January 2013 Archives (all archives)

January 31

Would it help if I focused on the hedgehog?

Was there an alternate way I could have formatted this post? The main link is to the promo website that will eventually have the featured cute puppy video but doesn't yet, but there are two other links (to an existing cute puppy video on youtube, as well as an associated hedgehog-interest story). Is the problem that the link to the promo site was the only one above the fold, and the main video of interest is not actually up yet? Should I just wait until after Sunday and link to the video post-Puppy Bowl? Should I have focused on the three-legged hedgehog overcoming her disability? Or is the collection as a whole just not really FPP-worthy? Thanks in advance for suggestions and constructive criticism.
posted by eviemath to Etiquette/Policy at 8:22 PM PST - 47 comments

Don't potty-train your cat?

Help me find a comment made on a cat-related post sometime in recent years. The gist of the comment was, "Don't potty-train your cat, cat feces is uniquely toxic to the environment when disposed of through the sewers." It contained a link to a page supposedly backing that claim up. (I don't recall whether it was a joke or not, FWIW.)
posted by jbickers to MetaFilter-Related at 11:34 AM PST - 19 comments

Worlds collide

I was pretty surprised to see Jessamyn on Venture Beat this morning. Great picture!
posted by 2bucksplus to MetaFilter-Related at 8:42 AM PST - 66 comments

January 30

Show Us Your Desks

In honor of this FPP and cause it's been a while, I propose a 2013 round of "Show Us Where You Work!" Cause sharing is caring.
posted by The Whelk to MetaFilter-Related at 12:40 PM PST - 289 comments

The $2.5 million comment

Last night I dreamed that Metafilter introduced premium comments that you had to pay to view, and some company posted a very long comment that was listed at $2.5 million. There was wild speculation as to its contents, and the motivation behind the high price, but of course no-one could afford it, so we never found out what it said. [more inside]
posted by PercussivePaul to MetaFilter-Related at 11:39 AM PST - 94 comments

January 29

First Post, Pretty Cool, Not Blue Enough

Halfbuckaroo here, got a hit in Key West for the first time in probably 10 years, and I thought it was groovy as hell and I'm reporting. Bad karaoke at AQUA, and a mefite from Chicago shows up, and it was superior. I thought I was alone, and yet. I'm gratified and delighted. small happiness, and utter delight. Thanks MeFi.
posted by halfbuckaroo to MetaFilter-Related at 6:03 PM PST - 120 comments

Why the post titles?

Is there a way to turn off the giant overwhelming post titles and return to the halcyon days of yore where titles only showed on the post's page?
posted by xmutex to Feature Requests at 3:58 PM PST - 41 comments

77: Gay Teen Denouement

Episode 77 of the MetaFilter podcast runs about 1hr 40min and was recorded yesterday afternoon with jessamyn and cortex. It features a run-down of our favorite posts from across the sites for January 2013. [more inside]
posted by mathowie to MeFi Podcast at 1:51 PM PST - 41 comments

January 28

Is the word "Cracker" acceptable on MetaFilter?

Is this comment really going to stand? I've seen way less questionable comments get deleted so I'm a little surprised that it's still around. I have to admit, it is clever, but I think this may set a precedent where you can use any slur as long as you do it in a clever enough manner.
posted by MattMangels to MetaFilter-Related at 7:29 PM PST - 640 comments

The title-display question

Is the title-display question closed? If so, is there any alternative other than the 0%-size solution? [more inside]
posted by kalapierson to Feature Requests at 10:53 AM PST - 117 comments

Tags with weird characters

When tags with non-ASCII characters appear in the tag search results, the links are broken (while tags with non-Latin-1 characters are simply not accessible by any means). Tags with percent signs make the server grumpy. Underscores also seem to be treated somewhat inconsistently (or at least counterintuitively) by the tag search. [more inside]
posted by stebulus to Bugs at 12:41 AM PST - 25 comments

January 27

Speaking of mental health...

I remember reading either a post or a comment that listed some sources for, I believe, free online counselling services. Can't find the post or comment in question. Does anyone kmow where it is? It was probably an askme.
posted by windykites to MetaFilter-Related at 7:37 PM PST - 4 comments

Mental health is all in good fun

this post seems problematic to me.
posted by bq to Etiquette/Policy at 6:36 PM PST - 66 comments

January 26

Pony Request: 160 hours between AskMes?

I like to post AskMes at around 10 am on Tuesdays. If I have my post ready at 9:15 or 9:30, I'm prevented from posting until it's been a full 168 hours since my last post. I think the one-post-a-week rule works really well, but it would be nice if it were a little less strict. Would you consider changing it from 168 hours between posts to 160 hours or 162 hours or even 166 hours? [more inside]
posted by kristi to Feature Requests at 3:39 PM PST - 120 comments

January 25

Name that shampoo!

An AskMeFi comment mentioned a shampoo in response to a question from someone with thinning hair. There was a link in the comment. I believe the shampoo had some ingredient that is very stimulating for the scalp. I can't find that post and comment again even though I have been sifting and searching through tags about hair loss and such. I forgot to add to favorites! Thanks!
posted by goodsearch to Feature Requests at 10:21 PM PST - 5 comments

Quora

Right before this post was deleted, I wrote up a bit of a rant about Quora for those interested, explaining my theory of how the site is structured and why it is evil. [more inside]
posted by deathpanels to Etiquette/Policy at 1:18 PM PST - 109 comments

Linky Pony: URL search for previous postings

Hi- I'm much more of a Green user than a Blue user. However, I came across an article that might be interesting for FPP submission that was published in December.

I realized that I didn't really have any way of finding out whether this particular article had been posted before, without knowing the keywords that someone might have used to describe it.

Might it be possible to create a 'search by url' function, either in the 'new post' page or somewhere else, to be able to paste in a url and see whether it's been linked to on MeFi ever? It seems like this might help cut down on duplicates (especially if it was part of the new post submission process). ...or am i missing something super obvious?
posted by softlord to Feature Requests at 1:07 PM PST - 26 comments

Old AskMe: if Apple had designed a car?

Within (I think) the last couple years, someone had asked in Ask MetaFilter something to the effect of, what new cars are the Apple products of cars? That is, what cars these are Apple-like in designs and details, quality of materials, user-friendliness, etc. I can't find this thread now—does anyone remember it? Thanks.
posted by jroybal to MetaFilter-Related at 10:06 AM PST - 5 comments

January 24

Many versions of the same thing

I like the FPPs that have many versions of the same thing, such as this cups and balls post. I'm sure I've seen others in the past, but I can't remember them, and the search engine is letting me down. Are there any other FPPs that have many versions of the same thing - song, short film, etc?
posted by LSK to MetaFilter-Related at 6:44 PM PST - 27 comments

I need help finding a recent Askme with a list of tech job boards

I thought there was a question recently from someone looking for a job that basically said - "Here is where I'm looking online...is this the best I can do?" Someone in the 3rd or 4th comment provided a list of other job boards to look for work. I think the search and the boards were all IT/tech related but can't remember exactly. I've tried some key word and tag searches and have scanned ask questions though mid-December but can't seem to locate the question. The searcher might have been located near Chicago or the west coast.
posted by victoriab to MetaFilter-Related at 7:06 AM PST - 4 comments

January 23

Somebody Someone Totally Still Knows

Someone on We Are The Music Makers on Reddit found this interesting comment from 2008.
posted by spiderskull to MetaFilter-Related at 7:10 PM PST - 348 comments

Also, I would like an inter-engine fermentation system.

We have clouds for the top 150 tags posted to Mefi, Music, Meta, Jobs, IRL and Ask. We can see the top ten tags we've used listed on user profiles. Would it be possible to view all tags (or a greater subset than 'top ten') for individual users, either in a list or cloud form? [more inside]
posted by zarq to Feature Requests at 12:15 PM PST - 16 comments

Character length limit on titles?

Sorry if this is covered in an early titles post, but is there a character length limit on titles? Twice this week I've seen FPPs on the blue that have had their titles (otherwise) unaccountably truncated in mid-word . This is the first one I noticed, and then this morning there was this one. Just curious.
posted by hwestiii to Bugs at 7:26 AM PST - 116 comments

January 22

MefiMusic: MP3 or GTFO

Can we move the music player to the top of Mefimusic posts that exploit the "more inside" function. This has bothered me for years really. Recent feedback has confirmed that this confuses the heck out of people. [more inside]
posted by es_de_bah to MetaFilter Music at 6:56 PM PST - 8 comments

Futuristic gritty cityscapes

Help me find a post or comment which linked to amazing futuristic cityscapes. [more inside]
posted by Happy Dave to MetaFilter-Related at 6:37 AM PST - 15 comments

January 21

It's time for another collection of Metafilter Music!

There is so much music here. Here's the annual torrent of all the songs from Metafilter Music, gathering everything from 2012. There were 558 songs, taking up 3.1 gigabytes. Massive, massive props to all the musicians who shared their music! Check it out, and remember, the song threads never close, so if you find a song you love, please drop by and let the artists know! [more inside]
posted by Pronoiac to MetaFilter-Related at 8:43 PM PST - 23 comments

January 20

Hold On To The Slight

Metafilter gets a shoutout on Salon.
posted by timsteil to MetaFilter-Related at 7:35 AM PST - 2 comments [closed]

January 19

Can we just answer the question?

People not answering questions but instead trying to act as pseudo-psychologists as in this post. Can we not do this, please? [more inside]
posted by DisreputableDog to Etiquette/Policy at 11:02 PM PST - 85 comments

January 18

Edit misuse protocol?

As I understand it, the Edit feature is to be used for correcting things like typos, grammar fixes, accidentally leaving out a word, and such. It's not to be used for adding more information or things like that. What, if anything, are we supposed to do when we happen to notice its misuse? [more inside]
posted by Flunkie to Etiquette/Policy at 10:38 AM PST - 198 comments

No Wonder AskMe Got the Shout Out

Linda Holmes, writer and editor of NPR’s entertainment and pop-culture blog, Monkey See, cites Metafilter as one of her three daily must-reads in the NPR Digital Services January 2013 Newsletter.
posted by LinnTate to MetaFilter-Related at 9:02 AM PST - 1 comment [closed]

Reminder: Please update your Mefi contact email if it's getting moldy

This is just a PSA to remind you that we use the email you have attached to your account to answer contact emails from you (unless you change it manually in the email field on the contact page), and sometimes to get in touch with you if there is a problem with a post or comment, so please make sure that it is a working address. You can change or update your email in your profile preferences under "Contact Preferences," as well as choose whether you want it to be visible to other users, and if you want Mefi mail forwarded to your email. [more inside]
posted by taz to MetaFilter-Related at 9:00 AM PST - 39 comments

January 17

There's a reason people wrote to Dear Abby

AskMe gets a shoutout in NPR's MonkeySee blog.
posted by EvaDestruction to MetaFilter-Related at 2:20 PM PST - 49 comments

Stop messing with my Google Maps settings!

Please stop making the map of a user's location use satellite view by default. [more inside]
posted by aspo to Bugs at 1:52 PM PST - 36 comments

Why does Ask Metafilter sometimes displays greens differently.

Sometimes when I load Ask Metafilter the green color will show up washed out, but I can open it up in a new tab and it is now a different shade. Usually scrolling down the desaturated page or selecting text will change it back to a more saturated green. Any reasons for this? Safari OSX. screenshot
posted by travis08 to Bugs at 9:28 AM PST - 59 comments

Tags

I'm curious about how people make use of tags on MetaFilter. Is there any data on it? I only ever find myself using them while searching to avoid double-posting, but I wonder if people use them to find content and threads? I know one way to use them is through the MyMeFi page. Is there any data on how many people primarily read MetaFilter that way?
posted by OmieWise to MetaFilter-Related at 5:49 AM PST - 46 comments

January 16

Where did I read that girls were the first geeks?

I seem to remember a comment on MetaFilter on the subject of "fake geek girls", that stated that actually women were the first geeks and vastly outnumbered men in the early scifi conventions. Does anyone remember the comment?
posted by Deathalicious to MetaFilter-Related at 3:43 PM PST - 26 comments

Is there a mefite working on Don't Trust the B in Apt 23?

In the cold open of the Don't Trust the B episode "Dating Games," the titular character says, "I'm sorry, my friend wants to apologize for the boringness. To make up for it she'll show you her taters." Was this a coincidence or is there someone working MeFi in-jokes onto the show?
posted by emyd to MetaFilter-Related at 2:05 PM PST - 65 comments

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED

In an effort to enhance your overall Metafilter Experience, I present the preliminary Metafilter Achievement System Slash Drinking Game. Comparing Achievement score is a widely accepted method for determining respectability, one's contributions to society, and for enhancing self esteem. Feel free to contribute suggestions, modifications, or cash. Bonus points for obscure references to Metafilter history. [more inside]
posted by Justinian to MetaFilter-Related at 2:05 PM PST - 132 comments

January 15

The same damn user is doing it again.

I'm calling out MartinWisse [more inside]
posted by Blasdelb to Etiquette/Policy at 2:35 PM PST - 60 comments

Five days of MetaFilter interest

Out of curiosity (or work deadline avoidance), anyone know why the MetaFilter entry on Wikipedia suddenly get a lot more "readership" or views than normal for the five days of January 5th to 9th inclusive, then suddenly go back down to the previous background level? [more inside]
posted by Wordshore to MetaFilter-Related at 6:17 AM PST - 55 comments

January 14

Metafilter Frequency Tables updated, now with 636 million words!

It's been over a year since we first made the Metafilter Frequency Tables available, and now they're updated with word frequency information for all of 2011 and 2012 as well, bringing the total number of words up to six hundred and thirty-six million. Gosh! (Is a word we've collectively used 5,707 times since 1999!) [more inside]
posted by cortex to MetaFilter-Related at 11:13 AM PST - 99 comments

January 13

Bug with new titles/deleted posts?

I run the greasemonkey script that shows deleted posts on the front page, mainly for curiosity's sake. I've noticed this (screenshot) happening, when a post is deleted. Basically, the greasmonkey script shows the post that was deleted, with the title of the undeleted post immediately before the deleted post appearing as the deleted post's title. (Sorry if that's confusing; hopefully the screenshot explains this better.) I don't know if this is an issue with the greasemonkey script or with metafilter.
posted by dfriedman to Bugs at 8:30 PM PST - 2 comments [closed]

January 11

Errors loading www.metafilter.com in the latest Google Chrome on OS X?

This is pretty strange and we've gotten 3-4 reports of members not being able to load anything on www.metafilter.com (ask, metatalk, everything else works) in just Google Chrome's latest version (Firefox/Safari work fine), on OSX. Anyone have any ideas what could be going on? [more inside]
posted by mathowie to Uptime at 6:19 PM PST - 98 comments

PDF and other icons on links?

So in this thread some where complaining about no PDF warning. How about using some CSS magic (a[type="pdf"]) to add icons to links?
posted by slater to Feature Requests at 6:04 PM PST - 21 comments

Name that awkward computer scientist!

He is known for picking his toes up on the desk while speaking, writes his own eccentric appearance contracts, and refuses to drink Coke for political reasons. My co-workers don't believe he exists, but I know I read about him here. Thanks!
posted by drjimmy11 to MetaFilter-Related at 5:30 PM PST - 2 comments [closed]

Morgan Freeman doesn't die like the rest of us.

Using Chrome on Windows 7 with the deleted posts script installed, the title display seems to be malfunctioning to show the deleted post in between the title and the body of the non-deleted post below it.
posted by eugenen to Bugs at 10:14 AM PST - 53 comments

January 10

Swap Me Maybe?

80 minutes - 700MB - 5 discs - 6 swappers
Let's swap mixes. Sign up for the 2013-1 MeFiSwap inside! [more inside]
posted by carsonb to MetaFilter-Related at 1:56 PM PST - 165 comments

Why hasn't this been deleted?

If this is fiction, why are we giving it any air?
posted by Chocolate Pickle to Etiquette/Policy at 1:14 PM PST - 60 comments

Because November is a ridiculous time to schedule anything

MeFiWriMo! As discussed in this year's NaNo thread, let's do a Metafilter Novel Writing Month from January 15th to February 15th - the deadest time of the year, and so a good one to have a nice concrete goal to work on. [more inside]
posted by restless_nomad to MetaFilter-Related at 10:13 AM PST - 96 comments

Unpacking the viral ninja hack guru in the cloud

This AskMe thread about new and overused business cliches/jargon is a thing of beauty.
posted by The Whelk to MetaFilter-Related at 5:35 AM PST - 181 comments

January 9

Title customization options added

As a compromise over the recent release of titles, we've added the ability to set your title font faces and sizes just like the body and byline fonts/size options on the preferences page. [more inside]
posted by mathowie to Feature Requests at 10:00 AM PST - 722 comments

Rookie <3s MeFi

Maggie from Rookie gave MetaFilter yet another shoutout in her article about TV mythologies. Scroll down or search the page for "grumblebee".
posted by pxe2000 to MetaFilter-Related at 6:35 AM PST - 16 comments

January 8

The last (OR IS IT) SQ thank you thread!

Word on the street is that there are a number of people still waiting to give public thank yous, but with nowhere to post them. So, without further ado, I would like to say OH MAN SO COOL, THANK YOU!!! to Snarl Furillo for the two very, very awesome pairs of earrings! [more inside]
posted by phunniemee to MetaFilter-Related at 4:39 PM PST - 43 comments

BABY SHAKES!

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the world shakespeherian's brand new son Yves Thomas! He looks almost exactly like a fat little pastrami with arms and legs and a tiny blue hat.
posted by elizardbits to MetaFilter-Related at 1:51 PM PST - 181 comments

"add to favorites" links everywhere!

A request: I sure would love to see the little "add to favorites" plus sign everywhere posts are displayed, specifically on the popular favorites pages. [more inside]
posted by peachfuzz to Feature Requests at 12:14 PM PST - 10 comments

January 7

Pony: soundcloud/mefimusic integration

This is a honkin' big pony but bear with me. It would be REALLY nice if we could make music posts using embedded soundcloud links, much as we can embed YouTube and Vimeo links. [more inside]
posted by unSane to Feature Requests at 8:54 PM PST - 17 comments

The lockout is over

The MeFi Fantasy NHL league is on! [more inside]
posted by cgk to MetaFilter-Related at 4:36 PM PST - 9 comments

Hipster Toggle

How do you turn off the new titles? It's too fancy for me. Thanks.
posted by four panels to Feature Requests at 2:09 PM PST - 1 comment [closed]

Chart-topping hits of yesteryear

Is it just me or are most of the entries on the the Mefi Music Chart's "Most Favorited Tracks (in the past 7 days)" from 2009?
posted by swift to Bugs at 1:06 PM PST - 16 comments

Help locating an Ask comment about work

I have a vague recollection of a comment in AskMeFi about how to best document one's progress/achievement at work on a regular basis that I'd like to find. I seem to remember it was a suggestion about emailing your boss at the end of the week to let them know everything you'd accomplished that week and what your next steps were. Does this sound familiar to anyone? I thought I'd added it as a favorite, but no such luck. Thanks for any tips for where to find it!
posted by Neely O'Hara to MetaFilter-Related at 9:17 AM PST - 5 comments

MeFi is adding titles

We're rolling out titles to the front pages of Ask, MetaTalk, and MeFi today (all the other subsites have titles on their front pages). In addition, we've revamped the posting pages on those subsites in order to make the title more obvious and prominent (along with improved helper text). [more inside]
posted by mathowie to Feature Requests at 8:55 AM PST - 1925 comments

Unearthing 2012's Buried Treasure

My list of such is short and lame this year, but it would be lamer if we didn't have one of these threads for 2012. Show us your MeFi buried treasure! [more inside]
posted by yellowbinder to MetaFilter-Related at 8:04 AM PST - 28 comments

January 6

Should you approach an Australian Mefite?

I was in the courtyard of an inner west cafe today (not one I go to very regularly), and as I was walking inside to pay with my family, saw over someone's shoulder that they had The Blue open on their laptop. I was so startled that an Australian was reading my site I couldn't compose myself to say hello. [more inside]
posted by taff to Etiquette/Policy at 9:17 PM PST - 104 comments

Relationship Hacks 2012? (i.e. Okay to make a sequel?)

The question located at http://ask.metafilter.com/137148/What-clever-relationship-hacks-have-you-come-up-with is one of the most favorited posts of all time, created in 2009. I've found some of the advice in there immensely useful in my own relationships and have referred back to it often. [more inside]
posted by softlord to Etiquette/Policy at 3:20 PM PST - 12 comments

Space! William Shatner! and a metafilter connection....

William Shatner tweets at an astronaut in orbit, and gets a tweet back...meanwhile, brownpau gets a mention.....scroll down just a wee bit to see. (Redshirt? really?)
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies to MetaFilter-Related at 6:58 AM PST - 23 comments

January 5

A short-lived long guide to History Is A Weapon

A deleted post you may want to bookmark - a guide to History Is A Weapon [more inside]
posted by Snerd to MetaFilter-Related at 12:56 PM PST - 160 comments

January 4

2012 Datawankery

Some 2012 datawankery, courtesy of the infodumpster.... [more inside]
posted by zarq to MetaFilter-Related at 10:00 AM PST - 120 comments

January 3

Is it you or is it me?

System problems? [more inside]
posted by marsha56 to Uptime at 11:06 PM PST - 8 comments [closed]

overturn the scientific consensus the MeFi way

Given what's started to come out at the tail end of the prostate research thread, it seems to me like either the thread ought to be deleted or at least some of the links stripped out. To whatever extent the continued existence of the AskMe supports this person's behavior, it shouldn't.
posted by gerryblog to Etiquette/Policy at 6:05 PM PST - 120 comments

76: Slicing up a Menger Sponge

Episode 76 of the MetaFilter podcast was recorded earlier today, with Jessamyn, Josh, and me going on for about an hour and fifteen minutes, recapping the best things from December on the sites. [more inside]
posted by mathowie to MeFi Podcast at 5:52 PM PST - 59 comments

Mefites' Choice 2012 winners, week four

You may already have won! Click on through to meet the winsome winners of the fourth, last, final and concluding week of the Mefites' Choice Awards. [more inside]
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane to MetaFilter-Related at 2:32 PM PST - 45 comments

teeny tiny

Concerning small text. [more inside]
posted by Miko to Etiquette/Policy at 10:37 AM PST - 130 comments

January 2

Does anyone know where this post is or what happened to it?

I'm looking for an old metafilter post in which a food writer for Gourmet magazine or something like that says that "I can no longer in good conscience recommend that someone become a food writer." I've searched both "food critic" and "food writer" using metafilter's internal search engine, and typed out various phrases to the effect of the sentence quoted above on google, and I keep coming up with nothing. Can someone help me out here?
posted by bookman117 to MetaFilter-Related at 5:13 PM PST - 11 comments

Health Month is back!

Want some help keeping your New Year's resolutions? The Mefits at Health Month are starting up another month (and another year) of improving our lives and we'd love to see more folks on our team! [more inside]
posted by immlass to MetaFilter-Related at 9:29 AM PST - 43 comments

Kattullus surpasses 500 posts

Cheers to Kattullus on his 500th post last Friday!
posted by flex to MetaFilter-Related at 9:01 AM PST - 75 comments

January 1

Achievement Unlocked, Again

Speaking of love, as a quick followup to this post about this year's MefightClub donation drive for the Child's Play charity, we've wrapped it up with a total of $5500 dollars donated, beating last year's total and easily surpassing our goal. [more inside]
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken to MetaFilter-Related at 3:31 PM PST - 22 comments

Bring It

I love you all. Please continue rocking in the new year.
posted by BitterOldPunk to MetaFilter-Related at 1:36 AM PST - 126 comments