MetaMedium July 26, 2018 9:06 AM   Subscribe

How do you consume MetaFilter? Is it on your mobile device/phone? Are you mostly at your work/home computer? Tablet, laptop, kindle? Just wondering how the community primarily loads this site up.
posted by Fizz to MetaFilter-Related at 9:06 AM (117 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite

Sometimes at home, on my laptop. Very frequently during my long, long Saturday Reference Librarian shifts at work. Keeps me sane during those hours.
posted by sarcasticah at 9:15 AM on July 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


When I'm at home, I'm on my PC. The rest of the time I'm on a laptop at work.

One thing I will note. I find it a bit harder to use mobile devices/tablets when I make my comments. More prone to typing errors which bothers me quite a bit. So if I'm on a mobile device, I'm mostly just reading/liking things. I need that physical keyboard for when I want to type out a comment. Just a weird thing with me.
posted by Fizz at 9:18 AM on July 26, 2018 [7 favorites]


On my home and work computers, sometimes the phone. Almost always piped through my RSS reader.
posted by deezil at 9:18 AM on July 26, 2018


Lately, almost exclusively mobile. I still prefer to go sit at my laptop if I’m doing something “serious” like responding to mefimail or proposing a meetup, though.
posted by Secretariat at 9:20 AM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


I mainline MetaFilter directly into my bloodstream.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:26 AM on July 26, 2018 [35 favorites]


you can tell where i am/what device i'm on by my typing: laptop is no caps and unreliable punctuation because i still haven't managed to retrain the left side of my left hand to hit shift reliably; phone is correct capitalization and punctuation bc my thumbs are mighty.
posted by poffin boffin at 9:28 AM on July 26, 2018 [11 favorites]


Usually at work, on my desktop. Sometimes at home on my desktop or laptop. Very occasionally on my phone (MeFi is functional on the phone, but I don't find it a great experience).
posted by Fish Sauce at 9:29 AM on July 26, 2018


Windows laptop during the days, android tablet in the evenings. I'm also much less inclined to comment if I'm on the tablet, not only because of the typos, but it's a lot harder to link.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 9:29 AM on July 26, 2018


All of it. Laptop, tablet, and phone. Ditto others that typing is mostly when on an actual keyboard. I am a terrible mobile typer.
posted by slipthought at 9:36 AM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


Desktop/laptop, home & work.
posted by allandsome at 9:37 AM on July 26, 2018


iOS via RSS at home, working, while driving, in the bathroom...
posted by not_the_water at 9:38 AM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


Laptop at home, docked laptop with monitors at work. Very occasionally on my phone if I'm stuck somewhere and bored, but I hate typing on phones so I don't tend to comment as much then.
posted by lazuli at 9:46 AM on July 26, 2018


Ditto others that typing is mostly when on an actual keyboard.

Me too, and I wonder how much the shift toward mobile has contributed to the decline in mefi's activity levels over the past several years. I still read the internet as much as I ever did, but I only bother to write anything substantial if I'm sitting here at my desk at work, wasting my employer's money. Sometimes I will turn on the computer at home if there's something I really want to respond to - but more often if I'm on a mobile device either pare down my thoughts or skip it altogether.
posted by something something at 9:50 AM on July 26, 2018 [11 favorites]


I use the Topatoco API to receive each post with 5+ favorites as a mug with the appropriate background color. I’m running out of shelf space.
posted by michaelh at 9:58 AM on July 26, 2018 [7 favorites]


How do you consume MetaFilter?

With several grains of salt and a healthy dose of skepticism.
posted by Melismata at 10:01 AM on July 26, 2018 [11 favorites]


I love the smell of skepticism in the morning. It smells like: SCIENCE!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 10:04 AM on July 26, 2018 [3 favorites]


Home laptop running Windows, sometimes iphone 6x, work on my desktop (probably way more than I should).
posted by agatha_magatha at 10:15 AM on July 26, 2018


I wish there was a mobile app.
posted by JamesBay at 10:30 AM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


On my phone. Frequently while pooping.
posted by Jacqueline at 10:33 AM on July 26, 2018 [3 favorites]


Laptop when available. Phone when on the go. I never comment from my phone. Also a bit too much scrolling on the Recent Activity page required.
posted by cichlid ceilidh at 10:40 AM on July 26, 2018


Windows laptop at home, Windows desktop at work. Sometimes on my android phone during my commute or in bed, but I'm not a huge fan of spending extended time on my phone for reading *any* kind of stuff, not just metafilter, despite the fact my phone has a pretty big screen, due to bad vision (which is only getting worse as I get older.) I occasionally comment from my phone, but only short comments, because it is just clunky to do. (I don't like doing email on my phone either, for what it is worth.)
posted by gudrun at 10:45 AM on July 26, 2018


My phone or tablet most of the time.
posted by Freeze Peach at 10:46 AM on July 26, 2018


Mostly at work or at home on a laptop, but if I'm actively participating in a conversation or trolling for favourites then I'll check it on my phone.
posted by jacquilynne at 10:47 AM on July 26, 2018


Same as jacquilynne. Unless I'm in an active thread, I always start with my RSS feed.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:52 AM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


I don't consume MetaFilter, but I read it. I almost exclusively read it on my desktop or laptop at home.
posted by Rob Rockets at 11:03 AM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


Mostly laptop or tablet, very occasionally phone because it's too cramped.
posted by arcticseal at 11:07 AM on July 26, 2018


The real question is, should you consume MetaFilter if it has been left out on the counter over night?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:12 AM on July 26, 2018 [10 favorites]


The real question is, should you consume MetaFilter if it has been left out on the counter over night?

It's like yogurt or cheese, a little mold will only improve it's flavour.
posted by Fizz at 11:19 AM on July 26, 2018 [3 favorites]


So MetaFilter is basically penicillin?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:24 AM on July 26, 2018


Does your metafilter lose its flavor on the counter over night?

How do you consume MetaFilter?

As an edible. (Tho as I write, I'm flashing on "Metafilter put its disease in me!")
posted by octobersurprise at 11:29 AM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


I read on my phone a lot, but almost exclusively comment from my laptop or home desktop. I am technically always on my own computers, but only because I take my personal laptop to work to avoid using my work computer for personal stuff.
posted by Sequence at 11:30 AM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


RSS reader running on a server + desktop Firefox on one of several machines.

For occasional Ask or MeTa browsing, desktop Firefox.

I've visited this site on my phone or tablet maybe a few times in my life, probably all during Secret Quonsar times.
posted by introp at 11:40 AM on July 26, 2018


Tablet in bed. Laptop at home office or proper office. Mobile on the bus. Occasionally on TV via PS4 if I am waiting on someone while we watch Netflix or something, at least once when the cat fell asleep on one arm and I didn't have the heart to move him and I had to type left handed with a PS4 controller.
posted by biffa at 11:43 AM on July 26, 2018


At home, I generally read on my desktop computer, unless my cat has appropriated the desk chair, in which case I retire to my sofa with either phone or tablet, whichever one is closest to hand and has most charge. At work, always on my desktop--I do have a work laptop but try to keep it segregated to just work stuff.

Like others, on the rare occasions I comment, I have to be at a physical keyboard. I'm interested by something something's idea that migration to mobile has reduced posting/commenting (not just on MeFi but in terms of overall quality of stuff posted online).
posted by Kat Allison at 11:47 AM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


Laptop at work, phone the rest of the time. I actually comment more from my phone, and make posts about the same from both.
posted by ellieBOA at 11:57 AM on July 26, 2018


Almost exclusively my desktop box or work laptop. I'm not a fan of typing anything longer than a text message on a phone.
posted by COD at 12:12 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


40% Work desktop & laptop, Win10, Chrome.
20% Personal laptop, Mac, Chrome
35% Phone, Android, Chrome
5% Whatever internet device I happen to be near at the time.
Classic white theme 4-eva!

If I want to comment and I'm on a mobile device, I'll generally go find a real keyboard.
posted by ApathyGirl at 12:20 PM on July 26, 2018


Usually on a laptop. I only rarely comment from a phone. I don't think I've ever made a FPP from a phone or tablet.

I kind of wish I had a list of all of the unusual places I've read or posted to MeFi from. I know the list includes raves/parties, camping and swinging in my hammock in rain storms. There's also been lots of hospital waiting rooms or actual hospital rooms. There's also been meetups and road trips and such. Yes, most/all of these involve laptops/netbooks, not phones, but some phones.
posted by loquacious at 12:21 PM on July 26, 2018


Desktop exclusively. Modern theme. I tend to keep a separate MetaFilter-only window with a separate tab for each the active threads I'm following.

I just noticed that the Gopher interface is still live, though...
posted by ragtag at 12:25 PM on July 26, 2018


Google search app, Google Chrome, and Safari. Recently got an iPad and am learning to deal with it. I'm perpetually on it, it's my new safety space especially since my Livejournal communities all died.
posted by yueliang at 12:25 PM on July 26, 2018


I primarily use my work desktop followed by iphone and then MS Surface tablet.
posted by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat at 12:58 PM on July 26, 2018


Mostly on a desktop or laptop computer (Mac OS or Windows / Chrome or Firefox). Occasionally on a mobile phone when out and around (iOS / Safari).
posted by Juffo-Wup at 1:15 PM on July 26, 2018


Laptop + Mobile device. No tablet/kindle/ipad use here, but that's universal and not just a Metafilter thing.
posted by RolandOfEld at 1:16 PM on July 26, 2018


I'd say I'm 90% laptop (of that, probably 35% home and 65% work), 10% phone.
posted by briank at 1:39 PM on July 26, 2018


Two years ago it was almost all-desktop. Now it's almost all-mobile.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 1:43 PM on July 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


Pretty even split between tablet and laptop (40/40) with the balance on my phone. Commenting is Hard (for me) on anything without a physical keyboard. I'm a fast typist and a slow texter (an Oldster).
posted by dbmcd at 1:44 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


99% of the time on my MacBook Air. Sometimes, I'll check posts on my iPhone. Am I missing something, or is there no way to ask an AskMe question or make a Mefi post from the mobile site? I very well might be confused, or that section might be inaccessible.
posted by Alensin at 1:46 PM on July 26, 2018


Most of the time on my laptop at home or desktop at work. Very occasionally I will read on my phone on the bus or in an airport. I rarely comment while using my phone--and then mostly in IRL threads. My phone is Android and I use Chrome. My computers are Windows machines and I still use Firefox.
posted by crush at 1:52 PM on July 26, 2018


My manservant Childers reads aloud a summary of the most noteworthy posts and comments while I take my breakfast.
posted by jedicus at 1:52 PM on July 26, 2018 [13 favorites]


I've been using my phone almost exclusively since we became a one-computer household and my husband started working on a big project. You can tell because suddenly, over the last few months, I have almost completely stopped commenting but I've been giving more favorites. That's because I hate typing on my phone keyboard. Android/chrome.

And, professional white background 4-eva.
posted by Elly Vortex at 1:55 PM on July 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


Almost exclusively on a 12.9" iPad Pro, which is near as dammit a laptop. I hunt-and-peck with the Pencil. Professional White theme.

On preview: solidarity, Elly Vortex!
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 1:56 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


98% laptop (Thinkpad, Linux, browser = Waterfox).
2% smartphone (Android-ish, browser = Brave). But I have to be really bored and not have my laptop with me. A rare combination.
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:17 PM on July 26, 2018


Ancient English divining. I stare at the bottom of the cup of tea; the remnants of tea leaves form the words of posts and comments from MetaFilter, and stare back at me.
posted by Wordshore at 2:38 PM on July 26, 2018 [7 favorites]


At home, on a MacBook Air. At work, on a Windows 10 box. When out, on an iPhone 6 plus.
posted by joycehealy at 2:40 PM on July 26, 2018


Oh how I hate reading a thread that prompts me to reply this minute when I'm on my phone & can't get to my laptop for whatever reason. Feh.
posted by adamgreenfield at 2:43 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


Primarily through my laptop at home. I save it as my treat after a long day at work =).
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 3:16 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


A tab on all of my browsers* open to the politics thread, for which I memorize daily the time of the posting of the last comment that I read and then zoom to it on each device, read it and those that follow, then stare into the endless, consuming void.

Good times.

Sometimes iPad.

*multiple computers switched up for varying reasons
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:21 PM on July 26, 2018


Complete feeds of the blue, green and grey via RSS on my laptop using Inoreader, and then clicking on anything of interest to read on the website. I also subscribe via RSS to any post I make or anything I don't want to miss any comments on.
posted by QuakerMel at 3:33 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


MacBookPro at home, Firefox. Nearly always actually on my lap with a piece of cardboard under it for insulation. I still have a flip phone so no mobile at all.
posted by MovableBookLady at 3:36 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


Does your metafilter lose its flavor on the counter over night?

I just add it to my collection of fermented things.

50/50 - Windows Desktop and Android phone.
Yup, I need a real keyboard to type out anything.
posted by ikahime at 3:47 PM on July 26, 2018


Desktop at home and at work.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 4:34 PM on July 26, 2018


Laptop at work, PC at home. Never on mobile.
posted by OHenryPacey at 4:44 PM on July 26, 2018


Dissolv'd in a cup of Strong Wine
posted by prize bull octorok at 4:47 PM on July 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


Huh. I had no idea I was the odd one out. I use it pretty much exclusively on my iPhone.
posted by MexicanYenta at 5:37 PM on July 26, 2018


Elderly iPad Air. It is harder to comment but I’ve gotten so used to it that mefi looks weird on the desktop or laptop.
posted by mygothlaundry at 5:41 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


Probably 60% on my iPhone, mostly at work or on the bus. (And a solid 80%+ of that is just having the politics thread open and checking it obsessively.) The other 40% on my MacBook at home. I’ll leave short comments on my phone, but I don’t tend to make a lot of long comments anyway. When I wanted to make an Ask post yesterday, I used the voice to text function of my phone keyboard to compose it in Notes and cut and pasted it into the Ask text box.
posted by skycrashesdown at 6:17 PM on July 26, 2018


Mostly at work on my breaks. Which...can sometimes go for a while.
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:49 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


Probably 85% my laptop, 1% the laptop that is serving as the home theater PC. Maybe 13% phone, 1% Kindle Fire.

And like many, unless there's something urgent and I'm away from my laptop, I almost never comment on mobile.
posted by monopas at 6:57 PM on July 26, 2018


Almost entirely on mobile, which is one reason I am more likely to read than read and comment. (And also why when I do comment, there are so many typos -sorry fam :( )
posted by hapaxes.legomenon at 7:11 PM on July 26, 2018


Home/coffee shops, laptop (MacBook). 3 Chrome tabs: politics, recent activity, front page. Also browse the rest of MeFi via NewsBlur (RSS reader) in a 4th tab.
Mobile, phone (Android). Chrome for politics, NewsBlur for the rest.
I like NewsBlur for RSS, it syncs which posts I've read between desktop & phone so I have a more seamless experience.
posted by scalefree at 7:37 PM on July 26, 2018


95% with headphones on through a text-to-speech interface on android (@voice+ivona).

It's used to be a complicated dance to be able to hear long threads, because of the android character copy limit (i think it's 1M characters?), but recently @voice has made it so that if you "share to" instead of copy the thread content to the app, it will paginate the whole page as a multi-chapter epub, making it able to handle giant old threads.

Small issues for me: If i share the url from threads anywhere except the blue, it scrapes the whole page. If i share the url from a thread on the blue, unfortunately, it only scrapes the OP post.
posted by tedious at 8:14 PM on July 26, 2018 [2 favorites]


95% on my phone (Android), 5% on my laptop. Laptop is still for making posts, just because I fuss with them more than comments. It's also for things like book recommendations, as it's a little easier to look lots of things up in my library catalogue, or, if I'm recommending, in my database of read books. Everything else is on my phone, no matter the length of comment or if there's links in it. (Actually, now that I have a terrible keyboard on my laptop, where the spacebar only registers every fifth or so tap, my phone is actually easier to type on.)
posted by Margalo Epps at 8:31 PM on July 26, 2018


Probably 50% docked MBPs (split between work and home machines at various percentages depending on life), and 50% iPhone. Yes, I am an apple consumer. Commenting is 90% on laptop.
posted by cgg at 8:39 PM on July 26, 2018


Am I missing something, or is there no way to ask an AskMe question or make a Mefi post from the mobile site?

Generally on mobile, you have to click a bit more to see things that are just visible on a desktop. So while the three lines menu has the subsites and a search bar, the bust has your profile, profile adjacent things, and the new post button. Or if you turn it landscape, it's the little pencil all the way to the right.
posted by Margalo Epps at 8:46 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


Normally on an iPhone 6s+, iOS Safari. Occasionally on a Windows 10 laptop, running Chrome. Any time of day, assuming I'm not doing something else.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:46 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


Mostly iPhone 7+, iPad at night. Very rarely on pc at work.
posted by notaninja at 9:00 PM on July 26, 2018 [1 favorite]


75% on a laptop, 25% on mobile (either in bed or on the bus).
posted by JiBB at 10:16 PM on July 26, 2018


Desk top. Can't remember ever using phone, ipad, or laptop.
posted by Cranberry at 11:53 PM on July 26, 2018


Ono-Sendai VII with custom ‘trodes, natch.
posted by pompomtom at 4:12 AM on July 27, 2018 [4 favorites]


Windows laptop, Android phone. Lately I've found that opening intra-thread links on Android Chrome takes me to the beginning of the thread (so that https://metatalk.metafilter.com/24870/MetaMedium#1310705 will take me to https://metatalk.metafilter.com/24870/MetaMedium instead), which makes it very hard to keep up with long active threads.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 4:48 AM on July 27, 2018


I open the politics threads on my work computer and do literally everything else mefi related on my phone. So sometimes I will be reading a megathread on my computer while simultaneously browsing other threads on my phone.

This serves two purposes. First, the megathreads kill my phone, and second it compartmentalizes all the negativity and anger and shit so that it doesn't spread throughout my whole life.
posted by Literaryhero at 6:32 AM on July 27, 2018 [1 favorite]


At work it’s furtively on my phone. At home it’s desktop or tablet. Probably most of my metaconsumption is happening at work on the tiny screen.
posted by rodlymight at 6:50 AM on July 27, 2018


my metaconsumption

There are treatments and vaccines you can take.
posted by Fizz at 6:58 AM on July 27, 2018 [2 favorites]


*I apologize if that joke up above is crass. I'm not making light of people who have TB. I just like puns.
posted by Fizz at 7:05 AM on July 27, 2018 [3 favorites]


I run a script that prints out all new posts and comments onto paper (A4, professional white). Then I highlight my favorites and hand write my comments which I ask my assistant to enter in throughout the day. Memail gets printed and taken to the post office to be mailed to my home address. At the end of every day, it all goes into a 3 hole punch binder and when the binders are full they are sent to Iron Mountain in boxes so I can refer to them later. What’s this about internet on the telephone now?
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 7:29 AM on July 27, 2018 [5 favorites]


Desktop at home, laptop at work, phone on the train.
posted by rachaelfaith at 7:37 AM on July 27, 2018


Memail gets printed and taken to the post office to be mailed to my home address.

Why, is your fax machine broken?
posted by Huffy Puffy at 8:39 AM on July 27, 2018 [2 favorites]


90% on my desktop PC, 10% on my Pixel 2.
posted by saladin at 9:17 AM on July 27, 2018


Mostly on desktop at work or home, rarely via mobile (less optimal for reading/flipping between sections).
posted by koucha at 10:09 AM on July 27, 2018


Windows desktop PC at work, Macbook Pro at home. I really only use mobile to check in on the megathreads while commuting / waiting for something while not in front of either of the above.
posted by lazaruslong at 10:13 AM on July 27, 2018


...prints out all new posts and comments onto paper (A4, professional white). Then I highlight my favorites and hand write my comments which I ask my assistant to enter in throughout the day.

I had a big boss who did exactly that.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:38 AM on July 27, 2018


Windows or Linux laptop at home, or Windows desktop at work.

(Although I have a smart phone, I never Internet with it - screen's too small.)
posted by Rash at 11:06 AM on July 27, 2018


Laptop for reading, writing posts and doing comments of all lengths; smartphone for reading and doing short comments only.

When I had a Nintendo 3DS a few years back (mainly for Animal Crossing), I occasionally used the browser on that to read MetaFilter. It ... wasn't the best browser, to put it mildly.

I know one member of the British Royal Family reads MetaFilter, though I don't know whether it's just occasionally or more frequently (it's come out in conversation) and whether he's a paid-up member or not (guessing probably not). He uses a MacBook Pro.
posted by Wordshore at 12:36 PM on July 27, 2018 [4 favorites]


Mobile phone for reading/browsing, short comments
Personal laptop for reading/browsing, longer comments, posts/questions
Work desktop computer for reading/browsing, longer comments, posts/questions
posted by Juniper Toast at 2:19 PM on July 27, 2018


90% linux desktop at home.
5 % windows laptop at work
5 % android phone

I read via RSS and click over to the site whenever I want to see more (comments, links, etc.) or contribute something. I use my phone whenever I'm SUPER engaged in reading something and/or want to check on a discussion more frequently.
posted by VioletU at 3:42 PM on July 27, 2018


Mostly on my desktop. I work from home and for better or worse spend 10-12 hours out of my day staring at this screen. When I'm on my phone and "feel the need...the need to read..." I tend to exhaust Facebook and Twitter first because I guess I feel like their short texts + visual content suffers less in the transition to the small screen. I don't particularly like to read longer texts on my phone, what with my bad, old, undercorrected eyes.

I remember the first not-quite-smart but not-completely-an-idiot phone I owned that had a browser and data capabilities, and of course the first thing I tried to do with it was read metafilter. It was...not good. I couldn't figure out what the big deal about using phones to do stuff online was.
posted by drlith at 6:34 PM on July 27, 2018


Having been legally banned from the internet since 1997 I access Metafilter using a mandrill. Typically mandrills work at night, approaching the site with a brass floppy disc containing my pre-written opinions, bon mots, outdated references, etc and returning with the responses and favourites. You don't know what it's like!
posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 6:40 PM on July 27, 2018 [2 favorites]


90% by phone, it's just much more convenient and I prefer to comment on phone because having to go over and over it for typos reduces the level of omnipresent comment regret.
posted by E. Whitehall at 8:11 PM on July 27, 2018


Usually on my iPad, in Safari (but trying to retrain myself to use NewsBlur for RSS), occasionally on a laptop at home or work. I read on my phone, rarely.

I often make comments via iPad. If find it ok to type on, and if needed a have a Bluetooth keyboard. My Windows laptop is large heavy and warm and the trackpad makes me want to throw it out the window.
posted by lhauser at 9:01 PM on July 27, 2018


Having been legally banned from the internet since 1997 I access Metafilter using a mandrill.

Barbara, Louise, or Earline?
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:11 PM on July 27, 2018 [2 favorites]


Reading at home, on my Kindle Fire.
If I need to ask a question, I go to my desktop.
Short comments, Fire, though I comment rarely.
posted by alwayson_slightlyoff at 12:14 AM on July 28, 2018


90% on my phone, including really long comments. I type short comments, but anything longer than a sentence or two, like this very comment, I dictate. Yes, that means that I have to go back in and correct typos, and there’s always a typo, but I just don’t have my life set up to use the laptop on the fly. I pull out my laptop to properly read long threads, and sometimes just for fun, and of course I read MeFi on my laptop if I’m already working on my laptop for some reason, but otherwise, all phone all the time.
posted by ocherdraco at 7:37 AM on July 28, 2018 [1 favorite]


At home, on my phone, modern theme dark mode on.

At work, desktop computer, modern theme dark mode off.

I type most of my comments/posts on my phone. At work, I’m mostly just reading unless it’s to dash off a quick answer on Ask.
posted by Weeping_angel at 8:50 AM on July 28, 2018


I do the bulk of my internet things on my android smartphone, and then go to the library for things I absolutely have to do on a computer. Now there's a computer house, but I will probably still use my phone to make sure my son has his computer for school.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 11:58 AM on July 28, 2018 [1 favorite]


Laptop computer used primarily as a desktop, at home.
posted by one for the books at 12:29 PM on July 28, 2018


About 50-50, laptop and phone.
posted by Lyme Drop at 4:26 PM on July 28, 2018


Mercury.
posted by clavdivs at 6:02 PM on July 28, 2018


50/50 Chrome on laptop and Chrome on iPhone. I comment a lot less when I'm on the phone because it's harder to do so. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it means I only comment when I really feel I have something of value to contribute.
posted by like_neon at 2:44 AM on July 30, 2018


Metafilter: Chrome on a nice shiny modern laptop, because it's a thing I browse while waiting for code to compile or while eating elevenses at my desk.

Ask Metafilter: mobile Safari on an extremely elderly iPad running a version of iOS so old that even if it didn't run out of memory immediately on loading a modern web page, I wouldn't dare let it near anything that might be hosting malware.

I also sometimes look at both on my phone (iPhone 5S, small screen but up-to-date iOS), usually either to get a link to send someone else or to show someone a thread/comment in the pub.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 6:58 AM on July 30, 2018


99.9% on phone. Mostly Android because that's what I mostly use, but I do sometimes use an iPhone 6s and threads work way better on iOS - which might be Apple's silicon or a Safari thing. I mainly use Chrome. Firefox handles long threads better, but for some reason it's really difficult to hit the Favorite plus sign on Firefox.

If I'm writing a long comment I dictate it into a Google Doc that I keep around as a scratch pad, edit/fix, then copy & paste in. Dictation on phones is imperfect but frankly still awesome.

Sometimes I've opened large threads on desktop to test out performance using the dev tools, but never to actually read anything.

Modern dark theme for life.
posted by Tehhund at 10:14 AM on July 30, 2018


Phone (Android) exclusively.
posted by Hermione Granger at 11:55 AM on July 30, 2018



90% (roughly): on my desktop computer (firefox)

7%: trying to use it more often on my phone (android, firefox) during my bus ride instead of twitter.

3%: I'm out and about shopping and want to see what ask-mefi feels about a particular brand or item or ideas for something, I do a google search of the site since mefi's isn't that great like site:ask.metafilter.com "item and if it's a phrase put it in quotes"
posted by fizzix at 12:43 PM on July 30, 2018


90% on laptops PCs (work or home)
8 % iPad - mostly reading, occasional comments
2% iPhone - just reading
posted by blurker at 10:08 AM on July 31, 2018


I am almost always on my smartphone since there's no internet at my home, and there's very little spare time at my desk job and absolutely no time at retail.

I don't use the mobile site on my phone; just the ordinary professional white background site.
posted by mightshould at 11:57 AM on July 31, 2018


At home:
Mostly laptop, some PC both in classic blue.
Sometimes phone or tablet if the computers are off (early morning, late at night).

At work:
PC, modern white so I can pretend I'm looking at something official.

Out and about:
On an android phone with Firefox if I'm waiting for something.

Away from home:
Android tablet using Firefox and the modern dark desktop theme.
posted by antiwiggle at 1:22 PM on July 31, 2018


I run a script that prints out all new posts and comments onto paper (A4, professional white). Then I highlight my favorites and hand write my comments which I ask my assistant to enter in throughout the day. Memail gets printed and taken to the post office to be mailed to my home address. At the end of every day, it all goes into a 3 hole punch binder and when the binders are full they are sent to Iron Mountain in boxes so I can refer to them later.

That seems like overkill. The boxes I mean.
posted by bongo_x at 1:24 AM on August 2, 2018


All laptop.

Not just MF, if I had to use the internet on a phone I probably would rarely look at anything on the internet. I just can't gel with smart phones. I use my Android phone as an MP3 player and emergency internet device. My second in line MP3 player behind my ipod classic. I don't even use it as a phone.
posted by bongo_x at 1:30 AM on August 2, 2018 [2 favorites]


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