How many subdomains are there?

August 10, 2003 6:00 PM

Sat bored at my compressor, tapped in my Mefi username to Google, as you do, and discovered a host of mefi sub-domains!

bushfilter.metafilter.com,
where.the.fuck.is.metafilter.com,
www.iamnotaddictedto.metafilter.com,
www.betterthanapokeintheeyewithasharpstick.metafilter.com,
a-list.metafilter.com,
cheesemakesmynipplessing.metafilter.com,
wilwheatonseemslikeanokguytome.metafilter.com,
kottke-is-my-hero.metafilter.com,
2nd.birthday.for.metafilter.com,
plushcthulhu.metafilter.com,
mattisaciaagent.metafilter.com,
furbo.metafilter.com,
mobile.metafilter.com.

Now, my [niaive?] questions are:
- How many subdomains are there?
- How do my comments get assigned?
- I only post to Metafilter.com & metatalk.metafilter.com, so how did google find them & rank them?
- Looking at some of those site names, I have to ask: Does quonsar actually have admin rights here now?
posted by dash_slot- to MetaFilter-Related at 6:00 PM (35 comments total)

The thing about subdomains is, they multiply rapidly.

dash_slot, you didn't get your admin rights yet? Are you sure Matt has your correct email address?
posted by yhbc at 6:13 PM on August 10, 2003

I tried my full name, dot metafilter.com. Looks to me like just about anything works.
posted by interrobang at 6:15 PM on August 10, 2003

the real question is:

"Sat bored at my compressor"...???
posted by signal at 6:17 PM on August 10, 2003

Even the patently untrue types...

Sat bored at my compressor
Don't you have the new eco-friendly machines from Europe, then...
posted by dash_slot- at 6:21 PM on August 10, 2003

But seriously, does anyone know - How do comments get assigned to the different domains? Is that a truly boring or simply unanswerable question?
posted by dash_slot- at 6:40 PM on August 10, 2003

MetaFilter has wildcard sub-domains enabled, so therefore anything.metafilter.com will work, there are some special sub-domains such as sorry.metafilter.com. 2nd.birthday.for.metafilter.com, etc.

Thus spake riffola, and it was so. (Also, searching for "subdomain" brings up that thread. So: neither boring nor unanswerable, just previously answered.)
posted by gleuschk at 6:44 PM on August 10, 2003

So: neither boring nor unanswerable, just previously answered

Er, not quite. Thanks for the link, an'all, but How do comments get assigned to the different domains? [sorry to go on about it, I'm just curious...]
posted by dash_slot- at 7:16 PM on August 10, 2003

What do you mean "get assigned"?

Do you mean (a) comment as in "post on metafilter" or (b) comment as in "funny one-liner inserted before the first dot in *.metafilter.com"?

If (a) - i think you'll find all comments present on all subdomains
If (b) - I don't know, some voodoo in BIND - I've been wondering how to do it myself.
posted by Jimbob at 7:45 PM on August 10, 2003

Jimbob - just use the key thingies to type whatever half-arsed sub-domain you would like to refer to. Such as this.
posted by dg at 8:02 PM on August 10, 2003

Certainly, dg, but how does one configure one's own DNS server to utilize this amazing technology on one's own domain?
posted by Jimbob at 8:08 PM on August 10, 2003

For those of us who don't speed-read or touch-type, MetaFilter on a compressor is much faster and more efficient than on a computer.

Combine the MetaFilter server's wildcard redirection of non-existant subdomains, the fact that some users make a running joke out of non-existant subdomains, and the fact that Google's robots follow every working link they find, treating them like unique web addresses, and hilarity ensues.
posted by wendell at 8:20 PM on August 10, 2003

*hangs head in shame at poor comprehension skills*
Ah, I see what you are asking Jimbob. NFI.
posted by dg at 8:46 PM on August 10, 2003

jimbob, ask your host to enable wildcard DNS for you, and make sure they know that while you want wildcard DNS, you also want the ability to create sub-domains that work.
posted by riffola at 8:54 PM on August 10, 2003

For those of us who don't speed-read or touch-type, MetaFilter on a compressor is much faster and more efficient than on a computer.

i'm pumping air into the aquarium via my USB hub.
posted by quonsar at 9:22 PM on August 10, 2003

My favorite is this one.
posted by The God Complex at 11:07 PM on August 10, 2003

I only post to Metafilter.com & metatalk.metafilter.com, so how did google find them & rank them?

A link on any high traffic site carries weight with Google; therefore a link on such a site to a Metafilter subdomain has a chance to get that subdomain indexed, leading to Google search results covering the complete text of Metafilter pointing to that subdomain.

Can I get a witness?
posted by eddydamascene at 11:21 PM on August 10, 2003

I'm sure it was a white minivan. maybe a Dodge.
posted by taz at 11:57 PM on August 10, 2003

I'll probably continue doing the wildcard DNS, but redirect any blahblahblah.metafilter.com requests to www.metafilter.com. I think I'll do that tonight, in fact.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 12:02 AM on August 11, 2003

Thank you, folks. That is all.
posted by dash_slot- at 12:55 AM on August 11, 2003

I'll probably continue doing the wildcard DNS, but redirect any blahblahblah.metafilter.com requests to www.metafilter.com. I think I'll do that tonight, in fact.

There goes another cool toy.
posted by timeistight at 1:06 AM on August 11, 2003

done and done.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:00 AM on August 11, 2003

mathowie - I was wondering why I couldn't get to the site from work on the 11th and 12th, but I think this thread answers my question.

Y'see, IT at my workplace blocks www.metafilter.com, but I was always able to go to ww2.metafilter.com. I think your DNS fix foiled my plans.

I'm not strong on the finer points of DNS, but is there a way to allow access to ww2.metafilter.com without the redirection? Pretty please? Or could you suggest an alternative?
posted by pjhagop at 1:59 PM on August 12, 2003

My buddies and I at work are no longer able to access Metafilter. Please restore previous settings!
posted by aaronshaf at 11:11 AM on August 13, 2003

Matt, a lot of companies only blocked www.metafilter.com and http://metafilter.com, not the various sub-domain aliases. Would it be possible for you to create an alias such as say august.metafilter.com and then in september you could have september.metafilter.com? That way it wouldn't be spamming the search engines a lot, and let's people who surf from work still continue to do so.
posted by riffola at 1:27 PM on August 13, 2003

matt, i'm with riffola. the only way i could access metafilter from work was with the same system.

and i'm fine without the pony, thanks.
posted by triv at 1:43 AM on August 16, 2003

this works:
http://my.work.has.lame.filters.metafilter.com/
posted by mathowie (staff) at 8:54 AM on August 18, 2003

Hmmm

[weighs addiction to metafilter against potential nose-tweeked wrath of IS department lackey]

In the future, I wonder if anyone will notice a single week increase in company productivity levels in late August 2003......
posted by davehat at 10:40 AM on August 18, 2003

Best. Subdomain. Ever.
posted by dash_slot- at 11:18 AM on August 18, 2003

Someone please notify our Interesting Metafilter Subdomains Librarian, Riffola.
posted by Hildago at 1:35 PM on August 18, 2003

Willdo!
/Subdomains Sublibrarian
posted by dash_slot- at 1:40 PM on August 18, 2003

matt - you rock! it works a treat, thank you very much. i just hope that my workplace doesn't cotton on to it.

i've sent a donation via paypal to show my appreciation!
posted by triv at 12:12 AM on August 19, 2003

Strangely enough, my office's lame filters (*cough* Websense *cough*) allow www.metafilter.com, but block metatalk.metafilter.com, claiming it is a gaming site.
posted by mkhall at 5:06 AM on August 19, 2003

A big whopping Thanks!! to the lame filter evasion maneuver installation. Websense, Webschmense.
posted by yoga at 6:06 AM on August 20, 2003

metatalk.metafilter.com is a gaming site!
posted by insomnyuk at 11:32 AM on August 20, 2003

According to all the web, this is every subdomain of metafilter they indexed before I fixed it.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 12:47 AM on August 23, 2003