Quick Design Improvement Test March 31, 2015 10:18 PM Subscribe
We tweaked the colors a little on the MetaFilter home page to address some uncertainties people had mentioned. At any time you can click here to opt out of the test.
We've often heard that MetaFilter can be ambiguous to read in certain lighting conditions, so we're testing a new look today. If you'd like to give the new look a dressing-down, this thread is the place - we'll try to redress any grievances.
If you opted out but then changed your mind, you can click here to resume the test.
We've often heard that MetaFilter can be ambiguous to read in certain lighting conditions, so we're testing a new look today. If you'd like to give the new look a dressing-down, this thread is the place - we'll try to redress any grievances.
If you opted out but then changed your mind, you can click here to resume the test.
Aw, yeah. It's back and faster than last time!
posted by litlnemo at 10:20 PM on March 31, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by litlnemo at 10:20 PM on March 31, 2015 [5 favorites]
I love you guys. Perfect.
posted by frecklefaerie at 10:21 PM on March 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by frecklefaerie at 10:21 PM on March 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
Good, I thought I accidentally dosed myself with something...
posted by WhitenoisE at 10:21 PM on March 31, 2015 [19 favorites]
posted by WhitenoisE at 10:21 PM on March 31, 2015 [19 favorites]
I initially thought it was an April Fool's joke, or is this just a coincidence? Or did the plane go over my head? So confused.
posted by royals at 10:21 PM on March 31, 2015 [18 favorites]
posted by royals at 10:21 PM on March 31, 2015 [18 favorites]
dressing-down
I see what you did there.
posted by zeptoweasel at 10:21 PM on March 31, 2015 [7 favorites]
I see what you did there.
posted by zeptoweasel at 10:21 PM on March 31, 2015 [7 favorites]
This is a great pony. I'm always reading my phone while hurtling through worm holes (both kinds) so this makes it much easier to read.
posted by bleep at 10:22 PM on March 31, 2015 [13 favorites]
posted by bleep at 10:22 PM on March 31, 2015 [13 favorites]
Needs more 'suck'!
posted by mazola at 10:22 PM on March 31, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by mazola at 10:22 PM on March 31, 2015 [6 favorites]
You guys are freaking me out! It's awesome!
posted by rtha at 10:22 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by rtha at 10:22 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oh no. Not again....
By which I mean...Awesome! :)
posted by ninazer0 at 10:22 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
By which I mean...Awesome! :)
posted by ninazer0 at 10:22 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
I knew I was up too late....
posted by zenon at 10:25 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by zenon at 10:25 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
The main issue we've had is we can't agree on what to call the new color scheme.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:26 PM on March 31, 2015 [70 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:26 PM on March 31, 2015 [70 favorites]
I just assumed it was your not so subtle way of telling me to get with the times and use the modern theme already.
posted by zachlipton at 10:26 PM on March 31, 2015 [18 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 10:26 PM on March 31, 2015 [18 favorites]
I guess it is a bit different from the last color shift thingy. Took me a lot less time to realize I wasn't going insane.
posted by litlnemo at 10:26 PM on March 31, 2015
posted by litlnemo at 10:26 PM on March 31, 2015
I find it really hard to read the white-on-blue text. It would be a lot better if the text was yellow. Please?
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 10:27 PM on March 31, 2015
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 10:27 PM on March 31, 2015
It's pooping rainbows! :)
posted by mazola at 10:27 PM on March 31, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by mazola at 10:27 PM on March 31, 2015 [4 favorites]
jesus i thought my computer had diarrhoea
posted by chococat at 10:28 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by chococat at 10:28 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Needs more Hotdog Stand
posted by hellojed at 10:28 PM on March 31, 2015 [15 favorites]
posted by hellojed at 10:28 PM on March 31, 2015 [15 favorites]
Call it "(Must be) Midnight in Portland" since that's the first thought I had on seeing it.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:29 PM on March 31, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:29 PM on March 31, 2015 [8 favorites]
Oh Jesus is this what being high is like?
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:29 PM on March 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:29 PM on March 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
I hate you all.
I have a nagging phobia that my computer is about to die. This did not help. I protest!
posted by jaguar at 10:29 PM on March 31, 2015 [10 favorites]
I have a nagging phobia that my computer is about to die. This did not help. I protest!
posted by jaguar at 10:29 PM on March 31, 2015 [10 favorites]
LOL....just saw the added feature. Very timely. Nicely done.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:30 PM on March 31, 2015
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:30 PM on March 31, 2015
Ha Ha Ha. No.
posted by Thella at 10:31 PM on March 31, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by Thella at 10:31 PM on March 31, 2015 [8 favorites]
Is this the April Fool's joke? I hate this.
posted by bendy at 10:31 PM on March 31, 2015 [23 favorites]
posted by bendy at 10:31 PM on March 31, 2015 [23 favorites]
The main issue we've had is we can't agree on what to call the new color scheme.
"OldGagRebootNewMexico"
posted by chococat at 10:32 PM on March 31, 2015 [5 favorites]
"OldGagRebootNewMexico"
posted by chococat at 10:32 PM on March 31, 2015 [5 favorites]
> Oh Jesus is this what being high is like?
A... friend says no, not really.
posted by rtha at 10:32 PM on March 31, 2015 [34 favorites]
A... friend says no, not really.
posted by rtha at 10:32 PM on March 31, 2015 [34 favorites]
Is there any way to speed up the rate of change? If I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it hard.
posted by benito.strauss at 10:34 PM on March 31, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by benito.strauss at 10:34 PM on March 31, 2015 [5 favorites]
wftz*
posted by philip-random at 10:34 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by philip-random at 10:34 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
The main issue we've had is we can't agree on what to call the new color scheme.
STOP BEING A DICK scheme.
posted by unliteral at 10:34 PM on March 31, 2015 [12 favorites]
STOP BEING A DICK scheme.
posted by unliteral at 10:34 PM on March 31, 2015 [12 favorites]
Yay! Purple! Black! Text! It looks just like 2003 LiveJournal! The design standard everyone should follow!
★★★★★
posted by byanyothername at 10:34 PM on March 31, 2015 [16 favorites]
★★★★★
posted by byanyothername at 10:34 PM on March 31, 2015 [16 favorites]
Is there any way to speed up the rate of change?
Not sure what you mean? If you click the opt-out link it should go back to the old non-tweaked colors immediately.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:36 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Not sure what you mean? If you click the opt-out link it should go back to the old non-tweaked colors immediately.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:36 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
actually I guess "blurple" is more accurate and absolutely a real word
posted by byanyothername at 10:36 PM on March 31, 2015 [13 favorites]
posted by byanyothername at 10:36 PM on March 31, 2015 [13 favorites]
We were somewhere around the fourth message on the frontpage when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like "I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should read...." And suddenly there was a terrible rainbow all around us and the blue was full of what looked like brown/lavender/yellow/Aqua posts, all swooping and screeching and diving around the screen, which had a display refresh going about a hundred miles an hour. And a voice was screaming "Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn ponies?"
posted by inflatablekiwi at 10:37 PM on March 31, 2015 [33 favorites]
posted by inflatablekiwi at 10:37 PM on March 31, 2015 [33 favorites]
Phew. Thought I had entered some awful alternate purple Metafilter universe. Thanks be for the magic link of return to readability.
posted by bearwife at 10:38 PM on March 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by bearwife at 10:38 PM on March 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
Aren't they cycling through different colors even if you just leave a page open? I want them to cycle faster.
posted by benito.strauss at 10:40 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by benito.strauss at 10:40 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
The main issue we've had is we can't agree on what to call the new color scheme.
I suggest "Aaaauuueeeeeaaauuuuggh."
posted by dirigibleman at 10:40 PM on March 31, 2015 [14 favorites]
I suggest "Aaaauuueeeeeaaauuuuggh."
posted by dirigibleman at 10:40 PM on March 31, 2015 [14 favorites]
Did this make anyone else think of the whole dress debacle? Because as I was watching the colors change, I was like, what does this remind me of, and suddenly I was like, OMG THAT STUPID DRESS that I could never see as anything other than white and gold.
posted by litera scripta manet at 10:42 PM on March 31, 2015 [17 favorites]
posted by litera scripta manet at 10:42 PM on March 31, 2015 [17 favorites]
Is this consistent with the Bill Belichick system?
posted by mazola at 10:42 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by mazola at 10:42 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Awesome bonus feature: leave a thread open and click the AJAX link to see new comments. The new comment gets its own color scheme on its own schedule, separate from the rest of the page.
posted by zachlipton at 10:42 PM on March 31, 2015 [14 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 10:42 PM on March 31, 2015 [14 favorites]
Cheese and fucking crackers, this is like a khaki nightmare
posted by Mizu at 10:43 PM on March 31, 2015
posted by Mizu at 10:43 PM on March 31, 2015
Ugh now I feel stupid. I was so excited I didn't even read anything other than the headline of this MetaTalk post, so...yeah.
Good job guys!
posted by litera scripta manet at 10:43 PM on March 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
Good job guys!
posted by litera scripta manet at 10:43 PM on March 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
I just relized, blue, gold, and white are the primary colors in Lapis. According to the new testiment, in the book of revelations the 2nd stone is sapphire but there were no sapphires in quanity.
The stone of heaven. The Pharoah Amenhotep IV used lapis for furniture, dice, and cosmetics. It seems a 1/4 of the Babalonian GDP was spent on deodorant and decor.
Then Amun became miffed because spice cones were up 29% to a 4 year total increase of 246% thus sparking a southern gold exporting decrease to further the Sobek/Anubis alliance.
Green and lavender, yes.
posted by clavdivs at 10:43 PM on March 31, 2015 [8 favorites]
The stone of heaven. The Pharoah Amenhotep IV used lapis for furniture, dice, and cosmetics. It seems a 1/4 of the Babalonian GDP was spent on deodorant and decor.
Then Amun became miffed because spice cones were up 29% to a 4 year total increase of 246% thus sparking a southern gold exporting decrease to further the Sobek/Anubis alliance.
Green and lavender, yes.
posted by clavdivs at 10:43 PM on March 31, 2015 [8 favorites]
I'm worried it makes my arse look big. Can we go back to the original scheme? It's comforting and professional.
posted by taff at 10:45 PM on March 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by taff at 10:45 PM on March 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
Sorcery sauce!
posted by clavdivs at 10:47 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by clavdivs at 10:47 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, I recently replaced my keyboard protecting skin. My old one was black, which matched my laptop. Due to a questionable product photo on Amazon the replacement I bought is screaming cyan. So this is just completing the process.
posted by benito.strauss at 10:47 PM on March 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by benito.strauss at 10:47 PM on March 31, 2015 [3 favorites]
I first saw this when viewing a thread from 3+ years ago. I assumed it was some new way of displaying a thread was archived and was a bit dismayed. lmao.
posted by emptythought at 10:49 PM on March 31, 2015
posted by emptythought at 10:49 PM on March 31, 2015
It seems tomorrow, I will actually be productive at work.
posted by halifix at 10:51 PM on March 31, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by halifix at 10:51 PM on March 31, 2015 [8 favorites]
Finally, some professionalism around here.
posted by Spatch at 10:52 PM on March 31, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by Spatch at 10:52 PM on March 31, 2015 [9 favorites]
Of course, this means that I will be twice as unproductive at work the day after tomorrow.
posted by halifix at 10:53 PM on March 31, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by halifix at 10:53 PM on March 31, 2015 [5 favorites]
not today, satan
posted by poffin boffin at 10:53 PM on March 31, 2015 [11 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 10:53 PM on March 31, 2015 [11 favorites]
Time zones.
posted by Samuel Farrow at 10:53 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Samuel Farrow at 10:53 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Well, that's just great. I clicked the opt out and it stalled on a nearly unreadable color combination. Restarting the browser didn't fix it. Neither did clearing cookies.
DON'T OPT OUT UNTIL IT HITS A COLOR COMBO YOU CAN LIVE WITH!
posted by five fresh fish at 10:58 PM on March 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
DON'T OPT OUT UNTIL IT HITS A COLOR COMBO YOU CAN LIVE WITH!
posted by five fresh fish at 10:58 PM on March 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
good god trying to read with that turned on made me so angry I can't even
thanks for the option to turn it off
posted by idiopath at 11:01 PM on March 31, 2015 [4 favorites]
thanks for the option to turn it off
posted by idiopath at 11:01 PM on March 31, 2015 [4 favorites]
Oh good God, I was freaking out a bit because I have a migraine aura trying to happen, and the colors started to change, and I thought my brain was exploding.
posted by sarcasticah at 11:04 PM on March 31, 2015
posted by sarcasticah at 11:04 PM on March 31, 2015
yorkch
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 11:10 PM on March 31, 2015
posted by So You're Saying These Are Pants? at 11:10 PM on March 31, 2015
I love the gold, I think it's a really classy understated look.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:18 PM on March 31, 2015 [19 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:18 PM on March 31, 2015 [19 favorites]
Can we keep this after April 1st please?
posted by jeffburdges at 11:24 PM on March 31, 2015
posted by jeffburdges at 11:24 PM on March 31, 2015
We can't agree whether this is gold and white or blue and black. Help, pls. Just looked again and it seems different.
posted by chapps at 11:29 PM on March 31, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by chapps at 11:29 PM on March 31, 2015 [8 favorites]
Where are the llamas?
:-(
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 11:32 PM on March 31, 2015 [7 favorites]
:-(
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 11:32 PM on March 31, 2015 [7 favorites]
The funniest thing to me is how the MeFi Blue [tm] header (I'm in classic mode) seems to change just by contrast to the rest of the page. It looks shockingly teal when the page goes blue. But it's not really changing, is it?
Or...
wait
posted by Westringia F. at 11:40 PM on March 31, 2015 [4 favorites]
Or...
wait
posted by Westringia F. at 11:40 PM on March 31, 2015 [4 favorites]
I like it! I also want you to bring back the "Make it Start" link though, so consider the source.
posted by yellowbinder at 11:49 PM on March 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by yellowbinder at 11:49 PM on March 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
You can also try it out in the different themes by changing your display preferences - I normally use Classic but I like this in Modern.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:51 PM on March 31, 2015
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:51 PM on March 31, 2015
It's actually really cute and I was enjoying it but it's also eating all my CPU so I had to turn it off :(
Thank you for providing a 'turn it off' button.
posted by motty at 11:56 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
Thank you for providing a 'turn it off' button.
posted by motty at 11:56 PM on March 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
It jars oddly with the header! And needs moar llama!
posted by Deoridhe at 12:08 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Deoridhe at 12:08 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Night mode is cool.
(•_•)
( •_•)>⌐■-■
(⌐■_■)
posted by a lungful of dragon at 12:10 AM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
(•_•)
( •_•)>⌐■-■
(⌐■_■)
posted by a lungful of dragon at 12:10 AM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
I like it much better when Dark Mode is set to Off. That said, I can't toggle between dark and light modes unless I go to another subsite and switch it there, and then go back to the frontpage.
As for Dark Mode set to On, when on the blue? MAKE IT STOP
posted by not_on_display at 12:10 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
As for Dark Mode set to On, when on the blue? MAKE IT STOP
posted by not_on_display at 12:10 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Using the classic design, it's difficult to read. I'm using a smart phone browser (Dolphin, Mercury, Safari on iPhone 5S) most of the time on Mefi now, and I much prefer the classic design with the old color scheme for readability.
posted by krinklyfig at 12:16 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by krinklyfig at 12:16 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
I don't know what you're talking about, metafilter is clearly white and gold.
posted by pwnguin at 12:21 AM on April 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by pwnguin at 12:21 AM on April 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
OK, if this is your sick idea of a joke....
.... nicely done. IIRC, this is the first time you got me to post a complaint about some weird issue without checking if it's April 1st.
... if not, you are just mean and you obviously hate me
posted by krinklyfig at 12:25 AM on April 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
.... nicely done. IIRC, this is the first time you got me to post a complaint about some weird issue without checking if it's April 1st.
posted by krinklyfig at 12:25 AM on April 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
OK, it is April 1 and you have reused the old changing color thing. While I watched, the weird silvery links turned to black, and the background bleached to white. Do you have a plan for Easter too?
posted by Cranberry at 12:39 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by Cranberry at 12:39 AM on April 1, 2015
Sorry, that was pretty surly. It must be hard to come up with a Fool thing every April.
posted by Cranberry at 12:42 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by Cranberry at 12:42 AM on April 1, 2015
Whoa. That was trippy.
posted by vespertine at 1:06 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by vespertine at 1:06 AM on April 1, 2015
I miss Make It Start. Can we have that back?
since it's my birthday and all
posted by cmyk at 1:07 AM on April 1, 2015
since it's my birthday and all
posted by cmyk at 1:07 AM on April 1, 2015
Its an April Fool's joke and the colours are blue and black, resembling the over exposed photograph of the dress, Help.
posted by infini at 1:13 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by infini at 1:13 AM on April 1, 2015
I'm so old, I saw it and came directly here to make a thread - not fooled by technical manipulations - and gerroff my lawn.
posted by infini at 1:14 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by infini at 1:14 AM on April 1, 2015
Hm, as someone with color-deficient vision, I have to say that this is less bad than the normally-color-perceptive people seem to say. I actually have never preferred professional white, since it's blinding and the colors and contrast aren't ideal for me. Night mode is a bit more garish, yes, but the contrast is actually higher for me (before the change happens).
So haha, I laugh at your feeble attempts, my shitty color perception has defeated your evil plans, &c, &c.
posted by bonje at 1:48 AM on April 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
So haha, I laugh at your feeble attempts, my shitty color perception has defeated your evil plans, &c, &c.
posted by bonje at 1:48 AM on April 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
It's not really any uglier than that shade of green.
#bringbacktheyellow
posted by salmacis at 2:07 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
#bringbacktheyellow
posted by salmacis at 2:07 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
You buggers, it's past midday April 1 here. For a moment I thought I'd selected all the text and was furiously tapping my ageing iPad to deselect. And then I said to myself, those buggers. They are the only people in the world who bother to include my in April 1 shenanigans. And always, it's balanced between WTF and ohhhh... Cute. But it DOES NOT top your ask me last year when I nearly tried to help Jane Eyre out with her sleeve boss/boyfriend/strange noises in the attic problem. That was the best ever! Evar! Best. Really. Better than this.
posted by b33j at 2:19 AM on April 1, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by b33j at 2:19 AM on April 1, 2015 [6 favorites]
I should know better than to bother with Metafilter on April 1st but I am going to note that the test colour scheme makes the site slow to a crawl and become basically unusable on a mobile browser. Which isn't a life threatening problem but is not exactly hilarious either.
posted by deadwax at 2:34 AM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by deadwax at 2:34 AM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
I normally use Classic
posted by LobsterMitten (staff)
Paging LM to the Re-education Camp.
posted by arcticseal at 2:35 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by LobsterMitten (staff)
Paging LM to the Re-education Camp.
posted by arcticseal at 2:35 AM on April 1, 2015
I got up this morning, thought "April Fools!" and came straight online to MeFi.
Heh heh heh!
Happy April 1st!
posted by ipsative at 2:41 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Heh heh heh!
Happy April 1st!
posted by ipsative at 2:41 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Gotta keep the proles out of here somehow.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 3:02 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Mr. Yuck at 3:02 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
I like it, we should have it everywhere. I'm going to go ahead and put an outfit together based on these colors.
hee! cute.
posted by Klaxon Aoooogah at 3:05 AM on April 1, 2015
hee! cute.
posted by Klaxon Aoooogah at 3:05 AM on April 1, 2015
It doesn't work at all on my MS-DOS Lumia.
posted by chavenet at 3:08 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by chavenet at 3:08 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I thought I had finally had that stroke I've been waiting for.
I was really hoping for "musical mods" this year.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:10 AM on April 1, 2015
I was really hoping for "musical mods" this year.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:10 AM on April 1, 2015
I sat laughing at the front page for a full minute. Always a sucker for jokes that go on way too long. You just need a "Surprise, bitch, I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me" gif somewhere, then you get an A+
posted by mymbleth at 3:17 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by mymbleth at 3:17 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I liked the new shade of blue but the links turned dull gray and were tough to distinguish, so I went back to the old colors.
posted by etaoin at 3:45 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by etaoin at 3:45 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I can't tell any difference. But, then, I *did* take a lot of acid back in the day.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:02 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:02 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
The last time this happened, I did not have a smart phone. Well done.
Almost forgot about April Fool until I got up and saw the Boston news headline: "MBTA Celebrates 10,000th Straight Day of Flawless Service." Oh, right.
posted by Melismata at 4:03 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Almost forgot about April Fool until I got up and saw the Boston news headline: "MBTA Celebrates 10,000th Straight Day of Flawless Service." Oh, right.
posted by Melismata at 4:03 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Almost forgot about April Fool until I got up and saw the Boston news headline: "MBTA Celebrates 10,000th Straight Day of Flawless Service." Oh, right.
Well, the only joke alteration to that headline was the F at the beginning of "lawless."
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:18 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Well, the only joke alteration to that headline was the F at the beginning of "lawless."
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:18 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
That was such a sabotaged Windows 95 theme! Now let's play Command and Conquer!
posted by One Hand Slowclapping at 4:19 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by One Hand Slowclapping at 4:19 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
We can't stop here, this is bat country.
posted by digitalprimate at 4:21 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by digitalprimate at 4:21 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oh boy, April Fools. That's where I'm a viking!
posted by Justinian at 4:21 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 4:21 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Wow, on long threads, this kills the performance on my iPhone.
posted by smackfu at 4:27 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by smackfu at 4:27 AM on April 1, 2015
Look, just about a month ago, I gouged a man's eyes out over the color of a dress.
I guess what I'm saying is, why must you dredge up the past like this? Why won't you help put that all behind us, and let the healing begin?
I mean, obviously not for the guy whose eyes I gouged out. He's still blind. But for the rest of us.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:28 AM on April 1, 2015 [9 favorites]
I guess what I'm saying is, why must you dredge up the past like this? Why won't you help put that all behind us, and let the healing begin?
I mean, obviously not for the guy whose eyes I gouged out. He's still blind. But for the rest of us.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:28 AM on April 1, 2015 [9 favorites]
Yeah... I'm glad there's an off button so that metafilter is actually readable to me today. Fortunately a little over half of the color cycle involved text and background colors with sufficient contrast that I could navigate to said off button, so that's relatively harmless I guess.
posted by eviemath at 4:32 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by eviemath at 4:32 AM on April 1, 2015
The color shifting is okay except when it renders the text unreadable.
posted by Pope Guilty at 4:35 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by Pope Guilty at 4:35 AM on April 1, 2015
Like, if you could cause the text to also change such that it remained readable against the shifting background, it would still be funny, but also less annoying.
posted by Pope Guilty at 4:36 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 4:36 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Why was my porno collection deleted? Mouse doesn't work half the time, I got a letter saying I have downloaded torrents but I never downloaded torrents, the cable lights are blinking, Obamacare web site won't work for me but according to my friend it works for him, and extra charges on my bank card. What kind of "upgrade" is it???
posted by sylvanshine at 4:40 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by sylvanshine at 4:40 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have f.lux installed, and it was about sunrise when I went to MetaFilter, so my first thought was that f.lux was doing something weird.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 4:47 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 4:47 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Well done kind mods... Well done. This actually nudged a laugh and a "that's cool" from my extremely morning averse, teen daughter.
I'm in awe of your power!!
posted by pearlybob at 4:54 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm in awe of your power!!
posted by pearlybob at 4:54 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Hate to be grouchy, but new color scheme is objectively ugly and subjectively very hard to read. Changed back to old scheme immediately. Also, get off my lawn.
posted by Mr. Justice at 4:56 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by Mr. Justice at 4:56 AM on April 1, 2015
The quality of April Fools' Day jokes has gone downhill since Matt & Jess retired.
posted by terrapin at 5:00 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by terrapin at 5:00 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
God man that made my eyes water, especially on the iPad mini. How expertly-chosen exquisitely ugly. I can't imagine what you're gonna do on April 2nd.
posted by Namlit at 5:11 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by Namlit at 5:11 AM on April 1, 2015
Well, I for one would like to complain about the big buttons for angle brackets, link, etc underneath the comments box. Are you implying I have fat fingers or something? I'll have you know they get plenty of exercise... No, not like that!
Seriously, I saw the colours and then started wondering how many of the FPPs were hoaxes. Apart from the unreadable shift to storm cloud on light periwinkle, it's pretty cool.
posted by Athanassiel at 5:11 AM on April 1, 2015
Seriously, I saw the colours and then started wondering how many of the FPPs were hoaxes. Apart from the unreadable shift to storm cloud on light periwinkle, it's pretty cool.
posted by Athanassiel at 5:11 AM on April 1, 2015
I thought this was funny as hell, and spectacularly done.
I'm still assuming I haven't had enough caffeine, though, because I can't work out whether some of the comments in here are ironic/joking.
posted by you must supply a verb at 5:18 AM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
I'm still assuming I haven't had enough caffeine, though, because I can't work out whether some of the comments in here are ironic/joking.
posted by you must supply a verb at 5:18 AM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
I really think this site would do better with a professional white background.
posted by BlueJae at 5:57 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by BlueJae at 5:57 AM on April 1, 2015
Vote quidnunc kid for #1
posted by infini at 6:00 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by infini at 6:00 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
I dunno if it's just an iPad thing, or that in combo with using the dark theme, but it brought my iPad to its knees. Not complaining, just data point. Thanks for the Off link.
posted by dejah420 at 6:08 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by dejah420 at 6:08 AM on April 1, 2015
You got me! I was so sleepy I thought, "huh" and then came here and realized.
posted by BibiRose at 6:19 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by BibiRose at 6:19 AM on April 1, 2015
Aw Mefi, this ensemble looks great on you. It really brings out your eyes.
My eyes too.
posted by valetta at 6:20 AM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
My eyes too.
posted by valetta at 6:20 AM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
I noticed several problems with this and wrote a stylish script that VASTLY improves readability. Should probably be the default, tbh. The difference is most pronounced on Metatalk. (screenshot)
posted by nom de poop at 6:20 AM on April 1, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by nom de poop at 6:20 AM on April 1, 2015 [6 favorites]
Metafilter April Fools is the best April Fools.
posted by gladly at 6:28 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by gladly at 6:28 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I just thought flux had become conscious. I was about to welcome my robot overlord and then ask it to open the pod bay doors, but I had a strange suspicion so checked MeTa first.
posted by busted_crayons at 6:40 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by busted_crayons at 6:40 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Heh. I often wake up around 2 am from bad or anxious dreams, and to re-ground myself will pick up my tablet and go back to reading whatever I was reading when I went to sleep. Since I'd totally forgotten it was April 1, let's just say that that was not a good strategy for bad-dream-mitigation last night.
posted by Kat Allison at 6:41 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by Kat Allison at 6:41 AM on April 1, 2015
Vote quidnunc kid for #1
Given the way the day is going, maybe we should vote quidnunc kid #000080....
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:42 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Given the way the day is going, maybe we should vote quidnunc kid #000080....
posted by GenjiandProust at 6:42 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
I somehow hate this and love this more every time I come to the site.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 6:49 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by MCMikeNamara at 6:49 AM on April 1, 2015
But it DOES NOT top your ask me last year when I nearly tried to help Jane Eyre out with her sleeve boss/boyfriend/strange noises in the attic problem.
Unfortunately, contacting all of those authors and misc. literary associates was a tremendous amount of work and expense. The necessary exhumations alone blew our budget for the quarter (though I'd like to thank ColdChef for his expertise and his discretion on that front, and scarabic for his smarts in beginning some of the more difficult unearthings).
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:50 AM on April 1, 2015 [27 favorites]
Unfortunately, contacting all of those authors and misc. literary associates was a tremendous amount of work and expense. The necessary exhumations alone blew our budget for the quarter (though I'd like to thank ColdChef for his expertise and his discretion on that front, and scarabic for his smarts in beginning some of the more difficult unearthings).
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:50 AM on April 1, 2015 [27 favorites]
It took me way too long to realize that this was about that damn dress. Good show.
posted by Navelgazer at 6:59 AM on April 1, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by Navelgazer at 6:59 AM on April 1, 2015 [6 favorites]
So you're saying I should switch out of professional white for the day?
posted by likeatoaster at 7:15 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by likeatoaster at 7:15 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I know it's funny haha, but I sort of like the effect. Is there a way to keep it going forward ?
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 7:15 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 7:15 AM on April 1, 2015
At a certain point, all I can read is the link text and it makes for some wonderful surrealist poetry.
posted by soelo at 7:15 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by soelo at 7:15 AM on April 1, 2015
So you're saying I should switch out of professional white for the day?
Do you mean the professional white of the site, or the professional white you wear as an ultracool assassin and international badass serving the mysterious whims of the Ascended Masters? Because that look is classic, and you shouldn't change for just for the internet.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:21 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Do you mean the professional white of the site, or the professional white you wear as an ultracool assassin and international badass serving the mysterious whims of the Ascended Masters? Because that look is classic, and you shouldn't change for just for the internet.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:21 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Effing hell, you guys. I have a 6 year old BlackBerry running Opry .8 and the blue and gold design looks like shit! Modify everything for meeeeeeeeeeeee.
I mean, well played. <3
posted by kimberussell at 7:37 AM on April 1, 2015
I mean, well played. <3
posted by kimberussell at 7:37 AM on April 1, 2015
I look forward to April Fool's here more than anywhere else.
posted by nubs at 7:38 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by nubs at 7:38 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
All nopes on the train to fucknoville!
posted by Sophie1 at 7:39 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 7:39 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Is this something I would have to have Lynx to not understand?
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:43 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:43 AM on April 1, 2015
I intended to not opt out until the end of the day. I made it til 9:43 am. Whew, kudos guys/gals on the modsquad, that was a good one.
posted by RolandOfEld at 7:43 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by RolandOfEld at 7:43 AM on April 1, 2015
I checked Metafilter on my phone as soon as I woke up and I got the double whammy of this thing plus Chrome asking me to take a selfie as a reaction. It was too early.
posted by ODiV at 7:45 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by ODiV at 7:45 AM on April 1, 2015
Thanks for remembering those of us in Simple Style Land!
and awww this is the first time in a decade I've gotten to see an AFD gag here without knowing about it first, so great!
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 7:49 AM on April 1, 2015 [12 favorites]
and awww this is the first time in a decade I've gotten to see an AFD gag here without knowing about it first, so great!
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 7:49 AM on April 1, 2015 [12 favorites]
Metafilter: that white gold.
posted by The Whelk at 7:55 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by The Whelk at 7:55 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Texas tea.
posted by Melismata at 7:59 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Melismata at 7:59 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Not funny - just irritating.
posted by ryanshepard at 7:59 AM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by ryanshepard at 7:59 AM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
Oh, and for the record, I just tried viewing Metafilter in Lynx and it's very readable and easy to navigate. Thank you, pb. (This is not an April Fool joke.)
posted by Melismata at 8:01 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 8:01 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
Available for a short time only in the Mefi Bridal Shop.
posted by taz (staff) at 8:06 AM on April 1, 2015 [16 favorites]
posted by taz (staff) at 8:06 AM on April 1, 2015 [16 favorites]
I'm a curmudgeonly bastard who hates April Fools and hadn't twigged to the date when I woke up and thought my monitor was dying and had a momentary freakout about how to pay for a new one.
Still... this was clever.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 8:18 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Still... this was clever.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 8:18 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Did this make anyone else think of the whole dress debacle?
Well, yes - that's the April Fool's Day joke going on here, right?
posted by aught at 8:19 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Well, yes - that's the April Fool's Day joke going on here, right?
posted by aught at 8:19 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Next year can we have a really cute prank involving amusing animals like ducklings, or meerkats, or capuchins?
Please?
I have a nagging phobia that my computer is about to die. This did not help. I protest!
Yeah, me, too. A platypus isn't near as worrysome.
posted by BlueHorse at 8:24 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Please?
I have a nagging phobia that my computer is about to die. This did not help. I protest!
Yeah, me, too. A platypus isn't near as worrysome.
posted by BlueHorse at 8:24 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I was hoping that if I stared at the metafilter page long enough, I would then be able to look at a picture of The Dress and magically see the blue and black... Nope. Even in the far right of this picture, my stubborn brain is all, "Hey the white and gold is just in the shadows but it's definitely still white and gold, there is nothing else it could possibly be."
posted by litera scripta manet at 8:25 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by litera scripta manet at 8:25 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
we'll try to redress any grievances.
It appears to be interfering with the flagging mechanism. I may have inadvertently flagged some comments as "fantastic" instead of "offensive/sexism/racism," "noise," and "derail."
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:32 AM on April 1, 2015
It appears to be interfering with the flagging mechanism. I may have inadvertently flagged some comments as "fantastic" instead of "offensive/sexism/racism," "noise," and "derail."
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:32 AM on April 1, 2015
The main issue we've had is we can't agree on what to call the new color scheme."HyperCortex™"
posted by cortex
posted by blueberry at 8:45 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
omg freaking out is this real life
posted by Carillon at 8:45 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Carillon at 8:45 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm completely serious, I love this and I want it to stay this way forever.
posted by byanyothername at 8:48 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by byanyothername at 8:48 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm hiding over here to escape the horrible color shifting over on the blue.
Does this end at noon? I'm too proud to opt out but won't last much longer.
posted by gox3r at 8:49 AM on April 1, 2015
Does this end at noon? I'm too proud to opt out but won't last much longer.
posted by gox3r at 8:49 AM on April 1, 2015
The main issue we've had is we can't agree on what to call the new color scheme.
Seems obvious to me - "DressUp"
posted by nubs at 8:49 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
Seems obvious to me - "DressUp"
posted by nubs at 8:49 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
It's mildly amusing the first time around, but next year could you go for a joke that doesn't make the site nearly unreadable all day?
posted by tavella at 8:56 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by tavella at 8:56 AM on April 1, 2015
You know, I woke up this morning and after remembering what day it is, I thought to myself, the only prank I ever really liked was the MeFi color shift. And I then I spent the next hour reading MeTa and smiling every time the colors changed.
posted by Ruki at 8:57 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by Ruki at 8:57 AM on April 1, 2015
It's mildly amusing the first time around, but next year could you go for a joke that doesn't make the site nearly unreadable all day?
Check the original post; you can opt out.
posted by Edgewise at 8:59 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Check the original post; you can opt out.
posted by Edgewise at 8:59 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
A platypus isn't near as worrysome.
You have to admit a mammal with a beak is at the very least disconcerting.
posted by ODiV at 9:00 AM on April 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
You have to admit a mammal with a beak is at the very least disconcerting.
posted by ODiV at 9:00 AM on April 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
i love the new white and gold front page, really glad the black and blue design didn't go up.
posted by th3ph17 at 9:04 AM on April 1, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by th3ph17 at 9:04 AM on April 1, 2015 [8 favorites]
For a moment I thought that the April Fool's joke was that MeFi was throwing its weight behind UKIP.
posted by acb at 9:19 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by acb at 9:19 AM on April 1, 2015
While reading the mefi wiki April Fools page last night, I was kind of bummed that I missed out on the color change thing from a few years ago, so count me as someone who enjoyed this prank. Of course, it's hard to top last year's fake ask mefi questions, but with all the stuff that's gone on this year, I appreciate that we got any prank at all.
I mean, it's not like I've been counting down the days until April 1 or anything, and I'm not saying that I immediately checked every single sub site at midnight (EST) to see if anything had been posted... okay, actually I did do both of those things, so thanks to the mods and pb for this timely and amusing April Fool's joke!
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:20 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
I mean, it's not like I've been counting down the days until April 1 or anything, and I'm not saying that I immediately checked every single sub site at midnight (EST) to see if anything had been posted... okay, actually I did do both of those things, so thanks to the mods and pb for this timely and amusing April Fool's joke!
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:20 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Ewww, is that a professional white background?. Hold me.
posted by ZeroAmbition at 9:27 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by ZeroAmbition at 9:27 AM on April 1, 2015
A+ April Fools joke - made me laugh when I did a final check of something prior to hitting the hay last night. The split-second shock was delightful.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 9:30 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 9:30 AM on April 1, 2015
AskMe:
I spent too much time on the front page this morning. YANMD, but does anyone have treatment recommendations for Over Gold?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:31 AM on April 1, 2015
I spent too much time on the front page this morning. YANMD, but does anyone have treatment recommendations for Over Gold?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:31 AM on April 1, 2015
A platypus isn't near as worrysome.
You have to admit a mammal with a beak is at the very least disconcerting.
The males are also venomous!
posted by soelo at 9:33 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
You have to admit a mammal with a beak is at the very least disconcerting.
The males are also venomous!
posted by soelo at 9:33 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Didn't notice the colours changing at first, so I thought I had somehow become logged out. Need coffee, obvs.
posted by annsunny at 9:33 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by annsunny at 9:33 AM on April 1, 2015
TEAM WHITE AND GOLD GODDAMNIT
posted by Existential Dread at 9:33 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Existential Dread at 9:33 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
OMG I'm sitting here in the sun and thinking, white and gold, what??? Very good!
posted by Dragonness at 9:37 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Dragonness at 9:37 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
The main issue we've had is we can't agree on what to call the new color scheme.
LSD Mode.
posted by Michele in California at 9:40 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
LSD Mode.
posted by Michele in California at 9:40 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Ahhh my eyes nuke it from orbit
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 9:45 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 9:45 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
The main issue we've had is we can't agree on what to call the new color scheme.
Sandstorm.
posted by GuyZero at 9:50 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
Sandstorm.
posted by GuyZero at 9:50 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
The main issue we've had is we can't agree on what to call the new color scheme.
posted by cortex (staff)
Howard Cosell '78
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:53 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff)
Howard Cosell '78
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:53 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
This is the reason for the backlash against April Fools Day pranks
posted by blue suede stockings at 10:24 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by blue suede stockings at 10:24 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Next year can we have a really cute prank involving amusing animals like ducklings, or meerkats, or capuchins?
Yeah, if it's not too early to start throwing out requests/suggestions for next year, I was thinking about something like cornify, only it could be catify with, you know, cats. If you press a button or refresh the page or something, cats would just start showing up all over the screen.
Alternatively, in light of our recent change in leadership, I kind of thought we might have a metafilter coup for this April Fool's. I was half expecting to come to MeTa to find a post by the quidnunc kid about how he had staged a hostile takeover of mefi.
But this is fun too!
vote #1
posted by litera scripta manet at 10:25 AM on April 1, 2015 [5 favorites]
Yeah, if it's not too early to start throwing out requests/suggestions for next year, I was thinking about something like cornify, only it could be catify with, you know, cats. If you press a button or refresh the page or something, cats would just start showing up all over the screen.
Alternatively, in light of our recent change in leadership, I kind of thought we might have a metafilter coup for this April Fool's. I was half expecting to come to MeTa to find a post by the quidnunc kid about how he had staged a hostile takeover of mefi.
But this is fun too!
vote #1
posted by litera scripta manet at 10:25 AM on April 1, 2015 [5 favorites]
CortexChrome
posted by Pallas Athena at 10:26 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by Pallas Athena at 10:26 AM on April 1, 2015
Did some people just get a certain color page? Not changing constantly and very quickly?
I got a page that was constantly changing background and foreground colors, and frequently hitting combinations that were literally unreadable. Just some "what color is the dress" themed css would have been much less rage inducing.
posted by idiopath at 10:30 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I got a page that was constantly changing background and foreground colors, and frequently hitting combinations that were literally unreadable. Just some "what color is the dress" themed css would have been much less rage inducing.
posted by idiopath at 10:30 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Much-needed chuckling ensued this morning. Thank you! :)
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 11:01 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 11:01 AM on April 1, 2015
> I have a nagging phobia that my computer is about to die. This did not help.
Understand perfectly. My ancient 32 bit Craigslist laptop is suddenly having all kinds of problems--won't shut down, chkdsk c: won't run on reboot, chkdsk c: from a boot CD always finds new and different errors (but never bad sectors, so what's causing the errors?), it suddenly acts as if Windows Updates is a rabid raccoon and won't have anything to do with it, etc.) Then I reload the mefi front page and go "Oh noes, not the display controller too!
posted by jfuller at 11:02 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Understand perfectly. My ancient 32 bit Craigslist laptop is suddenly having all kinds of problems--won't shut down, chkdsk c: won't run on reboot, chkdsk c: from a boot CD always finds new and different errors (but never bad sectors, so what's causing the errors?), it suddenly acts as if Windows Updates is a rabid raccoon and won't have anything to do with it, etc.) Then I reload the mefi front page and go "Oh noes, not the display controller too!
posted by jfuller at 11:02 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
This is really a bad idea. It looks bad, it works poorly, and it is unpopular. Matt never would have OK'd something like this. Josh I expect your resignation on my desk by 5 pm. I will now X out of this window [clenches fist] without reading anything further.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 11:11 AM on April 1, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 11:11 AM on April 1, 2015 [8 favorites]
Very cool!! This is the only site I look forward to checking out this time of year, but I'm a grump.
posted by dness2 at 11:30 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by dness2 at 11:30 AM on April 1, 2015
It crashed two of my browsers, so I opted out.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:31 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:31 AM on April 1, 2015
oh my god it's like a migraine aura in CSS.
posted by lonefrontranger at 11:39 AM on April 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by lonefrontranger at 11:39 AM on April 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
I've been pranked twice today within the space of two hours. I'm oddly OK with this.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 11:54 AM on April 1, 2015
posted by Sheydem-tants at 11:54 AM on April 1, 2015
For whatever it's worth, I loved this year's prank. I could see being annoyed about it if there wasn't an opt-out function, but there is so it's mostly harmless, and I just opted out when I was ready to start reading in earnest. The prank was quite effective, too - I spent a couple minutes double-checking my browser scripts to make sure I didn't screw something up before I noticed that the colors were changing, and that it was dress-themed. Good one! (Though pinterest-filter remains my favorite April Fools change).
posted by dialetheia at 12:10 PM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by dialetheia at 12:10 PM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
As someone who will probably be checking IRL tonight to see if there are any meetup thread updates, I want to particularly thank you for not doing this prank on all subsites.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:25 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by MCMikeNamara at 12:25 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Aargh just turned to metafilter for a desperately needed sanity break after a hellish few work hours and this happens. Okay y'all got me.
posted by Cocodrillo at 12:34 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by Cocodrillo at 12:34 PM on April 1, 2015
Not displaying properly in Lynx. Please advise.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 12:56 PM on April 1, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by [expletive deleted] at 12:56 PM on April 1, 2015 [8 favorites]
I really wanted to outlast it, but I just couldn't.
posted by ob1quixote at 1:08 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by ob1quixote at 1:08 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
MetaTalk: I really wanted to outlast it, but I just couldn't.
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:17 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:17 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Not displaying properly in Lynx. Please advise.
Try elinks.
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:33 PM on April 1, 2015
Try elinks.
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:33 PM on April 1, 2015
Nobody should feel bad for opting out of the test -- it's just for fun (and you know, advancing perceptual science). When it stops being fun, that's what opt-out is for. Like changing out of your formal outfit and hanging it up.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 1:37 PM on April 1, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 1:37 PM on April 1, 2015 [9 favorites]
One of my other sites switched everything to comic sans for the day with no opt-out. That would really give you people something to cry about. I haven't been able to look at it all day long.
posted by mymbleth at 1:54 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by mymbleth at 1:54 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
So wait, do some people really see this as white and gold?
Because I'm still seeing various shades of blurple all over (as with the dress).
posted by Omnomnom at 1:55 PM on April 1, 2015
Because I'm still seeing various shades of blurple all over (as with the dress).
posted by Omnomnom at 1:55 PM on April 1, 2015
Which site mymbleth? I want to test to see if my browser extension to automatically replace comic sans is working properly.
posted by ocherdraco at 2:59 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by ocherdraco at 2:59 PM on April 1, 2015
It's April second where I live so this just feels like yet another one of those weird things Americans do, like secret bill amendments and those really big trucks.
posted by turbid dahlia at 3:04 PM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by turbid dahlia at 3:04 PM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
fair points both but you lot put beetroot on burgers and that's just not right.
posted by poffin boffin at 3:17 PM on April 1, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 3:17 PM on April 1, 2015 [5 favorites]
I like when the text briefly matches the background color so it looks like Metafilter is melding with the infinite
posted by The Whelk at 3:33 PM on April 1, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 3:33 PM on April 1, 2015 [5 favorites]
@ocherdraco flightrising.com (no judging!)
posted by mymbleth at 4:35 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by mymbleth at 4:35 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's like déjà vu all over again ;-)
Also, yeah, April Fools was yesterday. Surely it can't be that hard to serve the joke content based on IP address or something? I say this, of course, as someone safe in the knowledge they will never have to try and implement this. But imagine the extra confusion and mayhem as different users are served different content depending on their time zones!
posted by dg at 4:44 PM on April 1, 2015
Also, yeah, April Fools was yesterday. Surely it can't be that hard to serve the joke content based on IP address or something? I say this, of course, as someone safe in the knowledge they will never have to try and implement this. But imagine the extra confusion and mayhem as different users are served different content depending on their time zones!
posted by dg at 4:44 PM on April 1, 2015
I momentarily fell for it, but then was like, wait is that purple text? No way, Happy April Fools, fools! MeFi does the best April 1 jokes.
posted by bluefly at 5:22 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by bluefly at 5:22 PM on April 1, 2015
Needs more cats!
posted by QueerAngel28 at 5:30 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by QueerAngel28 at 5:30 PM on April 1, 2015
I actually saw the dress as pale blue/dirty yellow initially (then blue/black consistently until I had a flash of white/gold and then was back at blue/black) so I think my favorite part about this is that hits the colors I remember seeing initially in every cycle. 8D
posted by Deoridhe at 5:51 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Deoridhe at 5:51 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
My eyes they burned
posted by discopolo at 5:58 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by discopolo at 5:58 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
On the plus side I didn't waste more than 30 seconds on metafilter today.
posted by bukvich at 6:37 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by bukvich at 6:37 PM on April 1, 2015
Thanks, mymbelth!
posted by ocherdraco at 6:49 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by ocherdraco at 6:49 PM on April 1, 2015
This bogs down my tablet like crazy.
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:32 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:32 PM on April 1, 2015
Ahhhhhhhhh, Jesus H Christ.
I thought it was the several beers I had.
Why is the background changing what the hell I only had three and they were session beers
OK yeah they were IPAs but still
Oh man is someone looking at me right now
Hey bro
No
I am just looking at the internet
Seriously it is just a website
Hey what's up bro
posted by Old Man McKay at 7:49 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I thought it was the several beers I had.
Why is the background changing what the hell I only had three and they were session beers
OK yeah they were IPAs but still
Oh man is someone looking at me right now
Hey bro
No
I am just looking at the internet
Seriously it is just a website
Hey what's up bro
posted by Old Man McKay at 7:49 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
It reminds me of that episode of the The Office (US) where everyone is in the meeting room and Michael is speaking, and everyone is engrossed with the DVD player's screensaver behind him.
Each time the little DVD logo starts going towards a corner, everyone gets excited, and then when (finally!) it doesn't carom away, but actually hits the corner dead-center, they all cheer (and Michael thinks it's because he's given a rousing speech).
Today's Metafilter color effect is like that, but with the color slowly changing until the background color and the text color pass each other going in different directions--and as they give each other a color-wheel high-five, the screen goes unreadable for a second and I look up from my iPad and think...
Each time the little DVD logo starts going towards a corner, everyone gets excited, and then when (finally!) it doesn't carom away, but actually hits the corner dead-center, they all cheer (and Michael thinks it's because he's given a rousing speech).
Today's Metafilter color effect is like that, but with the color slowly changing until the background color and the text color pass each other going in different directions--and as they give each other a color-wheel high-five, the screen goes unreadable for a second and I look up from my iPad and think...
"You know, I bet there's a way around this...posted by blueberry at 8:00 PM on April 1, 2015 [6 favorites]
oh wait, the color's readable again, I'll keep reading..."
can we make it permanent
posted by subbes at 8:21 PM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by subbes at 8:21 PM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]
I love this unreasonably. And I'm old, so I forget, and the page loads, and I love this unreasonably.
posted by unknowncommand at 8:36 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by unknowncommand at 8:36 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Was it just me or did the Metatalk link in the header go away? My first instinct was to go to 'talk, but I had no idea how to get there.
posted by bendy at 8:43 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by bendy at 8:43 PM on April 1, 2015
Have you ever really looked at your header?
posted by rtha at 8:44 PM on April 1, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by rtha at 8:44 PM on April 1, 2015 [5 favorites]
f.lux plus MetaFilter Dark mode plus April Fool's mode = whoa, those are some trippy colors.
posted by librarylis at 8:57 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by librarylis at 8:57 PM on April 1, 2015
It wasn't til I got home and read MeFi on my iMac that I had anything but hatred for the April Fool's theme prank. It looked horrible on my Win7 machine with some nameless monitor at work and I COULD NOT READ it. Now I get the joke on a proper display. So thanks, but still, lemme have my blue back!
posted by Lynsey at 9:19 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by Lynsey at 9:19 PM on April 1, 2015
This is delightful.
Love the dissonant colours, blending into one another until the text becomes invisible for a second or two, then reappears in some other unusual background-foreground combination. Well played !
posted by seawallrunner at 9:55 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Love the dissonant colours, blending into one another until the text becomes invisible for a second or two, then reappears in some other unusual background-foreground combination. Well played !
posted by seawallrunner at 9:55 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
And that concludes our test. Seems like the color combos were duds. There are many threads to follow up on here, and we'll do our best to outfit the site with something more uniform in the future.
If you missed the fun you can start the shift again. And then quickly turn it off.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:15 PM on April 1, 2015 [18 favorites]
If you missed the fun you can start the shift again. And then quickly turn it off.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:15 PM on April 1, 2015 [18 favorites]
Pegged my cpu, but a day's moratorium never hurt anyone.
posted by sammyo at 3:16 AM on April 2, 2015
posted by sammyo at 3:16 AM on April 2, 2015
Nope, looked like a pretty typical Tuesday on the blue. Keep in mind that this was visible only to logged-in members, so random bystanders with no context wouldn't end up seeing the strangeness without having any reasonable expectation of checking the sidebar or metatalk for an explanation and an off-switch.
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:48 AM on April 2, 2015
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:48 AM on April 2, 2015
Is there an open source version of WasteNoTime because screwball colors are way more effective than actually blocking time wasting pages.
posted by jeffburdges at 6:51 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jeffburdges at 6:51 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Keep in mind that this was visible only to logged-in members
Ah! Didn't realize. I was wondering what people who don't frequent (or even know about) metatalk would think.
Thanks for the glimpse behind the curtain. :)
posted by zarq at 7:33 AM on April 2, 2015
Ah! Didn't realize. I was wondering what people who don't frequent (or even know about) metatalk would think.
Thanks for the glimpse behind the curtain. :)
posted by zarq at 7:33 AM on April 2, 2015
Thanks for the glimpse behind the curtain. :)
I thought everything was clouds these days?
posted by FishBike at 8:15 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I thought everything was clouds these days?
posted by FishBike at 8:15 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
The servers are hidden from view by black and blue curtains with little white and gold clouds on them. Very chic.
posted by zarq at 8:50 AM on April 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by zarq at 8:50 AM on April 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
I hear it's important to look at clouds from both sides now.
posted by blurker at 9:19 AM on April 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by blurker at 9:19 AM on April 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
to address some uncertainties people had mentioned.
The thing I loved most about this was the oddball sort of business speak but not quite right McSweeneys esque framing of the post.
posted by sweetkid at 9:36 AM on April 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
The thing I loved most about this was the oddball sort of business speak but not quite right McSweeneys esque framing of the post.
posted by sweetkid at 9:36 AM on April 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
It's over? Thank god. My hatred of April Fools pranks continues.
posted by tommasz at 9:55 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by tommasz at 9:55 AM on April 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
My frickin home page has a screen cap of most visited pages and it decided to capture 04 01.
WHAT HAST THOU WROUGHT!!!
posted by Trochanter at 7:42 AM on April 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
WHAT HAST THOU WROUGHT!!!
posted by Trochanter at 7:42 AM on April 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:20 PM on March 31, 2015 [13 favorites]