4, 2011
Ugh. I worked for the guy behind Qwicki back in 2007. Not a good experience: not paid on time, bait-and-switch on the job (it went from professional to "half-time professional, half-time working as our receptionist, but don't worry, not many people come in so you can just do your professional work sitting at the receptionist desk"), and his Facebook albums were almost an ode to misogyny and start-up douchebaggery. Unfortunately I've unfriended him, or else I could share some choice "girl in bikini on yacht holding bottle of champagne" photos.
posted by blueblueblue at 6:41 AM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by blueblueblue at 6:41 AM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
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posted by special-k at 4:26 PM on March 3, 2011 [1 favorite]