April 2010 Archives (all archives)
April 30
You didn't really want to eat a home cooked meal, did you?
Won't someone think of the people of San Francisco who have endured two long weeks without some Mefite from out of town requesting a meetup! [more inside]
Meetup in Raleigh/Durham, NC?
Meetup in Raleigh/Durham, NC? [more inside]
Get out of town!
Since no one in Boston wants to hire me, I'm heading to New York City to work on a contract for the rest of the year. That means GOING AWAY PARTY! *YAAAAAY!* [more inside]
April 29
GaGaGaGaGa
GaGaGaGaGaGaGaGaGaGa? [more inside]
Come see me in the 5-1-3
Anybody up for a meetup in the Cincinnati area? [more inside]
Giving is a smile that comes back
The Metafilter Kiva Team has been in existence for just less than one year. In that time 190 people have made $19,225 in loans - for grocery stores in Cambodia to rock music outlets in Palestine the effect of your loans are felt around the world in significant ways. Still, it represents just a handful of MeFites: less than two-tenths of one percent of the total members of the site. [more inside]
Further on the CFB Trenton charges
An update to this post from February on the Canadian Forces base commander accused of serial rape, murder and numerous other charges: Russell Williams faces 82 more burglary-related charges. [more inside]
Metafilter meet up in Seoul?
I will be in Seoul for 3 weeks in May. Any one want to meet up then? [more inside]
Manchester May Meetup Madness!
Manchester May MetaFilter Meetup Madness! [more inside]
April 28
When?
When was AskMefi added to Metafilter? (No more inside, short and sweet).
what makes cortex so "important"?
Why is MeFi turning into the Josh Millard Fan Club? [more inside]
Kalamazooooooooooooooo
Kalamazoo Meetup! [more inside]
It's got a lot of miles on it but still it runs well.
OdometerFilter: Who made the three-millionth MetaFilter comment? Who gave the two-millionth AskMe answer?
April 27
The Second Annual MetaFilter Interactive Contest
This Saturday marks the start of The Second Annual MetaFilter Interactive Fiction Contest. [more inside]
Princeton Meetup II
The semester's running down, and since most of the attending MeFites were students, how about we organize another Princeton Meetup before finals? [more inside]
Peter Watts sentencing update
Conflict Free?
There is no way of knowing whether or not the original poster of this question has any idea that many so-called "conflict free" diamonds are anything but or even if it matters to him. But in case he does care and has been convinced that conflict free diamond certification means anything (like many people in the thread seem to have been), how is the information not pertinent to his question? Further, why is it okay for people to tell the poster to buy conflict free diamonds, but it's not okay to point out how difficult this is? [more inside]
Was it that bad?
I don't want to be the whiny "that guy," but I'm not sure what I did wrong with this question to warrant deletion. [more inside]
April 26
Metafilter has the prettiest ladies in all the internet
In his famous post about his memories of food, Roger Ebert compared interacting with people on the internet to eating dinner with them. I prefer to think of it like a tea party. [more inside]
What's your problem with cortex?
This post is a callout that should've been done here, although in a much truncated form. [more inside]
Gap between posts?
What's the longest gap we've ever had between MeFi posts? AskMes? MetaTalk posts? [more inside]
literal small pony request
I would like to request a small pony.
Alternative lifestyles are creepy, amirite?
An empty seat at the Table.
Some of you might remember this post about Talula's Table, the restaurant in Chester County, PA, that has a one-year wait for reservations. Earlier this year, Aimee Olexy and Brian Sikora, the husband and wife team behind Talula's, filed for divorce. Philly food critic Craig LaBan has a bittersweet article about the end of their marriage, and how Aimee and the staff at Talula's are soldiering on.
April 25
Poor Memory And Querying the Hive Mind
Feature inquiry for askme - the ability to write questions and have them automatically post after the waiting period. [more inside]
Unexpected friendship
Never look a gift friend in the mouth [more inside]
April 24
Paul Schaefer Dead
Update regarding this post: Paul Schaefer, former Nazi corporal and founder of a cult-like community in Chile, has died in prison aged 88.
Got my goatse?
Maybe this site is in poor taste, but I really hope Mefites aren't responsible for uploading NSFW gross images to it. [more inside]
MetaFilter APIs for client access
Are there any APIs or best practices for programmatic access to MetaFilter? In particular, for things like logging in/out, fetching users' messages, sending messages, making posts and comments, favoriting comments, &c. Ways of fetching content in a more fine-grained way than the RSS feeds would also be nice. [more inside]
April 23
23 and Me screening, on the cheap!
There's already been a post about 23 and Me, but I thought I might bring it to peoples' attention that today only, you can get their health and ancestry screening for only $99 in honor of, apparently, DNA day. [more inside]
Self-linker in Aisle B!
Self-linker in Aisle B! [more inside]
April 22
I know, we aren't Digg. Or Yahoo Answers. Or Fluther. But I'm curious.
So I had this crazy idea while surfing the internet in my apartment with no other living soul except my cats who are currently attempting to bridge the gap between sleep and suspended animation. [more inside]
Help me occupy myself in Philadelphia this Sunday!
Stranded-in-Philly filter: Any mefites in Philly want to hang Sunday night? I'm visiting a friend in Philly this weekend and just found out he's busy all Sunday after brunch-time. My flight doesn't leave until 9pm that night! [more inside]
Spoilers are not ok in a front page post.
If 50 posters shout in a forest, is anyone listening?
Askme: Like a brige over troubled airspace
Thank you filter: friend in this question is now home safe with the re-opening of airspace. I want to give the most heartfelt thanks for everyone's ideas and advice. [more inside]
Best answer - but which one is it?
P(h)onyfilter - Pony request for the mobile phone style sheet.. [more inside]
April 21
Book Club - The American Novel Since 1945 - Episode 2
The book club thread is now live on MetaChat. We read Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood along with the lectures on it by Professor Amy Hungerford, here and here. [more inside]
Enough with the hating already
How come this nonsense gets a free pass while in-thread callouts get deleted without a word? [more inside]
We refuse, you effuse
I don't know if this is to be celebrated or bemoaned, but a thread closed for self-promotion on Metafilter is now the second most popular link on reddit. [more inside]
related posts and questions for posts and questions
Prompted by the recent MeTa post about related questions: What do people think of these "related {posts, questions}" ideas? [more inside]
Quarantine On Aisle 96818
User A asserts that all people with HIV should be rounded up and quarantined for life. User B points out that User A has a history of really ugly, hate-filled opinions that are not suitable for MetaFilter. Mod snips the latter comment, leaves the former, and reminds all and sundry that MeTa is the place to discuss community standards and personal issues. So here we are. [more inside]
Nice start to the baseball season
Happiest use of the resolved tag award: congrats to KMH on batting out of his league (and his upcoming wedding).
April 20
stoneleigh from the automatic earth presents in rhinebeck, nyc
stoneleigh from the automatic earth is speaking in rhinebeck ny wed evening 4/21, nyc 4/22 [more inside]
Pizza that ate Chicago
I know Chicago has meetups approximately every half-hour, but for reasons of convenience and terrible awkward crippling fear of people I've never made it to one. [more inside]
Publishers meet over drinks to solve the problem of pirating once and for all!
Are you going to BEA in New York next month? Will you be in New York on the 26th of May? Do you like books? [more inside]
Winsor and Newton factory tour meet-up!
Meetup-with-an-ulterior-motive: Winsor and Newton factory tour in Middlesex, England, on May 4, 2010 -- anybody? [more inside]
A quick note from an askme beneficiary.
I just wanted to say that the sidebarring of the ADD/ADHD thread changed my life, and to thank all of you who contributed. [more inside]
Dan Choi followup
Followup to the recent Dan Choi thread. He's handcuffed himself to the White House gate again. [more inside]
April 19
The harmonic relationship between chords that this progression contains are rock-solid.
I've been playing music all of my life, and I've never seen a better distillation of music theory than this comment. It's a full semester's worth of study in a few short paragraphs. I know it's been months since it appeared ... but this is truly worthy of a sidebar, or a book deal, whichever comes first.
One HELL of an Act of God
Because I'm currently sheltering a refugee, I got to wondering - is any MeFite currently stranded by the volcano? Would a "needs shelter/has shelter" matchup thread be useful right now? [more inside]
Looking Like a 5-4 Ruling
Here's an update on oral argument on the Christian Legal Society v. Martinez case which was the subject of this (archived) thread. As the first commenter on the thread said, "Uh oh."
curtsey
A MetaFilter Hug a day keeps teh doctor away. A shout out to MeFi's own Cortex. [more inside]
Why I (need sincere efforts at reform to continue to) Give My 9-year-old Pot
Update on medical marijuana for autistic 9 year old with chronic abdominal pain. Existing (closed) thread from last fall. [more inside]
I'm not paranoid...
How does the "Related Questions" tool on Ask work? [more inside]
April 18
Que apprendimos a MaxFunCon?
Meetup Sub-thread: MaxFunsters LA 5/6 + Robot Skeletons/Hobos + MaxFunCon! [more inside]
San Diego!
Hey San Diego! I'll be in town May 1 - 6 for a conference. Any interest in a meetup or other shenanigans? [more inside]
Arizona getaway, getaway...
Phoenix AZ meetup on Wednesday the 21st? [more inside]
Dinner in Tokyo?
I'm stuck in Tokyo over the next 3 days, due to volcanic activity over Europe! It's an amazing city that I'm just getting to know. My main problem is that I'm eating alone. I'd like some company over dinner please? Any takers? Full details inside. [more inside]
April 17
ROFLCon meetup part 2
Boston/Cambridge: Is anyone going to ROFLCon on April 30th and May 1st and/or interested in meeting up afterwards? [more inside]
Please don't let this Los Angeles meetup thread die prematurely
Dearest Angelenos, we've had two different meetup threads that have ended in nothing--let's maybe salvage at least one of them! [more inside]
April 16
10 Years is a 70 Dog Years
So I never click on the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 years ago button on the Blue. For some reason (Friday night? Usual beverage?) I saw the 10 years ago today and I said to myself, "Self, that is a long time ago in internet land. Wonder what was the best of the web back then. This is it. Glad to see things haven't changed much. If you follow the link, there are actually diagrams on how to achieve the different "tricks". [more inside]
Puke
Follow up on LMSD laptop case
Follow-up on Lower Merion High School laptop debacle. Previous post. Substantial number of pictures. LMSD Statement.
Hoping to undo future mistakes!
Why can't I undo? Ack! I just wrote a huge long reply to an Ask Mefi and accidentally deleted the whole thing. Control+z does nothing and right-click>undo is not available. Is there any way to make undo possible?
Reality check, please.
A City So Nice They Named It Twice
NYC Meetup? [more inside]
A different kind of IANAL
Just like legal questions or medical questions, questions involving Roman Catholic canon law require a lot of specialized knowledge. That's become a real problem in this thread. [more inside]
Well shucks y'all, back home they said San Francisco was just heathens and fornicators...
Is San Francisco all Meetupped out? Or are there SF MeFites who might want to get together to show a Texas boy a good time next weekend? Evening of Saturday the 24th (so that people nearby can make it in easier)? [more inside]
Can't log on to websites
Why is it that on many web sites you haven't been on in a long time, [more inside]
April 15
Twins on MeFi?
So I was reading that highly contentious cilantro thread, and I noticed that The Potate mentioned that he had a twin brother. Well I have a twin brother! And it got me thinking that we've never discussed how much twin action we have on the 'Filter.
So, twins! Pipe up! Is your twin on Metafilter too? (mine is) Are you identical? Fraternal? This weird genetic happenstance needs attention!
So, twins! Pipe up! Is your twin on Metafilter too? (mine is) Are you identical? Fraternal? This weird genetic happenstance needs attention!
Looking for musical flash game
Several months ago, someone posted a flash game where you drew simple white lines on a black background. White balls hit the white lines and, depending on how hard they hit them, produced a musical note. You could adjust the rate of the balls dropping. I can't find this post.
There are Pictures of Monkeys!
It has been some time since Providence was the place to meet up. I say we change that. [more inside]
I've got some questions...
FeatureRequest: AskMeFi question queue? [more inside]
Singh wins BCA libel case with delicious finality
Update on the Singh vs BCA libel case (previously here and the original here) -- BCA has dropped its libel claim, Singh (science?) wins!
This is the future, I was promised perpetual motion machines!
I recall reading relatively recently (maybe within the past 3 months?) on the Blue about a comment listing some consequences if the law of Conservation of Energy is wrong. One of my coworkers just got into some "over-unity" nonsense, and I need to show him what for. I'm having some trouble Googling for it, or I wouldn't ask. Thanks in advance!
Chapel Hill/Carrboro Meet-up?
Time for a Chapel Hill/Carrboro Meet-up? [more inside]
Just because it's for charity ...
This question seems to have gone under the radar. Shouldn't it be in Projects?
Academic schedule and MetaFilter angst/happiness. Is there a chart?
Academic schedule and MetaFilter angst/happiness. Is there a chart? It just seems like one day we're all spousing and hugging and then next day it's a call for flameouts and pitchforks. [more inside]
April 14
Imprisoned since November 1, 2008
Hossein Derakhshan, aka Mefi's Hoder has now been detained for over 500 days in Iran. He has still had no trial and no official charges. His brother Hamed posted on the Free Hoder blog last Friday. [more inside]
Because fighting about Catholics has gotten old
Lucia De Berk
As a follow up to this post on Lucia De Berk: she has (finally) had her conviction overturned, a conviction based in part on bad statistics. Ben Goldacre's follow-up summarises the case and also features two of the opposing expert witnesses going at it in the comments.
The results are (almost) in
DFW's Circled Words
Follow-up to this David Foster Wallace thread about his archives. Slate obtained the entire list of words circled by DFW in his American Heritage Dictionary.
Help me find this old AskMetafilter thread
There was an AskMetafilter thread sometime ago from a company wanting to fire their crazy IT guy, but they were afraid he installed back doors and other nefarious things and didn't know how to proceed. There was some good advice in the thread, but I can't seem to find it. [more inside]
Another long, long, long essay about Japan
A followup to the now-closed thread about Tim Rogers' essay, "Japan: It's Not Funny Anymore": "The Life of Game: Why I Live In Japan".
April 13
End the "Brand New Day" Policy?
Is there any way that the moderators could close the door on the unofficial "brand new day" policy that allows people to shed their old Mefi usernames at will? I was about to get all apoplectic about St. Alia's contribution to a recent thread when somebody helpfully noted that it was just konolia in a different guise.
In other breaking news, Hurricane Katrina. Wow.
So the first MeFi Projects post was four and a half years ago. Isn't it time to change this copy? [more inside]
Not ok to use spastic
I dunno if I'm out of touch with what the kids are saying, but I thought it was not cool to throw the word 'spastic' around. [more inside]
Can't delete tags
A post-mortem profile of Mike Penner/Christine Daniels.
Sydney Meetup?
Sydney Mefites? I am trundling over the desert to Design-EX next week and would like to meet you fabulous creatures. [more inside]
London meetup!
London mefites, want to meetup with a couple of San Francisco mefites? [more inside]
April 12
Always bet on Blue
In 2007, I quit my job at a startup and moved across the country to work at Amazon. I did this because starting in 2006 (I believe), I'd been reading on Metafilter about the housing bubble and the crisis that would result when it popped, and I felt that I needed to be in a more secure financial situation. Unfortunately, I didn't have an account back then, so I don't have favorites. What's the earliest post on the blue about the mortgage crisis. [more inside]
Anybody else miss the old Metafilter Text Ads system?
Anybody else miss the old Metafilter Text Ads system? Those were great, the ones where you just paypal $20 and get a little text ad for your blog or whatever. The only site I know of that still has that system (which I believe was pioneered here at MeFi) is Kuro5hin. Anybody know of any others?
We've attracted another expert
We have another case of the subject of a post turning up to comment. Carol from the Illinois Poison Center has turned up in this post and has answered some questions. (Maybe we need to show her Ask MetaFilter next.)
What the flying fuck
Some mefites need a bit of sensitivity training on the whole disabled thing. [more inside]
Bergens to Oslo from your armchair, although even more so
Update to the Bergensbanen 7-hour train ride video story: There is a link at their website where you can download the entire 246GB HD Apple ProRes format file. [more inside]
Better info on the new post error page?
Why can't the new post page actually tell you when you can make a post again if you're trying to make a new post too soon? Like -- "Try again in 7 hours" or something like that?
Missing Question
trying to find an ask metafilter post about being contacted by a domain registrar claiming someone is trying to register domains involving the trademarks of the recipient of the message. [more inside]
April 11
Previously.
When people link to previous discussions of someone's AskMe question, is this a chastisement or someone being helpful? [more inside]
How do I know it's really you?
Has anyone ever been caught or suspected of impersonating another MetaFilter member at a meetup or online?
April 10
Stynxno and ThePinkSuperHero are now married.
May I be the first on The Gray to congratulate Stynxno and ThePinkSuperhero on their fresh hot marriage? The wedding today was wonderful. [more inside]
Philly halfling clerics represent!
D&D (or related RPG) mefites in Philadelphia area? [more inside]
Are users notified when admins edit their comments or posts?
Are users notified when admins edit their comments or posts?
New in My Comments not working right?
The "new comments" thing isn't working on the My Comments page. [more inside]
How do I disable MetaFilter's stylesheet / css permanently?
As much as I love MetaFilter, I hate its color scheme / stylesheet! (Sorry!) I find it hard to read. I want to permanently disable the css so that every time I visit the site I only see the basic html. I am using Firefox. [more inside]
eccnineten's favorite bad habit overcome
Hesitate to credit evil when foolishness will do. I see all sorts of maliciousness attributed to my past self-favoriting. Here is the equally unflattering but true reason that used to happen. I thought it was a good way to get back to my comments. If I'd opened my eyes I would have seen that feature is already built in to metafilter. If I've queered the stats, my appologies and please tell me how to fix the problem. One email to me might have prevented all those comments about me. Sorry again, and know I have quit that mistaken habit. Metafilter is not a nest I want to soil.
April 9
Burque/Santa Fe meetup
Anyone in Albuquerque want to get together? I'd be open to Santa Fe, too, if we can be somewhere near the Rapid Ride route. [more inside]
Recent Activity is your friend.
Mushrooms. Bunny heads. Mefites.
Yes, I was (and am) completely serious: PDX 10.7, 24 April at Enchanted Forest (near Salem). Two-week reminder. [more inside]
Behind the Pants Wars.
Today on VH1's Metafilter's Behind the Music Pants: the backstory behind the maker of the Norwegian Curling team's awesome pants. (A follow-up to my now-closed post "Olympic Pants Wars.")
Popular favorites on mobile site?
iPony: Could we have a link to popular favorites on the mobile site? [more inside]
How to be notified about a post with X tag?
How can I get notified when X topic comes up? For example, I'm interested in a Twin Cities meetup but don't log in every day. Is there a way to make a tag and get MeMail'ed or something when a keyword like Minneapolis or MeetUp is posted? Thanks.
San Francisco, April 30th, 7:00PM. Be there?
Hey, San Francisco, I'm coming for a visit April 30th. [more inside]
Do you hear that Doug? I'm coming to London!
Up for a little mischief?
Please help me get to the SF meetup this weekend from Fresno. [more inside]
April 8
Free Ticket to Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at Irving Pl.
I have an extra ticket for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists for tonight (Friday) at Irving Plaza NYC. [more inside]
Timezone fix
Timezone offset feature fix request in profile customization [more inside]
Man Acquitted For Being Naked In Own Kitchen
Agree?
Pony request: an "I agree" button in Ask? [more inside]
April 7
Where's the funny
Where can I find the funniest posts on mefi? [more inside]
MeFi Homebrew Swap Open
Friends, MeFites, homebrewers lend me your beers! The MetaFilter Homebrew Swap (previously) is now taking applications. [more inside]
April 6
Can I bump my project?
Repost to projects? Kosher? [more inside]
Neat Stuff in SoCal?
Going to be in LA between the 15th and 20th of this month. [more inside]
Orbital-SF Meetup
I'm not the most timely of chaps, and SF folks are already meeting this weekend, but might any MeFites be going to see Orbital at The Warfield next Friday, April 16? Or anyone want to meet around there before or after the show? [more inside]
Tick. Tick. Tick.png
There's a repeating broken image on some AskMe tag search results pages. [more inside]
April 5
Someone with time and skills...can you make this post?
I'd like to encourage someone to make a thoughtful post about the West Virginia Mine accident this afternoon. I would do it but I'm pretty much out the door and I JUST heard about it. [more inside]
How does mefi make dough.
How does metafilter make enough money to keep itself alive? Ostensibly it takes moneyz to run this huge thing (though I will admit I have absolutely no concept of how much) and I'm assuming the $5 start up fee doesn't cover it. I know there are ads, but do people really click on them? [more inside]
Kansai Tour 2010!
Any chance for a meetup in the Kansai region of Japan? [more inside]
April 3
Don't post in my own thread?
So, what is an acceptable amount of posting in a metafilter thread you started? [more inside]
Comments that have the recipient in the detail
The Business Week forums have an interesting feature to their non-threaded discussions that I think would make an excellent feature here given the growing size of the user base, and many threads with dozens of comments. They allow a comment to be posted in response to someone else, or to the thread at large. In the heading of the comment, they post the "recipient's" name, which makes following a long discussion easier. [more inside]
Doctorow Dust-Up
Greasy Honky Pie
So I have to know, has anyone tried making the Greasy Honky Pie yet? I'm not sure I want to be the first, but by gum I'll do it for the MeFi nation if no one else will...
April 2
Atlanta NTC Meetup?
Is anyone going to NTC in Atlanta next week?
Hey-yo At JoCo
Absolute Last Minute Question About Stuff In NYC: Anyone going to see Jonathan Coulton tonight at the Skyline Ballroom? Just wondering if any other MeFites will be there.
April 1
MeFi in SL II
The First Virtual Museum of MetaFilter In-Jokes in Second Life is now back, after a few false starts and some land-skipping. (Some lengthy, rather SL-wonkish commentary inside.) [more inside]
e?
Was there once a FPP in the blue where the only text on the front page was "e" and which linked to something about the mathematical constant? [more inside]
Baltigeniuses
I am presenting an installation at an audio art festival in Baltimore in May. Does anyone want to meet up? [more inside]
Seattle!
Another Seattle meetup? [more inside]
Popular Time Machine Pony
Can I have a pony that shows me the most popular / favorited AskMe questions by a specific day, week, month, or tag. If I could, I would ride that pony like I stole it.
My favorite favorited favorites
Yet another in the infinite series of favorites threads. [more inside]
"To Be Asked" cheat sheet?
Is a "To be asked" reminder list for AskMeFi in a user's profile worth considering? [more inside]
April Fools
Has/does MetaFilter do anything special for April Fools? [more inside]
Non-modal player pony
Wouldn't the embedded youtube player be nicer in a non-modal draggable element, instead of this dim-the-lights-and-dont-click thing we've currently got?