July 2005 Archives (all archives)
July 31
Can we please change the Metafilter taglines?
Can we please change the Metafilter taglines?
I'm flagging the breakage of flags.
I was trying to flag a remark, but Firefox gives me a wierd error after is says the message got sent, as it's redirecting back to the original post. Just wondering if message was (probably) received. and to point out the bug.
July 30
Made a Konfabulator widget
Did someone ask for a Konfabulator (or should I say Yahoo!) widget? Here you go. Nothing very clever, no match for the Dashboard version, but it gets you started. Let me know if it's any use.
Batshitinsane Tags
Where did my "batshitinsane" tag go in this post? Was it deemed inappropriate?
Lobster stole our color scheme.
Iowa blog copies MeFi comments?
WTF? About halfway down this page, the comments start to get a little, er, familiar... Anyone know what's up? (And yes, I did find that by searching for "ASMED".)
July 29
I can't get my posts to switch font modes in a single text area.
I can't get my posts to switch font modes in a single area of the text, it's all or nothing. I have a mac with OS 10.4 and use safari.
No Unicode Support for Tags
I dig the new Unicode support and all, but Unicode does not work within tags.
Ladies and gentleman, welcome MeFi's newest troll!
No need to "sign" your posts or comments.
No need to "sign" your posts or comments. Just below each post and comment, we can see your name. By clicking your name, readers can find any info you want to share (and as a community we encourage email addresses being listed so we can help you out with stuff via email rather than call you out in the thread or on MeTa). Just thought I'd give a heads up for some of the newer folks, as this young fellow mentioned it in his comment.
Is anybody here going to SIGGRAPH??
Is anybody here going to SIGGRAPH?? Any interest in some kind of meetup-type-thing?
If no, but you're in LA, can you recommend a Thai noodle shop nearby? Army surplus? Pretty sure this is the location.
If no, but you're in LA, can you recommend a Thai noodle shop nearby? Army surplus? Pretty sure this is the location.
July 28
Can we get some more specific categories in AskMe than "Computers & Internet?"
Can we get some more specific categories in AskMe than "Computers & Internet?"
how nice is matt about letting users change their user name?
how nice is matt about letting users change their user name?
International Language Support
So I think I have international language support working finally. Please test in the comments here.
اذان ظهر: ۱۳/۱۱ • اذان مغرب: ۲۰/۳۲ فردا: • اذان صبح: ۴/۲۹ • طلوع
Pictographs and Icons:✈ ☎ ☼ ✮
اذان ظهر: ۱۳/۱۱ • اذان مغرب: ۲۰/۳۲ فردا: • اذان صبح: ۴/۲۹ • طلوع
Pictographs and Icons:✈ ☎ ☼ ✮
Forbidden bug
Trying to comment here gets me:
Forbidden - You don't have permission to access /contribute/post_comment_preview.cfm on this server.
Forbidden - You don't have permission to access /contribute/post_comment_preview.cfm on this server.
User links are broken right now.
User links are broken right now. "You don't have permission to access /user/16552 on this server."
anastasiav prize
anastasiav is offering cash moneya gift certificate for the best link posted on 1 August 2005, as judged by her.
There's good and there's bad.
I'd like to give a thanks to the new "your link has been found in another post" feature, and a pox to those people who don't use tags.
July 27
Request: A way to disable live preview.
I *hate* the live preview feature. There, I said it.
Fark Uses Metafilter As Source
Since when does MeFi have its own source icon on Fark?
Are we still trying to set something up for MSP meetup?
Hey, so, MSP meet-up? Are we still trying to set something up?
I LOVE Live Preview. Thanks Matt !!
I LOVE Live Preview. Thanks Matt !!
It's always been so hard to imagine what your post is going to look like when you use bold, italics or worst of all with links. I think this will really improve posting readability factor.
On preview, didn't realize it wasn't in MetaTalk too. But I'm being greedy. It's wonderful to have in MeFi and AskME.
(Sorry if this is a repeat. My MetaTalk search timed out.)
It's always been so hard to imagine what your post is going to look like when you use bold, italics or worst of all with links. I think this will really improve posting readability factor.
On preview, didn't realize it wasn't in MetaTalk too. But I'm being greedy. It's wonderful to have in MeFi and AskME.
(Sorry if this is a repeat. My MetaTalk search timed out.)
Funny Hat Day
Some people seem down around here lately. Well, how about a funny hat day? It can really boost morale, I think. A Friday is probably best for this, as momentum will already be building for the weekend.
July 26
RSS Feed Issues
The main Metafilter RSS feed is currently not well-formed XML, which is causing some odd displays in different feed readers. The feed validator says "invalid token", and my best guess is that it's the unescaped greater-than in this post's title.
Subdividing AskMe?
It feels like AskMe questions come in Straight Dope and Dear Abby sorts (among others), with a lot more recently that can only be answered by personal anecdote. Evidently the community wants them (I read and appreciate them). Might splitting them off into a new color help keep AskMe from drowning in its success?
a problem discussed here
a problem discussed here
The Metafilter rss feed doesn't have a favicon.
The Metafilter rss feed doesn't have a favicon.
Maine Meetup?
Is there any interest in a Maine (or perhaps "Northern New England) meetup in Portland sometime in September?
What is boingesque.com?
What is boingesque.com? [more inside]
July 25
Was Metafilter on the latest episode of "Six Feet Under"?
Does anyone remember an AskMe thread
Does anyone remember an AskMe thread about people who sleep with their feet sticking out of the covers? My searching skills are failing me...
User Callout
My question started out simply asking for advice on how to make business cards, and Fandango_Matt not only called me, he helped me design a set of professional cards. I met a future business partner the other day and he was impressed; no doubt if it weren't for Fandango_Matt's help things could have swung the other way. Thank you.
July 24
AskMe bugs
TwoBugsInAskMetaFilterFilter... [mi]
Can I answer without reference?
With regards to AskMe: if I have experience with the subject of a question being asked, but my answer is anecdotal, unconventional, and basically just hard to support with any well-known reference, is it worth posting?
Top 100 SF/Fantasy List
There was an AskMe thread that revolved around some scifi question, and a person posted in response a link to a top 100 list, which I think was a usenet post. It was voted on by users. I always meant to link the list, never did, and now I've spent 30 minutes trying to find it. Any idea?
Positive AskMe feedback - thanks MeFi!
re: Looking for speaking advice...details inside!
July 23
Biking to a lemon party
Is anyone else having, ahem, a problem (to be euphamistic) with the links on this FPP?
London Meetup Photos
Photos from the London meetup. A fabulous time was had by all. Many thanks to keijo for coordinating.
Seattle Meetup
Seattle meetup reminder. Sunday 7:30pm at Sunset Bowl. If there are kids, we can get the gutters flipped into bumpers and practice bank shots. [map inside]
Thanks for the laughs
Ass buttons. And lick spots. Thank you for making me laugh, and teaching me something new.
July 22
clueless? keep your mouth shut
AskMe: If you don't know what you're talking about, keep your mouth shut.
Changing My Account
How can I cancel my account? If I can't, how can I change my nick? And if I can't do that, then how can I cancel my account? I kind of ashamed of being a $5 MeFite.
Greasemonkey hex conversion request
Non-Matt pony request.
Can anybody cook up a hexadecimal conversion Greasemonkey script or FF extension? [MI]
Can anybody cook up a hexadecimal conversion Greasemonkey script or FF extension? [MI]
NYC Meetup Reminder: July 23
NYC meetup reminder. Saturday, July 23, at Vol de Nuit, at 8pm. Previous thread here. Meetup inspired by SisterHavana coming to town.
I and anyone who wants to join will be going to grumblebee's play at 8 and swinging by afterwards.
I and anyone who wants to join will be going to grumblebee's play at 8 and swinging by afterwards.
It's not ok to link to NAMBLA
"A link to NAMBLA is just wrong". I agree. At least on the front page, it's wrong. (more inside)
When a poster replies to his own post, would it be possible to mark it as such?
A suggestion to improve Metafilter: When a poster replies to his own post, would it be possible to mark it as such, such as starting out the post with "Poster: ", or maybe each poster could do this manually to make the thread more readable. Just an idea.
Live Preview display should match comment entry pls
A pony: Can the Live Preview box be displayed in the same fashion as the actual posts on the page? More specifically, rather than being indented to the same margins as the comment entry box, can it be shown with the same margins as the actual posts on the page?
Why do I see ads when logged out, but not logged in?
I see BlogAds. No, wait a minute, I don't. How come I see the BlogAds and Google Ads when using IE6, but not Moz5 or Opera7? Do most MeFites see them or not?
July 21
Where'd that comment go?
I could have sworn that somebody posted a link as a response to my question. Now that I have time to actually check it out, though, the link is gone. What gives? Bug? Gratuitous moderation? Anyone know what the link was?
What are your top 5 favourite Metafilter FPPs of all time?
Live preview fixes some things but they still want more....
The live preview window seems to have fixed the old character entity problem... kinda. As long as you use hexadecimal character codes, things turn out fine. The annoying days of "????" "Oops, I meant ????" "Shit, make that ????" are almost over.
Since we're already so close, could we get one of the following?
1) Put a note under the text box reminding new users to use hex codes only.
2) Fix it so character names and decimal character codes work too.
Since we're already so close, could we get one of the following?
1) Put a note under the text box reminding new users to use hex codes only.
2) Fix it so character names and decimal character codes work too.
Love preview, but can't see it
I like the new "instant preview" feature in the blue, but in the preview window, I'm seeing black text on a blue background -- in other words, not terribly well.
London Meetup
London meetup reminder!
This Saturday (23 June) from 6pm onwards at The Porterhouse, Covent Garden, 21-22 Maiden Lane, London WC2 E7NA.
This Saturday (23 June) from 6pm onwards at The Porterhouse, Covent Garden, 21-22 Maiden Lane, London WC2 E7NA.
Can we please keep our flames restricted to this site?
Can we please keep our flames restricted to this site? A certain someone felt that the proper response to a disagreement here would be to post on my personal site that I should, "Stop posting to Metafilter, you dumb piece of shit." I don't think that is good etiquette.
July 20
New feature: live comment preview
I'm trying out live comment preview, graciously programmed by kokogiak. It should work in major browsers and fall back to the old preview pages for browsers without js support. Let me know if you find any bugs, or have any comments about it.
Metafilter Craigslist?
Is there any interest, has there been discussion on the idea of having a MeFi section for swapping/selling/buying things between members? Something of a closed craigslist?
I offended Richard Lederer
Re: Root of Testimony
Well, I made a bad mistake yesterday. I sent an email off to Richard Lederer, but it didn't occur to me to check what my display name was. Unfortunately, because my name was still displayed as "Nigger Stole My Truck," I offended him. So, the reply I got was not as verbose as I had hoped:
I'm offended by your racist e-mail address and will not respond to any additional e-message from such a source, But because I am a language teacher,. I'll briefly answer this one inquiry.
There is a widely circulated theory that testify and testimony are related to the testes and the practice of men clutching their gonads when giving testimony, as Abraham does in biblical Genesis. As your online etymology indicates, this theory is false. The words are derived from Latin for "witness."
So, I suppose I was right, but I sure don't feel so good now, having offended someone who I considered to be a 'hero' of sorts. Naturally, I'll be sending him an apology. But, I still feel a bit of pride for sniffing out an urban legend. Link to related debate here (scroll down a little).
Well, I made a bad mistake yesterday. I sent an email off to Richard Lederer, but it didn't occur to me to check what my display name was. Unfortunately, because my name was still displayed as "Nigger Stole My Truck," I offended him. So, the reply I got was not as verbose as I had hoped:
I'm offended by your racist e-mail address and will not respond to any additional e-message from such a source, But because I am a language teacher,. I'll briefly answer this one inquiry.
There is a widely circulated theory that testify and testimony are related to the testes and the practice of men clutching their gonads when giving testimony, as Abraham does in biblical Genesis. As your online etymology indicates, this theory is false. The words are derived from Latin for "witness."
So, I suppose I was right, but I sure don't feel so good now, having offended someone who I considered to be a 'hero' of sorts. Naturally, I'll be sending him an apology. But, I still feel a bit of pride for sniffing out an urban legend. Link to related debate here (scroll down a little).
Could people please stop guessing where someone got a link from?
Could people please stop guessing where someone got a link from?
Montreal meetup July 2005
Last Minnit Me-Fi for MONTREAL !!! Friday night the 22 at 7pm at Copacabana Bar on St Laurent. (Else's on Roy St is nicer but smaller and might be packed at seven). I am from Vancouver and visiting and would like to meet some other Metafilterers. if no one shows that's cool, I will bring a copy of the Great Gatsby and let it wash over me drinking gin martinis. And so we beat on...
July 19
Proposal: MetaSoapbox.
Proposal: MetaSoapbox.
It seems that there's a lot of angsty energy being expended trying to keep people from using the blue, and even more so askmefi and metatalk, to get their polemical selves all wound up, announcing their latest charge-the-windmill initiatives, etc., etc. , etc.
While this all for the good, I can't help but think that there's often nothing better on the Internet than a good polemic, particularly a funny or provocative one, and no better place for it than here, where it's not all preaching to the choir.
I know that some people might say "that's what your own damn blog is for" but knowing that a stupid or impetuous soapbox effort will be laughed down (or, worse, ignored) can motivate and discipline a lot higher quality product than a typical blog.
And I'm not really thinking of politics as the exclusive subject, either. Lots of other subjects. All of you who labor in anonymity, striving to promote your Rant and Rave to Best of Craigslist, here's your chance to shine!
It seems that there's a lot of angsty energy being expended trying to keep people from using the blue, and even more so askmefi and metatalk, to get their polemical selves all wound up, announcing their latest charge-the-windmill initiatives, etc., etc. , etc.
While this all for the good, I can't help but think that there's often nothing better on the Internet than a good polemic, particularly a funny or provocative one, and no better place for it than here, where it's not all preaching to the choir.
I know that some people might say "that's what your own damn blog is for" but knowing that a stupid or impetuous soapbox effort will be laughed down (or, worse, ignored) can motivate and discipline a lot higher quality product than a typical blog.
And I'm not really thinking of politics as the exclusive subject, either. Lots of other subjects. All of you who labor in anonymity, striving to promote your Rant and Rave to Best of Craigslist, here's your chance to shine!
Edits bother me
Jessamyn's edit is really bothering me. There were a few remarks (mine among them) below this, calling attention to it, but Matt closed the thread without addressing this issue. Can we see no more editing for content please? Let posts/comments stand or be deleted, but this middle ground is too slippery a slope.
July 18
The MefiSwap deadlines have changed once again
The Swap deadlines have been rejiggered once again, and it's time to get this ship out of the dock. Sign up now, add your addresses now, get aboard. This is the last hurrah for this session, so don't wait for another reminder!
AirAmerica-mocking meetup
Air America is apparently broadcasting from the Tea Lounge in Park Slope (on Union) this Friday morning. I plan to be there with my Little Green Footballs.com t-shirt on to deride them, and stir up some....coffee. That's how you'll recognize me.
Seattle meetup July 2005
Seattle Meetup (Posted on behalf of warbaby):
Lebowski 7:24 in Seattle? I'm in Seattle next Sunday. I'll be really hungover. Wanna go bowling? Caucasian, anyone? My treat, I will have my portable bar with me. It just fits in a Lincoln Towncar. We can set up in the parking lot after bowling if we are fast and sneaky. Danius will probably come and the two of us will do a speed pour demonstration.
Sunset Bowl, 7:30pm 7/24, dudettes and dudes?
Lebowski 7:24 in Seattle? I'm in Seattle next Sunday. I'll be really hungover. Wanna go bowling? Caucasian, anyone? My treat, I will have my portable bar with me. It just fits in a Lincoln Towncar. We can set up in the parking lot after bowling if we are fast and sneaky. Danius will probably come and the two of us will do a speed pour demonstration.
Sunset Bowl, 7:30pm 7/24, dudettes and dudes?
Manhattan meetup?
So, I'm going to be in NYC this Fri-Mon. Anyone want to meet me? (I will be staying in Manhattan and I am most familiar with places there.)
I thought AskMe questions about politics were taboo?
I really don't want to be a spoilsport, but I was under the impression that Ask MeFi questions relating to politics/current events were taboo (it says so in the MeFi wiki).
How, then, has this post been allowed to remain?
How, then, has this post been allowed to remain?
Boston Meetup
Thought I'd do the reminder for the Boston meetup - tomorrow night, 8pm, Grendel's in Harvard Sq.
Did it get posted?
The last few times I've made an FPP, I've hit 'Submit' and it's pointed me back to the homepage...without the post. I hesitate to try again because I don't want it posting twice. I realize this was just discussed but I wanted to see if anyone had had a similar experience recently since the bug seems to remain.
July 17
Only 6 FPP today, only 10 yesterday. Why?
The slowest day for MetaFilter in recent history? Only six FPP today. Ten yesterday. What gives? Summer started?
Louisville meetups July 2005
Vidiot and I are going to Lebowski Fest next weekend - you know, bowl, drive around, the occasional acid flashback. Any Metafilterians attending want to share a lane?
username entity-ified
eponymous blargh registered himself a sock puppet using html entities which looks exactly like my username. thank you.
Sock Puppets
An Apologia for Sock-Puppets [more inside]
July 15
Where should I, a physician, draw the line at commenting on health-related posts in AskMe?
Where should I, a physician, draw the line at commenting on health-related posts in AskMe?
I enjoy thinking about folks' medical puzzles and often learn something in the process of trying to solve them. However, I'm a neurologist, so most of what I comment on is well outside my scope of practice. I've tried to make it clear in my user info that I'm not commenting in my professional capacity as a medical advisor, but instead as "just another Metafilter user." But if you scroll down to roofus' thought-provoking post a few days ago, you can read about a number of harmful things that we docs could inadvertently be causing, including but not limited to the inflammation of hypochondria, acute bad-adviceFilter, and sudden dismemberment or death.
What do folks think? Should I just can it before I get sued?
I enjoy thinking about folks' medical puzzles and often learn something in the process of trying to solve them. However, I'm a neurologist, so most of what I comment on is well outside my scope of practice. I've tried to make it clear in my user info that I'm not commenting in my professional capacity as a medical advisor, but instead as "just another Metafilter user." But if you scroll down to roofus' thought-provoking post a few days ago, you can read about a number of harmful things that we docs could inadvertently be causing, including but not limited to the inflammation of hypochondria, acute bad-adviceFilter, and sudden dismemberment or death.
What do folks think? Should I just can it before I get sued?
User quit; grief management techniques?
I was going to post this in AskMe but I've already used my question this week and this is more generally MeFi-related. My problem is this. I really miss orthogonality. I'm pining for him. I think the whole business was a damned shame. Does anyone have any suggestions for coping mechanisms and grief management techniques?
MetaFilter on Sploid
I don't mean to "out" anybody journalistically, but having recently joined the MetaFun here "after four years of looking around", "a-list blogger" and editor of Gawker Media's Sploid* Ken Layne has made a MetaFilter Front Page Post into Sploid's big-dropshadow-headlined** lead story. Of course the story is Dunvegan's post on the Naeem Kahn affair, which I personally consider the best thing on MeFi since we stopped playing that "Blogstop" game. Yeah, let's keep making Ken's job easy... If we can get one of these for every hundred average "NewsFilters", I'll accept that tradeoff.
*which is the only Gawker site I regularly visit, sorry dong.
**actually, my favorite thing about Sploid is how they do the tabloid-ish headlines using just the Impact font and some sneaky CSS, but I digress...
*which is the only Gawker site I regularly visit, sorry dong.
**actually, my favorite thing about Sploid is how they do the tabloid-ish headlines using just the Impact font and some sneaky CSS, but I digress...
Bug in AskMe posting?
I tried to post a question in AskMe, but it wouldn't show up. When I tried to post again, it said: sorry, you already asked a question this week. Catch 22, or is there a delay in question posting that I'm not aware of?
Blank comments, the new "."?
July 14
My archives links are gone
Occasionally I like to trawl through the MetaTalk archives. There used to be a link on the front to 'current archives' then 'all archives' but that seems to have disappeared with the introduction of the 'next' and 'previous' links. [more inside]
Safari 2.0 tabs bug with background colors
i opened ask metafilter and metatalk in two tabs in Safari 2.0, closed the AskMeFi tab, and (i think) clicked a link in MeTa, and the top frame is still AskMeFi green. here's a link. looks like a caching issue obviously but i've refreshed and it's still there.
What does a contact do?
More FNG questions: On my Profile page, I see contacts listed. Or rather that people have listed me as a contact. It looks like an addressbook sort of thing. What does this mean? What does a contact do? How are these used? Is there a contact etiquette? I searched the wiki but couldn't find anything (maybe because I couldn't guess the magic keyword.)
Deleted Double-Posts
After a double post is deleted, how about adding a link in the original thread pointing to the deleted thread? [more inside]
Bug: Cold Fusion Error in AskMe
Cold Fusion Error when accessing AskMetafilter. [more inside]
Too Much AskMe
Something must be done! AskMe is out-of-control popular, and it's almost impossible to follow questions since they scroll into oblivion within hours of their posting. I have no suggestions for ameliorating the situation, but I thought I'd bitch about it.
Minor quibbles about AskMe
Two minor improvements to the Ask MetaFilter posting page: the Preview should include the [more inside] notification, and the button should say "Preview the question" instead of "Preview the link."
Answering a question with a joke, then the "well, seriously.."
The "Hollywood Squares Thing": Answering a question with a joke, then the "well, seriously.." bit. Is this bad? In defense, you are providing some "signal"...
toronto meetup reminder
Toronto Meetup Reminder
It looks like we’ve designated Scotland Yard, and agreed to meet at 8 pm on July 15. Given the slaphappy fun and mayhem of the last two meetups, I can’t wait to see what the heel of fate has in store for us little MeFite bugs this time;-) So, come on out everyone, play some NTN, have a beverage or ten, and greet Our Very Special Guest, Vancouver MeFite filmgoerjuan.
It looks like we’ve designated Scotland Yard, and agreed to meet at 8 pm on July 15. Given the slaphappy fun and mayhem of the last two meetups, I can’t wait to see what the heel of fate has in store for us little MeFite bugs this time;-) So, come on out everyone, play some NTN, have a beverage or ten, and greet Our Very Special Guest, Vancouver MeFite filmgoerjuan.
This post is not the best of the web
Can we get a restart here?
July 13
Happy Birthday MeFi, I got you a double post!
Keeping questions visible
What can be done so that questions posted to Ask Metafilter remain accessible (i.e., on the front page) to more users over a longer time period? It seems that we have crossed the threshold where the the increasing volume of questions is leading to a decreasing amount of useful responses. Related discussion here.
special fancy characters in username
well, now this is certanly ??.
CSS fix for horizontal scrollbar
I'd like to submit a bug-fix to MetaFilter default.css stylesheet. It fixes the Mozilla/Firefox page rendering (on Windows) so that it no longer generates an annoying horizontal scrollbar. After much tinkering, it appears to be fixed by the following small change to the stylesheet:
.tinydatetime {
font-size: 10px;
font-family: verdana, sans-serif;
font-weight: bold;
color: black;
padding-left:5px; < ------ change to b>margin-left:5px;
padding-right:5px; < ------ change to b>margin-rightt:5px;
}
It needs testing on non-Windows platforms however.>>
.tinydatetime {
font-size: 10px;
font-family: verdana, sans-serif;
font-weight: bold;
color: black;
}
It needs testing on non-Windows platforms however.>>
Doh! Broken link leads to deletion
I made a mistake, in this thread I meant to link to this as the first link. Instead, I accidentally linked to the MeFi thread in the second link. Yes it was stupid, but I was trying to correct it when it was deleted. I'd like to put the corrected version of the thread back up, if that is possible. Little help, please?
DC Meetup
Extremely short notice: I'm in DC for one more night and I have nothing to do. Anyone in the area want to meet up? I'm in Arlington and close to a metro stop...
Comment removal discussion
I really don't think "a Glock" is an inappropriate answer to this thread, but it seems to have been pulled anyway. In fact, I've seen lots of relevant answers that might offend a mod's delicate sensibilities get pulled. That's not cool.
There is a chance I read about it outside MeFi, but stilll...
I don't know if this is appropriate or not, but I could swear I read about this on metafilter a few days ago, and now I can't find a link anywhere. It was an article about the new AP service, where in addition to the actual news story, they will also provide several different lead-in paragraphs, which alter the story mood to cater to a given audience. Could someone help me track the reference down? There is a chance I read about it outside MeFi, but stilll...
Thanks!
Thanks!
Odd display bug
Odd display bug: Empty lines inserted in posts prior to posters' names. Earlier, The Jesse Helms post had roughly 20 empty lines. Now the post below it has about 10.
I'm on Firefox 1.0.4 for Mac
I'm on Firefox 1.0.4 for Mac
July 12
Tagging functions updated
I changed the way tags are done on mefi. You can now delete your tags and make new ones on your posts. If this works out, I'll extend it to let you tag your mutal contacts as well (and I'll copy the functionality to ask mefi as well). Let me know if you run into any problems. Also, me and jessamyn can add and delete tags on any post and will use this to help keep things organized.
I hate FPPs linking to hate sites
I really object to people making a FPP which is a link to a neo-nazi site, by claiming it as a 'news' item and secondly without marking the link as a hate site. Van Gogh's murderer would 'do it again'. Best of the web? Perhaps not.
Would that FPP have been kosher?
Yesterday Scotty McClellen was the whipping boy in one of the funniest press conferences I've ever seen. The left-leaning political blog Crooks and Liars hosted a video of the best 6 minutes.
I was considering posting it, since I thought it was defintately the best thing I had seen on the web yesterday, but I didn't want to hear all the nannies scream "newsfilter" all day.
So what's the deal? Would that FPP have been kosher? And if not, what would have been the best way to share the link with the community who, if they hadn't seen it, would have probably also loved it?
I was considering posting it, since I thought it was defintately the best thing I had seen on the web yesterday, but I didn't want to hear all the nannies scream "newsfilter" all day.
So what's the deal? Would that FPP have been kosher? And if not, what would have been the best way to share the link with the community who, if they hadn't seen it, would have probably also loved it?
I'm getting an error message
I'm not sure if it's been noticed already or how long its been going on, but when trying to access Metafilter I get this error message:
The ValueList() function has an invalid parameter: getLinks.link_id.
Parameter 1 of function ValueList which is now (getLinks.link_id) must be pointing to a valid query name.
Just makin' sure someone knows...
The ValueList() function has an invalid parameter: getLinks.link_id.
Parameter 1 of function ValueList which is now (getLinks.link_id) must be pointing to a valid query name.
Just makin' sure someone knows...
New version of MetaDash widget
As an update to this thread I have written a new version of the MetaDash widget, with numerous improvements (resizing, scrollwheel support, automatic updates, variable update timing, cache bug fixes, and others). Screenshots and downloads are available from the linked site.
July 11
Sidebar London bombing?
Has the time come to sidebar the London bombing?
Can we weight the askme pages?
Don't think it's been mentioned. It's another Ask.mefi request on scrolling.
How about a weighted system?
How about a weighted system?
My delicate sensibilities are offended.
Sorry if that offends your delicate sensibilities. Yes, actually, it does. It's ok if it's a man, but not a woman? This is vicious talk and a double standard. I flagged it but nothing happened.
Medical Advice on AskMe
Do other doctors get this horrible sinking feeling when they read a medical question in Ask Metafilter? Usually the questions are OK, but obviously would be better directed at a physician. It's the answers that cause me a headache. Lots of non-doctors seem to wade in with "This one time I had something similar, and...". No actual doctors declare themselves and give a sensible answer. I work in a fairly sub-specialized area (uro-gynae) so I'm not necessarily up to date on most of the questions. None the less, I just can't stand it to sit by and see terrible advice given Equally I feel there's something unethical about attempting to play web-doctor. Any tips on best practice?
Posting an FPP results in "robust exception" errors
Posting an FPP into the blue results in "robust exception" errors and redirection to the front page sans post. After several tries, it finally worked. Loose bolt somewhere?
Deleted Thread
What happened to today's Karl Rove thread on the blue? Is there a reason it was deleted?
Was there a post deleted off the blue that regarded some pictures of "average women"?
Was there a post deleted off the blue that regarded some pictures of "average women"? It was either from late Sunday or early Monday. I wanted to view those pics. Thanks.
Self link, with proofs
Owner of FPP'ed Flickr set: "I'm 19." FPP author: "Age: 19" Inconclusive. Likely coincidence.
Owner of FPP'ed site: "Copyright 2005 Aaron Wynn & William Wynn." (google cache) FPP author: "Aaron Wynn" (home page) Conclusive. Enough.
Owner of FPP'ed site: "Copyright 2005 Aaron Wynn & William Wynn." (google cache) FPP author: "Aaron Wynn" (home page) Conclusive. Enough.
July 10
Great FUNNY DVD recommendations
You made me laugh. Thanks.
HypotheticalNewsFilter
Newsfilter with a Crystal Ball: Return to Flight and Jerry Lewis Telethon ... not to mention that Newsweek might nail Karl Rove tomorrow. Don't we get enough current events here without having to post about things that might happen in the future?
Mid-Missouri meetup?
Anybody in Mid-Missouri want to have a meet-up? According to my user page there are just 5 users near Columbia:
badger_flammable, xhepera, nitsuj, zsazsa, cadastral.
Anybody I missed? Anybody up for a pint or whatever?
[MI about a possible NYC meetup]
badger_flammable, xhepera, nitsuj, zsazsa, cadastral.
Anybody I missed? Anybody up for a pint or whatever?
[MI about a possible NYC meetup]
Judging a thread by its racist title
What's the deal with racist page titles? We went through the exact same thing a couple of years ago.
July 9
Las Vegas meetup
Hey, Las Vegas...I know it's short notice, but how about a few beers? [more inside]
Hey Toronto! Let's meet and play some Live Action Scotland Yard!
Hey Toronto! Let's meet and play some Live Action Scotland Yard! more inside...
Followup on the ethics of wireless leeching
As an update to this and other questions on the ethics and legality of using other people's wireless: Police in St. Petersburg, Florida have "arrested a man for using someone else's wireless Internet network in one of the first criminal cases involving this fairly common practice." (link, via)
Houston Meetup
Houston meetup next weekend? NickDouglas and I should be there. Suggestions on dates and locations requested.
July 8
San Francisco Meetup Photos
Lumpy Kitty Followup
I really don't know where to put this...
Mefites asked for an update on my lumpy kitty question. Unfortunately, the lumps in question were caused by Cutaneous Lymphosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. (My vet has only seen it 3 times in her 20 years of practice.) After the lumps appeared, she fell ill, and ultimately had to be euthanized two weeks ago.
I just wanted to pass the news along, and thank you all for the suggestions and help in the AskMe question. RIP Qu'Appelle, 1993-2005.
Mefites asked for an update on my lumpy kitty question. Unfortunately, the lumps in question were caused by Cutaneous Lymphosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. (My vet has only seen it 3 times in her 20 years of practice.) After the lumps appeared, she fell ill, and ultimately had to be euthanized two weeks ago.
I just wanted to pass the news along, and thank you all for the suggestions and help in the AskMe question. RIP Qu'Appelle, 1993-2005.
Constructive suggestions for dealing with trolls
Some constructive suggestions for dealing with trolls . . . [more inside]
a bit too farky?
a bit to farky? A one link page to a single "strange news" story is fark's bread and butter, and they posted this a couple hours ago. I realize that metafilter is a better place to talk about this sort of thing, but what is there to say? I doubt there Anyone here that thinks people should be arrested "for their protection" for being drunk at private parties?
Minor issue with metafilter CSS.
Minor issue with metafilter CSS. I use Safari, and have defined a custom CSS file to handle some default styling. For whatever reason, this forces most--but not all--*.metafilter.com links to appear in the link color I've defined; the boilerplate links at the top and bottom appear in Matt's intended yellow. I think that by adding the typical a:link etc selectors to MeFi's CSS would do the trick. It's possible I've done something goofy in my own CSS, I suppose.
This is a problem at a handful of other sites, but I notice it most at MeFi, because the lack of contrast makes links almost unreadable.
This is a problem at a handful of other sites, but I notice it most at MeFi, because the lack of contrast makes links almost unreadable.
July 7
Meetup in London, July 2005
I propose a meetup in London as soon as we get into relative normality in this city.
Banishment History
Is there any history of banishment here? And if so, what happened to cause being banned? In all my years of visiting, I have never read about an actual occurance of this.
I did a couple of searches and came up with nothing.
I did a couple of searches and came up with nothing.
ParisParamus callout.
ParisParamus. [mi]
How many MetaFilter Users does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
How many MetaFilter Users does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Linking to your own Livejournal as a news source: deceptive?
Using breaking disaster news threads to post deceptively authoritative-looking self-links to Livejournal updates: threat or menace?
July 6
Can we have this shot down?
This post (http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/43307) is spreading a malignant internet troll. Could it be shot down, please?
Mail art, anyone?
In my thread about mail art, Jon-o had a great idea. I'd love to organize something like this. Is anyone interested?
July 5
Twin Cities Meetup
How about a Minneapols/St. Paul meetup for the summer?
halifax meetup
So I'm in Halifax, NS, Canada for work and I haven't been to a MeFi meetup ever. Anyone else here?
Boston meetup?
I'm going to be in Boston around the week of the 18th of July, and was wondering if any Boston-based (or closish) MeFi-types want to meet up somewhere and have dinner, or argue about why we hate what.
I'm proposing the 19th - which is a Tuesday. Thoughts?
I'm proposing the 19th - which is a Tuesday. Thoughts?
Anonymous for a day
I've written a Greasemonkey script that does pretty much what leftcoastbob suggested here.
It adds a few refinements: the replacement name is "Poster" for the Poster and "Comment N" for commenters, where N is the number of their first comment in the currently viewed thread, so if the same commenter posts more than once in the thread, all his comments have the same replacement name.
It adds a few refinements: the replacement name is "Poster" for the Poster and "Comment N" for commenters, where N is the number of their first comment in the currently viewed thread, so if the same commenter posts more than once in the thread, all his comments have the same replacement name.
July 4
advocating violence, threats of police, not cool
'Keep it up; I'd be more than happy to forward your name to the RCMP'. That seems a bit out of line, doesn't it?
Toronto meetup, July 15, 2005
Toronto meetup planning in progress, for Friday, July 15. [more inside]
What's the best way to approach linking to a site with limited bandwidth?
What's the best way to approach linking to a site with limited bandwidth?
July 3
User #25 000, coming up...
User #25 000, coming up...
Hey SF, wanna come out and have a drink?
Hey SF, wanna come out and have a drink? When's a good night for you?
This Greenlighters post looks like a hoax.
This Greenlighters post looks like a hoax. The domain name was registered the same day it was posted, and as far as I can tell, all 555 users and all 4089 posts materialised yesterday. Google doesn't turn up anything on them, and it's a single-link post.
Maybe Maxor just happened upon it the same day it came up, but it looks like he hoaxed it up.
Maybe Maxor just happened upon it the same day it came up, but it looks like he hoaxed it up.
I can't log-in to MetaFilter
I can't log-in to MetaFilter. I am sure of my username and password, but they aren't working. I've tried deleting cookies. I probably haven't helped matters by obfuscating the email address in my profile so I can't have my password emailed to me. Assuming I haven't been banned, please help!
(Posted on behalf of nthdegx)
(Posted on behalf of nthdegx)
July 2
AskMe Only Users
What's the community feeling about MeFites whose sole contributions are AskMe questions? No examples, no finger-pointing...I'm just curious. Do y'all think folks should contribute elsewhere if they're going to reap the benefits of free advice? Or is five bucks five bucks?
Colorado Meetup
Okay folks, I'm in Colorado now.
Aurora to be exact, so who's up for a gathering? Time and date to be discussed until we can all agree to go to Caledonia's on [I think] Parker Road.
Aurora to be exact, so who's up for a gathering? Time and date to be discussed until we can all agree to go to Caledonia's on [I think] Parker Road.
Web 2.0 detectives on MetaFilter
If you ever find yourself trying to explain what Web 2.0 is all about, here's a quiet, excellent example you can point to. A random web user encounters a breaking news story about a man accused of kidnapping, (apparently) did some rudimentary searching, used a free and useful web archive and search tool, and pointed any interested parties within a certain community of web users to a cached version of the suspect's weblog, which reveals a wealth of interesting if chilling information that moves the narrative of our knowledge forward long before any word of it reaches common news aggregators. Once the new information is there, some chafe is posted but more wheat is added to the story. It may all end up being hooey-- not the weblog of the suspect. But this example of normal people using freely available tools to contribute to the collective knowledge will remain.
Bad use of links in posts
July 1
General blog-related stuff on MetaTalk?
Note: if posting about general weblog-related items, please post to Blogroots.com instead.
Since Blogroots is dead, does that mean we can talk about weblog-related stuff here again?
Since Blogroots is dead, does that mean we can talk about weblog-related stuff here again?
Which (Currently active) Metefilter member has the most popular blog
Which (Currently active) Metefilter member has the most popular blog (judged by hit-count)? How about a non-blog site? Who is the most (web-influental) Mefi-member?
Unmasking through IP addresses
In a previous thread, crunchland said:
knowing people's sock puppets or making IP's public would so let the steam out of threads like this.
And today I was looking over comments on this post. If one hovers over the commentator's name one can see the IP, or resolved domain, of the person who posted. Of course, there's probably ways around this kind of thing, but it might be a good start. Can we have something like this?
knowing people's sock puppets or making IP's public would so let the steam out of threads like this.
And today I was looking over comments on this post. If one hovers over the commentator's name one can see the IP, or resolved domain, of the person who posted. Of course, there's probably ways around this kind of thing, but it might be a good start. Can we have something like this?