January 2008 Archives (all archives)
January 31
Once upon a time, there was a Jabber Server on Metafilter...
Once upon a time, there was a Jabber Server on Metafilter... [more inside]
Search me!
The new Search is officially live. Full details to follow. [more inside]
2am, Last Call!
PonyRequest: Put the expected closing date at the bottom of threads? [more inside]
No snark here.
This post was flagged and the system worked as it usually does with cortex quite rightly deleting it. [more inside]
MeTa OuTa MeatSpace
Seen about town: this guy's movie poster in front of this theater says "AS SEEN ON THIS SITE". Also, this one, if I'm not mistaken. [more inside]
LOLMIDGETS
2/07 Chicago Meetup
Chicago Meetup this February? [more inside]
Privacy or Criminal Activities?
It seems like there have been several questions lately about how to do things that make it easy to do illegal things or hide one's identity generally in a way that does not seem to have a legitimate purpose, or at the very least seems to only have a vague "I want to avoid harassment" or "I want to protect my privacy" purpose. What gives? [more inside]
How to hack a MeFi URL using only post numbers?
How do I hack a MeFi URL if I only have the post number and not the title? For example, metafilter.com/68665/ does not work, but metafilter.com/68665/Back-to-the-Future does. [more inside]
Look out, Fester Bestertester
January 30
Searching For A Heart Of Gold
So Matt said "Full text search is in the works right now, and will be rolled out soon." Yayhooray! This is the part where I annoy him and pb and make their lives more difficult by asking everybody about their dream search features (and slip in a request or seven of my own). [more inside]
FPPs posts that are conclusive should be based on evidence.
This post is emotive, shrill and conclusive in tone. Considering it deals with emotionally charged topics, its sure to get a lot of attention. I can take emotive and shrill if the topic had been approached from an interrogative viewpoint, rather than conclusive. [more inside]
Metafilter Ethos
Syndicated columnist Annalee Newitz on Metafilter.
Can I ask you a question?
I propose that a new flag be added to AskMe posts: "OP has shown that he/she does not have a genuine interest in getting this question answered."
MeFi: SEO spammer early warning system
So it turns out that not only were we being spammed (1, 2, 3, 4) by the Times, a whole lot of other people were too. We should have a Most Wanted page for webmasters to consult or something, since MeFi does such a good job at being the canary in the coal mine. Nice catch, Jess/Matt.
Ancient MeFi Octopus Post Update
Back in 2003, I posted a link to a video that showed an octopus transforming itself to look like its surroundings. If you read the thread, there was some doubt about it and I think we all wished that web video was better at the time. Well, a friend posted a link to a TED talk recently that shows this same octopus at a much higher resolution. [more inside]
Let us celebrate the transition from winter to summer.
Quick, before it gets too hot! Can we have a spring Phoenix meetup? [more inside]
MetaFilter's Own Physics Quandary
Tonight a debate that has pitted brother against brother, friend against friend, MeFite against MeFite, will be finally laid to rest. The long awaited Mythbusters episode about airplane vs. conveyor belt airs tonight at 9 o'clock. For real this time. No really, it's airing, Adam Savage said so. [more inside]
Philly. Bowling. Me. You?
Philly. Bowling. Me. You? [more inside]
January 29
New Favorites page!
New favorites page! [more inside]
Three ways to get to San José?
Is there any functional difference between Recent Activity, My Comments (tab) and My Comments (link at bottom of page)? [more inside]
Disabled comment links in favorites?
Why do comments that have been favorited show up with all links disabled? Are there any plans to change this behavior in the future? [more inside]
The Numinati
Seeing this response by the original poster made me recall this little pony request. The poor little thing has been left outside in the rain for a fortnight. [more inside]
Godwin!
I'd like to take issue with this comment (the "I was a neocon Nazi" comment) being up on the sidebar. [more inside]
Server like butta'
Oh how easily we forget! Months ago (a year?) the server was consistently slow or down. Now it's smooth as a baby's butt and fast as the Google. Is Federer your server? I love it. My Mefi addicted brain thanks you.
January 28
LOLMORMONS
Come on y'all this is embarassing. I don't think anyone would appreciate getting their religion bashed this way and Mormon's LOVE that man. Believe me, I know some. Totally uncalled for.
Mefimail all local users
Feature request: Send MefiMail to all users within an n mile radius. [more inside]
metametameta
what's up with all the apologetic posts lately? since when did metafilter become a religious site where communal acceptance depends on strict penitence?
Meetup sidebar bug?
On the Upcoming Meetups sidebar in both FF2.11 and IE7, the Feb 8: Chapel Hill, NC post appears twice though I'm imagining it shouldn't.
Sit, ubu, sit.
I'd like to publicly apologise to occhiblu, thehmsbeagle, zebra3, klango & nickyskye (and anybody else) for being a massive, trollish douche recently. That's all.
January 27
RPM Challenge 08 - join the party!
RPM Challenge, 08 version - who's on board this time around? (related: the fpp, last year's roundup, and the followup) [more inside]
One hack Two hack Red hack Blue hack
I guess I missed the memo: when did Matt start handing out red usernames? And are other colors available? [more inside]
Wishing for a BBS
Dumb question: does this "remove from activity" link I'm seeing on MyComments do what I think it does? [more inside]
Word count ſhmörd cøunt!
Average word count for anonymous queſtions vs average word count for inanonymous queſtions. [more inside]
January 26
How would I make MeFi greener?
I see there are "wind and solar powered" web hosts and I assume they just buy carbon and alternate energy credits because I doubt your site would stay up when it's dark and the wind isn't blowing. I saw Dreamhost described as a "carbon-neutral company" the other day. If I wanted to offset the energy required to power the mefi servers, how would I go about doing that? Just calculate hours in a day multiplied by the watt rating on the power supplies (as a worst-case scenario), then just buy alternate energy credits for that amount? (asking here because it's mefi related) [more inside]
WTF Matt?
WTF Matt? [more inside]
January 25
Yes, it looks a bit funny
I'm not a big fan of call-outs, but this thread, on alzheimers research that happens to involve dorky looking headgear, seems to have gone really wrong. It's pretty much entirely devoted to the false premise that the helmet would be worn at all times, and the humour derived from said dorkyness of helmet, which seems completely the wrong tone for the discussion of a serious disease and what seems to be some legit research. [more inside]
Double the AskMeFi goodness in my RSS
Anyone else getting double AskMeFi RSS posts?
Anyone else getting double AskMeFi RSS posts?
[more inside]
Sidebar borked
Plutor, your contact mangled the sidebar... [more inside]
Chapel Hill/ Durham meet-up?
Chapel Hill//Durham meetup? [more inside]
Is anyone out there?
Maybe a long shot, but any chance of a Swiss meetup? [more inside]
January 24
mobile.MeFi.com
Announcing: mobile.metafilter.com
It's a new version of the sites designed for the iPhone/iPod Touch. Try it out on the device, songs from MeFi Music even play in the device (works best on wifi of course). A short video if it in action is inside. [more inside]
It's a new version of the sites designed for the iPhone/iPod Touch. Try it out on the device, songs from MeFi Music even play in the device (works best on wifi of course). A short video if it in action is inside. [more inside]
Posted at 9:56 AM, some day
Pony: For "Most favorited" is it possible to put in the dates for the 7day and 30day view?
Seacoast NH: Give Me 10cc of Vox, Stat!
Impromptu Seacoast NH Meetup? We're getting together for Rock Band this Saturday and Mrs. yerfatma just realized she might be singing for a long time on Saturday night . . . [more inside]
MeMu instrument tabs
Could there be a place within Mefi Music for people to post tabs? [more inside]
AskMe formatting wonkiness
Regarding the AskMe RSS feed formating - Currently there is no line break between the question and the [more inside]. Sometimes this makes for an odd run-on and repetitive paragraph that isn't what the poster intended. Since screen real-estate isn't a problem in the feed, might the powers-that-be consider throwing a paragraph between these sections? I use google reader but it's also formatted the same way in bloglines if this helps.
January 23
Vancouver Meetup
Recently, there was a thread in which someone was looking to meet nerdy people in the Vancouver area. Most replies mentioned organizing a meetup. This post is to explore that option and suggest venues and times. [more inside]
Mea Maxima Culpa
On the vagaries of intoxicated posting from the bowels of my "shithole" "corpse" of a city. [more inside]
Boooooooooobs.
Hey, you know how I'm apparently your friendly neighborhood irrational/uptight/bitchy feminist? Well, my Batsignal is going off. 'Cause I'm bitchy/uptight/irrational/out to ruin your fun. And I don't like conversations that are all about the hilarious inevitability of adults ogling some lady's rack. [more inside]
Is this something I'd have to have a Metafilter account to know about?
Users commenting just to say they haven't heard of the topic of discussion is 100% noise and garbage.
[more inside]
Hey, I'll write about Jessamyn free of charge.
Generic Celebrity Thread Blues
Maybe this has already been mentioned on the grey, but the Heath Ledger thread is marred by some particularly predictable & troll-esque "why give a shit/we need to cut celebrities down to size!" comments. [more inside]
January 22
Flogging a dead horse
Safari and the html widgets...A silly technical question re:User Agents [more inside]
Metafilter Infodump: more stats than you can shake a stick at.
January 21
fmpub.net DNS sucks.
fmpub.net DNS sucks. [more inside]
Any Centrally Illini Interested In A Meetup?
Possible hot MeFi on MeFi Central Illinois-ish action? [more inside]
Mislink fix
Two posts today accidentally link to Metafilter instead of their intended targets. On the main page, they link to metafilter.com, but within their individual threads, they link to their own individual threads. How is this done? Also, this seems like a pretty common mistake; I've seen it happen a few times before. To prevent the admins from having to go in and fix things, maybe the New Post code should check to see if any links point to the the main site (and if so, ask the user whether this was intended).
You gotta pregame that sugar, son.
NYC Meetup: Valentine's Day sugar-rush pregame. [more inside]
Yay, first place! (but not for long)
The Icycle challenge is nearing its end, and so far only 7 riders have scored. Surely we have more hearty soles willing to risk minor appendages for a MetaFilter bike sticker, and glory?
When should I ask mefi?
What is the best time of day (or, even more specifically, day of week and time) to ask metafilter? [more inside]
Frenetic in concert in Cambridge, MA
Greater Boston Mefites: Brad Sucks, aka MetaFilter's own frenetic will be performing (his MuFi posts) in Cambridge, MA on Feb 12. How about dinner and drinks beforehand? [more inside]
January 20
I don't want to sign up for a youtube account
wrecking the weekend record
hey whats the lowest number of metatalk threads ever posted over a two day period or maybe a weekend? TIA
January 18
21: Jesse Thorn Interview
Show #21 of the podcast is our return from a long holiday break. We've got an interview with Jesse Thorn followed by recaps from the best of the last six weeks of MetaFilter. It was recorded on January 16, 2008 and runs 1 hour 10 minutes long. [more inside]
Usernames on the 'who favorited this post' page
Minor usability quibble: When you're looking at who favorites a post, and click a username, it shows their favorites instead of showing their profile page, like every other linked username on the site does. Maybe a different link to show their favorites from that page?
Mmmm, honey-glazed spam
Anybody else interested in participating in a MeFi spam honeypot? [more inside]
Good Work FPPers!
As of the time of this post, the blue has had an unbroken string of 71 undeleted FPPs (numbers 68210 to 68280). That's almost three full days with no doubles, no self-linkers, no crappy stunt posts, etc. Good work, people! It got me wondering, though, what's the longest string (number-wise and/or timespan-wise) of undeleted FPPs on the blue? Does this mean we're all finally "getting" what makes a good post? Or are people getting better at following the guidelines? Or is this just an anomaly? [more inside]
January 17
Favorite/flag comments while previewing
Pony request: When previewing comments, can we please still be able to favorite & flag other comments in the thread? Or is there a reason otherwise?
Bickering ahoy. :(
Voted. Unvoted. Voted. Unvoted.
Not terribly important but: is there any way to reverse a vote in the projects page? [more inside]
JoCo Show -- Go or No?
Is anyone else from Metafilter going to the Jonathan Coulton show at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on 22 February? If so, seems like pre-show eats and/or post-show drinks might be in order. [more inside]
Those Run of the Mill Hasidic Landlords
Where would a donation solicitation live
Where would a donation solicitation live? [more inside]
Check on this one.
I see a check mark by this question on the AskMe front page, but no best answer marked inside. [more inside]
Counting user comments by FPP tag type?
Feature request: a way to count, by tag, by user how many comments you posted to threads of a certain type? [more inside]
Oops...Could Have Phrased That Better...
Would it be possible to have preview in MeFiMail? [more inside]
January 16
I missed a message because it was in MeFi mail
Argh! An anonymous AskMe poster sent me follow up information three days ago -- on my invitation -- but sent it to MeFi mail, so I only just discovered it! Is there some way to make MeFi mail notify my regular e-mail? I feel so guilty...
Shiny aqua icons for your iPhone
Per the iPhone webclip icon feature that came out yesterday, if you add any mefi sites to your iPhone home screen, you'll now get some fancy matching icons.
Wow. We really aren't grown up yet, are we?
Nutjobfilter: Metafilter Ad Hominem Much? How about we delete posts that start out with grade school name calling? Just for thrills. [more inside]
January 15
American Classic Metafilter
Didja know Metafilter's own hermitosis has been writing articles for AMC's website (mostly in the MonsterFest blog)? Hey check it out, it's ColdChef! (With awesome photo) [more inside]
No Pepsi blue?
How is it possible that there is no Apple post? Has there been a secret agreement to not shill that I missed? Is there a secret plot? I always enjoy the fireworks, and am missing them this Tuesday.
“A desk is a dangerous place from which to watch the world”
The post from a couple of days ago is great, but really made me wonder where the MeFites make their magic. [more inside]
LOLXtians! No - LOLScientologists!
We don't think religious satire goes down well on Mefi. Well, 'cept for the 'Tologists, that is. [more inside]
This is my answer, but this is not my "best answer."
[My-Little-Pony]: Is it possible to create a function that mimics the "best answer" feature, but is intended for use by the OP to highlight the OP's additional details/responses within the post? [more inside]
A Milwaukee Meet Up?
A Milwaukee Meet Up for real this time? [more inside]
Rocking Homelessness?
I'm uncomfortable that this "How Can I Be Homeless?" question was approved. Seems to me this person should not be helped to pursue a course of action that is not only dangerous but which will almost certainly involve his making use of resources intended to help people who truly have nowhere to turn.
On the unbearable anonymous of being
I'm interested in knowing what it's like to be unanonymous on MetaFilter. [more inside]
January 14
My New Pony's name is Gigs!
PonyFilter: MeMuGigs (and not just because it sounds funny), or, by extension, MeFiArts. [more inside]
This is not the answer you are looking for.
Is using the "best answer" function to clarify the original question or to offset the OP's own comments from the pack really the best use of that feature?
MeFil #2
Just wanted to express a very sincere and public thanks to hadjiboy for the second Hyderabad Meetup. And thanks for the gift! [more inside]
January 13
Nothing and Nthing
Whence Nthing? Isn't the word "seconding" meant to include multiple votes of support? Is this something peculiar to Ask Metafilter?
WriteLearnThink.pdf
NY meetup anyone?
We need to talk about this...
During the GiveWell hubbub, some commenters become obsessed with outing a pseudonymous troll calling itself "Rachel Tension." We need to talk about the ethics of outing, unmasking, and breaking anonymity. [more inside]
January 12
Fingers in the great anonymous dyke?
What percentage of users post answers, under their 'real' account, in their own anonymous askmefi threads? [more inside]
Sundance meetup
Is anybody going to Sundance? [more inside]
Forgotten?
The shadowy back alleys of MetaFilter... [more inside]
January 11
alphabetical list of MeFi usernames?
Is there an alphabetical list of MeFi usernames anywhere? I have a vague recollection of a username I'm trying to recall and I know what letter it started with, but I'm stuck there. This wouldn't be hard to compile, it would just take a numerical increment and a simple web scraper. Just wondering if anyone's ever done it. Thanks! [more inside]
Don't post threads about posting MeMail in threads without the sender's explicit permission without an admin's explicit permission.
On preview, zipperhead.
Previewed HTML works fine, posted HTML less so... [more inside]
The icing on the snowplough
I'm flying from Londonengland to Toronto next month because I need to make a series of cake-related decisions. So, er, meet-up? [more inside]
Halfway to Our First Million on MetaTalk
Congratulations to tkolar on posting MetaTalk's 500,000th comment! Imagine, a half million assorted snarks, whines, callouts, flameouts, bugfixes, meetup setups, not to mention all the pony requests granted or rejected, the longboat voyages, the real-life detective stories and serious discussion of male and female body parts. What a long Meta trip it's been. [more inside]
Self Link?
January 10
Don't Post MeMail In Threads
Don't post MeMail to a thread without the explicit permission of the sender. Like this.
This is so very no on so many levels.
Comment count in RSS
Pony request: Is it feasible to get the current comment count in the rss feed? [more inside]
Repetitive Repetition
In the sidebar it says "Recent Past Meetups". Isn't that a case of an unnecessary word? Wouldn't "Recent Meetups" be just as accurate? [more inside]
etymology questions OK?
Every now and again there's an etymology question on AskMe, and lately they inevitably feature the beloved languagehat popping in to warn people that speculation is pointless and that the only valid answers are to be found in reference books. (not bookist) [more inside]
Portland Maine and The King of Kong Informal Meetup
Any other Maine-folk planning to see The King of Kong at SPACE Gallery? [more inside]
January 9
Winnipeg meetup?
Any Winnipeg, MB mefites? [more inside]
AskMeFi, the Lost Years
Calling All Mefi Library People!! Got an hour to kill? Some Professional Development money to spend? Want to know the secrets of AskMe from Jessamyn? [more inside]
"posted by" could be a very useful thing for the taglines on our favorites.
Requesting a "posted by" line on the entries in the personal "Favorites" page.
"Popular favorites" has this feature and it makes it really easy to scroll and re-find a popular favorite seen recently (as they are constantly shifting up and down the column, due to popularity). [more inside]
Metafilter t-shirt spotted in "American Libraries" Journal
Spot-the-Mefite: "American Libraries " edition [more inside]
Hyderabadi Meetup
Any Indian Mefites (active/non-active) out there, who'd like to get together? [more inside]
link requests, askmefi
I ask trepidly: What say Mefi on link-requesting AskMeFi posts? Are they appropriate for the scene?
January 8
Small Equine
Littletinyponyfilter: could it be possible to have the sidebar links on the front page for contact activity work slightly differently? [more inside]
MeFi Music connection issues
I can only listen to the first few seconds of any song on MeFi music. I hit play, the first 2-3% of the song loads, and then the music cuts out. This seems to be a problem on my end, and I'm hoping someone has suggestions. [more inside]
Thank you, Metafilter
Suck it, SF.
Mefi movie night in NoVa. Anybody interested? [more inside]
Let me know about the Mefi Lovin'
This may be a stupid question; it may well have been discussed in the posts regarding the Metafilter messaging system, but they are legion and I am inebriated. But can we have a message sent to our inbox if someone adds us as a "contact"? [more inside]
January 7
Let's all go to the movies. Let's all go to the movies.
Mefi movie night in SF. Anybody interested? [more inside]
"Silent" comments on Projects
The lack of comments makes Projects really boring.
posted by delmoi (from earlier)
There must be a good reason for "silent" comments for Projects, but what is it? [more inside]
There was a farmer who had a dog...
Metafilter bingo? [more inside]
Announcing the Metafilter Short Fiction Anthology!
Announcing the Metafilter Short Fiction Anthology! Previously suggested by Effigy2000, the Metafilter Short Fiction Anthology is a chance for all us writer-type or vaguely-writer-type Mefites to get together and write write write! We'll be taking a "Thieves' World" approach to our writing with each story in the Anthology taking place in a setting first posited by Mefi's Own L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg and then fleshed out by himself and members of the Mefi community. All who are interested are encouraged to join in! [more inside]
January 6
Preventing duplicates
New post form's URL search is broken. [more inside]
Fallout from the Givewell affair
The Givewell Board of Directors have issued a statement concerning the changes they made in the wake of the astroturfing and related activities earlier in the week. [more inside]
Metafilter: The Drink
Metafilter needs an official drink. Let's brainstorm. [more inside]
hopefully nipping this in the bud
hey, bruce? I, and other folks, aren't too thrilled with what you're saying in the Elyse Sewell thread. Let's talk about you over here, and keep talking about her over there. [more inside]
Googlewell?
Does the thread of all threads (Givewell) break Google Reader? Or is it a feed settings thing here? Or (more likely) am I doing something wrong? [more inside]
Fears for Obama's safety not a reasonable topic?
This post which raised the issue of fears among some in the African-American electorate that Barack Obama would not be safe as president. The thread was shut down for reasons of WTF. Not exactly sure what the problem was, and I was disappointed, as I had recently heard about this and was hoping the thread would shed some light on the issue. This NYT article would be a good starting point for discussion.
Save Mr. Crashy Pants
Add as a contact may or may not be broken, but it crashes Safari. [more inside]
Adelaide gathering pictures
January 5
Is This What They Mean By Crowdsourcing?
Thanks, Metafilter! We talked about the strange saga of Mr. Splashy Pants in the blue back in November; today, as a more or less direct result, it's a feature story in The Globe & Mail. [more inside]
let's meet up
We've so much to discuss! [Minneapolis/Twin Cities] [more inside]
January 4
Pony. If no pony, then sub-threads.
Give me super-speed-reading abilities, or give me death. No--wait! I mean, give me sub-comments. Not death. [more inside]
Photos from tonight's LA Meetup.
January 3
Don't Mess With "Don't Mess With Texas"
It's getting tedious seeing wfrgms bring out the same old "Don't Mess With Texas" derail one more time. [more inside]
Wiki Picky Favor
Is there a way to have MeFi Wiki "summary articles" (like this one) appear permanently and visibly in a MeFi/MeTa/AskMe thread that they are linked to? [more inside]
January 2
MeFi Mail link in profile page all screwy
I'm running Safari on Mac OS 10.4, and the "send MeFi Mail" link does not seem to work. Am I alone? [more inside]
Music Changes
Some new stuff at Music: play counts, flash player update, and pop-outs! [more inside]
Recently viewed posts
feature request: I'd like to be able to see recently my viewed posts [more inside]
Can't get to metafilter from my ISP
I can't get to any metafilter.com addresses from my home ISP. I can get to it from other places, i.e. work, and I can get to it if I use an open proxy.
More details inside. [more inside]
Calling them like I see them
Finding it sad that the best answer to this AskMe is the OP's vitriolic 'karma is going to get you' retort to another poster.
January 1
I want to meet you! And you! And you!
NY Meet-Ups [more inside]
If you press the preview button this will disappear
When you preview a comment the post's title disappears both in the browser's title bar and at the top of the page. Is that supposed to happen? Because it seems weird to me.