MeFi GISHWHES Team? July 14, 2014 8:32 PM   Subscribe

Registration for The Greatest Scavenger Hunt The World Has Ever Seen is open for one more week. Teams are comprised from members worldwide. A Metafilter team would me mighty indeed. Anyone want to play?
posted by Lou Stuells to MetaFilter-Related at 8:32 PM (51 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite

The 2014 Winning Team will be flown to "King’s Landing" in Croatia where they will set sail on a pirate ship captained by Misha Collins and be treated to a survivor-style weekend adventure of revelry, mayhem and wondermentation.

This prize is not for me. I'm not the survivor type. However, I do note that the concept is intriguing.
posted by 26.2 at 9:37 PM on July 14, 2014 [2 favorites]


I would join a MeFi team, but I'm in Australia. Will that assist?
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 10:49 PM on July 14, 2014 [2 favorites]


What happened to the team last year? How did they do? There was never a follow-up.
posted by travelwithcats at 4:22 AM on July 15, 2014


I would join a team but I have no skills. And I'm in Australia. Which is also unskilled. See: Current Prime Minister.
posted by taff at 4:48 AM on July 15, 2014 [2 favorites]


Yes, me! I'm already registered--just waiting on the right team. I'm in the D.C. area.
posted by divka at 5:42 AM on July 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


I, too, am in Australia and up for hijinx with the right crowd!
posted by h00py at 6:38 AM on July 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


Oh god, maybe. I was in the metafilter half-team a couple years ago and it was a lot of fun. But it is super time consuming. (also, being spread out is actually good for these sorts of things).
posted by dinty_moore at 6:39 AM on July 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


I was on the team the year before last. We didn't win, but we had fun. It was tricky, we have some excellent pictures, videos etc which I started putting on tumblr but petered out... We had excellent help from other mefites not on the team.

Being in different continents is an advantage. Your team needs global coverage. But yes... time consuming.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 7:39 AM on July 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


Oh and the begging people for weird shit I did.... indeed.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 7:40 AM on July 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


What happened to the team last year? How did they do? There was never a follow-up.

I was on Team PepsiBlue and I had fun. Two of my kids and I did a lot of challenges and took pictures. Our team had a spreadsheet where the challenges were listed and as I recall, maybe 3 or 4 team members ended up doing things. Some of the stuff they did was really cool, but some of our members just dropped off the planet, which was unfortunate.

The challenges are a lot of fun, though!
posted by kinetic at 1:43 PM on July 15, 2014


I'm not interested in joining a team, but if you need anything in the Midwest let me know. Or if there is something a 43 year old fat man from Iowa can do without leaving his house I am your man! I even have money if that helps (aren't these things fund raisers?).
posted by cjorgensen at 5:10 PM on July 15, 2014 [5 favorites]


I don't want to be a member, but I'd be happy to help out with some of the scavenger hunting. Memail me if I can help from Seattle.
posted by Margalo Epps at 6:08 PM on July 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


I can help in the Stl metro.
posted by schyler523 at 6:36 PM on July 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


I expect to be largely free that week and am in Toronto. This is something I can do as an activity with my young children, yes?
posted by 256 at 7:40 PM on July 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


I can't do the team because I am the primary caregiver to two small children, but I will be an assist. I can provide access to musicians of various sorts and the aforementioned children, plus I know maker-type people.
posted by KathrynT at 7:43 PM on July 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


i have tons of free time (unemployed) but not sure i can afford registration? i'm down to help out though, i live in NYC.
posted by cristinacristinacristina at 9:22 PM on July 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'm in Beijing, which may be helpful, or not. I won't be very free, but I'd be glad to pitch in wherever I can.
posted by undue influence at 1:45 AM on July 16, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'd be in for a MeFi team!
posted by mathiu at 5:23 AM on July 16, 2014 [1 favorite]


I've registered with team name theblue. Join up, folks from all over with or without skills you consider useful. cristinacristinacristina it's possible to register and be gifted a scholarship, or with your email it's possible for someone to sport you directly. I'd encourage anyone in similar circumstances to speak up in-thread. 6 days left for registration, 14 people needed. If you want to, please don't hesitate? If we use up all the spots why not start a second team.
posted by Lou Stuells at 7:35 AM on July 16, 2014


OK, will join theblue team (once I check my calendar and ensure I that I do the weekend...).
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:32 PM on July 16, 2014 [1 favorite]


This looks neat. Still deciding because I avoid confrontation and strangers like the plague. But I could do stuff that didn't involve dressing up and hugging strangers.
posted by KogeLiz at 7:39 PM on July 16, 2014 [1 favorite]


I had fun doing this last year, but I was just out of school and 1. underemployed and 2. had a university ID card that still worked, which meant I could get places that were really useful (eg, the particle accelerator office, a laser lab). So, sadly, I must bow out this year.
posted by cobaltnine at 7:55 PM on July 16, 2014 [1 favorite]


I was on Team Quonsar last year and had a blast, although I do wish I'd had someone near me to help out (I think I was the only member on my continent!). Taking a pass this year as I can't put in the necessary time, but I'm offering my unofficial help with any items, and hope I can join next time.

Sadly, none of our items from last year made it onto the GISHWHES website or into the coffee table book, but I did get a picture of my feminine hygiene safari animal signed by Misha Collins, yay!
posted by Skybly at 5:41 AM on July 17, 2014 [3 favorites]


My God that's the finest menstruphant I've ever seen.
posted by Lou Stuells at 6:29 AM on July 17, 2014 [3 favorites]


someone is financially sponsoring me so count me in!!!
posted by cristinacristinacristina at 2:27 PM on July 17, 2014 [2 favorites]


I joined. I was on PepsiBlue last year. I, uh, still haven't fully dismantled the five foot tall Washington Monument I made out of books. It's been a year, so I probably should work on that.
posted by Ruki at 9:14 PM on July 17, 2014 [1 favorite]


YAY thanks for signing on! With 4 days left to register, there are 11 more available spots on team theblue, no-one is saving seats, and everyone is welcome. Even if you're shy. Even if you're boring. Even (especially) if you're weird. You might not have what you consider to be useful resources, but I suspect that's like saying MacGuyver doesn't have a Snap-On van in his driveway. I'd happily encourage fence-sitters with more specific enthusiasm, but I've never participated before myself, so I can't say 'It's going to be like this.' However it seems that people who played before have come away saying overwhelmingly positive things about it. The spirit of generosity and absurdity is pure delight to me, and I didn't want to pass up something that seemed to have a very high likelihood of turning into an "I wish I'd done that."

So check and see if it might be a good time to give a little present to that part of yourself, run off-leash and have some fun and do good stuff.

I'm still struck that it's a thing that exists because of a guy on a show I like. It's so wonderful to discover wells of goodness in people whose work you enjoy. Goes a fair distance balancing out the Asimov and Ellison types.
posted by Lou Stuells at 3:27 AM on July 18, 2014


Ok, alright, I'm shy and boring and didn't plan to do it this year, but I signed up. Hope I'll be able to help anyway!
posted by Skybly at 5:24 AM on July 18, 2014 [2 favorites]


Addressed to the General You :)

The environment I sense from the game overall, and the atmosphere I think is most fun and welcoming for participants, is this: if you feel anxiety, it's internal, from you deciding to try something new. It's excitement! It's not from your team judging or pressuring you, because when did that ever make for brilliant results or a good time. We're not doing Phys Ed LARP, and nobody's going to be Ray Finkle.

(Unless those are specifically on the list. For all I know..)

Worst-case, you've made a donation to a good cause even if you go into witness protection the next day, never to be heard from again. We won't hunt you down, we'll hope you're okay.

A bunch of 'woohoo you guys are awesome! yay theblue!' at the right moments (or any moments really) is good, if someone wants to be involved but has limitations of resources or schedule. And if you go so far as to sign up, you've already demonstrated a predisposition to fun and creativity, and your brain will be just as much of an asset as someone else's fearless extroversion, or outrageously extensive social connections. Who knows? We'll find out. It will be a ridiculous adventure.
posted by Lou Stuells at 6:35 AM on July 18, 2014


Hi guys,
I'd like to join your team.
I'm from Germany, 31 years old and have three years of 'um' experience, if you like to call it that^^

My teammates from last year aren't able to participate this year, so if I can be a help to you, I will do my best with the time I can give. Sadly my colleagues at work are on holiday, so I can't take time off, but anyway, I'll do what I can.

For the ones new to this, it is a lot of fun. You will get a shock reading the list of tasks for the first time, but after that it's just fun and it's for a good cause, so yeah. The main point is to stay in concact and talk about what you can do or can't, an every creative input is welcome.

Are there any questions I should answer first?
I'm already registered and could join the team.
posted by StarlightKB at 9:46 AM on July 18, 2014 [2 favorites]


Hop right on, StarlightKB! And the rest of you :)
posted by Lou Stuells at 10:28 AM on July 18, 2014


Team blue for the win - I just registered!
posted by mathiu at 3:44 AM on July 21, 2014 [1 favorite]


There are 7 open spots on the team, and ONE DAY left to sign up!

If you've had dreams recently about an old lady playing a guitar on a porch in Nebraska, that was me telling you to join.

there are weasels in the corn
posted by Lou Stuells at 8:28 AM on July 21, 2014


OK, I'm in! Joined up to TheBlue and everything!

I'm seeing the other Sydney MeFites on Saturday; I shall recruit some irregulars.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 4:04 AM on July 22, 2014 [3 favorites]


Looks like we got an extension - registration will be open a few more days!
posted by Skybly at 4:24 AM on July 23, 2014


YEAH I just came to post - 4 days more to register!

If you were on the fence but missed the deadline, this is clearly a message from the Almighty directed specifically to you that you're fated to participate. Falling into the ocean and being eaten by a fish won't save you, so don't even try that malarkey. IT WON'T WORK.

Embrace your destiny with team TheBlue ಠ_ಠ
posted by Lou Stuells at 8:54 AM on July 23, 2014


If the Metafilter team needs a Seattle proxy for the event, I have a volunteer! Memail me.
posted by KathrynT at 11:47 AM on July 25, 2014


There are 6 spots left on the team, and 1 day, 9 hours left to register :) Assists from all corners of the world are so very welcome, whether they join the team or not!
posted by Lou Stuells at 2:51 PM on July 26, 2014


Only three hours to go, but I'm in. I'm not sure how much use I'll be, as I'm a bit of a wimp.
posted by kjs4 at 8:45 PM on July 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


So! How are we going to organize this? A Google doc?
posted by Skybly at 12:19 AM on July 29, 2014


Google doc would work I think.

The last two years we just founded a facebook group, that worked pretty well.
Depends of course if everyone is on FB or would create an account for this. We chattet there about everything and had three docs (which items are done, which items are in the works and which stuff is already uploaded) to keep track of everything.
posted by StarlightKB at 1:33 PM on July 29, 2014 [1 favorite]


Google doc would work I think.

The last two years we just founded a facebook group, that worked pretty well.


Either way would work for me.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:09 PM on July 29, 2014


Looks like there's already a facebook group going. Did everyone get an invite?
posted by Skybly at 1:31 AM on July 30, 2014


Nope. What is it called?
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:30 AM on July 30, 2014


Here's the group. Looks like it's public right now, but I guess we can close it up once everyone has joined.
posted by Skybly at 2:42 AM on July 30, 2014


Got an invite and already in.
Yeah we definitely have to close it up from SAT on.
See you guys there. :)
posted by StarlightKB at 4:24 AM on July 30, 2014


OK, have joined the FB group. Or at least made a request to join it.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 5:57 AM on July 30, 2014


Found group - thanks for setting it up! I submitted a request to join. Beyond that, have no idea what to expect until we get the list :)
posted by Lou Stuells at 8:23 AM on July 30, 2014


Is everyone on the team over on the Facebook group? Should we close up this thread?
posted by Lou Stuells at 1:40 PM on July 30, 2014


I am not a team member but I can do assists, where's the FB group?
posted by KathrynT at 11:30 AM on August 2, 2014


Our submissions are now up on their very own tumblr!
posted by Skybly at 3:51 PM on August 9, 2014


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