Death is the new black October 31, 2011 9:11 AM   Subscribe

Just in time for Halloween, MeFi Mag is back with deadly issue seven, in PRINT or free PDF. Deadline for the next issue (SEX!) is November 15. This month, sub means SUBMIT!

This issue is pretty much so goddamned jam packed that I'm not even going to bother telling you what's in it here. It's a lot, and it's really good.

Feel free to put questions and comments here.

Final thing: December is our Nerd issue. From unpopular culture to that MetaFilter roguelike you've been coding in your basement, we want nerds in all their glorious pedantry and social awkwardness. Dorks, geeks, dweebs, goobers, poindexters and boogers are also welcome.
posted by klangklangston to MetaFilter-Related at 9:11 AM (95 comments total) 12 users marked this as a favorite

Also, I never realized until now that booger and goober were anagrams.
posted by klangklangston at 9:13 AM on October 31, 2011


Sexy sex issue promo.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:20 AM on October 31, 2011


oh god please let someone write really hilarrible mefi fanfic for the sexy sex issue PLEASE PLEASE
posted by elizardbits at 9:26 AM on October 31, 2011 [6 favorites]


Sounds like that person is you, lizbits.
posted by klangklangston at 9:35 AM on October 31, 2011


yeah, but that would just be like 100 pages of me making out with Iron Man.
posted by elizardbits at 9:38 AM on October 31, 2011


Iron Man/Iron Chef slashfic plz
posted by griphus at 9:42 AM on October 31, 2011


Awwwww, I'm all teary-eyed from reading Seanyboy's eulogy to his grandmother, and the art on either side is great, too!
posted by ldthomps at 9:44 AM on October 31, 2011


If this has been discussed, then I'd appreciate a link BUT I'm curious about the business model - if you're selling print and pdf (per the print link) then how come the PDF is here for free?

I also just realized why I'd pay for print - in today's era of free downloads, that means something.
posted by infini at 9:54 AM on October 31, 2011


There is no business model because there is no business. The print version is sold at cost, we make not a single penny of profit, nor are we attempting to.

The print version does comes with the free PDF, but people kept asking for PDF to download so they wouldn't have to join Magcloud.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:57 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


Each one of these continues to get better and better. Everyone did a wonderful job. The art and design is particularly excellent and I'm digging into the longer pieces this afternoon. Well done.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:13 AM on October 31, 2011


Yeah, even Brandon and I have to pay the same price for every copy we want.

(I suppose if you wanted to "donate," you could just buy extra copies for us and for libraries.)
posted by klangklangston at 10:13 AM on October 31, 2011


hilarrible

Why is this the first time I've seen this word? Something something misspent youth
posted by villanelles at dawn at 10:15 AM on October 31, 2011


Just fyi, at 48 pages it's the largest issue we've ever put out. YET.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:20 AM on October 31, 2011


(I suppose if you wanted to "donate," you could just buy extra copies for us and for libraries.)

Do you want to put a tipjar on the side (one that takes mPesa as well as paypal)?
posted by infini at 10:22 AM on October 31, 2011


If you'd like, I can plant a bunch of people in north Brooklyn cafes and bars to talk about how lame and boring the magazine has become.
posted by griphus at 10:24 AM on October 31, 2011 [3 favorites]


I'm just scrolling through the PDF quickly and I have to say, beautiful job guys.
posted by roger ackroyd at 10:32 AM on October 31, 2011


Do you want to put a tipjar on the side (one that takes mPesa as well as paypal)?

What should we do with the money, assuming that's ok and we would do it?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:40 AM on October 31, 2011


Pater Aletheias's piece made me cry and I had to stop reading, but so far the whole thing is really amazing. Thanks to everyone who worked on it.
posted by vytae at 10:43 AM on October 31, 2011 [4 favorites]


What should we do with the money, assuming that's ok and we would do it?

Whisky for the staff. Seriously, you guys do an amazing job month after month. And I'm not just saying that because you used my photo! thank you.
posted by Sailormom at 11:04 AM on October 31, 2011


Do pieces have to be written for MeFiMag or can they be things we've blogged or sent to mailing lists in the past?
posted by dobbs at 11:18 AM on October 31, 2011


Outstanding! You always do a great job, but this issue is amaze-balls. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to contribute and for being so kind with the revisions.
posted by ColdChef at 11:27 AM on October 31, 2011


Because we're total egotists, we prefer that you write things specifically for us. Especially for the sex issue — topics we'd like to cover are the delights of sexing up editors and art directors, and the proper methods therein.

But this month we happily ran Bookhouse's Agua Dulce, which had previously been published, and we've run plenty of other second-rights stuff along the way. For example, if someone had wrestled the future to the fucking ground, we'd be impressed and likely publish that.
posted by klangklangston at 11:29 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


(One thing to note is that we use the AP styleguide generally, with detours to Chicago when necessary, and arbitrary drunken decisions made as a last resort. So sometimes things that work well for blogs are too short, or awkwardly formatted. But if it's good, we try to get it in.)
posted by klangklangston at 11:31 AM on October 31, 2011


Is it possible to submit anonymously?
posted by Jehan at 11:40 AM on October 31, 2011


Sort of. You can always submit anything without any identifying information. But as we frequently have to contact contributors (especially about edits), submitting something anonymously makes it more of a hassle for us. Sure, if you're Pynchon, we may end up running your piece anyway, but it makes it harder. We also try to have some attribution — one of the things that came up in the current issue is that Howie Good didn't respond to the email we sent looking for his MeFi name, but we liked the piece so we ran it and figured we could correct that when he finally checked his inbox.

If it's something really important, you can always contact us through email and talk about it, or make a sockpuppet on MeFi to tie it to (essentially a third-party pseudonym). We have run things from people only using their MeFi handle, rather than both that and their real names.
posted by klangklangston at 11:46 AM on October 31, 2011


May I humbly suggest that cutting off the top of the word 'contents' on the contents page, while cool-looking, may not be the best idea as it sort of looks like it says 'cuntents'

(No but really I'm excited about this)
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:46 AM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


But it's acceptable to submit an article openly to editors, but have it published anonymously?
posted by Jehan at 11:48 AM on October 31, 2011


When Girl Scouts go camping, that's what they sleep in.
posted by ColdChef at 11:49 AM on October 31, 2011 [4 favorites]


1) Maybe it does say cuntents. Or cunlenis (which is next to godliness). It's hard to tell with a san serif font.

2) You can submit and we may run it anonymously, but I'd encourage you to have a MeFi name that you wouldn't mind associating with it. Just don't flood our inbox with cockshots.
posted by klangklangston at 11:57 AM on October 31, 2011


Just don't flood our inbox with cockshots.

There goes my contribution to the sex issue.
posted by villanelles at dawn at 12:00 PM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


the stars aligned and I got a prime reporting gig on the 11th and it relates to the theme!
posted by The Whelk at 12:44 PM on October 31, 2011


I hope you are reporting on how fucking insanely hot Henry Cavill is in his new film that is opening on that very day.

i too will be "reporting on it" iykwim.
posted by elizardbits at 12:49 PM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


You guys do some amazing work. This is just beautiful, again. I'm delighted to be a part of it.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 1:50 PM on October 31, 2011


I'm just hoping Grant Morrison reads it and we end up making out in the fifth dimension PRIOR to actually having to die and stuff.

(Hey, it could happen)
posted by bitter-girl.com at 1:55 PM on October 31, 2011


Just ordered all of the issues in print. I have an irrational dislike of PDFs, so I'm glad that's an option - I'd hate to miss out!

(And one of these days I'll submit something, I swear.)
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 2:04 PM on October 31, 2011


Just fyi, at 48 pages it's the largest issue we've ever put out. YET.

I like that you guys put out more and more.
posted by P.o.B. at 2:06 PM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


Wow, I'm impressed. Really beautifully composed. I like it.
posted by Forktine at 2:11 PM on October 31, 2011


P.o.B.: I like that you guys put out more and more.

Blatcher has no choice if he wants to satisfy all the spouses he keeps taking on.
posted by gman at 2:14 PM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


It seems unpossible, but MefiMag keeps getting better 'n' better. Thanks to all the contributors!
posted by deborah at 2:36 PM on October 31, 2011


can we have a sexiest mefite contest for the sexy sex issue?
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 2:42 PM on October 31, 2011


Psychic powers confirmed.
posted by villanelles at dawn at 2:44 PM on October 31, 2011


can we have a sexiest mefite contest for the sexy sex issue?

Is there someone who can setup up a voting ballot and count the votes?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:50 PM on October 31, 2011


I shall look into this sexy poll business
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 2:56 PM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


To expand on that last comment, it sounds like a great and fun idea, but there's the matter of setting it up, deciding who's on the ballot, how long the ballot is going to run in time to make it in the issue and then tabulating and graphing/writing up the results.

Someone or several someone's who are not me would have to make all that happen by November 15th. I think it's possible and there's any number of ways to do it, online and print, just print, just online etc, etc. And I want to stress that it sounds like it could be goofy fun. But are details to resolve and I'm open to whatever those details. You can have lots of pages and we have a fully capable server to host all sorts of neat doodads and things. But someone else has to pull it together.

I shall look into this sexy poll business

Awesome! Does anyone know of any solutions to this that could help out mandymanwasregistered?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:01 PM on October 31, 2011


Hey is the sex issue literally about bonin', or could it include something about gender?
posted by showbiz_liz at 3:14 PM on October 31, 2011


My plan so far:
1. entry requirements: have a user name, submit an email to sexiest.mefite@gmail.com with your answers to the 5 questions I have yet to write
2. post these answers at sexiestmefite.tumblr.com
3. voting will happen by Nov 15 (if anyone has an easy suggestion, so far thinking either google docs or survey monkey)
4. no pics because our sexiness is in our words, yo (and I don't want shots of yr junk)

And maybe then klang will stop bugging me about submitting something to the magazine!
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 3:33 PM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


Hey is the sex issue literally about bonin', or could it include something about gender?

No, it doesn't have to be about bonin' at all. Sex has a lot of aspects to it and submissions that cover more that just the physical are desired.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:36 PM on October 31, 2011


Voting needs to be finishing up by Nov 15th. Maybe schedule a 48 hour voting window, publicize that and then count'em up?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:40 PM on October 31, 2011


OH MAN. Now that I have a kindle I am ALL OVER THIS.

(Is there somewhere to get the back issues?)
posted by bibliogrrl at 3:41 PM on October 31, 2011


Back issues are available at Magcloud (1 & 2; 3-7), while the PDFs are on MeFiMag.com
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:47 PM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


"Hey is the sex issue literally about bonin', or could it include something about gender?"

I really hope it's not just about boning.

I'm curious if there's a biologist around who can give us a quick and dirty guide to sexing birds, fish and reptiles (the ol' cloaca question).

But gender would certainly be relevant.

Hell, articles about sax or sechs could probably get in if they were clever.
posted by klangklangston at 5:03 PM on October 31, 2011


Corset boning would also be acceptable. Really, if you could pun your way to it, I'm generally interested.
posted by klangklangston at 5:04 PM on October 31, 2011


Pater Aletheias' piece made me cry as well - hoping the baby is doing better!

I do have one old fogey request though - my middle aged eyes have a hard time with white text on black - major migraine trigger too - pretty please avoid it in next issue?! Am looking forward to seeing it.
posted by leslies at 5:26 PM on October 31, 2011


I have just had a terrible idea for a submission, so, you know, you guys can start looking forward to that.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:45 PM on October 31, 2011 [3 favorites]


Pater Aletheias' piece made me cry as well - hoping the baby is doing better!

Epilogue: After only two weeks in NICU, Aidan was able to come home. He required a lot of follow ups for linger breathing difficulties, and quite a few trips to the ER his first year when he couldn't catch his breath. He also needed physical therapy until he was 18 months old. We were told that sometimes babies who spend their first couple of weeks not being able to move much take a long time to catch up to where they would have been. But now he is 2 1/2, and doing very well, and (along with his sisters) has just charmed our neighborhood as the cutest, most outgoing little trick-or-treater you've ever seen.

And he absolutely just makes my day every time I see him.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 6:01 PM on October 31, 2011 [18 favorites]


Amazing article, Pater Aletheias. Thank you for sharing that.
posted by ColdChef at 6:25 PM on October 31, 2011


I'm on a plane tomorrow, so yay for another MeFi Magazine. Good work all!
posted by arcticseal at 6:55 PM on October 31, 2011


I hope you are reporting on how fucking insanely hot Henry Cavill is in his new film that is opening on that very day.

Oh you mean the Freida Pinto movie?
posted by villanelles at dawn at 8:51 PM on October 31, 2011


HOW is this magazine so consistently GOOD? Thanks editors and contributors. Fantastic, moving stuff.

Y'all have got The Sun all spanked.
posted by Miko at 9:01 PM on October 31, 2011


Announcing the SEXIEST MEFITE CONTEST. Details here. Contest submissions will be accepted up until November 9th. Voting will take place after that.

Credit to goshling and herrdoktor for helping me with the contest questions!

Spread the sexy word y'all.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 9:59 PM on October 31, 2011 [1 favorite]


Hot damn, this is gonna be good.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:40 PM on October 31, 2011


Oh hey, there I am, on p. 25. I love that my page number is a perfect square!

If I can get over my writer's block, maybe I will submit something longer one of these days. Not for the sexy sex issue, because I have no clue what's going on there.

Also the issue should be called "Everybody's Hugging."
posted by Eideteker at 11:54 PM on October 31, 2011


If a mod sees this: Is it ok to post a meta announcing the contest? I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on the sexy times.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 11:56 PM on October 31, 2011


I discovered MeFi Mag a few weeks ago, after a MeFi hiatus, and while in the middle of moving house, but my first instinct was "I want to help!". Do you guys need help with anything? Fun fact: I'm an actual editor by day. (Online editor for a scientific journal, and commissioning/editing some newsy pieces and book reviews for the print version as well.)

I also write, and may be able to do some sciency gender thing for the next issue. (I have an idea - I just need time to write.)
posted by easternblot at 4:11 AM on November 1, 2011


Print and web designers are most definitely desired.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:47 AM on November 1, 2011


Thanks for publishing my piece. However, it's weird seeing it out there and knowing random people are reading it.
posted by seanyboy at 9:20 AM on November 1, 2011


Yes, guys, thanks. A wee bit overwhelming.
posted by lysdexic at 12:12 PM on November 1, 2011


The sex issue is also an excellent place to put all those LRB-style personals all y'all have been penning over the years.

(I'd like to do a Cosmo style cover, with, like, 40 NEW SEXIEST POSITIONS! where no. 5 is like, on a table or something.)
posted by klangklangston at 12:56 PM on November 1, 2011


I'd like to do a Cosmo style cover

Only if you're the model.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:59 PM on November 1, 2011


...holding a small, flat stone.
posted by griphus at 1:13 PM on November 1, 2011


It is a credit to you that the magazine looks amazing even though my art is in it.


I will draw some sexy things when I am done with a couple of decidedly unsexy projects.
posted by louche mustachio at 6:55 PM on November 1, 2011


I'm another reader who broke down on page 20. Amazing piece, Pater Alethias, and I'm so glad you updated us before I started trawling through your comments to try and discover how your son was doing.
posted by jokeefe at 7:46 PM on November 1, 2011


"Print and web designers are most definitely desired."

Hm. Can't be of much designy help, I'm afraid. (At least not in the sense that anything would look good.) Just text editing/formatting.
posted by easternblot at 3:17 AM on November 2, 2011


Also, if anyone knows of particularly good or insightful comments about sex, could you send me the link to them? I'm looking for comments to either pair with art or to stand alone, as long as the author agrees to allow usage.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:04 AM on November 2, 2011


Well, this one is a total classic.
posted by Miko at 5:17 AM on November 2, 2011


Hoo-boy. I searched my comment history for "sex," just on a lark (I wouldn't submit one of my own comments, and especially not in a month right after I'd been quoted), and the results are a lot more interesting than I'd thought they would be. Given how unsexy I usually am in conversation.
posted by Eideteker at 5:20 AM on November 2, 2011


Miko: I'm surprised that one's not a shirt already.
posted by Eideteker at 5:21 AM on November 2, 2011


It would be a hilarious shirt but I'm having a hard time picturing when and where I would be comfortable wearing a shirt emblazoned "Sexy Sex Person."

You inspired me to search too, and what I found is that my comments about sex on MeFi are hopelessly dull - they're either earnest AskMe relationship advice or gender politics. Not too thrilling.
posted by Miko at 5:35 AM on November 2, 2011


...but I'm having a hard time picturing when and where I would be comfortable wearing a shirt emblazoned "Sexy Sex Person."

West Point commencement ceremony '11

Annual Cartography and Mapmaking Conference

DragonConCon

Occupy Wall Street (that's Wall Street in Wabash, Indiana. Take a left past the berry farms up until you see the silo with the big 1950s Coca Cola ad painted on it. Take a left there. The street isn't, marked, but you'll be able to tell by the smell of refined horse manure.)
posted by griphus at 6:52 AM on November 2, 2011 [2 favorites]


Chani: Do you like sex, Usul?
The Dib: 'Scuse me?
Chani: Sex. The physical act of love. Coitus. Do you like it?
The Dib: I was talking about the waters of my homeworld.

posted by cortex (staff) at 7:16 AM on November 2, 2011 [2 favorites]


"Hm. Can't be of much designy help, I'm afraid. (At least not in the sense that anything would look good.) Just text editing/formatting."

If that email is accurate, I'll add you to the list of copy editors who we circulate to. This month, I basically got two new jobs right around editing time, so it was a bit scrambled.
posted by klangklangston at 9:51 AM on November 2, 2011


I'd love a Metafilter: because I like sexy sex as if it were my profession shirt (think how many sign-ups that would generate!), and I'd wear it, too.

Sex edition! I absolutely should have written up something for this. Though maybe it would have been completely inappropriate, and I wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable; It's been a long time since I've written custom erotica. I'd hate for anyone to turn away from Mefi Mag because I'd contributed objectionable content.

Somebody throw me a character, setting and kink and I'll ad lib something if you want!

Otherwise I'll see if I can put together something more scholarly, as befits this august publication.
posted by misha at 10:23 AM on November 2, 2011


Should have? Still can!
posted by klangklangston at 10:26 AM on November 2, 2011


Oh, and it might be problematic to get permission to print/use because it was posted anonymously, But!

This Ask made me realize that Metafilter was this rare and special online presence: sex-positive AND mercifully free of trolling asshattery. It's from way back; I was still lurking and hadn't even signed up for an account yet in those days.

"...who agrees with me that our interests do not have to overlap or match in all areas, and that men and women are mysterious to each other, and that that's kind of nice.

And then perhaps he could take me to bed and be quite forceful and pull my hair and demand that I call him inappropriate things...."

posted by misha at 10:46 AM on November 2, 2011


I have fond feelings towards that thread, because it got me to sign up and make my first comment. It also has my first formatting error, which bugs the crap out of my whenever I see a link to the thread. (And if ever a question deserved a follow up, it's that one.)
posted by Forktine at 11:02 AM on November 2, 2011


It also has my first formatting error, which bugs the crap out of me whenever I see a link to the thread.

You know we can fix that sort of thing, right? Please remain unbugged forevermore.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 11:16 AM on November 2, 2011


Hey, wow, thanks! Big hug (with no hair pulling) for you!

People keep asking for an edit window, but this is like having a personal editing staff.
posted by Forktine at 11:41 AM on November 2, 2011


@klangklangston Yes, that's my correct email address. Otherwise, I wouldn't be much of an editor, not even having my correct contact info up....
posted by easternblot at 10:49 AM on November 3, 2011


Just as a note, we're currently the "featured" magazine in Magcloud's entertainment category.
posted by klangklangston at 1:01 PM on November 3, 2011


Neat!
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:06 PM on November 3, 2011


Ok, gang. It's clear what we have to do: become so internet famous that MeFiMag makes a good FPP in time for the next anniversary.
posted by lysdexic at 5:16 PM on November 3, 2011


Just got the most recent prints of this issue. It looks even better in real life than it does on a screen. Nice job, Brandon.
posted by klangklangston at 7:04 PM on November 5, 2011


High praise from the wife: "That does look interesting, I'll come get it later. Leave it on your desk or in the bathroom."
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:08 PM on November 7, 2011 [1 favorite]


I read the latest edition of MeFi Mag last night while nervously waiting for a telephone interview.
Thanks for distracting me guys and if I get the job, I promise to subscribe to the print edition (plus buy you a beer if I ever get to another meet-up).
posted by arcticseal at 5:43 PM on November 7, 2011


Copy sent to copy eds. If anyone wants to put a hand in, shoot me a line.
posted by klangklangston at 3:14 PM on November 20, 2011


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